Connecting Python with SAP: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough on how to connect Python with SAP's backend ECC system. We'll explore how to fetch SAP table contents using the Function Module RFC_READ_TABLE. This setup can be used for various purposes, such as data retrieval and business data analysis.

Prerequisites

1. SAP Server Access: Ensure the SAP server is accessible on your network. If the SAP server is on a VPN or Citrix, the setup must be done in that environment.

2. SAPNWRFC SDK: Download and install the SAPNWRFC SDK from the SAP website. This SDK is essential for establishing a connection with the SAP system.

3. PyRFC and Cython: Install these libraries using pip on your command line. Configure the build path accordingly.

Installation Steps on Ubuntu

Install Python

1. Ensure you have Python installed. You can check this by running:

python3 --version

Install SAP NetWeaver RFC SDK

1. Download the SAP NetWeaver RFC SDK from the SAP Software Center.

2. Extract the contents of the SDK to a directory, e.g., /usr/local/sap/nwrfcsdk.

3. Set the environment variables to include the SDK in your library path:

export SAPNWRFC_HOME=/usr/local/sap/nwrfcsdk

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$SAPNWRFC_HOME/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

Install PyRFC and Cython

1. Install the required libraries using pip

pip3 install cython

pip3 install pyrfc

Verify Installation

Verify that you can import the pyrfc library in Python

python3 -c "from pyrfc import Connection"

Integrate with Django

Create a Django View for SAP Data Retrieval:

# views.py

from pyrfc import Connection, ABAPApplicationError, ABAPRuntimeError, LogonError, CommunicationError

from django.http import JsonResponse

def get_sap_data(request):

    ASHOST = 'sapxxxxx'

    CLIENT = 'x00'

    SYSNR = '00'

    USER = 'XXXXXXXX'

    PASSWD = 'XXXXXXXX'

    conn = Connection(ashost=ASHOST, sysnr=SYSNR, client=CLIENT, user=USER, passwd=PASSWD)

    try:

        options = [{'TEXT': "FCURR = 'USD'"}]

        ROWS_AT_A_TIME = 10

        rowskips = 0

        data = []        

        while True:

            result = conn.call('RFC_READ_TABLE', QUERY_TABLE='TCURR', OPTIONS=options, ROWSKIPS=rowskips, ROWCOUNT=ROWS_AT_A_TIME)

            data.extend(result['DATA'])

            rowskips += ROWS_AT_A_TIME

            if len(result['DATA']) < ROWS_AT_A_TIME:

                break

        return JsonResponse(data, safe=False)

    except (CommunicationError, LogonError, ABAPApplicationError, ABAPRuntimeError) as e:

        return JsonResponse({'error': str(e)}, status=500)

Define URL Pattern:

# urls.py

from django.urls import path

from .views import get_sap_data

urlpatterns = [

    path('get_sap_data/', get_sap_data, name='get_sap_data'),

]

Fetch Data from Django: You can now access the URL http://your-domain/get_sap_data/ to retrieve data from the SAP system.

Example to Push Data to SAP

Here is an example of how to push data to an SAP table using Django:

# views.py

from pyrfc import Connection, ABAPApplicationError, ABAPRuntimeError, LogonError, CommunicationError

from django.http import JsonResponse

def push_sap_data(request):

    ASHOST = 'sapxxxxx'

    CLIENT = 'x00'

    SYSNR = '00'

    USER = 'XXXXXXXX'

    PASSWD = 'XXXXXXXX'

    conn = Connection(ashost=ASHOST, sysnr=SYSNR, client=CLIENT, user=USER, passwd=PASSWD)

    try:

        # Data to be pushed

        data_to_push = [

            {

                'FIELDNAME1': 'VALUE1',

                'FIELDNAME2': 'VALUE2',

                # Add more fields as required

            }

        ]

        # Example function module to push data

        result = conn.call('Z_YOUR_FUNCTION_MODULE', IT_DATA=data_to_push)

        return JsonResponse({'message': 'Data pushed successfully', 'result': result})

    except (CommunicationError, LogonError, ABAPApplicationError, ABAPRuntimeError) as e:

        return JsonResponse({'error': str(e)}, status=500)

Define URL Pattern for Pushing Datau

# urls.py

from django.urls import path

from .views import push_sap_data

urlpatterns = [

path('push_sap_data/', push_sap_data, name='push_sap_data'),

]