BRFplus - Training Material

8/10/2019 BRFplus - Training Material

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SAP Technical

Business Rule Framework plus

This presentation is for internal use only and not intended for external distribution. Its contents must be held in confidence.



2

Course Objectives

Overview

Business Rule

BRFplus – Workbench

Expressions

Action Types

Tools and AdministrationTips and Tricks

Appendix

Hands on exercises



3

Business Rules

What are business rules?1. Business rules represent corporate policies or business guidelines2. Business rules are owned by the business, not by IT

Example:- 1. If you buy three items you get one free.2. Discounts for premium customers



4

Business Rules - Examples of Business Process

1. Figure Shows a simplified diagram for loan approval process.2. For Each Steps, the business rules are depicted.3. Quality and efficiency of the management of the rules becomes crucial for

organization’s success



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Business Rules - Examples from Across Industries



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Business Rules - Types of Business Rules — A Compilation

No matter how simple or complex the business rules are, being able to create,maintain and track the business rules that are governing the operationalprocesses of an organization is critical to its success.

An Effective way of managing business rules is a Business Rule Management

System (BRMS)



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Business Rules - Representation

Separating the business rules lifecycle from the application developmentcycle enables more timely responses to business Changes

For Transparency to non technical users and to enable to perform changesthemselves, the BRMS needs to provide a collection of rule representationthat can be understood by all users groups.

The most common approaches are:

1. Rules and Rulesets2. Rule Flows3. Decision Tables4. Decision Trees5. Formulas6. Scorecards



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1. Pain Rules are also called IF-THEN rules. They are set of textual statements.

2. They contain a condition part introduce by IF term, and an action part, connected tothe THEN term. When condition is true action is executed.

3. Rulesets allow grouping of rules for better organization, structuring, and management



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1. Decision Tables provide a very structured and organized view of interrelated businessrules.

2. Contain condition columns with each cell in the column being part a particularcondition.

3. If all conditions of a row match, the results from the corresponding result column cellsare returned or actions are performed.

4. Decision tables are very popular because of their spreadsheet like nature and theability to exchange data easily with office applications such as Microsoft excel.



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1. Formulas are business rules that produce a value according to a specifiedmathematical algorithm.

2. BRMS usually provides a set of built-in functions for usage in formulas such asfor financial mathematics.

3. A scorecard is a special form of table that examines different properties orcharacteristics or an object or transaction and assigns weights based on thevalues.

4. All underlying weights are added to arrive at an overall score, which can becompared to other scores for a rank based decision.



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1. Rule Flows define the graphically maintained sequence of execution steps in adecision process, using tasks, branching, and iterations.

2. Tasks hold collection of rules or other representation formats such as decision tablesand decision trees.



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Enforcing Business Rules — Conventional Methods

1. To Solve this conflict, business rules needs to be considered in the architecture of theapplication at the early stage.



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BRMS - Overview

Definition of a Business Rule Management System (BRMS)

“A BRMS is a software system used to define, deploy, execute, monitor, and maintain the variety and complexity of decision logic inthe form of business rules that are used by operational systems withan organization”.

A BRMS Consists of the following three components:

• Rule Authoring Environment, for defining and maintaining business rules• Rule Repository, for the storage of business rules• Rules Engines, for the execution of business rules by application code



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BRMS - Benefits of Business Rule Management System



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Business Rules - Evolution of Business Application Architecture

1. Use of a database management system (DBMS) helps separate application data

and application logic

Tools optimized for data management

2. Use of a business rule management system (BRMS) Business rules should be considered early in the application lifecycle Tools optimized for business rules management, targeting also non-technical user

groups Once the BRMS services are defined and plugged into the application, rules changes

do not require programming skills Programmers continue to develop the remaining application logic, while business

experts are empowered to create and maintain the business rules



16

SAP’s Business Rules strategy and Recommendations

Recommendation For Best Performance

“A Rule engine that integrates deeply into the execution stack of the business application is generally recommended”.

