SAP is a complex software with many different versions, and it is not possible to go through all the different use cases in a short post. In addition, integration possibilities vary given the SAP version that is used. In general, there are a few different ways to move data to and from SAP and execute functionalities, and they are discussed in this post.
IDoc
In our experience, IDoc files are usually the easiest way to move data to and from SAP. This is due to the human factor. A SAP specialist knows how to make and read IDoc files and as IDoc files are "only" text files they are very easy to transfer between computer systems and processes in Frends and other computer systems.
REST and SOAP
In theory, it is possible to publish REST or SOAP APIs from SAP and also consume them in SAP processes. However this is not always possible depending on; policies, SAP versions, network structures, and the willingness of SAP users. However, when it is possible, it provides well-understood integration capabilities. Frends can call and publish REST and SOAP APIs, even though it is usually better to use newer REST APIs when possible.
RFC
Frends provides Tasks to make RFC calls to SAP. They require special installation and are not available from the public Frends Task NuGet feed. You can request a Task from support@frends.com. You can make any RFC call or query data via the RFC_READ_TABLE function. Please refer to Task documentation for more information. Please note that at the moment SAP is promising support for the .Net connector that the Task relies on until the end of 2022.
CData Connectors
It is also possible to use different CData connectors with Frends to integrate to SAP. Please check here for all the available connectors.
The next article is an Example of Frends and SOAP.