BAPI <> API

[Brian--B]

Hello SAP Experts,

I have a scenario to Raise a MM Purchase Order from S4 and to send that into SAP ECC as Sales Order with an ATP Check and to send that response back to S4 to update the MM PO with the response of the ATP Check.

Do you know of such a scenario via integration suite and I'm thinking the possibility of mixing BAPI and API in iflow because ECC can only handle the BAPI and S4 would prefer API.

If you have any use cases of good blogs on such cases I would like to read on how it was done, or any recommendations.

[NTeunckens · Accepted solution]

Personal opinion :
S/4 will perfectly accept / consume a BAPI as a (SOAP) Webservice, it is just not the "preferred" architecture from the perspective of S/4 and Clean Core. Yet, it can be an acceptable "intermediate" step along the journey to modernizing your SAP-ecosystem. As far as I know, Mainstream Maintenance on ECC will end by late 2027, so you should definitely take that into account!

Below link shows a scenario where a BAPI (from a Proc.Orches.System) is defined as a SOAP-Service and used as an Artifact within an Integration Suite IFlow. Furthermore, this approach is actually stated as a valid "Modernization Recommendation".

Blog-Link : Modernizing RFC/BAPI-based Integrations for a Clea... - SAP Community
SAP-Help : Modernization Recommendations | SAP Help Portal

You could envisage all kinds of complex 'conversions' of a BAPI-interface to an OData-API etc. but that feels like introducing a lot of complexity. Consider the cost / timeline of that kind of development along with the lifetime of the ECC (how long will that system be around?) ...
Using an IFlow seems like a solid interface-technology and enables you to replace a "SOAP-brick" with an "API-brick" in due time whilst keeping your general connectivity, monitoring, ...

Hope this helps

Nic T.

[Brian--B · Accepted solution]

Thanks Nic and yes this is just a temporary solution while we move from ECC to S4 but must still communicate between locations as we move.