Invoking BAPI_MATERIAL_SAVEDATA as a web service from CAF

Question

I am new to BAPI world. Currently, we are building a composite application - a part of the application interacts with SAP R3 for creating materials and then getting a list of all created materials. We are using the following BAPIs: BAPI_MATERIAL_SAVEDATA, BAPI_MATERIAL_GETLIST, BAPI_MATERIAL_GETDETAIL.  All these BAPIs are exposed as web services. I have created an external service using wsdl file that corresponds to BAPI_MATERIAL_SAVEDATA.  I would like to create a new material by passing minimum possible parameters. I am setting the values in HEADDATA and MATERIALDESCRIPTION only. I am giving Y to basic_view and N to all other views in HEADDATA. The call succeeds apparently but when I try to retrieve it using BAPI_MATERIAL_GETLIST/GETDETAIL it fails to retrieve. My questions:
1. What is the best way to create a new material (basic view) by passing minimum parameters?
2. How to verify if the material is successfully created?
3. How does CLIENTDATA and CLIENTDATAX differ? There are similar 'X' appends in other places as well. Can anyone please provide any pointer/link about some more basic information on the following BAPIs: BAPI_MATERIAL_SAVEDATA, BAPI_MATERIAL_GETDETAIL, BAPI_MATERIAL_GETLIST.
Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi,
   3. To get more information about a BAPI, you can look at the function module documentation. Login to the R/3 system, start transaction SE37 and type in the name of the BAPI and select "Display". Once you see the source code, you'll see a button called "Function module document". Clicking on that will open up the help document for that BAPI.
   For eg., quoting from the docs for BAPI_MATERIAL_SAVEDATA, CLIENTDATA structure is used to transfer the general basic data on a material. CLIENTDATA X structure determines which fields in the assigned user data structure (CLIENTDATA) contain change-relevant information.
   2. When the BAPI_MATERIAL_SAVEDATA is executed, it should ideally contain the material number in the structure HEADDATA. Check if you are getting that. If you have it, then it should've been created. You can double check by starting transaction SE11 and display table MARA. Type in the material number that you received.
  1. All the parameters except HEADDATA is optional for the  BAPI_MATERIAL_SAVEDATA. So you can just choose to pass some of the fields of this structure and that should do it.
Regards,
Satyajit.