For ABAP Stack use cases, BRFplus shipped with the business suiteis best suited.

For JAVA Stack use cases, BRM usually is best suited.

Example:-1. Customer wants to leverage business rules in a business suite application or add

flexibility to a business suite process, BRFplus is a ideal choice.2. Customer creating composite applications and process using SAP NetWeaver

CR, BRM would be usually appropriate.



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Alignment NW BRM / BRFplus Alignment Themes



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BRFplus Workbench - Overview

“The term BRFplus workbench refers to the web-enabled ruleauthoring and management tool that provides an environment withcommon paradigms for the maintenance, testing, and managementOf business rules content in BRFplus”.

Workbench Includes:-1. Search and navigation capabilities to find specific BRFplus objects.

2. Editors to create & change all the different types of BRFplus objects.(Such as

Functions, Data Objects, and Rulesets, expressions).3. Objects can be transported and deleted.

4. Additional Tools such as simulation of rules, detection of unused objects, creationof web services and XML export and import.



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BRFplus Workbench - Prerequisites

Activation of BRFplus is straightforward:-

Authorization1. Assign the role SAP_BC_FDT_ADMINISTRATOR to the user of the BRFplus

workbench.

WD Configuration1. Activate the following ICF nodes for BRFplus:2. Activate the WebDynpro services for BRFplus in transaction SICF

/sap/bc/webdynpro/sap/fdt_wd_workbench /sap/bc/webdynpro/sap/fdt_wd_object_manager /sap/bc/webdynpro/sap/fdt_wd_catalog_browser

SAP NetWeaver 7.0 enhancement pack 2 or higher

Note: In SAP note 1088717, you will find more information on how toactivate a node.



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Benefits



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Challenges



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Benefits of BRFPlus



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BRFplus Workbench - Starting the BRFplus workbench

1. Transaction BRF+ and BRFplus were introduced in SAP NetWeaver 7.0Enhancement Package 2.

2. The Old Transaction was FDT_WORKBENCH used in earlier releases.



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BRFplus Workbench - Starting the BRFplus workbench

1. The BRFplus workbench is agraphical user interface for thedesign and maintenance of businessrules

2. It is:-Web based-User Specific and enhance able

3. BRFplus objects can also beaccessed directly through API.

4. The Inclusion of customized and rolespecific UI elements is possible.



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BRFplus Workbench - Elements of Workbench

The BRFplus workbench consist of four areas



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BRFplus Workbench - Navigation Panel

The Navigation Panel Offers four views:-

1. Repository View: it provides access to all BRFplus objects2. Recently used View: Provides access to last 20 objects which have recently been

displayed or edited.

3. Favorites View: it makes it possible to maintain and access a list of favoriteobjects.

4. Catalog View: It gives access to the catalog objects selected by the user



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BRFplus Workbench - Object Manager

An Object can be always be visualized in two modes, change or Display Mode.

1. In change mode the object can be modified, and it becomes inaccessible forother users and certain activities. The Display mode doesn’t lock the object and itis not possible to change it.

2. Furthermore each object can have an inactive or active status. Only activeobjects can be used in rule determination

3. This Information is Displayed in the Object Header as shown below.

4. Other Common Activities are displayed in the Object Toolbar.



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BRFplus Workbench - Object Toolbar

1. Navigate Back to the last displayed object2. Toggles between change and display mode3. Checks the object for consistency4. Saves the object

5. Activates the object6. Writes the object into a transport (object has to be non local, consistent and

activated)7. Marks the object as obsolete8. Marks the object for deletion, or deletes it9. Click on.. You can also “reveals other actions:

Copy the object Show the usage of the object in other objects



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BRFplus Workbench - Object Lifecycle

BRFplus object Lifecycle can be defined through their status



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Rule Creation Process



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Rule Creation Process – Application Creation



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BRFplus Workbench - Application Purpose

An Application is a container to group related BRFplus objects.

