SAPx

Fact Sheet
 SAPx

Contents
1. About SAPx ......................................................................................................................................................................3
2. How does SAPx work?................................................................................................................................................4
3. Requirements..................................................................................................................................................................5
3.1. System requirements........................................................................................................................................... 5
3.2. Additional requirements...................................................................................................................................... 5
4. SAPx key features and advantages......................................................................................................................6
5. Contact Information......................................................................................................................................................9

Facts Book - Page 2 of 9 © 2002-2003 gs -soft AG, Switzerland

 SAPx

1. About SAPx
SAPx is an object-oriented software library. It has been specially designed to access SAP-
application-servers using Borland® Delphi™ and building partner server programs running in
non-SAP-systems.

SAPx is a flexible and versatile tool for:

• Integrating existing Delphi applications with SAP systems. This feature allows corporations
to use their own information systems and to create superstructures offering new
opportunities.

• Developing new systems and applications that have access to the SAP application server
as clients.

• Extending SAP system functionality through SAPx by building external non-SAP servers.
This feature gives the developer an opportunity to avoid costs connected with ABAP
training, as all functionality extensions are implemented in Delphi programs.

Facts Book - Page 3 of 9 © 2002-2003 gs -soft AG, Switzerland

 SAPx

2. How does SAPx work?

SAPx encapsulates the SAP RFC API and offers high-level software components and classes.
Figure 1 shows how Delphi applications (both client and server ones) can interact with a SAP
system through SAPx.

Application server

ABAP RFC Delphi application

functions
SAPx

Call an ABAP RFC function

RFC library

Client
SAP gateway

Call an external function

RFC library

SAPx
Delphi application

SAP R/3 system Server

Figure 1: Interaction of a Delphi application with a SAP system through SAPx

Facts Book - Page 4 of 9 © 2002-2003 gs -soft AG, Switzerland

 SAPx

3. Requirements
Before you install SAPx, ensure that your computer meets the following requirements:

3.1. System requirements

• SAP RFC library version: at least 4.6 has to be installed on your PC. The RFC library is
specific for each operational systems. For example, librfc32.dll is used in Windows
95/NT/2000. The SAP RFC library may be installed as part of the SAPgui installation.

• The SAP R/3 system you want to work with has to be at least Release 2.1

• Borland® Delphi™ 5 / 6 / 7 or Borland® C++Builder™ 5 / 6 has to be installed on your PC

3.2. Additional requirements

• The SAP user account used by the SAPx client application should have all required
privileges to execute RFC function modules

Facts Book - Page 5 of 9 © 2002-2003 gs -soft AG, Switzerland

 SAPx

4. SAPx key features and advantages

Delphi compliant development style

Object-oriented approach to SAPx is built in accordance with Delphi object-oriented

development approach. Naming and using object methods and
properties is quite clear, easy to understand and very
close to the standard VCL approach. These facts
simplify the development process and reduce time
dedicated to training.

SAPx open architecture The Developer can amplify SAPx functionality and
capabilities by creating his own classes derived from
SAPx objects.

Using visual components
SAPx features a set of visual components that allow to
use Delphi Visual GUI data aware components for
browsing and editing RFC function module data. This
feature is always enabled both at run time and at design
time.

Complete mapping RFC data RFC and Delphi have different sets of data types. SAPx
types to Delphi ones automatically maps one simple data type to another,
facilitating execution of tiresome tasks. SAPx permits
developer to easily operate structured data types.

Robustness and high -performance

Multithread processing SAPx allows developers to build applications supporting

multithread processing.

Dynamic memory handling SAPx dynamically allocates as much memory as

required to perform an operation and releases it as
soon as the operation is finished.

Facts Book - Page 6 of 9 © 2002-2003 gs -soft AG, Switzerland


Error handling
Automatic adoption to server data
representation
Generating static wrapping codes
for RFC function modules
Expanding SAP system functionality
Building non-SAP application
servers
Support of RFC transaction
processing
Flexibility and easy of use
Supporting aliases to simplify
connection process
Supporting both synchronous
and asynchronous modes
Facts Book - Page 7 of 9
SAPx
Using RFC API directly, the developer has to check the
result codes constantly. SAPx has an internally
concealed error handling based on standard Object
Pascals exceptions mechanism. This feature simplifies
program code.
The SAP R/3 server is able to run on different
platforms, including some, which have a data format
representation different from the Wintel platform. SAPx
automatically detects server data format and will
convert data on fly into Wintel representation.
SAPx has tools designed to generate Delphi classes
code using metadata from SAP system dictionary. This
feature prevents roundtrip to metadata at any time the
function module is called. This increases the
performance speed considerably.
Working with SAPx, the developer can build non-SAP-
application-servers that improve and amplify SAP
system functionality. Their functions can be called from
any ABAP program.
SAPx supports working with RFC function modules built
as transactional ones. These are very easy and clear
ways to arrange local transaction management.
Aliases allow the developer to facilitate the handling of
the connection parameters. SAPx contains a tool that
manages a set of aliases.
SAPx supports synchronous (blocking) RFC calls as
well as asynchronous (non-blocking) ones
© 2002-2003 gs -soft AG, Switzerland

and asynchronous modes
Dynamical getting of function
parameters
Wide range of demo applications
Miscellaneous capabilities
Quick transfer to different
platforms
Working around RFC drawbacks
Facts Book - Page 8 of 9
SAPx
well as asynchronous (non-blocking) ones
SAPx can get metadata from a SAP system and form a
set of function module parameters dynamically before
the execution starts. This feature allows the developer
to access its parameters and call a certain function
module during run time.
SAPx has wide range demo applications, which covers
at most all library functionality. A Few demos
demonstrate how to build custom Web applications,
using libraries like a Intraweb, ExpressWeb, etc
SAPx can be easily and reliably ported to other
platforms (i.e. Linux).
SAPx is built with consideration of some RFC
drawbacks and allows to avoid them.
© 2002-2003 gs -soft AG, Switzerland
 SAPx

5. Contact Information

If you need any additional information do not hesitate to contact us:

gs-soft.public.support.sapx Developers conference

http://www.gs-soft.com/sapx Product web page

info@gs-soft.com Email

Facts Book - Page 9 of 9 © 2002-2003 gs -soft AG, Switzerland