Below is an overview of important terms used in connection with SOA Manager:
Term |
Definition |
More Information |
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binding |
A binding is an entity that needs to be created and configured in order to configure a service provider. It contains a runtime configuration, which is needed to implement the service, and it defines the address of a Web service along with its security settings. A binding determines which protocol is used for processing Web service messages. Without a binding a Web service is not callable. |
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business application |
A business application is a logical representation of an application that makes its Web service implementations addressable. This allows all Web service implementations belonging to the same business application to be grouped together. A business application is a design artifact that is defined by the business application name. The business application name remains the same for all its deployed instances. |
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business application ID |
A business application ID uniquely and permanently identifies a business application instance. It does not change during configuration.
To find business application IDs in SOA Manager, choose Technical Administration -> SAP Client Settings. |
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business scenario |
Business scenarios are used to define the services (consumer proxies/Web service providers) to be configured. A business scenario contains a set of service definitions and service groups.
Alternative names: configuration request, business scenario communication, configuration scenario SAP Releases: SAP_BASIS 7.00 and higher |
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business scenario configuration |
Business scenario configuration allows multiple services (consumer proxies/Web service providers) to be configured automatically. Business scenario configuration also supports change management. The services to be configured are defined in a business scenario. |
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change processor |
The change processor is used in central business scenario configuration to control the configuration process across the managed systems. The change processor uses domains, the business scenario, and logon data management to determine which configuration data is relevant for each managed system involved. Afterwards the data is distributed and the configuration process is started using pending tasks. |
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classification |
A classification is an attribute assigned to services published in the Services Registry that can be used as a search criterion. A classification consists of a qualified name, a value, and a description. A Web service can have multiple classifications and a classification can be assigned to multiple Web services. |
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The connectivity framework provides bi-directional Web service communication for Web service configuration. For example, this can be used for management connections for central business scenario configuration. |
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consumer proxy |
A consumer proxy is an SAP development object generated in the form of an ABAP class which acts as a local representation of a Web service. It is generated from a WSDL document or an ESR/MDR interface . A consumer proxy is used in an application to call (consume) a Web service and supports various receiver determination mechanisms like logical port, PI, technical receiver determination, and logical receiver determination. |
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default logical port |
A default logical port is an addressing concept where the application instantiates a consumer proxy without a logical port. In these cases the Web Service Framework uses a logical port flagged as “default”. You cannot create more than one default logical port for each consumer proxy. |
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domain |
A domain is used in central SOA Manager as a basis for central business scenario configuration. It defines a certain number of settings, most of which are security-related, that are relevant for a list of domain systems assigned to the domain. |
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domain system |
A domain system is used in central SOA Manager to represent a system involved in central business scenario configuration. It holds access information to meta data, the link to the management connection and the business application. A domain system can be assigned to multiple domains in order to enable configuration with certain settings valid for the domain. |
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Enterprise Services Repository |
The Enterprise Services Repository is a Java-based modeling tool. |
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ESR/MDR interface |
The ESR/MDR interface is an abstract definition of a Web service consumer or provider which is modeled in the Enterprise Services Repository (ESR) or the Meta Data Repository (MDR). This model can be used to generate either a consumer proxy or a service definition in the ABAP backend. |
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event consumer |
An event consumer is a normal Web service which is referenced by the event provider. |
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event provider |
An event provider is a special type of consumer proxy which supports different programming models. Depending on the application context, an event is raised by the event provider and sent asynchronously as a normal SOAP message to all event consumers subscribed. Unlike classical Web service communication, an event consumer is highly interested in receiving events. From the perspective of the event provider, it does not matter how many event consumers are subscribed to a specific event. The subscriptions of the event consumers are defined using a list of logical ports. An event is sent to all subscribers, and the application is unable to change the subscription list at runtime. The event provider is generated from the ESR/MDR event interface. |
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fallback logical port |
A fallback logical port is a normal logical port which can be used to override the automatically generated logical port created during business scenario configuration. It can be used when business scenario configuration fails to generate logical ports automatically. You can create a maximum of one fallback logical port for one consumer proxy within a service group pointing to one provider system. As long as a fallback logical port exists, business scenario configuration uses this port and does not generate a regular logical port. |
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HTTP destination |
A HTTP destination is a configuration entity which belongs to the SAP Internet Communication Framework. An HTTP destination is used in logical ports. |
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Each Web service is assigned a URL through which it can be accessed. The Internet Communication Framework (ICF) is used to implement this access. The ICF entities used are service nodes and external alias nodes. |
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logical port |
The logical port concept allows multiple Web services to be addressed logically. A logical port is identified by a name (unique for a consumer proxy) which is defined during the development of the consumer application. The administrator of the consumer application has to observe the implementation guide in order to adhere to the naming conventions for logical ports defined during development. A logical port is a configuration for a consumer proxy which can be used during consumer proxy instantiation. You can instantiate a consumer proxy without specifying a logical port name if a default logical port exists. It defines the runtime behaviour of the consumer proxy which consists of an access URL along with WS-Security and Web service protocol information, for example WS-RM or WS-A.