Rule logic that is implemented in BRFplus consists of severalBRFplus objects. In Order to group and manage them, they mustbelong to an application



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BRFplus Workbench – Application Creation

Two ways of creating an application



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Name of the application

Short Text

As a local or transportable



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Customizing (Client dependent) object or

workbench (client Independent) objectOr System



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BRFplus Workbench – Access levels: Usage

Access levels determine how the object can be accessed by other objects.

By Default the accessibility is set to the most restrictive type ( Same application ). Access Levelsare defined in General Tab



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BRFplus Workbench Versioning: Usage

Versioning enables change tracking and time dependant use of rules.

1. Generally an object can always have two versions active and inactive2. Only Consistent (error-free) objects can be activated.3. Only active objects can be processed.4. Versioning can be individually switched on or off for all BRFplus objects. It can

also be switched for the objects contained in an application5. If versioning is switched on, activating an object saves a version for the time of

activation. This version can be processed at runtime using a timestamp6. General Section allows to toggle the versioning7. The Tab version displays further information including an overview of all versions



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BRFplus Workbench Versioning: Usage

Switch On Versioning

Versions Tab with Object Versions



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Rule Creation Process – Function Creation

Next is to Create Function and define Signature



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BRFplus Workbench - Function Overview

1. A Function is the Link between Application Code & the Business Rule.

2. A Function determines how rules are processed. It serves as an entry point thatcalls assigned Rulesets

3. To set this in motion. A function can be called from following sources:

4. It can be run directly in the BRFplus Workbench (Button “Start Simulation”) or becalled programmatically from any application using ABAP API RFC Web Services Other BRFplus objects

5. A Function takes parameters from a call and processes the rule logic throughother BRFplus objects to return a value. Functions can be called directly fromapplication code or from certain BRFplus objects.



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BRFplus Workbench - Function Signature

The Signature defines what type of data will be processed by theFunction.

The Input data is defined in the signature. It is in charge of:- Define what type of data the function is expecting from the caller.- And defining what type of data is made available for the rule processing

The result data is also defined in the signature. It defines what is returned to thecalled.



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BRFplus Workbench - Signature Purpose

1. The Signature Defines Input and output parameters of the function2. The Signature consists of the context and the result data object.

3. The context consists of data objects that are passed from the caller as primarilyoptional parameter. Subsequent rule logic can be read and write on these dataobjects.

4. The Result data object contains the results of the rules processing. It is possible toreturn a single element, a structure or a table.

Importing

Exporting



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BRFplus Workbench - Function Mode of Operations

The Mode of operation of functions determine how the rules areprocessed.

Requires top expression;used for more simple cases

Uses rule sets to triggerprocessing

instead of top expression



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BRFplus Workbench - Event Mode

1.



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BRFplus Workbench - Functional Mode



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BRFplus Workbench - Function Execution Mode

Functions can be executed using generated code.

1. BRFplus has a powerful feature of code generation. This means that the rule logicis generated as code. This results in high performance at runtime. BRFplus tries togenerate functions an their related objects whenever possible.

2. The alternative execution mode is called interpretation mode. Where each object iscalled at runtime and interpreted individually. This mode is usually slower ( One ortwo orders of magnitude )and is only executed when code generation is not

available ( e:g when simulated )



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Rule Creation Process – Rule Set Creation



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BRFplus Workbench – Rulesets Purpose

1. A ruleset is a collection of rules.2. A ruleset bundles a set of sequential rules into a logical unit.

3. A ruleset is the link between the function and the expression that implement thebusiness rule.

4. It contains information on when to trigger the rules.5. A rule is a condition structure that can process actions and expressions among

others, for each condition.6. It is associated to a function, and can be enrich the function context with

additional variables.



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BRFplus Workbench – Rulesets Header

The ruleset Header handles information that is relevant to allcontained rules

The ruleset Header has the following features:-

1. It can be enabled or disabled. This affects the processing of all the containedrules.

2. Additionally, a precondition can be assigned, even if the ruleset is enabled. Thiscan be based on the context parameters or other values such as the systemstatus.

