Accessing RFCs and BAPIs from enterprise java beans

Question

Hello folks,
     my question is concerning comunication between EJBs and RFCs. I want to develop a simple session bean that connects to a R/3 back-end, calls a RFC then returns some data, let's say, an example of this could be a list of employees from BAPI_EMPLOYEE_GETDATA.
     Ok, by using a web dynpro and adaptive RFC my works could be very very easy, but I'd like to test this way: session (stateless) EJB -> RFC. Can I:
*     use JCO.ClientService with a non-portal SAP WAS?
*     use embedded JRA (SAP Library stated "The SAP JRA is an add-on for the SAP JCo. If you use      the SAP Web AS, the SAP JRA is installed automatically with the SAP JCo.", but I found      nothing so in Connector Container Service ...)
*     install and configure JRA by myself?
I'm working on a SAP WAS 6.40 Sneak Preview (Java only), and finding a path for easily integrate SAP WAS developed ejbs and external business system. SAP Library suggest to "obtain the JCo connection through the connection framework": is it related to JRA, JCA and SAP Resource Adapter?
Thank you
Pasquale

Answer 1

hello
i´ve written a simple stand alone client to test jra connection to a sap system
import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.util.Properties;
import javax.resource.cci.Connection;
import javax.resource.cci.ConnectionFactory;
import javax.resource.cci.Interaction;
import javax.resource.cci.MappedRecord;
import javax.resource.cci.RecordFactory;
import javax.resource.cci.ResultSet;
import javax.resource.spi.ManagedConnectionFactory;
import com.sap.mw.jco.jra.*;
public class Example
     public void exampleTest()
          Properties properties = new Properties();
          Connection   connection=null;
          try
               properties.load(new FileInputStream ("props.txt"));
          catch(Exception e)
               System.out.println("properties could not be loaded");
               e.printStackTrace();
          try
               ManagedConnectionFactory mf = new JRA.ManagedConnectionFactoryImpl(properties);
               ConnectionFactory cf = (ConnectionFactory)mf.createConnectionFactory();
               connection = cf.getConnection();
               RecordFactory rf = cf.getRecordFactory();
               Interaction interaction = connection.createInteraction();
               MappedRecord request      = rf.createMappedRecord("STFC_STRUCTURE");
               // Since the STFC_STRUCTURE does not create any new records
               // in the data base, you do not need to start a trancation here.
               // fill out a structure with dummy data
               MappedRecord importstruct = (MappedRecord)request.get("IMPORTSTRUCT");
               importstruct.put("RFCFLOAT","1.23456");
               importstruct.put("RFCCHAR4","ABCD");
               importstruct.put("RFCINT1", "11");
               importstruct.put("RFCDATE", "2001-08-24");
               // fill out a table with dummi data
               ResultSet rfctable = (ResultSet)request.get("RFCTABLE");
               for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
                    rfctable.moveToInsertRow();
                    rfctable.updateString("RFCCHAR4","EFGH");
                    rfctable.updateInt("RFCINT1", i);
                    rfctable.updateString("RFCDATE", "1961-08-24");
                    rfctable.updateDouble("RFCFLOAT",1.65432);
                    rfctable.insertRow();
               // call defined RFC and cast the result to the optional ResultMap interface
               ResultMap response = (ResultMap)interaction.execute(null,request);
               // release resources
               interaction.close();
               // create an xml file from the output of the called RFC
               // the optional interface ResultMap offers additional methods, like writeXML
               FileOutputStream os = new FileOutputStream(response.getRecordName() + "_Structure_from_NotManaged_Example.xml");
               response.writeXML(new java.io.OutputStreamWriter(os,"UTF-8"),true);
               os.close();
               ResultSet resultSet = (ResultSet)response.get("RFCTABLE");
               System.out.println("Name of the table is: "+resultSet.getRecordName());
          catch (Exception ex)
               ex.printStackTrace();
               System.exit(1);
          finally
               if (connection != null)
                    try
                         connection.close();
                    catch(Exception exception1)
     public static void main(String[] args)
          Example anExample = new Example();
          try
               anExample.exampleTest();
          catch(Throwable t)
               t.printStackTrace();
the property file looks like this:
jco.client.client=010
jco.client.user=user
jco.client.passwd=pass
jco.client.ashost=your host
jco.client.sysnr=00
but this only an example for a standalone test client
to use jra inside j2ee first deploy the connector with the settings you need and then get a connection to it using jndi
i don´t have an example at hand for using it inside an ejb or servlet, but if you need one i'll have a look