Description:
Used for decades for enterprise distributed computing, SAP R/3 has a well-earned reputation for considerable power and difficulty. Recent new tools allow Visual Basic (VB) developers to work with SAP. Professional Visual Basic SAP R/3 Programming provides a useful glimpse into the world of SAP R/3, as well as some useful techniques for Windows programmers facing the world of SAP development for the first time. While SAP R/3 runs many of the world's largest businesses, most VB programmers have probably only heard of it. (There are many reasons for this, including the high cost of SAP software and the relative lack of information and training in comparison to Windows tools.) The first reason to read this book is to get a feel for what SAP R/3 is and how it works. To this end, this book is filled with screen shots featuring the latest SAP tools for the Windows platform (such as the SAP Assistant 3.0 and the new browser-based DCOM Component Connector.) SAP's new tools offer several VB (OCX) controls that allow VB programmers to call SAP functionality from within Windows. The rule of thumb for the aspiring VB SAP programmer is that you must dig into the world of SAP business objects and APIs to make calls in VB. In several examples here, the author provides custom code that wraps the functionality of the SAP controls (for logging on, calling BAPIs, and loading table data, for instance) to make it a lot easier to work with SAP. This book is excellent at showing both realities of using SAP and some specific advice for approaching the world of legacy enterprise development. There's little doubt that to benefit from most of this book, the reader will need some additional information about SAP R/3. Yet for the potential VB SAP R/3 programmer or manager facing integration with a legacy SAP system, this book certainly fills an important and useful role with plenty of information and a strategy for making this difficult leap. --Richard Dragan Topics covered: Introduction to SAP R/3, business objects and proxy components, BAPIs (parameters and help values), Remote Function Calls (RFCs), integrating SAP with Microsoft COM and Visual Basic, SAP Automation Toolkit, SAP Logon Control, SAP BAPI Control, SAP Table Factory Control, ADO, SAP Assistant 3.0 (Metadata Repository and Code Generator), SAP R/3 Business Object Repository Service, DCOM Component Connector (DCOM CC): basics, administrative, and builder functionality within VB.
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