A simple overview on SAP Netweaver Gateway

SAP NetWeaver Gateway is a technology that provides a simple way to connect devices,
environments and platforms to SAP software based on market standards. The framework
enables development of innovative people centric solutions bringing the power of SAP
business software into new experiences such as social and collaboration environments,
mobile and tablet devices and rich internet applications.
In simple words Netweaver Gateway is a set of ABAP add-ons to your existing SAP ERP
system that provides easy access to your business information in a simple, people-centric
manner and lowers the data consumption barrier to the point that no prior knowledge of an
SAP system's internal workings is required. The Gateway provides an API that is designed to
function as easytouse, well defined that gives access to the rich wealth of business data and
functionality in your SAP systems.
1.1 The software offers the following capabilities:

OPEN - Any Device, Any Experience, Any Platform

PEOPLE - Optimized for user interaction scenarios

TIMELESS - Non disruptive, any SAP Business Suite version

DEVELOPERS - Simple APIs, no SAP knowledge, any tool

STANDARDS - Based on REST, ATOM/OData

1.2 SAP NetWeaver Gateway offers connectivity to SAP applications using any programming
language or model without the need for SAP knowledge by leveraging REST services and
OData/ATOM protocols.
1.2.1 What is REST & OData?
REST: Representational State Transfer is a style of software architecture for distributed
systems such as the World Wide Web. REST has increasingly displaced other design models
such as SOAP and WSDL due to its simpler style. REST uses the standard GET, PUT, POST
& DELETE methods and other existing features of the HTTP protocol. Key goals of REST
include Scalability of component interactions, Generality of interfaces, Independent
deployment of components, Intermediary components to reduce latency, enforce security and
encapsulate legacy systems.
OData: The Open Data Protocol is an open web protocol for querying and updating data.
The protocol allows for a consumer to query a datasource over the HTTP protocol and get the
result back in formats like Atom, JSON or plain XML, including pagination, ordering or
filtering of the data.
1.3 Key Benefits of SAP NetWeaver Gateway

o REST-enables your SAP system, thereby lowering the data consumption

barrier to the point that no specialist knowledge of an SAP system is required
before SAP business data and functionality can be consumed.
o Hides the technical complexities of your SAP system landscape behind a
single interface that is easy-to-use and non-proprietary.
o Makes your SAP business data and functionality accessible to any external
device or system that can:
o Communicate using the HTTP(S) protocol.
o Understand OData messages.
o Provides Service Provisioning tools that allow the quick REST-enablement of
existing ABAP functionality.
o Provides plug-ins for well known IDEs such as Eclipse, Visual Studio 2010
and XCode.

2.0 Accessing SAP Business Data using Open Source tools

Consumption of data through the SAP NetWeaver Gateway interface requires nothing more
than the ability to make an HTTP(S) request. It does not require the use of any SAP
proprietary software or protocols. Consumption of data through the SAP NetWeaver Gateway
interface does not impose any requirement on the application developer to be able to write
software in ABAP, or even to have any understanding of the internal workings of an SAP
system.
Using the commonly available development tools such as Microsofts .Net or Apples XCode,
or Open Source languages such as Ruby or PHP, we can easily create user interfaces for SAP
business data and functionality by consuming the OData messages coming out of an SAP
NetWeaver Gateway server. In order to make the OData consumption process even easier,
SAP delivers several versions of the Gateway Consumption Tool. This tool can currently be
used by either Visual Studio 2010 or XCode and generates an OData proxy object. In addition
to this, it can also generate a basic application that wraps the generated proxy object.
Microsofts OData protocol is based on the Atom Publishing Protocol which in turn, is based
on the Atom Syndication Format. SAP has used the standard extensibility features found in
OData to provide its own annotations. The combination of ODatas data format and the SAP
Annotations make SAP business information both self-describing and human readable. These
two factors alone lower the barrier for consuming SAP business data and functionality to the
point that no specialist knowledge of an SAP system is required before such data can be
incorporated into a useful business application running on some external device.
3.0 Focusing area of the SAP NetWeaver Gateway

The whole focus of the SAP NetWeaver Gateway interface is the REST enablement of SAP
business data and functionality, thereby making it easy for non-SAP applications to consume.
These could be:

Any external business application. E.G. Microsoft Office applications via a .Net (or
even VBA) interface

Desktop machines using Web-based applications running PHP or Java or Ruby, etc.

Native applications on mobile devices E.G. iPad/iPhone or an Android device or a

Blackberry.

Embedded devices such as manufacturing robots or route planning software in

Satellite Navigation systems.

Any other business scenario you can think of involving some programmable device
that can speak HTTP(S).

The SAP NetWeaver Gateway interface can be used to supply the SAP Business Data to any
programmable device that can speak HTTP(S). In providing this capability, it hides the
complexities that exist within your system landscape by making use of:
Protocol Adaptation: OData becomes the only communication protocol needed for you to
supply or consume SAP Business Data to or from your SAP systems.
Service Adaptation: Different types and versions of SAP systems now appear as a single,
integrated repository of business information.
4.0 Development Process
SAP NetWeaver Gateway software is loaded with various Service Provisioning tools, which
generates the necessary source code to jump-start the development of your external business
applications. These tools can be used in conjunction with widely used Integrated
Development Environments (IDEs) such as Eclipse, Visual Studio 2010 and XCode.
Integrated development environment plugins are available for Visual Studio, xCode &
Eclipse, so Developers require no SAP Knowledge.
SAP NetWeaver Gateway creates new Gateway objects from existing BAPI, RFC & ABAP
Dynpro screens. Tools are available like RFC generators, BOR generators and Screen
generators which generate new Gateway objects from existing BAPIs, RFCs or Dynpros. We
can also build custom Gateway object using Gateway Add-On which provides you with the
OData Channel. This is a set of ABAP classes and interfaces that can be used to develop your
own Gateway Model Objects within your backend SAP system. These are then registered
with your SAP NetWeaver Gateway system in order to make them accessible to the outside
world as RESTful services.
The steps in development process can be easily understandable from the below image and
table.

Step 1 (Gateway) (SAP Side)

Step 2 (Consumer IDE) (Eg.

Visual studio, Eclipse)

Pick a Dynpro, a BAPI or existing Gateway

Model.

Create Proxy Classes using

Plug-ins.

Create a Data Source Model through the

Gateway Design Time.

Create a consumer
application.

Create a simplified Model and the Adaptation

Logic in the Gateway Design Time.

5.0 Conclusion
SAP NetWeaver Gateway is not designed to be a channel for the type of transactional
applications used by Power Users, neither is it designed to replace existing middleware like
SAP NetWeaver PI. In addition to this, SAP NetWeaver Gateway applications are not
designed to target A2A or B2B scenarios. Instead, SAP NetWeaver Gateway is the door
through which the mass consumption of SAP business data and functionality is made
possible. The target audience for SAP NetWeaver Gateway applications is a group known as
Occasional Platform Users (OPU). These are people who need ad hoc access to SAP data and
functionality in an easy-to-consume manner.