Product Description

Enterprise Java for SAP is designed as an introduction to the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) for the SAP developer. After providing a general introduction to Java, author Austin Sincock explores how to open the typically closed SAP environment to the world of Java.

Utilizing SAP's latest Java connector, JCo, Sincock details an end-to-end web application that connects directly to SAP, including the deployment and implementation of both a web server and an external database. He explores communicating with an SAP environment through such Java and J2EE technologies as JavaServer Pages (JSP) and the Java Standard Tag Library, and database connectivity through JDBC.

Wherever possible, open source technologies are employed to enable flexible Java connectivity to SAP&emdash;atypical for the SAP environment, in which tools are often proprietary.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1417847 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

From the Inside Flap
The fact that you cracked open a book entitled Enterprise Java for SAP means that you are one of the many developers looking to explore the world of Java development for SAP. So far, for many of you, this exploration has been a frustrating and even fruitless search for any tidbit of information on programming for SAP in Java. If this description sounds familiar, then you may find Enterprise Java for SAP a required read.

This book is specifically targeted at developers who are fluent in SAP’s programming language, ABAP, and are looking to learn the Java language. Although targeted at the less experienced Java developer, this book is a great resource for more experienced programmers who need to build applications with SAP’s Java connector (JCo).

About the Author
Austin Sincock has been a strong proponent for the development and use of Enterprise Java to provide access to SAP R/3 systems for the last 4+ years. He has managed product application suites and technical projects around implementing this functionality for major R/3 environments for the last 7+ years. His projects have included Kraft Foods, Volvo - Sweden, and DirecTV. In addition to designing and marketing Java-based SAP applications, Austin evangelizes the use of SAP/Java technologies through both public speaking and web/print publications. He is a frequent speaker at seminars that address the issues of web-enabling SAP, including the Web Enabling Summit 2001, SAP TechEd 2001, and the SearchSAP SAP Developers Summit 2002.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
What This Book Covers

In addition to spending a lot of time with JCo, this book also offers insight into the open source tools, available for free on the Internet, that are not normally useful in an SAP environment. It shows you how to apply the best practices embodied in these tools and how to use them to kick start your Java development effort. The only prerequisite you need to process this information is ready access to an SAP system that can be used as a sandbox or for development.

Chapters 1–3 of Enterprise Java for SAP describe the fundamental principles of object-oriented and Java development and allow you to transition smoothly from the more procedural view of SAP development.

Chapter 4 introduces SAP’s JCo, including a step-by-step review of what it takes to connect to an SAP system from a Java application. The JCo connector is one of SAP’s core components in its larger Enterprise Java development platform. Learning the ins and outs of programming with JCo will give you greater insight into future SAP technologies.

Chapter 5 shows you how to build a desktop client application for SAP using a Java user interface toolkit. Based on the Java Swing toolkit, this application can be used to support requirements for a custom application that must reside on the user’s desktop.

Chapter 6 takes you through the steps for deploying a Java application server and details a basic SAP login application from a Web browser. The Java application server acts as the foundation on which you can build and deploy Enterprise Java components tailored for access to your SAP system.

Chapter 7 demonstrates Struts, an open source framework that you can use to build highly maintainable Web applications for SAP. Struts is an effective means to minimize your Java development effort and create components that can be easily reused in future development efforts.

Chapter 8 teaches you how to deploy and configure an open source database system, called Hypersonic SQL (hsql). In addition, it shows you how to build a material catalog that retrieves information from both SAP and the Hypersonic database.

Chapter 9 walks you through some advanced Java programming techniques specifically tailored to SAP’s JCo. These topics include server development, connection pooling, and custom Java tags.

The appendix covers the development of custom Remote Function Call (RFC) interfaces and how to access these interfaces through the JCo connector. This appendix is helpful if your SAP system does not implement the RFC interfaces required by the tutorials in Chapters 4–8.

Customer Reviews

From the author...
I am the author of Enterprise Java for SAP and would like to clarify a few points about the text. I have noticed that several reviewers were dissatisfied with the book due to the introductory treatment of Java and JCo. I would like to stress to all current and potential readers that this is a book written for the SAP developer, specifically someone well-versed in ABAP but who has had little to no exposure to Java programming.

The world of SAP development tends to be somewhat insular, with the bulk of commonly used tools provided explicitly within the SAP suite (ABAP Workbench, Menu Painter, Screen Painter, etc.). In my experience, many strict SAP developers have never been exposed to open source development technologies and struggle to gain entry into that world. The specific "open source" focus of this book is intended to demonstrate how these technologies can be used within an SAP environment.

If you are an SAP developer with an interest in broadening your development skills, I would definitely recommend checking out my book. If you are an experienced Java developer looking for an SAP JCo reference, I would pass on this book and check out the various articles and postings available on the Web. A good place to start is SearchSAP.com, where I have posted a number of articles and expert advice on the targeted use of connecting Java applications to SAP via SAP's Java connector, JCo. I also welcome questions/comments via email at austin at opensourceguru dot com.

Don't be mislead by the title....
This book was such a waste of money!

I don't want to read about general, simple concepts regarding Java on SAP that I can easilly read in either the SAP Java documentation or any standard doc for different related products.

When one buys a book like this you would expect to get some information out of it that would be hard to find or put together from other sources. Not reworked text from standard sources discussing the MVC pattern or Struts.

The only audience that could have any, even minor, benefit of this book is the SAP developer who hasn't heard about OO or Java before and just wants to quickly understand some of the basic concepts (without any specific details).

not useful
This book spends the bulk of its content addressing basic and well documented java and web application concepts rather than the SAP JCo. The book also spent way too much time on the treatment of open source internet technologies.

There is more sample code and documentation provided for plain old Java programming than for SAP specific Java issues and concepts. The samples that are there are also overly simplistic.