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Execute an Outbound Service from Custom Business Object Logic

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Execute an Outbound Service from Custom Business Object Logic
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Execute an Outbound Service from Custom Business Object Logic

Ulrike Liebherr

2019-04-17

Intermediate
15 min.
ABAP Extensibility, Intermediate, SAP S/4HANA, Tutorial, Cloud
Call an external service of SAP API Business Hub from inside the logic implementation of a custom business object.

You will learn

  • How to get needed service data from SAP API Business Hub Sandbox
  • How to configure outbound service connection in SAP S/4HANA Cloud system
  • How to call and process an outbound service in custom business object logic

The example application of Bonus Entitlement will be enhanced by a feedback functionality. The manager’s feedback will be translated automatically into English by calling the externally available service Machine Translation API of SAP.

Be aware that the example is done with SAP API Business Hub Sandbox system only. This shall only give an idea on how it works and cannot be used productively.

Additional Information

- SAP S/4HANA Cloud Release (tutorial’s last update): 1805

Step 1: Excursus: Try out the service in SAP API Business Hub
View Full Instructions

To get to know the Machine Translation API service first, you can try it out in SAP API Business Hub.

  1. Go to Machine Translation API on SAP API Business Hub

  2. Below API References click the Link to try out the service.

    Link to open try out section of the service

  3. If you are not logged in yet, a pop appears to do so. Press Log On

  4. Copy to clipboard this example code for a request body of the machine translation service

    {
  "sourceLanguage": "en",
  "targetLanguages": [
    "es"
  ],
  "units": [
    {
      "value": "Your text to be translated"
    }
  ]
}

  5. Scroll down to Parameters and paste the code into the Value input field of Parameter body

    Where to paste the request body

  6. Scroll down to the Try Out button and press it

    Button to try out the service

    The response to the service call will appear below.

Done
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Step 2: Get service end point and API Key

To configure the connection to the system and the outbound scenario you
will need the service’s end point.

After having tried out the service in SAP API Business Hub, the response had appeared.
Copy the Request URL - which is the end point - from the response section and paste it into a text editor for later usage

Request URL in response section

In order to authenticate during service call later you’ll need an API Key of SAP API Business Hub.

  1. Still in SAP API Business Hub, scroll to top and press Show API Key

    Button to show API Key of in SAP API Business Hub

    A pop up opens.

  2. Press Copy Key and Close to save the key to your clipboard.

    Pop Up to Copy API Key

  3. Paste the application key into a text editor for later usage.

Done
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Step 3: Create Communication System for Sandbox

In order to allow communication with the SAP API Business Hub Sandbox you have to create a communication system for it in your SAP S/4HANA System.

  1. Enter your SAP S/4HANA system’s Fiori Launchpad.

  2. Open application Communication Systems from Communication Management Launchpad group.

  3. Execute the action to create a New Communication System.

  4. Enter following Data into the input fields.

    Field Label Field Value
    System ID SANDBOX_API_SAP_COM
    System Name SANDBOX_API_SAP_COM
    Pop Up to create New Communication System

  5. Press Create

    The Details screen of the new Communication System opens.

  6. Enter sandbox.api.sap.com which is the domain specific part of the before gotten service’s end point as Host Name

  7. Scroll down to the Outbound Users section and press the + button to add an outbound user.

    Select the Authentication Method option None as authentication will be done via the API Key.

    Pop Up to create New Outbound

  8. Press Create to finish the outbound user creation. The pop up closes.

  9. Press Save to finish the communication system creation.

Done
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Step 4: Create custom communication scenario for external service

Define the external service as an available Communication Scenario.

  1. Go to Home of your SAP S/4HANA system’s Fiori Launchpad.

    Fiori Home Button

  2. Open application Custom Communication Scenario from Extensibility Launchpad group

  3. Execute the action to create a New Custom Communication Scenario.

    A pop up opens.

  4. Enter following data into the input fields and press the New button

    Field Label Field Value
    Communication Scenario ID MACHINE_TRANSLATION_API (prefix YY1_ is added automatically)
    Description Scenario for SAP Machine Translation API
    Scenario creation pop up

    The details UI for the scenario opens.

Done
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Step 5: Create outbound service in scenario

Set the service path as outbound service.

  1. Being in the object page of the custom communication scenario, switch to the Outbound Service section

    Switch to outbound services in scenario maintenance

  2. Press + to start outbound service creation
    A pop up opens

    Pop Up to create outbound service

    Enter following data into the input fields

    Field Label Field Value
    Description Outbound Service for SAP Machine Translation API
    Outbound Service ID OS_MACHINE_TRANSLATION_API (prefix YY1_ and suffix _REST are added automatically)
    URL Path /ml/translation/translation (service specific part of before gotten service’s end point)

  3. Press Create to finish the outbound service creation.

    The pop up closes.

  4. Press Publish to finish the custom communication scenario creation.

Done
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Step 6: Create communication arrangement for external service

Create a Communication Arrangement to link the scenario with the communication system.

  1. Go to Home of your SAP S/4HANA system’s Fiori Launchpad.

    Fiori Home Button

  2. Open application Custom Communication Arrangements from Communication Management Launchpad group.

  3. Execute the action to create a New Custom Communication Arrangement.

    A pop up opens.

  4. Select or Enter following data.

    Field Label Field Value
    Scenario YY1_MACHINE_TRANSLATION_API
    Arrangement Name YY1_MACHINE_TRANSLATION_API_SANDBOX_SAP_COM

  5. Press Create.

    Communication Creation Pop Up

    The pop up closes and the Arrangement’s Detail Page opens.

