Create and Consume SAP ABAP Web Services with PHP: A Step-by-Step Guide

At the beginning, most of the time I spent on SAP Basis configuration problems related to web services
(roles, security settings, etc.).

Basic information about SAP and PHP configuration

1. SAP ABAP – development
   1. Destination type “G” InAcT (SM59) – open to a specific PHP script
   2. Embedded package ZIPSZWEBSERVICES
   3. External RFC Function ZWEBSERV_INACT
   4. Logs using BAL_LOG_MSG_ADD + viewing data via IW33 (Tr. SLG1)
   5. Enterprise Service: Z_WEBSERV_PM3
2. SAP AS
   1. Define SAP web service (WSDL)
3. How it works in SAP?
   1. Simple job fills public table named ZWEBSRV_PM in procedure Z_JOB_FILL_ZWEBSRV_PM (called with a variant).
4. Security
   1. Communication via HTTPS (simple but effective in a corporate environment).
5. InAcT – server Windows x64 2012 R1 (planned migration to Linux)
   1. Apache 2.4 / PHP 5.3 (+ SOAP library)
   2. PHP script index.php
   3. Windows Task Scheduler calling PHP via http://SOAP/index.php

Basic information about running and starting web services in SAP

• SAP Note 1300943
• Transport web services – SAP Note (requires password) no. 1300943

PHP implementation

• Apache 2.4 / PHP 5.6 (now 7)
• Enable SOAP and XML in php.ini
  • The SoapClient class provides a client for SOAP 1.1 and SOAP 1.2 servers.
    Example (in php.ini):
    [PHP_SOAP] extension=php_soap.dll
• Example of calling SAP AS SOAP web service from PHP:

• <?php
  $WSDL = "http://xxx.pl:8000/sap/bc/srt/wsdl/bndg_52B09DB8E7B611E0E10080000A150CAA/soap11/wsdl11/allinone/standard/document?sap-client=030"; 
  $SOAP_CLIENT_PARAM = [ 'login' => 'WEBSERVICES', 'password' => '*********', 'trace' => true, 'exceptions' => true, ]; 
  $soapClient = new SoapClient($WSDL, $SOAP_CLIENT_PARAM); 
  $soapReturn = $soapClient->ZWebservPm3([ 'P_ZIPSISTAT', 'P_ZIPSESTAT' ]); 
  ?>

SAP implementation

1. Enabling web services on ERP
2. Configuration and SAP Notes
3. Defining a function module
   1. Type RFC
   2. Parameters passed by value (Pass Values)
4. Defining a web service
   1. Create Enterprise Service
   2. Service Provider
   3. Existing ABAP Objects
5. Function Module
6. The result is a web service and its definition – a WSDL file.
7. Define a PROXY in SOAMANAGER:
   1. Provider Security
   2. Configuration of Web Service Binding
   3. SSL
   4. Secure Conversation
   5. Authentication Settings
   6. User/ID Password
   7. WSDL Generation
   8. WSDL Format – Standard
   9. Binding SOAP Version – SOAP 1.1
   10. With these settings, the WSDL is generated.

What next?

1. Defining and using JMS (Java Message Service)
2. UUID(Universally Unique Identifier)
3. Improving security by encrypting messages (HTTPS/SSL)
4. Migration to a Java client

Links

1. Creating web service using PHP within minutes – CodeProject
2. Creation and consuming of a web service in SAP ABAP (without obsolete transaction LPCONFIG)
3. PHP, SAP and SSL: PHP – How to Guide (SAP Wiki PDF)