Connecting to SAP Systems Using SAP NetWeaver

Overview

SAP NetWeaver provides an open integration and application platform that allows you to standardize business processes across technological boundaries, integrate applications, and access and edit simple information easily in a structured manner. SAP NetWeaver is the basis for a large number of SAP solutions including SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA. Syniti Knowledge Platform (SKP) allows you to connect through Remote Function Calls (RFC) to the SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA systems using one of the following two SAP NetWeaver platform’s connection layers or types:

• SAP Application Server: Provides access to an individual SAP Application Server.

• SAP Group Server: Distributes the requests via a Message Server to one or more registered application servers utilizing load balancing algorithms to select the application server.

The SAP NetWeaver connection is only available for the above-mentioned SAP systems registered in the SKP. Use this connection to import and scan metadata of SAP tables and objects, and extract data from them.

Note

If SAPLogon is not installed or you need to connect to an SAP backend system, for which SAPLogon does not have the necessary information, you must create the required entries manually. Refer to Manual Configuration of Services for SAPLogon for more information.

Create a SAP NetWeaver Connection

Note

SNC support for SAP NetWeaver is currently under development in dynamic properties form. Although enabling SNC marks the password field as optional, users must still provide password credentials, as SNC is not yet supported.

To access the Create Connection page:

1. Verify that you’re in the Catalog module of the SKP or select Catalog from the Home menu to access the Catalog module of the SKP.

2. Search for an existing SAP system or create the required SAP system.

3. Click on the datastore name to open the datastore Details page.

4. Access the Connections tab and click Create Connection.

5. From the Type list, select SAP NetWeaver.

6. From the Application Type list, select the required SAP system.

7. In the Name field, enter a unique connection name on the current tenant.

8. From the Usage list, select the required usage to define how this connection is used for your SAP system.

9. From the SKP Connector list, select the required SKP Connector component to communicate with systems in your landscape.

10. In the Main Properties section, select either SAP Application Server or SAP Group Server, and then complete the connection form as required using the following table as a reference:

    Property Name	SAP Application Server	SAP Group Server	Description
    Application Server	Required	Not applicable	The IP address or host name of the application server in a multi-tier environment of the SAP system.
    Message Server	Not applicable	Required	The address of the SAP Message Server used to communicate between application servers or SAP instances.
    Group	Not applicable	Required	The logon group from which the SAP Message server shall connect to a specific set of SAP servers to balance the user load across multiple servers.
    Message Server Service	Not applicable	Required	The service name of the SAP system under which the message server is listening for load-balancing requests. This value can be the alphanumeric description of the service port of the message server. For example, sapmsXXX, where XXX is the system ID of the SAP system.
    System ID	Required	Required	The System ID being connected to. This field is sometimes referred to as the SID. System ID is a 3-character string that can be A-Z or 0-9.
    Instance Number	Required	Required	Unique identifier for an SAP instance to which the system is connected. Instance Number value ranges from 0 to 99.
    Client	Required	Required	The SAP Client in which data to be accessed resides. Client is a 3-character numeric value of 0-9 for each character. By default, a 000 client and a 001 client is installed with every instance of SAP ECC, and then others are added by the configuration team.
    Language	Optional	Optional	The language key for the User ID. The default value is EN.
    Username	Required	Required	The User ID used to connect to the system/database.
    Password	Required	Required	The password that is used with the User ID to connect to the system/database.
    Read Table	Required	Required	Function allowing direct access to read database tables. RFC_READ_TABLE (default value) For SAP ECC: /BOA/ZRFC_READ_TABLE /BOA/SDRM_READ_TABLE For SAP S/4HANA: /BS4/SDRM_READ_TABLE
    Stream Read Table	Optional	Optional	Function that allows reading data in chunks or streams to facilitate efficient retrieval of large volumes of data. The default value is None. For SAP ECC: /BOA/STREAM_READ_TABLE For SAP S/4HANA: /BS4/STREAM_READ_TABLE
    Destination Server	Required, if you select an option from the Stream Read Table list	Required, if you select an option from the Stream Read Table list	Name of the destination defined in SM59 in SAP. For example, NCO_SERVER.
    Program ID	Required, if you select an option from the Stream Read Table list	Required, if you select an option from the Stream Read Table list	Unique identifier for a destination’s program running in the SAP system. For example, SKPStreamServer.
    SNC Mode	Optional	Optional	Secure Network Communications (SNC) mode enhances security between SAP client and server. Turned off by default. Turn on SNC Mode to configure SNC. Note Contact the customer basis team to perform the SNC configuration.
    SNC Partner Name	Required, if you enable the SNC Mode	Required, if you enable the SNC Mode	Identifier of the partner system with which the SAP system is communicating securely. This name is obtained from the SAP system and prefixed with p:.
    SNC Library Path	Required, if you enable the SNC Mode	Required, if you enable the SNC Mode	Directory containing external libraries that provide SNC services. It must be installed and correctly configured on the system where the SAP client or server is running.
    SNC QOP	Required, if you enable the SNC Mode	Required, if you enable the SNC Mode	Quality of Protection (QOP) specifies the level of security applied to the connection. It indicates the security strength of the connection. Values for QOP range from 1 (authentication only) to 9 (maximum protection with high encryption and integrity checks).
    SNC SSO	Required, if you enable the SNC Mode	Required, if you enable the SNC Mode	SNC SSO specifies the authentication method when you enable SNC Mode. It allows users to access SAP systems either using their credentials or using an authentication mechanism defined in the SNC setup. Supported Values: When SNC SSO = 0, users must provide their username and password for authentication. When SNC SSO = 1, the login is performed through the authentication mechanism employed in your SNC setup. For example, Kerberos or X.509 certificate-based systems.

11. In the Connection Type Additional Properties section, complete the rest of the connection form as required using the following table as reference:

    Note

    This section is common for both server connection types that can be configured as required.

    Property Name	Description
    SAP Router	The SAP router string, which provides an extra firewall of security.
    Gateway Host	Entry point for communication between SAP systems and external applications.
    Gateway Service	The service name or port number that facilitates communication between SAP systems and external applications. Values may range in between sapgw00 – sapgw99 or 3300 - 3399.
    Max Pool Size	Maximum number of connections allowed in the pool.
    Connection Count*	(Required) Connection count refers to the total number of active connections registered in an SAP system. The default value is 10.
    Fetch Block Size	Specifies the amount of data or number of records retrieved in each fetch operation. The default value is 5000.
    Fetch Queue Size	Size of the local queue containing blocks of data fetched from the system. The default value is 10.
    Retry Delay	Controls how long the system waits before retrying the connection in case of failure, helping to balance between responsiveness and network load. The default value is 5 seconds.
    Extended Properties	Additional properties not listed in the grid. Enter the properties as a list of property=value strings separated by ‘;’.

12. Click Save.

Your SAP system’s connection is created successfully.

Test Your Connection

In the Connections tab, expand the newly created connection and click Test Connection to test the connection to your SAP ECC or SAP S/4HANA system. If the connection fails, an error message displays with the information to aid in troubleshooting your connection.

Troubleshoot SAP RFC Connection

Testing the connection is an important step, and occasional hiccups are normal. If you’re encountering SAP data exceptions, you’re not alone. You may encounter one of the following two issues when testing or performing metadata scan for your SAP RFC connections. This section helps you resolve those issues.

Note

Please contact the SAP Basis team to add rules addressing the two issues listed below.