3. The Ruleset Header can define additional ruleset variables, which are madeavailable to the contained rules as temporary context parameters.

BRF l W kb h R l V i bl



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BRFplus Workbench – Rulesets Variables

Examples of Ruleset Header and Ruleset Variables

BRF l W kb h R l i R l t



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BRFplus Workbench – Rules in a Ruleset

Rules in a ruleset are executed top-down, one after the other

Example : Rules



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Example : Rules

BRF l W kb h B i Obj t H dli



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BRFplus Workbench – Basic Object Handling

Objects in BRFplus share some basic handling operations.

Rules in BRFplus are composed of objects. These objects can behandled and managed using some common operations.

These common actions contribute to the usability of BRFplus. Theycan be categorized as follows:

1. Object creation

2. Object selection3. Object maintenance

BRF l W kb h Obj t C ti



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BRFplus Workbench – Object Creation

Two ways for creating an element

From Link MENU….

Or through repository right click….

BRFplus Workbench Object Selection



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BRFplus Workbench – Object Selection

There are several ways to select an object.

Scenario 1:Searching and selecting an object to be displayed or edited

Scenario 2:Searching and selecting an object to be linked to another

Either scenario ends up opening a search and selection screen. SelectionCriteria make it possible to refine the search.

BRFplus Workbench Object Selection Repository Search



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BRFplus Workbench – Object Selection Repository Search

Scenario1: Basic Object Search

With an Object ID or (Search help) or through repository search

BRFplus Workbench Object Selection Object Linking



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BRFplus Workbench – Object Selection Object Linking

Scenario 2: Linking an object to another

From Link Menu…….

Using Default Objects….

Query Dialog: it is possible to refine the search

parameter.For example by searching in a particularapplication

BRFplus Workbench Attributes and properties



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BRFplus Workbench – Attributes and properties

BRFplus objects share a common set of attributes and properties

Attributes are generated or derived at creation time and cannot be changed.

Properties might be derived from the associated application, but can bechanged.

Both attributes and properties are displayed in the “General” section of the screen.This section can be expanded to show more attributes andproperties.

BRFplus Workbench Attributes



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BRFplus Workbench – Attributes

General Section

Reduce View

Extended View

BRFplus Workbench Names: Usage



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BRFplus Workbench – Names: Usage

Objects can generally be unnamed1. Unnamed objects have exactly one host object and cannot be reused by other

objects2. Some objects like functions and applications are reusable by definition, so they

must be named.3. Object names can generally be non-unique. Application and function names must

be unique, However objects can be renamed

BRFplus Workbench Text and Documentation Usage



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BRFplus Workbench Text and Documentation Usage

BRFplus objects can be enriched with texts and documentation

Text up to 20 charactersText up to 80 characters

BRFplus Workbench - Data Objects



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BRFplus Workbench - Data Objects

1. Data objects make it possible to keep track of values during rule processing.

2. Data objects carry values in BRFplus. They can be bound to existing DDIC-types,from which they derive characteristics such as type, size and texts. Thesecharacteristics can also be set individually in case that no DDIC binding is needed.

3. In Some cases the creation of a data object is not needed. Instead a default dataobject can be used.

4. Different Kinds of data objects make it possible to tailor the design of a ruleapplication.

5. Data Object determines the type of data that can be handled by other BRFplusobjects and serve as data carriers.

BRFplus Workbench - Data Objects: Types of Elements



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BRFplus Workbench - Data Objects: Types of Elements

There are three different kinds of data object:

Elements

Structures

Tables

BRFplus Workbench - Data Objects: Element Properties



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BRFplus Workbench Data Objects: Element Properties

Text Element as an Example data object

This screen shows the Element properties tab for the Text element.It is divided into three sections1. The first section enables the binding Of a DDIC type.

2. The second section defines the element type and what comparisons are allowedfor this element (For example: it might not be allowed to use a “Larger than… “operator for a specific number element).

