SAP Processes and Forms is a framework for users to fill in forms that are then transferred via workflow to the next processors of the forms. For instance, an employee fills in a declaration for travel expenses, which is transferred to their manager for approval. After approval, it is automatically sent to the HR department to check if it is a valid declaration. When the declaration is approved, it is automatically transferred to the SAP back end.

I show you how to create a custom back-end service to get the street name and city of an employee by entering their Zip code and house number. With this functionality, the user only has to fill in two fields rather than four. This reduces the time and effort involved, and also the likelihood of mistakes caused by input errors. Furthermore, the data input for the street and city names are always exactly the same, which makes it easier when querying them later.

Create a New Custom Back-End Service

Follow these easy steps to create a new custom back-end service.

Step 1. Select the Form

Start transaction HRASR_DT (Figure 1). In this example, there are two back-end services: one for the display of old address values (Figure 2) and one for the new ones (Figure 3). Click the relevant back-end service to get from one to the other.

Figure 1

Design the processes and forms

Figure 2

Create back-end service for the new address data fields

Figure 3

The back-end service for the old address data fields

Step 2. Create the New Back-End Service

Double-click the Back-End Services object name folder (highlighted in Figure 4). On the right side you see the list of already available back-end services provided by the SAP system.

Figure 4

Select the back-end service map

Click the Definition button and then the New Entries button to create a new definition. The screen in Figure 5 appears.

Figure 5

Create a new definition

Enter Z_GET_address in the Backend Service column and click the save icon . Then click the back icon  twice, which takes you to the screen shown in Figure 6. You have created a new back-end service definition, which you will use in your form. Make a note of the name of the definition as you’ll need it in the next step.

Figure 6

Create a new back-end service

Fill in the name of the newly created back-end service under the Backend Service column in Figure 6 and click the save icon.

Step 3. Create a Field Group

Now you have to create a field group that can be attached to the back-end service.

To create a field group, follow customizing SPRO menu path Personnel Management > HR Administrative Services > Configuration of Processes and Forms > Configuration of Forms > Create Operations for Groups of Form Fields. The screen shown in Figure 7 appears.

Figure 7

Create a field group

Click the Cont. button. In the screen that appears (Figure 8), select your form scenario (ZHR_ADDRESS_CHANGE in my example) by clicking the look-up icon  (not shown) or by typing the name in the Form Scenario field. Leave the Version field blank (this is version 0).

Figure 8

Enter a form scenario

Click the enter icon , which results in Figure 9.

Figure 9

Adding a field group

Click the New Entries button. This results in the screen in Figure 10, in which you manually type in GET_ADDRESS_FIELDS in the Field group column and a description of the new field in the Field Group Name column (Get_Address_fields).

Figure 10

An added field group

Click the gray cube to the left of the Field group name (Figure 10). In the screen that appears (Figure 11), double-click the Assigning Fields to Field Groups folder and then the New Entries button, and then select the look-up icon next to the Field Name column.

Figure 11

Assign fields to a field group

A complete list of all the fields available in your form scenario appears (Figure 12).

Figure 12

A list of fields

Choose field name I0006_HSNMR by double-clicking it. The field name is automatically entered in the screen in Figure 13 that appears.  Select the look-up icon next to the Field Name column (Figure 13) again. Perform the same actions for field names I0006_PSTLZ, I0006_STRAS, and I0006_ORT01.

Figure 13

An overview of added fields to field group

Double-click the Operations folder on the left (Figure 13), and in the pop-up screen that appears, click the New Entries button. Fill in GET_ADDRESS_FIELDS in the Operation for Form column and a description in the Operation Name column. You have created an operation, which is now attached to the field group Get_ADDRESS_CHANGE. This results in the screen in Figure 14.

Figure 14

An added operation to a field group

Click the gray cube to the left of the Operation for Form column, and then click the Assigning Field Groups to Operations folder on the left. The screen in Figure 15 appears.

Figure 15

Assign field groups to operations

Fill in the name GET_ADDRESS_FIELDS in the Field group column and click the save icon (Figure 15). You have now successfully created an operation and attached it to a field group filled in with the four required address fields

Step 4. Create a Generic Service

The next step is to create a generic service ZGET_ADDRESS in the implementation of Business Add-In (BAdI) HRASR00GEN_SERVICE_BASIC. Start transaction code SE19 and Figure 16 appears.