  6. Select Communication System SANDBOX_API_SAP_COM

    Communication System Selection in Communication Arrangement

  7. Save the Arrangement.

Done
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Step 7: Extend custom business object with feedback fields

Add fields to persists feedback at the custom business object Bonus Entitlement.

  1. Go to Home of your SAP S/4HANA system’s Fiori Launchpad.

    Fiori Home Button

  2. Open Custom Business Objects application in Extensibility launchpad group.

    Custom Business Objects application tile

  3. Open the business object Bonus Entitlement.

  4. Start Edit Mode by executing the Edit Draft action.

  5. Switch to Fields section.

  6. Add following New fields

    Field Label Field Identifier Field Type Field Properties
    Feedback Feedback Text Length: 255
    Feedback's language FeedbacksLanguage Text Length: 2
    Feedback in english FeedbackInEnglish Text Length: 255

  7. Publish the business object.

Done
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Step 8: Open custom business object logic

Now as the business object has just been published, the logic can be enhanced by the translation functionality. ABAP for key users was enhanced by the classes CL_BLE_HTTP_CLIENT, CL_BLE_HTTP_REQUEST and CX_BLE_HTTP_EXCEPTION to enable you to work with HTTP requests.

  1. Switch to Logic section.

    Switch to Logic section

  2. Enter the After Modification Event Logic.

    Enter After Modification logic
Done
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Step 9: Code HTTP client creation
View Full Instructions
  1. In the already existing coding go to the end but before this snippet 
        ELSE.
        RETURN.
    ENDIF.
ENDIF.
  2. Implement a check if the outbound service is available 
    * Check if the outbound service is available
CHECK cl_ble_http_client=>is_service_available(
    communication_scenario = 'YY1_MACHINE_TRANSLATION_API'
    outbound_service       = 'YY1_OS_MACHINE_TRANSLATION_API_REST'
) = abap_true.
  3. Implement creation of HTTP client 
    * Create HTTP client to access the outbound service
DATA(lo_client) = cl_ble_http_client=>create(
    communication_scenario = 'YY1_MACHINE_TRANSLATION_API'
    outbound_service       = 'YY1_OS_MACHINE_TRANSLATION_API_REST'
).
Done
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Step 10: Code request body string
View Full Instructions

Implement the creation of the Request Body.
As the aim is to translate every other language than english into english, the target language is set to english. The source language and the to be translated feedback are gotten from the corresponding fields of the custom business object.
The request body in JSON format looks this way.

{
  "sourceLanguage": "es",
  "targetLanguages": [
    "en"
  ],
  "units": [
    {
      "value": "Su texto a traducir"
    }
  ]
}

In the custom business object logic you have to supply this request as string. The sourceLanguage and value values have to be replaced with variables by string concatenation.

DATA lv_request_body TYPE string.
CONCATENATE '{"sourceLanguage": "' bonus_entitlement-feedbackslanguage '","targetLanguages": ["en"],"units": [{"value": "' bonus_entitlement-feedback '"}]}' INTO lv_request_body.
Done
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Step 11: Code service request creation
View Full Instructions

Create the service request and set several properties

* Creation of the service request
DATA(request) = cl_ble_http_request=>create(
* method that is used for the service call
)->set_method(
    if_ble_http_request=>co_method-post
)->set_body( lv_request_body
)->set_header_parameter(
EXPORTING
    name  = 'apikey'
    value = '<YOUR API KEY>' "the key you got with Step 1
)->set_header_parameter(
EXPORTING
    name  = 'Content-Type' "Content type the bodies of request and response are formatted as
    value = 'application/json'
    ).
Done
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Step 12: Code request sending and response processing
View Full Instructions

  1. Implement sending the request by the use of the before created HTTP client and receive the response.

    * Send a request and receive a response.
    DATA(response) = lo_client->send( request ).

  2. Implement getting the response body from the response.

    * Get the body of the response.
	DATA(lv_body) = response->get_body( ).

    The response body in JSON format will look like this

    {
    "units": [
        {
            "value": "Su texto a traducir",
            "translations": [
                {
                    "language": "en",
                    "value": "Your text to be translated"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

  3. Implement getting the translation part from the JSON string by the help of string operations.

    * Get translation from response
    DATA(lv_translation) = substring_before( val = substring_after( val = lv_body sub = '"en","value":"') sub = '"}]}]}' ).

    bonus_calculation-feedbackinenglish = lv_translation.
  4. Implement error handling 
    TRY .
" CODING PARTS OF THIS STEP FROM BEFORE TO BE PLACED HERE
	CATCH cx_ble_http_exception INTO DATA(lx).
* The http status code can be checked.
	CASE lx->status_code.
	WHEN 404.
* Error handling
	WHEN OTHERS.
* Error handling
	ENDCASE.
ENDTRY.
  5. Publish the After Modification logic.
Done
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Step 13: Test the application

  1. Go to Home of your SAP S/4HANA system’s Fiori Launchpad.

    Fiori Home Button

  2. Open the Bonus Entitlement application from Extensibility Launchpad group.

  3. Open a Bonus Entitlement.

  4. Enter following data

    Field Label Field Value
    Feedback Su texto a traducir
    Feedback’s Language es

  5. Save the Bonus Entitlement. The translation will get filled.

Done
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Step 14: Test yourself
Which sequences are possible to execute an outbound service?
×

Next Steps

Prerequisites

Authorizations: Your user needs
- (a) business role(s) with business catalogs Extensibility (ID: SAP_CORE_BC_EXT) and Communication Management (ID: SAP_CORE_BC_COM) in your S/4HANA Cloud system
- access to SAP API Business Hub.
Example Objects: Existence of custom business object Bonus Entitlement as described in this tutorial (Blog)
Knowledge: (optional) Tutorial: Getting started with the SAP API Business Hub

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