SAP BTP ABAP Environment - Release 2208

[FlorianWahl]

While many people are enjoying their well-deserved (summer) holidays, the release schedule of SAP BTP ABAP environment does not stand still, which is why we just published the next SAP BTP ABAP environment release, version 2208. This one includes many exceptionally big feature deliveries such as event consumption and exposure, RAP Extensibility, SAP HANA NSE support, support for OData streams and XLSX read access.

As always, the following condensed overview provides a quick insight into the new features of this release.

For the full set of items and information please check out the official release notes page.

Event Consumption and Exposure

The ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model (RAP) now supports the native consumption and exposure of business events. For exposure, an event can be defined and raised in a RAP business object or in the behavior extension and then published via Event Bindings (details). The consumption is implemented via an event consumption model which establishes an integration of ABAP environment with the SAP Event Mesh service in SAP Business Technology Platform (see details and the new tutorial).

RAP Extensibility

To cater for use cases in which a consumer of a RAP application wants to adapt it to their specific requirements, a stable and resilient extensibility concept is an important prerequisite. The RAP framework now supports extensibility on different levels in the data model including extensions for database tables, CDS views, behavior definitions and service definitions (details).

Streams in RAP

The RAP framework now supports OData streams. As example, it is now possible to integrate Large Objects (LOBs) into your RAP applications. This means that you can, for example, upload and attach binary or text files when editing entity instances (details).

HANA Native Storage Extension (NSE) Support

For custom tables, the SAP HANA Native Storage Extension is now available. By specifying a load unit, you can define how the data of the tables is loaded into the main memory of the SAP HANA database (details).

XLSX Read Access as part of XCO Library

The XCO library now offers a new module including abstractions and APIs which can be used to programmatically work with XLSX workbooks and their worksheets. Currently the main use case is to read data from the documents (details).

ABAP Development Tools

• Support for the Application Job Catalog Entry Editor which can be used to create and edit application job catalog entries (details)


• Support for the Application Job Template Editor to create and edit application job templates (details)


• Support for the new form-based Change Document Object editor (details)


• Availability of the new API Catalog editor which displays the documentation of API catalogs


• Availability of the new Behavior Extension creation wizard which is used to specify the behavior extension to be extended and if interface behavior definitions exist


• Enablement of the Element Information popup for authorization objects


• Support for the Element Information popup of RAP types now showing secondary keys

ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model

• Support for the RAP Business Object test double framework offering different options to configure the behavior of EML statement calls to the RAP BO


• Support for the definition of business object interfaces to introduce an additional abstraction layer between RAP BOs and their business projection layer (details here and here)


• Support for the definition of actions and functions that can be executed multiply on the same instance in the same request (details here and here)


• Support for the option “WITH FULL DATA” for unmanaged/additional saves of managed BOs (details)


• Support for the analytics annotation “@AnalyticsDetails.variable” which can be used to create any variable in the analytic query from a parameter (details)


• Availability of a new RAP facade which can be used to start a workflow during the save phase of a RAP BO

Administration

• Availability of the new Horizon theme which can be selected by the administrator or the business user (details here and here)


• Support for notifications in SAP Fiori Launchpad for ABAP environment using a new communication scenario (details)


• Support for the usage of SAP Enable Now to create in-app help content for custom applications or extend SAP-provided content (details here and here)


• Support for the integration of custom themes created with SAP UI Theme Designer in SAP Fiori Launchpad of the ABAP environment system

Continuous Integration & Delivery

• Availability of a new piper step to create tags for a commit of software components (details)


• Support for adding multiple tags to a commit in the Manage Software Components app (details)


• Support for an automatic roll-back of failed software component clones on production systems (details)


• Support for a denial error message during a second software component clone via the web API “MANAGE_GIT_REPOSITORY” if the same software component has already been published


• Support for Object Set Library in the ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC) service API (details)

Infrastructure

• Internal migration from HANA Service to HANA Cloud finished


• Provisioning of new systems on Kubernetes/Gardener instead of Cloud Foundry/Bosh