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local shortcut |
A local shortcut is an optimized way of Web service communication if the Web service consumer calls a Web service provider within the same SAP client. In other words, it is a local Web service call within the same client. In this case, the consumer proxy can be instantiated without generating a logical port in SOA Manager. It is also not necessary to configure the Web service provider for the local call. |
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log |
The Web service configuration log is used to record all changes made to Web service configuration entities such as bindings or logical ports. The log is integrated into the objects of Web service configuration, does not support any levels and cannot be configured. This means that in each system the same type of data is written for each change and therefore each change is documented in the system. |
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logical receiver determination |
Logical receiver determination (LRD) uses routing rules to determine the receivers (Web service providers) in consumer systems based on the business context. The business context is provided through the LRD filter by the application program whereas routing rules are maintained by a business administrator. A routing rule is a set of conditions used to determine a receiver and is maintained in SOA Manager. Multiple routing rules can point to the same receiver. |
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LRD filter |
An LRD filter is a normal ABAP Dictionary structure without any nested structures and references to other objects which is created during the development of the service group and is used for logical receiver determination. |
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management connection |
A management connection is used, for example, for central business scenario configuration between central systems and managed systems. The connection allows bi-directional data transfer between the systems depending on the implementation of the application used. In case of central business scenario configuration, the configuration data is transferred, the configuration process is triggered and the results are reported. |
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matching interface |
A matching interface is an entity used to assign a consumer proxy to a service definition. This requires that the consumer proxy and the service definition are compatible at interface level: the service definition has to provide a compatible operation for each operation of the consumer proxy. A matching interface is only used during business scenario configuration when the Framework has to determine the compatible service definition automatically. Matching interfaces can be maintained using the following tools:
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Metadata Repository |
The Metadata Repository is an ABAP-based modeling tool. |
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pending task |
A pending task is used to check and activate the pending configurations belonging to business scenario configuration. Any change in business scenario configuration generates pending tasks in SOA Manager. These tasks must be processed to perform the intended configuration changes in business scenario configuration. |
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profile |
A profile is an entity which is only used in business scenario configuration. A profile is maintained in SOA Manager and contains mainly the set of security settings that need to be applied to service definitions and service groups during business scenario configuration. As the security settings of a landscape may change in the course of time, a new profile version was introduced in SOA Manager to support these changes. The Web service consumer and provider applications can agree on specific profile versions, and all other profile versions can be deactivated. The Web service configuration on the consumer and the provider side takes place automatically with the help of this mechanism, thus supporting change management in the landscape. Profiles are used during local and central business scenario configuration. This entity cannot be transported across systems but can be exported and imported as an XML file between systems. This entity is also exposed in the Services Registry where Web services configured through business scenario configuration are published with their profile version information as a classification. |
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provider system |
A provider system is an entity which is used to access metadata of the Web service provider during business scenario configuration. A provider system is maintained in SOA Manager and contains the WSIL URL, the WSIL credentials and identifier information of the Services Registry. This information is needed by the provider system to retrieve service provider WSDL URLs during the configuration of service groups in the consumer application. Additionally, the list of available business applications along with the business application ID must be maintained in the provider system entity. Information related to business applications can be retrieved automatically from the WSIL document or the Services Registry. This information can also be maintained manually by checking the SAP Client Settings in the Web service provider system. The WSDL credentials used to access WSDL documents of the provider system are also maintained in the provider system entity. The provider system must be assigned a profile name and version in the consumer system. This profile name/version must be identical to the Web service provider profile/version. |
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public service definition API |
The public service definition API can be used to configure the Web service provider programmatically with the help of interface IF_SRT_PUBLIC_SDEF_DEPLOYMENT. |
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public service group API |
The public service group API can be used to support technical receiver determination and logical receiver determination programmatically with the help of interface IF_SRT_PUBLIC_SV_GROUP_HANDLER. An instance of this interface is returned by method GET_SERVICE_GROUP_HANDLER of class CL_SRT_PUBLIC_FACTORY. |
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public logical port API |
The public logical port API can be used to configure the consumer proxy of the Web service programmatically with the help of interface IF_SRT_PUBLIC_LOGICAL_PORT. An instance of this interface is returned by method GET_LOGICAL_PORT_HANDLER of class CL_SRT_PUBLIC_FACTORY. The logical port is generated by explicitly setting the properties using this interface. This interface does not require the WSDL document of the Web service provider to be used. |
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reverse proxy settings |
Reverse proxy settings are used to support reverse proxies and/or a load balancer in the Web service environment. Reverse proxy settings are necessary if the Web service provider communicates using a reverse proxy. The ABAP Web Service Framework supports the use of reverse proxies and load balancers by allowing the URLs contained in the metadata (WSDL, WSIL, and Services Registry publications) to be adjusted in such a way that they point to the reverse proxy or load balancer being used. More information on how these settings are maintained in SOA Manager can be found in SAP Note 1325985 (Reverse proxy support of ABAP Web service framework). |