3. The last section defines length of the Data element.

BRFplus Workbench - Data Objects: Element – Domain Values



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BRFplus Workbench Data Objects: Element Domain Values

1. Unbound Elements can be enhanced with Domain Values.

2. These domain values become available whenever this element is displayed in theBRFplus workbench

BRFplus Workbench - Data Objects: Element – Message Check



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BRFplus Workbench Data Objects: Element Message Check

1. Check Message behavior can be adjusted for each element.

2. Whenever a BRFplus object is checked for consistency, a message is displayedfor the check results. The type for these messages can be defined in theadditional properties tab.

3. This can apply for :Existence checks (whether a value is among the domain values for the element)Comparison checks ( whether the used operator is allowed for the element)

BRFplus Workbench - Data Objects: Structure



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BRFplus Workbench Data Objects: Structure

Example of Structure

BRFplus Workbench - Data Objects: Table



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BRFplus Workbench Data Objects: Table

Example of Table

Calling BRFPlus From Backend



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g

• Calling a BRF Function from ABAP1. The ABAP environment can be used to call a BRFPlus Function.

2. A Possible way to code this is presented below using BADI’s, Program exits,Function Modules can be used as needed3. Use Standard Program FDT_TEMPLATE_FUNCTION_PROCESS to

generate the BRFPlus code

• Calling BRFPlus Function via web service.

BRFplus Workbench - Calling Function from Backend



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• Calling BRFplus Function via an ABAP Function Module

1. A Function Module for a RFC can also be generated using the web servicegeneration feature. This function module can be called from other systems orapplications using the RFC protocol

BRFplus Workbench – Sample Expressions



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Procedure CallThe procedure call expression type enables the execution of an ABAP static method

or function module. The expression is thus able to pass the parameters, as well asreceive the results, making it possible to implement powerful logic.

DB LookupThe DB Lookup expression type enables the access to database tables to check orretrieve data according to a flexible construct of parameters.

Table operation

The table operation expression type allows the handling of table objects through theexecution of common operations such as deletions, row count determination, sortingand the determination of averages, among many others.

BRFplus Workbench – Predefined Expressions Types



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Boolean Expression

BRMS Connector Expression Case Expression Constant Expression DB Lookup Expression Decision Table Expression Decision Tree Expression Dynamic Expression Formula Expression

Function Call Expression Loop Expression Procedure Call Expression Random Number Expression Search Tree Expression Step Sequence Expression Table Operation Expression Value Range Expression XSL Transformation Expression

BRFplus Workbench – Commonly Used Expressions



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Expressions

Static

MethodCall

DecisionTable

Decision

Tree

Formula

DatabaseLookup

FunctionCall

Loop

Rule

TableOperations

BRFplus Workbench – Decision Table



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The Decision Table expression type offers a powerful way to Expressbusiness rules:

1. Decision tables primarily consists of rows and columns. The columns are furtherdivided in condition columns and results columns.

2. When a Decision table expression is called, every row is processed in sequence.In each row, every condition column is processed from left to right. If the conditionin each input column cell of a row is met, the field values in the result columns arereturned.

3. It is possible to enter expressions of direct values in these cells. This enables theuse of deep, or nested, decision tables.

4. If is also possible to evaluate the values in each cell by using comparisonoperators, value ranges and pattern.

BRFplus Workbench – Decision Table Example



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The Detailed section gives access to table operators with which rowscan be inserted, copied, edited and removed. The Table rows can be

moved and arranged as well, so that the most specific conditionare tested first. Finally table can be exported and imported to andfrom excel, and the table settings screen can be accessed.

BRFplus Workbench – Decision Table: Table settings



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BRFplus Workbench – Decision Table



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BRFplus Workbench – Formula



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A wide array of calculations on data objects is made possiblewith the formula expression type

1. This includes mathematical operations as well as a large selection of formulafunctions. Context parameters, expressions results and direct values can be usedas well in these formulas.

2. A formula can be created with building blocks, or using direct text entry in expertmode.

3. The available formula functions can be filtered by categories or search patterns,and are documented with an explanation on purpose and syntax of the function, itis possible to define own formula functions.

