SAP Process Automation - Consume APIs with 'no-code' using Actions

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SAP Process Automation supports now also Read, update and delete Actions for APIs.

so far create (POST) Action was supported

Next Version of Action Project and Action Editor

We will publish a series of blog posts with information how actions can be used to simplify the consumption of APIs (see below Getting started and Best practices).

What are Actions ?

We introduced the Action concept to simplify the experience for Citizen Developers to consume APIs without coding (no-code). An action reflects a single operation or method of an API, but hides the complexity from the users.

Supported API types: REST, OData (limited)

Here a high level overview how you would work with Actions in SAP Process Automation.

Preparation

1. Add and configure a BTP destination to connect to the backend of your API
   - recommended but optional for Action Editor (you can use URLs to test the Action)
   - mandatory for using the Action in SAP Process Automation
   
   
2. Create an Action Project for your API from the Lobby (see The New Actions Project – Major Changes including the Actions Editor Available Now !!). This needs some technical knowledge and will be done by a persona called 'Action Designer'. Open API specifications are used to discover the capabilities of the services (see OpenAPIs in the SAP ecosystem)
   
   
3. Relase and Publish the Action Project to the Library

Using in SAP Process Automation

1. Create or open your Project
   
   
2. Create a Business Process and add actions from the library to your process
   
   
3. Create an Automation and add ations from the library to your automation
   
   
4. Create a Form and use actions for Value Helpers (planned)

Getting started and Best practices

The table below shows the published or planned topics

Area	Theme	Published
How-To	Walkthrough all steps using a simple REST API SAP Process Automation – Your first simple Action Project: End to End	October
How-To	Using the S/4 HANA Cloud Business Partner API with Actions Connect to External Systems using Actions in SAP Process Automation	October
How-To	Develop a CAP Node.js Service with some simple functions and use them in your process. Walkthrough how developers can build extensions with CAP "Actions" Extensions for SAP Build Process Automation – Actions from CAP Node.js Service	January 2023
How-To	Sample for Principal Propagation using the CAP Node.js Service created in the developer tutorial. SAP Build Process Automation – Use Principal Propagation in Actions sample: CAP Node.js Service	June 2023
How-To	Showcase how easily the Principal Propagation setup between SAP BTP and SAP S/4HANA can be tested from SAP Build Process Automation. How to setup Principal Propagation for Actions project in SAP Build Process Automation	June 2023
Developers Tutorial	Learn how to connect to external systems using Action in SAP Build Process Automation to customise or extend standard business processes with SAP Line of Business solutions and applications like SAP S/4HANA, SAP Ariba or SAP SuccessFactors Connect Business Processes with External Systems in SAP Build Process Automation	January 2023
Information	Actions Editor – Feature List, Usage and Maintenance of Actions Project	October
Demo	The session will show how developers can build extensions or "Actions" for business users so they can extend real-world processes that they create with SAP Process Automation Develop Process Extensions with SAP Process Automation (Actions)	October