Remote Function Call is a proprietary
SAP
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...
interface. Remote Function Call (RFC) is the standard SAP interface for communication between SAP systems. The RFC calls a function to be executed in a remote system.
RFC documentation by SAP
/ref> Remote function calls may be associated with SAP
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...
software and ABAP
ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming, originally ''Allgemeiner Berichts-Aufbereitungs-Prozessor'', German for "general report preparation processor") is a high-level programming language created by the German software company SAP SE. ...
programming and provide a way for an external program (written in languages such as PHP
PHP is a general-purpose scripting language geared toward web development. It was originally created by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1993 and released in 1995. The PHP reference implementation is now produced by The PHP Group. ...
, ASP, Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
, C, or C++
C++ (pronounced "C plus plus") is a high-level general-purpose programming language created by Danish computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup as an extension of the C programming language, or "C with Classes". The language has expanded significan ...
) to use data returned from the server. Data transactions can get data from the server, and can insert data into server records as well. SAP can act as the Client or Server in an RFC call.
Technical overview
A Remote Function Call (RFC) is the call or remote execution of a Remote Function Module in an external system.
In the SAP
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...
system, these functions are provided by the RFC interface system. The RFC interface system enables function calls between two SAP systems.
There are 3 different versions of RFC communication:
# ''The first version of RFC is synchronous RFC (sRFC).''
# ''Transactional RFC (tRFC, also originally known as asynchronous RFC)''
# ''Queued RFC (qRFC)''
RFC interfaces
The RFC interface system is made up of the following interfaces:
*Calling interface for ABAP programs
*Each ABAP program can call a remote function module using the command CALL FUNCTION...DESTINATION. The parameter DESTINATION informs the SAP system that the called function module runs in a different system to the calling system. RFC communication with the remote system takes place as a part of the CALL FUNCTION command.
*RFC function modules in an SAP system must be proper function modules and must be registered in the SAP system as remote.
*If the calling program and the called program are both ABAP programs, the RFC interface provides both communication partners. The calling program can be any ABAP program, and the called program must be a function module that is registered as remote.
*Interfaces for calling non-ABAP programs
If either the calling program or the called partner is not an SAP program, it must be programmed in such a way that it can play the role of the other partner in RFC communication.
To implement RFC partner programs in non-SAP systems, read: Components of the SAP Communication Technology.
RFC-supported and GUI-supported interfaces can be used by external programs to call function modules in SAP systems, and execute them in these systems. Likewise, ABAP programs can also use these interfaces to use functions supplied by external programs.
Functions are remote-enabled by setting the "Remote-enabled module"-flag in the Attributes tab of the ABAP Workbench: Function Builder (transaction SE37).
SAPRFC
SAPRFC is an open source program for *NIX and Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...
systems that allows PHP
PHP is a general-purpose scripting language geared toward web development. It was originally created by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1993 and released in 1995. The PHP reference implementation is now produced by The PHP Group. ...
to make calls to an RFC-enabled SAP R/3 system.
See also
* ERP software
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is the integrated management of main business processes, often in real time and mediated by software and technology. ERP is usually referred to as a category of business management software—typically a sui ...
* ABAP
ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming, originally ''Allgemeiner Berichts-Aufbereitungs-Prozessor'', German for "general report preparation processor") is a high-level programming language created by the German software company SAP SE. ...
* SAP SE
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a sepa ...
* Oracle Call Interface
References
{{Reflist
External links
PHP Development Forums
in th
SAP Developer NetworkSAPRFC Open Source ProjectGraphical RFC Connector
SAP SE
Remote procedure call