Structure of Business Applications in SAP BW

Structure of Business Applications 

Business applications, like mySAP components can be divided into different layers. The following figure shows the generic, technology independent view of a business application:

●     User interaction

User interaction comprises the user interface (UI) based on UI elements with different granularity. It starts with fine-granular UI elements, like text and input fields, over element groups, like patterns or building blocks and ends with entire screens/screen sequence, like Dynpros in ABAP. The user interface presents data to the user, therefore this layer is also called presentation layer and collects data from the user. The UI contains no business logic.

User interaction can also include a system-local process/workflow-like functionality representing execution steps.

Example for a process/workflow:

Technologies provided by SAP NetWeaver for user interfaces include Web Dynpro for ABAP and Java, HTML Business for Java (HTMLB), ABAP Dynpro and ABAP Business Server Pages (BSP). Technologies provided by SAP NetWeaver for user interfaces include Guided Procedures (GP) and Business Workflow.

●     Business logic

Business logic defines the main functionality of the application. Based on rules, for example, company rules and laws, it contains calculations, defines relations between the persisted data or objects and controls process sequences, for example, follow-on document processing for an account settlement: sales document – credit memo – stock posting

Technologies provided by SAP NetWeaver for implementing business logic are ABAP and EJB.

●     State management

State management is the persistence layer of the application. It contains the data base layout and maps the data base structure between persistent storage and runtime. It provides lifecycle management of data (keeping track of the last time the data has been accessed), caching and event functionality. The persistence layer operates with transactions which are sets of complex operations and control the state.

Technologies provided by SAP NetWeaver for state management are ABAP and OpenSQL

●     Services

Implemented business logic is made available to other applications. A service can be used by a local API, remote calls and Web service technology.

Technologies provided by SAP NetWeaver for services are Web services and BAPIs.

●     Connectivity

Applications consume implemented business logic. Business logic can be consumed using by a local API, remote calls and Web service technology – similar to services.

Technologies provided by SAP NetWeaver for connectivity are Web services, RFC and BAPIs.