• Availability of ABAP environment in the AWS data center locations Australia (Sydney), Brazil (São Paulo), Canada (Montreal), Singapore and South Korea (Seoul) (all since September 2nd)

Integration & Security

• Support for the consumption of asynchronous SOAP services and a monitoring capability via Application Interface Framework (AIF) for respective calls


• Support for maintaining trusted hosts for Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)


• Support for push and pull of HTTP service objects to and from an abapGit repository


• Availability of a newly designed UI in the Maintain Business Roles App to maintain restrictions for business roles and to display all restrictions with filters


• Availability of new business catalogs to grant read-only access to Identity and Access Management apps as well as Communication Management apps for development support cases


• Support for viewing all business roles with default values from business catalogs in the IAM Key Figures app

Reuse Services

• Enhancements to the XCO Library in addition to the new XLSX module such as support for transformations in the XCO Generation APIs, enablement of the origin concept for the XCO Read APIs, support for the read out of transport request attributes via the transport Read APIs and availability of a new transport filter to query transports based on attributes (details)


• Enhancements to the Maintain Job Users app including support for changing owners and users of an application job as well as displaying the change history and deleting application jobs (details)


• Enablement of new features in the number range API including the definition of the current number range level as well as the specification of a customizing transport request for number range intervals


• Availability of the Factory Calendar Pull Integration which is used to import factory calendar customizing from on-premise systems

Hopefully this overview helps you to digest the pretty long list of new features.

Please let us know if you have questions.

Stay healthy and take care!

[shais]

Great job. Many great new features.

The XCO XLSX module sounds very interesting.

Would it be possible to enhance its' documentation with some examples of error handling (e.g. when the data type of the XLSX cell doesn't match the ABAP data type of field)?

[eme_raj]

Thanks for sharing,
Features for RAP are exciting

[nitin_singh28]

Great blog florian.wahl . It has always been a delight to know the latest SAP BTP ABAP Environment updates from you directly or via such blogs. The updates have links to details which are pretty helpful. Thanks again!

 

[hardyp180]

Has anyone ever considered bringing ABAP2XLSX into the SAP core rather than slowly re-inventing something that has been in the public domain for over ten years?

[bztoy]

Great information, thanks for sharing.

[Ramjee_korada]

Hello Florian,

Thank you for the updates on most awaited topic "Attachments".

Streams in RAP

The RAP framework now supports OData streams. As example, it is now possible to integrate Large Objects (LOBs) into your RAP applications. This means that you can, for example, upload and attach binary or text files when editing entity instances (details).

The documentation has very very limited information. The example does not exist in BTP trail system. The example talks about one field as a single attachment in a section.

But in real use case, it will be a section with multiple attachments ( composition and parent relation ship ) . Since it is not documented, I cannot imagine how it works . Are there some restrictions as it is initial delivery ?

I have tried to create an application with limited documentation. 

Below are some limitations in OData V2:

1. Uploading of attachment is possible only in object page of the entity but not possible in table view.
   
2. Also, only one attachment can be there in a single entity. Else, App will run into error.

         3. In case of NON-DRAFT application, Attachments can only be uploaded in DISPLAY mode which is not expected behavior. 

4. Attachment name is not visible on the object page or table view.

It would be great if those limitations are documented properly. 

Best wishes,

Ramjee Korada

[SiddharthaR]

Hi Ramjee,

Please check my observations about the above comment in the comment sections of blog RAP Stream .

 

[Ramjee_korada]

HI Siddartha,

I have edited my comment as OData V2 applications since the issue seems persist.

Best wishes,

Ramjee Korada.

 

[StephanHeinberg]

Are there any news about the following Q3/2022 Roadmap Item?

• Internal infrastructure enablement (for new systems) from Cloud Foundry landscape to Kubernetes based on SAP Gardener


• Internal database migration from SAP HANA Service to SAP HANA Cloud

Thanks,

Stephan

[FlorianWahl]

Hi Shai,

the documentation for the XCO library is currently being updated and reworked in general. I forwarded your feedback reg. content for error handling to the team.

Best regards,

Florian

[FlorianWahl]

Hi Stephan,

thanks for the comment - with this release, both items have been completed successfully. I added a new category "Infrastructure" which lists these aspects.