Figure 16

Building a new BAdI

Enter HRASR00GENERIC_SERVICES in the Enhancement Spot field, then click the Create Impl. button. Next, fill in ZGET_ADDRESS in the Enhancement Implementation field and Get address fields in the Short Text field (Figure 17).

Figure 17

Create enhancement implementation ZGET_ADDRESS

Click the enter icon. In the screen in Figure 18, fill in ZGET_ADDRESS in the BAdI Implementation column, ZCL_GET_ADDRESS in the Implementation class column, and HRASR00GENERIC_SERVICE_BASIC in the BAdI Definition column. The Short Text column is automatically prepopulated based on your selections.

Figure 18

Create BAdI implementations in class ZCL_GET_ADDRESS

Click the enter icon and the next screen appears (Figure 19).

Figure 19

Change enhancement implementation ZGET_ADDRESS

In the left pane of Figure 19, click the up arrow in front of ZGET_ADDRESS. Figure 20 appears.

Figure 20

Filter value for ZGET_ADDRESS

Double-click Filter Val. (Figure 20) and then click the Combination button. A new filter is added (Figure 21) which ensures that this BAdI implementation is only used for a service ID that is in the filter.

Figure 21

Filter value for ZGET_ADDRESS

Double-click SERVICEID in the Filter column and fill in the fields as shown in Figure 22.

Figure 22

Change filter value for ZGET_ADDRESS

Click the enter icon and then the activate icon . This results in the pop-up screen shown in Figure 23.

Figure 23

Activate the enhancement

Click the Activate anyway button. SAP activates one object after the other. When objects depend on sub-objects from another object, they may not be activated yet. When you select Activate anyway, all the objects are activated without checking the dependencies. When all dependent objects are already activated, this pop-up window is not displayed and the object is activated.

Step 5. Create the Three Methods

The next step is to implement some methods to get the actual street name and city from the Zip code and house number entries. Under the Enh. Implementation Elements tab, click the arrow to the left of ZGET_ADDRESS in the BAdI Implementations column (Figure 24). In the options that appear below ZGET_ADDRESS, double-click Implementing Class.

Figure 24

Enhancement implementation ZGET_ADDRESS display

A screen appears that looks like Figure 25.

Figure 25

Enhancement implementation ZGET_ADDRESS display

Double-click the IF_HRASR00GEN_SERVICE~DO_OPERATIONS line in the Method column. When the pop-up window appears (Figure 26), click the Yes button to implement the interface method.

Figure 26

Create a method implementation

Click the edit icon  (Figure 24) to switch to edit mode. A list of code appears.

In the editable screen that appears (Figure 27), cut and paste the following code (Figure 28) in the method between Method-endmethod.

Figure 27

Add code to the method

Figure 28

Code of method DO_OPERATIONS

Click the save icon.

The code uses three methods that you have to create:

1. extract_relevant_datasets
2. GET_ADRES_FROM_POSTC_HSNMR
3. restore_relevant_datasets

Double-click the new method Me > extract_relevant_datasets, which is in the code you just pasted between Method-endmethod.

In the pop-up screen that appears (not shown), click the Yes button. A screen like Figure 29 appears.

Figure 29

Create method EXTRACT_RELEVANT_DATASETS

Fill in a method Description (Extract_relevant_datasets). (The Class and Method fields are auto-populated based on your earlier entries.) Then click the Parameters tab and fill in the values as shown in the screen in Figure 30.

Figure 30

Method parameters of EXTRACT_RELEVANT_DATASETS

Click the Create button (Figure 31), which returns you to the DO_OPERATIONS method screen (Figure 28).

Figure 31

Create the new method

Click the method me > GET_ADRES_FROM_POSTC_HSNMR, which is in the code you just pasted between Method-endmethod. In the pop-up screen that appears (Figure 26) click the Yes button. In the next screen (Figure 32), fill in GET_ADRES_FROM_POSTC_HSNMR in the Description field.

Figure 32

Create method parameters

Click the Parameters tab again and fill the fields that appear with the information shown in Figure 32. You must repeat these steps for every method in order to maintain the right set of parameters.