BRFplus Workbench – Formula: Detail Area overview



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Detail are overview:

1. Main Input Area

2. Context Parameters

3. Operators and input objects

4. Formula functions




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Main Input area

1. A result data object can be defined for the formula expression. The input areshows the formula itself. In simple mode, the input cursor can be moved to insertnew operators and operands. These can also be deleted.

2. A switch to expert mode is also possible. In Expert mode it is possible to puttogether formulas using the object IDs and parameters in free text mode.




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Context and Panel Button

1. The context panel contains all available context data objects that can bemanipulated in the formula.

2. The button panel inserts the displayed object or operand at the cursor location inthe input box.

3. The formula functions panel shows the available formula functions, which can befiltered by category and text.

BRFplus Workbench – Formula: Example



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BRFplus Workbench – Case Expression



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The case expression type maps input values to a defined set ofoutput values

1. This expression tests for the value of an expression or context parameters amonga list of defined cases. If one of these cases applies, its corresponding returnvalue is given back

BRFplus Workbench – Decision Tree



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The Decision Tree is a binary tree that is traversed in sequence.

1. Each level has a condition that can be evaluated to true or false. The next levelcan be a condition or the end result. This result can be a value or an action

BRFplus Workbench – Search Tree



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A Search tree may have an arbitrary amount nodes at each level.

1. In contrast to the decision tree, the search tree can have nodes with bothconditions and result.

2. The results match node determines how results are evaluated. Multiple matchmode for example returns all matches that were found in the tree.

BRFplus Workbench – Boolean



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Boolean expressions can be built with a template or free style.

1. A Boolean expression is built with concatenated Boolean values or conditions,using Boolean operators ( AND, OR, NOT).

2. Existing templates can be used to build the expression.

BRFplus Workbench – DB Lookup



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Database tables can be checked or read with this expression.

There are three different modes:

1. Data retrieval: Either single or multiple lines can be read.

2. Aggregation: A single value is aggregated using one of the following functions:Minimum, Maximum, Average, Sum or count.

3. Existence check: Only the existence of at least one table line is checked. Returnsa Boolean value.

4. Several conditions can be defined for each mode, with both inclusion andexclusion entries.

BRFplus Workbench – Procedure Call Example



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BRFplus Workbench – Action Types



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Action are special type of expressions that are similar toexpressions, but do not return a result value

1. They trigger changes and notifications outside of BRFplus, using contextparameters or nested expressions as inputs.

2. The execution of action can trigger the execution of subsequent actions.3. Action are instances of action types.4. Action can define follow-up actions that will be executed in the defined order.

BRFplus Workbench – Action Types



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Actions

ContextChange

Message

Log

StaticMethod

CallSend Mail

Start

Workflow

BRFplus Workbench – Action Types: Send Email



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Send Email: The send email action type makes it possible to createand send an email when being executed. Elements like the

recipients, the subject and the body can be enriched with the valuesderived from context parameters or nested expressions.

1. It is possible to include placeholders in the texts to include variables such ascontext parameters

2. The addressees can be determined dynamically as well.

BRFplus Workbench – Action Types: Send Email



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Start Workflow: The start workflow action type enables the rule to trigger a specificworkflow in the system. A workflow can then be used to trigger other tasks or invoke

the decisions of persons or agents.

Functional Mode Function : Example



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Go to Properties Tab

Change the mode as Functional Mode

Enter the Top Expression for the Function byclicking on Create




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First Screen of Formula

Specify Result data Object as EV_SYSID

Write Formula in the space

and activate the formula

Go back to the function




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Activate the Functionas well

Simulate the Function to test itsfunctionality

Click on Start Simulation Button




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Trace Result

BRFplus Workbench – Tools and Administration



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1. BRFplus provides a set off supportive tools that is accessible via the tools menu.2. To Access specific tool, the user must have the required authorization.