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SAP client settings |
SAP client settings are used to maintain general settings for the current SAP client. You can maintain the following settings. |
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service definition |
A service definition is a development object used as the basis for Web service providers generated in the ABAP Workbench. A service definition can be transported across systems using the ABAP transport workbench. A service definition refers to the service implementation, the interface and the design time configuration of the Web service provider. Design-time configuration contains the properties set during development, such as session handling, service behaviour or security settings. A service definition is the basis for the Web service provider configuration of SOA Manager and cannot be changed in SOA Manager during the configuration process. Service definitions can be published in the Services Registry together with their classifications and port type WSDL URL. |
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service group |
A service group is a development object used in the consumer system that wraps multiple consumer proxies in a consumer application in order to configure them together at the same time for the same Web service provider system. A service group is assigned a unique name within the system and can be transported across systems using the ABAP transport workbench. Technical receiver determination (TRD) and logical receiver determination (LRD) are only supported if consumer proxies are instantiated by means of service groups in a consumer application. An LRD filter can be defined and maintained in a service group in order to enable logical receiver determination. You can decide during development whether your service group is intended to communicate with one or with multiple provider systems at a time. Service groups are configured as a whole using business scenario configuration. You can create one fallback logical port for each consumer proxy and provider system if business scenario configuration fails. The fallback logical port overrides any existing logical port for the chosen provider system and consumer proxy |
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Services Registry |
The Services Registry (SR) is a repository for Web services. It contains entries for all service definitions in a landscape, with references to the relevant WSDL metadata, to the locations of the callable bindings and to their documentation URLs. The registered Web services can be classified using semantic classifications. Classifications allow you to search the Services Registry for specific Web services. The Services Registry allows you to determine where services are located in the landscape and which services are configured and can be called. Services can either be queried using the user interface of the Services Registry or using the query API exposed as a Web service. The Services Registry is available in the Java and in the ABAP stack. The Java Services Registry is UDDI-compliant. |
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Services Registry view |
The Services Registry view is an entity in the Services Registry which can be used to control access to the Services Registry. Inside a view, you can define filter criteria based on classifications and internal names of service definitions to restrict the result list. User names and permissions (read, write, and delete) are also maintained together with these filter criteria inside a view. Multiple users can be assigned to a view and a user can be assigned to multiple views. Active views are processed during publication and search within the Services Registry to authorize the intended operation on a published object. The user must be assigned the administration role ‘SAP_BC_WEBSERVICE_CONFIGURATOR’ as described in SAP Note 1318883 to be able to define such views in the Services Registry. |
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simplified Web service configuration |
Simplified Web service configuration is a SOA Manager application which provides a simple way of configuring a Web service provider. Only transport-level security (basic authentication, Single Sign-On, X.509 client certificate) is supported by this application. This application generates a simplified, predictable and stable access URL so that Web service consumers can rely on this access URL without having to analyze the WSDL document of the Web service provider. A maximum of one binding can be created with this application, and this binding cannot be transported across the systems. |
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single service configuration |
Single service configuration is a SOA Manager application which provides full configuration capabilities for Web services and consumer proxies. With the help of this application, you can maintain various WS communication aspects like security settings (transport and message level), transport protocols, access URLs (calculated and alternative), timeout settings, Web service operation-specific properties, local shortcut as well as WS-A and WS-RM. Configurations created through simplified Web service configuration and business scenario configuration can be displayed in this application. Consumer proxies can either be configured manually or with the help of the WSDL in this application. Fallback logical ports for consumer proxies belonging to service groups are also created through this application. Web service configurations created in SOA Manager cannot be transported across systems. |
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SOA Manager |
SOA Manager is a collection of tools for maintaining ABAP Web service-relevant entities. It is an ABAP Web Dynpro application - “appl_soap_management” - linked with transaction code ‘SOAMANAGER’. The central configuration functions are enabled if an SAP client is flagged as a central system. The following tools are available in SOA Manager. |
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technical receiver determination |
Technical receiver determination (TRD) is a mechanism to determine receivers on the basis of technical IDs like business application ID, business system name, and so on. It is only supported by business scenario configuration. Consumer proxies are instantiated through the business application ID. |
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Web Service |
Web Service is an XML- based protocol-independent communication method which exposes functions defined in the service definition. Web Service is compliant with W3C standards and is described by WSDL. |
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WS-Security |
WS-Security is a W3C standard for securing Web service communication. |
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WS-A |
Web Service Addressing (WS-A) is a protocol defined by W3C. |
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WSDL |
WSDL stands for Web Service Description Language. It is a standard defined by W3C for describing Web Service interfaces. |
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WS-RM |
WS-RM (Web Service Reliable Messaging) is a protocol defined by W3C to support reliable communication for asynchronous operations during Web service communication. |
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