Best regards,

Florian

[vadims]

Hi Ramjee,

Thank you for sharing your concerns about Streams in OData V2. Each of your concerns is related to a specific limitation of SAP Fiori Elements for OData V2 or OData V2 itself. Some of these limitations are well-known constraints, and, therefore, are documented on the SAP Fiori Elements Enabling Stream Support page. To clarify other limitations, I reached out to the SAP Fiori Elements team and will provide their response.

1. [Comment] “Uploading of attachment is possible only in object page of the entity but not possible in the table view.”
   
   [Answer] This is a limitation of SAP Fiori Elements for OData V2, which is mentioned at the end of the section “Additional Features in SAP Fiori Elements for OData V2” on the SAP Fiori Elements Enabling Stream Support page: “An uploaded file…cannot be edited from the table. To upload a file, you have to navigate to the corresponding object page. You cannot upload multiple files.”
   


2. [Comment] “Also, only one attachment can be there in a single entity. Else, App will run into an error.”
   
   [Answer] According to the SAP Fiori Elements team, this limitation comes from OData V2, and, therefore, will never be fixed.


3. [Comment] “In case of NON-DRAFT application, Attachments can only be uploaded in DISPLAY mode which is not expected behavior.”
   

   [Answer] This is a limitation of SAP Fiori Elements for OData V2 that is mentioned in the section “Additional Features in SAP Fiori Elements for OData V2” on the SAP Fiori Elements Enabling Stream Support page: “In the draft apps, you can only upload or delete a stream when the UI is editable. However, in the non-draft apps, the upload and delete are supported only in display mode.”

   
   


4. [Comment] “Attachment name is not visible on the object page or table view.”
   
   [Answer] Before going into the details, as SAP Fiori Elements is delivered as part of SAPUI5, it is important to note that SAP BTP ABAP Environment 2208 uses SAPUI5 version 1.102.
   
   According to the SAP Fiori Elements team, your last concern combines two different cases that must be distinguished:
   
   4.1. [Comment] “Attachment name is not visible on the object page.”
   
   [Answer] This has been fixed in SAPUI5 1.104. The feasibility of delivery to SAPUI5 1.102 is currently being evaluated by the SAP Fiori Elements team.
   
   4.2. [Comment] “Attachment name is not visible on the table view.”
   
   [Answer] This is a feature, which was implemented in SAPUI5 1.103. Feature implementations are not delivered to lower releases; therefore, the feature will not be available in SAPUI5 1.102.

Hope these answers clarify the concerns, which you raised in your initial post.

Best regards,
Vadims

[Ramjee_korada]

Hello Vadims,

Thank you so much very detailed response. Appreciated.

I understand now that some features still can be achieved in OData V2 by annotating in Fiori application along with ABAP CDS annotation.

I was in impression that OData V2 is no more supported for RAP.

It would be greatful if you can link this page " the SAP Fiori Elements Enabling Stream Support page" in ABAP RAP documentation as well. So that readers can easily relate it without confusion.

Best wishes,

Ramjee Korada.

[ilya-belozerov]

Hi Florian. Thanks for sharing. Are there any details on:

• Support for maintaining trusted hosts for Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)

Regards,

Ilya

[vadims]

Hi Ramjee,

I have provided your feedback on linking the SAP Fiori Elements Enabling Stream Support page to the ABAP RAP Working with Large Objects page to the documentation team.

Best regards,
Vadims

[VijayCR]

Hi florian.wahl  ,

Thanks for the summary of the updates. However for RAP extensibility i am facing an issue in On-Prem 2022 version getting an error on the extension of service definition :  "Service Definition 'UI_XXX' is not marked as extensible". How to resolve this error ?

Thanks,

Vijay

[shareef_shaik]

Thank you for the updates.

is it possible to read attachment and process data into Internal Table(Just like GUI_UPLOAD) in RAP or ABAP for Cloud ?

 

if its possible through XCO libraries, could you please share examples ?

Thank You.

 

Best Regards,

Shareef Shaik