Authorization object FDT_WORKB, field FDT_WB_ACT is used for this purpose.3. Each tool corresponds to specific numeric value for this field. The values arelisted in the documentation for the field in the transaction SU21, Alternatively theycan be retrieved from the domain FDT_WORKBENCH_ACTIVITY.

Rule Creation Process – Simulation



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BRFplus Workbench – Tools and Administration



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1. Simulation – Testing and debugging purpose

2. Application Administration – Manager Objects

3. Application Usage – Interrelationships among applications

4. Transport Analysis – Transports can be analyzed and corrected

5. Web service – web service call for a function can be generated

6. XML Export – BRF plus objects can be exported into XML file

7. XML Import – BRF plus objects can be imported from an XML file

BRFplus Workbench – Simulation Tool



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1. With the Simulation tool a function can be processed for testing or Debuggingpurpose.

2. Only Last active version of the function and its referenced objects will besimulated.

3. The tool can be invoked either from TOOLS menu or also directly from the tool barin the DETAIL section of the function UI as depicted below.

4. When simulating the Function, you can enter respective input parameters

5. The simulation mode can be either show only result or show also results ofintermediate steps

BRFplus Workbench – Simulation Tool



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BRFplus Workbench – Show only Result



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BRFplus Workbench – Show also results of intermediate steps



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BRFplus Workbench – Mass Testing



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1. The simulation tool can also be used for mass testing.2. It supports import test data for the context parameters from a Microsoft excel

sheet.3. For importing there is a limitation that table data objects are not supported. Iftable data objects are part of the function context the import button is disabled.

4. When Button is clicked on , the section CONTEXT EXPORT/IMPORT that isdepicted as shown below

BRFplus Workbench – Mass Testing



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BRFplus Workbench – Web service Generation tool



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A BRFplus function can be regarded as a local interface to abusiness rule service.

If need arises to call such a service from external system, you couldmanually develop a web service that acts as a connector to theBRFplus function.

The Web service generation tool allows you to create such a Webservice without having to program a single line of code.

Pre-requisites:-1. Starting with SAP NetWeaver 7.02, SAP_BC_WEBSERVICE_ADMIN_TEC rolecan be assigned for Web service creation.

2. First, the tool creates a Remote Function Call module(RFC) in ABAP with aninterface that matches the intended BRFplus function.

3. The function context is mapped to importing parameters, whereas the result dataobject is mapped to an exporting parameter.

4. Second, a Web service definition that connects to the RFC is generated.

Note: Can be used only for BRFplus functions with flat context and results.

BRFplus Workbench – Invocation



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The Web service generation tool can be invoked in the workbencheither from the TOOLS menu or in the function UI from the toolbarof the DETAIL section as shown below

BRFplus Workbench – Web service Generation tool



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BRFplus Workbench – XML Export and Import



109

1. The BRFplus XML export and import functionality lets you transfer one or moreBRFplus objects from one system to another, assuming that both systems supportBRFplus.

2. Only the current active version of the BRFplus objects can be exported.3. An XML file is generated for the exported objects. From this file, the objects can be

imported to the target system.

Need for XML Export and Import Although BRFplus provides transport functionality, the need for XML exportand import arises in the following scenarios:

BRFplus content needs to be transferred to other SAP systems that arenot connected to the SAP transport system.

BRFplus content needs to be published to non-SAP systems.BRFplus content needs to be corrected with the use of an SAP note.

BRFplus Workbench – XML Export and Import



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SchemaExternal and internal schema types are supported by BRFplus. The schematype information is stored in the root element FDT in the attribute

BRFplusSchema.Internal Schema Type

This is the default schema type. The names are capitalized and anunderscore is used as a word separator. Also, the values are abbreviationsof the actual description. For example,

<FDTNS:DATA_OBJECT_TYPE>E</FDTNS:DATA_OBJECT_TYPE><FDTNS:ELEMENT_TYPE>T</FDTNS:ELEMENT_TYPE>

External Schema Type

The names are formatted according to the upper camel case scheme. Thereis no underscore separating the words. The values are actual description ofabbreviations. For example,

<FDTNS:DataObjectTypeFixedValue="E">Element</FDTNS:DataObjectType><FDTNS:ElementType FixedValue="T">Text</FDTNS:ElementType>

BRFplus Workbench – XML Export



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The XML export tool allow you to generate an XML file for selected Objects or even awhole application.

