What is ABAP on Cloud?

SAP is constantly innovating to accelerate digital transformation in the business world. One of these innovations is ABAP on Cloud platform. This platform, which brings together the traditional ABAP development world with cloud technology, offers developers more flexible, fast and scalable solutions. In this blog post, we will examine what ABAP on Cloud is, its differences from traditional ABAP, why it is used, who should use it and how to use it.

Definition of ABAP on Cloud

ABAP on Cloud is a service that enables ABAP development on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), SAP's cloud platform. Unlike traditional ABAP development environments, ABAP on Cloud is equipped with the flexibility, scalability and innovative features brought by the cloud. This platform allows developers with existing ABAP knowledge to develop modern applications using cloud technologies. However, these developments are not limited to BTP, Cloud compatible developments can also be made with Eclipse IDE.

Differences Between Classic ABAP and ABAP on Cloud

1. Development Environment:

• Classic ABAP: Developed on traditional SAP systems (e.g. ECC, S/4HANA) using ABAP Workbench or SAP GUI.
• ABAP on Cloud: It is developed on SAP BTP and usually ABAP Development Tools (ADT) are used. In addition, Cloud developments can be made in public & private Cloud systems and current on premise systems.

2. Deployment and Maintenance:

• Classic ABAP: It runs on local servers and maintenance processes can be more complex.
• ABAP on Cloud: It is cloud-based and deployment and maintenance processes are faster and easier.

3. Scalability:

• Classic ABAP: Scalability is limited due to physical hardware limitations.
• ABAP on Cloud: It has the advantages of dynamic scalability offered by cloud infrastructure.

4. Integration:

• Classic ABAP: Usually integrated with other SAP systems.
• ABAP on Cloud: With the integration services offered by SAP BTP, it can be easily integrated with both SAP and third party applications.

5. Updates:

• Classic ABAP: System updates and upgrades are done manually.
• ABAP on Cloud: Automatic updates and security patches are applied by SAP.

Why Use ABAP on Cloud?

The reasons why ABAP on Cloud is preferred are as follows:

• Flexibility and Scalability: Thanks to its cloud-based structure, ABAP on Cloud adapts to rapidly changing business requirements and can scale according to the needs of users.
• Modern Development Environment: ABAP on Cloud offers an Eclipse-based development environment and is compatible with modern software development techniques.
• Ease of Integration: SAP's cloud platform provides easy integration with other SAP solutions and third-party services.

How to Develop with ABAP on Cloud?

Cloud developments can be done using ADT (ABAP Development Tools) in BTP and Eclipse IDE.

SAP restricts developers and consultants in the Cloud environment more than standard ABAP. Only APIs released by SAP can be used in Cloud developments. Compared to standard ABAP, the expansion points that can be developed are fewer and the development content is more limited.

What is Released API?

Released APIs are interfaces officially published and supported by SAP. These APIs provide standardised methods for performing specific functions and are designed in accordance with SAP's quality and security requirements. Released APIs are part of SAP's continuously updated and supported API library.

Why Only Released APIs Can Be Used?

In ABAP on Cloud environment, there are three main reasons for using only released APIs:

Security: Released APIs have been tested by SAP for security and are considered secure.

Updateability: SAP continuously updates released APIs and ensures backward compatibility of these APIs. This ensures that applications can be continuously updated and remain compatible in the cloud environment.

Support: The support provided by SAP applies only to released APIs. When other APIs or methods are used, this support may not apply.

List of released APIs: https://help.sap.com/doc/abapdocu_latest_index_htm/latest/en-US/index.htm?file=abenreleased_apis.htm

Proxy and Factory classes come into play when the released APIs do not meet our needs. In ABAP on Cloud, proxy and factory classes play an important role in object-oriented programming. These classes facilitate code reusability and maintenance.

Proxy Class: Proxy classes usually represent the interface of a service or API. These classes abstract the interaction with external systems, allowing developers to use these services without dealing with complex integration logics. Proxy classes make API calls more readable and manageable.

Factory Class: Factory classes manage the object creation process and ensure that appropriate objects are created according to certain rules. These classes centralise the object creation logic and facilitate the creation of different types of objects.

For example, if we need to use a standard BAPI and this BAPI has not been released by SAP, it is not possible to call this function directly in a Cloud development. Therefore we need three objects;

• Proxy Interface
• Proxy Class
• Factory Class

In our interface, the relevant method to call the BAPI is defined and the interface is released.

In the Proxy Class, the content of the methods of our interface is implemented (non-Cloud compatible BAPI is called in this class).

Then our Cloud Development compatible Factory class is created and released. In the Factory Class, an object of the Proxy class is created and the relevant method is called from the object. Since we cannot directly access our proxy class in our Cloud compatible development, the Proxy class is accessed via Factory Class.

ABAP on Cloud offers developers more flexible, scalable and fast solutions by combining SAP's traditional powerful ABAP programming language with modern cloud technologies. This platform is an ideal solution for accelerating digital transformation in the business world and developing next generation business applications. By meeting ABAP on Cloud, you can modernise your business processes with the power of the cloud.

SAP ABAP Consulting