• Business wants to generate an invoice Smart Form (based on VBAK/VBAP) and send the PDF to an SAPUI5/Fiori frontend via OData.

• The frontend should receive the Smart Form PDF as binary content to display or download.

High level flow

Frontend (Fiori/UI5) → OData Service → ABAP Backend → Call Smart Form → Convert to PDF → Return Binary to Frontend

Step 1: Create Smart Form

• Transaction SMARTFORMS → Create form (e.g., Z_INVOICE_SF)

• Define nodes for header (VBAK) and items (VBAP)

• Activate form

Step 2: Create ABAP Class / Function Module

• This module will call the Smart Form and capture output as PDF

DATA: lv_formname TYPE tdsfname VALUE ‘Z_INVOICE_SF’,
lv_fm_name TYPE rs38l_fnam,
lv_pdf TYPE solix_tab,
lv_pdf_size TYPE so_obj_len.

” Get generated function module for Smart Form
CALL FUNCTION ‘SSF_FUNCTION_MODULE_NAME’
EXPORTING
formname = lv_formname
IMPORTING
fm_name = lv_fm_name
EXCEPTIONS
no_form = 1
no_function_module = 2
OTHERS = 3.

IF sy-subrc = 0.
” Call Smart Form
CALL FUNCTION lv_fm_name
EXPORTING
control_parameters = VALUE ssfctrlop( device = ‘PRINTER’ )
user_settings = space
vbak = ls_vbak
TABLES
vbap = lt_vbap
pdfoutput = lv_pdf
EXCEPTIONS
OTHERS = 1.
ENDIF.

Step 3: Return PDF via OData

• Create an OData Service (Transaction SEGW)

• Define an Entity Type (e.g., InvoicePDF) with a Binary Stream property

• In DPC_EXT class, map the Smart Form PDF to the property:

METHOD invoicepdf_get_entity.
” Call Smart Form as shown above
io_data_provider->read_entry_data( )->* ” fetch data from backend tables

es_entity-pdf_data = lv_pdf. ” SOLIX table converted to xstring
ENDMETHOD.

• The frontend will receive PDF as binary (xstring)

• Fiori/UI5 can display with PDF.js or offer download

• Transaction code: SEGW

• Steps:

  1. Create a new project in SEGW.

  2. Define Data Model (Entity Types & Entity Sets).

  3. Map Entities to ABAP structures/tables.

  4. Implement CRUD operations in DPC (Data Provider Class).

  5. Register and activate the service in /IWFND/MAINT_SERVICE.

• ✅ Use Case: Legacy SAP systems, custom OData for ECC or S/4HANA on-prem.

• ❌ Limitation: Manual coding, more effort, less aligned with modern RAP.

2. From ABAP CDS Views (Annotation-Based Exposure)

• Use annotation:

@OData.publish: true
define view entity Z_SalesOrder as select from I_SalesOrder { … }

• The CDS View is automatically published as an OData service.

• Then activate the service in /IWFND/MAINT_SERVICE.

• ✅ Use Case: Quick and simple OData exposure from CDS Views.

• ❌ Limitation: Only read-only services, no transactional behavior.

3. Using the RAP (RESTful ABAP Programming Model)

• RAP provides managed OData services with end-to-end support:

  1. Define CDS Data Model (Root & Projection Views).

  2. Define Behavior Definition (CRUD operations, determinations, validations).

  3. Create Service Definition to expose data.

  4. Create Service Binding (OData V2/V4) and publish.

• ✅ Use Case: Modern SAP S/4HANA Cloud / On-Prem for transactional + analytical apps.

• ❌ Limitation: Available only in S/4HANA and requires ABAP on Eclipse (ADT).

4. Using SAP Gateway Service Builder + RFC/BAPI

• Wrap an RFC or BAPI in SEGW to expose as OData.

• Often used in integration scenarios.

• ✅ Use Case: Exposing existing RFC/BAPIs as REST APIs.

• ❌ Limitation: Old-school approach, less future-proof.

Choose a elementary search help which is used to create a service in OData.

Step 1: GoTo SEGW and create a project.

Step 2 : In Data Model provide the search help as entity and create an entity.

We can use only elementary search help to create a data model using search help.

Step 3 : generate the runtime artifacts.

Step4 : write your logic in DPC-EXTENSION CLASS.

Step 5: create a service and run it in sap gateway.

In this way we can create a OData service using search help.

For SAP OData, the SICF node:

• Enables access to OData services over HTTP/S.

• Hosts the service endpoint under the path:
  /sap/opu/odata/<service_namespace>/<service_name>/

• Is required for activating the OData service so it can be consumed externally (e.g., by Fiori apps or third-party tools).

• Controls security and logging settings for service execution.

Example:
To make an OData service available, you must activate its corresponding SICF node in the path:
/sap/opu/odata/sap/ZMY_ODATA_SERVICE

OData v4 is a more modern, flexible, and standardized protocol, while v2 is still used in many legacy systems but lacks advanced features.

<EntityType Name=”Product”>
<Key>
<PropertyRef Name=”ProductID” />
</Key>
<Property Name=”ProductID” Type=”Edm.Int32″ Nullable=”false” />
<Property Name=”ProductName” Type=”Edm.String” />
</EntityType>

Key Concepts:

• Entity = Object or Record

  • For example, a Customer, Order, or Product can each be entities.

• Entity Type

  • Defines the structure of an entity: its properties (fields) and key (unique identifier).

Steps

1. Expand the Data Model
2. Right-click Entity Types → Select Create.

   

3. Enter:
   1. Entity Name: SalesOrder
   2. ABAP Structure: VBAK (optional but helpful)
   3. Mark Key Field (e.g., VBELN)

Press Enter and confirm field generation.

Repeat this to create another Entity Type SalesItem (based on structure VBAP).

Steps to Create an ODATA Project in SEGW

Step 1: Open Transaction SEGW

• Go to the SAP GUI command field.
• Type SEGW and press Enter.

You’ll be taken to the Gateway Service Builder screen.

Step 2: Create a New Project

•   Click the Create Project icon (white sheet of paper).
• A popup will appear asking for:
  • Project Name (e.g., ZSALES_ODATA)
  • Description (e.g., “Sales Header and Items OData Service”)
  • Package (use $TMP for local/temporary if you’re just testing)
  • Transport Request (if using a package)

Hit Continue (✓).

(Visual reference: You’ll see folders like Data Model, Service Implementation, Runtime Artifacts on the left side.)