The file will contain all data that is required to recreate the last active versions of theobject.

Previous versions of inactive versions cannot be exported with the tool. This can onlybe achieved via the API.

Together with the XML import tool it is possible to move or copy objects from one

system to another without using ABAP transports.

The XML export tool needs to be run in the source system.

Exporting Process is divided into three major steps:-1. Select an object2. Generate XML File3. Download XML File

BRFplus Workbench – XML Export



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BRFplus Workbench – XML Export: Select an object



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BRFplus Workbench – XML Export: Generate XML file



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BRFplus Workbench – XML Export: Generate XML file



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BRFplus Workbench – XML Export: Download XML file



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BRFplus Workbench – XML Import Tool



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The XML import tool needs to be run in the target system. it requires first an XML filethat contains the desired, previously exported BRFplus objects.

The XML version of the file must be lower than or equal to the highest supportedversion which is displayed just above the button UPLOAD FILE.

BRFplus Workbench – XML Import Tool



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BRFplus Workbench – XML Import Tool: Test Run



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BRFplus Workbench – XML Import Tool: Imported



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1. The XML import is internally handled similar to import of a transportrequest.

2. An ID starting with $X2 for a virtual transport request will be generatedand displayed in the success message.3. The ID allows tracking the origin of the imported object version.4. An Alternative to the tool in the workbench is report

FDT_XML_IMPORT.5. In addition to the standard XML import, it supports a “repair mode” to fix

corrupt objects.

Rule Creation Process – Simulation



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BRFplus Workbench - Implement Function Call



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BRFplus Workbench - Implement Function Call



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Tips and Tricks



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The following naming conventions apply in the BRF

A remote function call always cause some overhead with respect to resources and

Runtime. Data has to be packaged, sent over a network with unknown traffic andunpackaged again

Calling remote function module asynchronously usually causes further delays

Web services require more memory and processing resources than remote functionCalls

Note: The overhead for remote communication can be reduced significantly if it ispossible to bundle multiple BRFplus function calls into one remote call.

Objects SAP Namesspace Customer/Parter Namespace

Application classes0 to 9 (such as 0FLIGHT)

A to WX to Z

Namespace prefix /MY_COMPANY/

BRF events0 to 9

A to W X to Z

Other BRF objects Prefix from 0 to 9 A to Z

Tips and Tricks



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If the Functions is called Locally, there are two different approaches that mainlyinfluence the performance.

1. Method IF_FDT_FUNCTION~PROCESS can be called for an object instance ofthe corresponding function.

Advantage: This is easy to implement and understand.Disadvantage: It requires loading the function and possibly the also related dataObjects from the database. Thus performs worst than the second approach.

2. The static Method CL_FDT_FUNCTION_PROCESS=>PROCESS can be calledwithout instantiating any objects. Context data can be passed by referencevariables. If the context data is formatted according to BRFplus specific data types,the rule processing can start with almost no delay

Difference call types roughly be ordered with respect to decreasing performance1. Local, Static method call2. Local method call on a function instance

3. Remote Function call4. Web service

Hands on exercises



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1. Set Delivery Block(VBAK-FAKSK) to “01” for Sales Orders of document type“OR”

2. Set up below rule based on input parameters to calculate SKU.

Input

PRODUCT AG

OCCASION Wedding

PLAN ART UNITS 1000

BUDGET ARTUNITS 1500

Decision Table

Product Line Occasion Complexity Percent

AG Wedding Complex 30%

AG Wedding Medium 20%

AG Wedding Simple 10%

condition output

OutputComplexity Percent Budget Plan

Complex 30 300 450

Medium 20 200 300

Simple 10 100 150

Th k Y



Thank You

BRFplus - Training Material

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