Click the create button and then the save button. This returns you to the DO_OPERATIONS method.

Click method me > restore_relevant_datasets, which is in the code you just pasted between Method-End Method.

Click the Yes button in the pop-up screen that automatically appears when you double-click the method. In the next screen, fill in a method Description (Restore_relevant_datasets) and click the Parameters tab (Figure 31). Then fill in the information as detailed in Figure 32.

Click the create icon, then the save icon, and then the back icon. You have now created your three new methods.

Step 6. Entering Code in the New Methods

The next step is to enter code into the methods, but first you have to create some attributes for the methods. In my scenario, I am adding two attributes to my three methods:

1.  C_GET_ADRES_FROM_POSTC_HSNMR

2.  C_GENERIC_SERVICE_NAME

Click the Attributes tab and fill in the information as shown in Figure 33.

Figure 33

Create attributes for the new methods

Click the save icon, then go to the Methods tab.

Double-click the IF_HRASR00GEN_SERVICE~DO_OPERATIONS method (Figure 34) and look for the method me > GET_ADRES_FROM_POSTC_HSNMR. Double-click it and a list of code appears. Copy and paste the code shown in Figure 35 between Method-endmethod.

Figure 34

Methods overview

Figure 35

Code for method GET_ADRES_FROM_POSTC_HSNMR

Click the save icon and then the back icon.

Figure 36

Code for method EXTRACT_RELEVANT_DATASETS

Click the save icon and then the back icon.

Figure 37

Code for method RESTORE_RELEVANT_DATASETS

Click the save button and then click the back button twice to save the new method and return to the screen in Figure 25.

Click the activate icon to activate the enhancement implementation. A pop-up screen shows all inactive objects (Figure 38).

Figure 38

Inactive objects

Select all the objects by clicking the gray squares to the left of every line, then click the enter icon. Once a line is selected, it turns brown (the screen in Figure 38 shows just some of the inactive objects).

Click the Activate anyway button (Figure 39), and the SAP system activates one object after the other.

Figure 39

Activation

Step 7. Attach the New Form Scenarios to the Back-End Service

The next step is to attach the form scenarios to the back-end service. Start transaction SPRO and follow menu path Personnel Management > HR Administrative Services > Configuration of Processes and Forms > Configuration of Forms and start the From Scenario for Generic Services process. Figure 40 appears.

Figure 40

Attach the new form scenario to the back-end service

Click the Cont. button. In the Form Scenario field, type in ZHR_ADDRESS_CHANGE (Figure 41) and click the enter icon.

Figure 41

Determine work area for zhr_address_change

Click the gray square to the left of the first line (it appears empty, but the version number is 0) and double-click the Operations folder (Figure 42) to open it.

Figure 42

Attach the new form scenario to the back-end service

In the next screen, click the New entries button and fill in the information as shown in Figure 43.

Figure 43

Attach the new operation to the backend service

Click the save icon, and exit the application by pressing the back icon twice.

Start transaction HRASR_DT and open the Back-End Services folder ZGET_ADDRESS (Figure 44).

Figure 44

Change fields in the back-end service

Click the Fields icon below the open folder. On the right side a sub-screen appears where you can add the fields relevant for the back-end service. Fill in the information shown in the screen in Figure 45.

Figure 45

Create new fields for the back-end service

Click the save icon.

You now have three new back-end services. Two are standard SAP and one is customized for you.

Step 8. Re-Order and Attach the New Back-End Services Fields

When the same fields appear in two or more back-end services, the back-end service that changes the content needs to be listed first. If it’s not the first one listed, the fields will not be filled. To make sure your new customized back-end service is the first one listed, double-click the Back-End Services map (Figure 46).

Figure 46

Change the order of the back-end service

Click the gray square to the left of the ZGET_ADDRESS line (in the Backend Service column) and click the up-arrow icon  to move it to the top of the column list (Figure 46).

To make sure that the found street and city are in the correct fields, you have to attach these fields to the back-end service fields.

Open the 3 ZGET_ADDRESS folder and click the Fields icon that appears below it (Figure 47).

Figure 47

Attach fields to the back-end service

Double-click the I0006_ort01 Field Name line and select the 3 ZGET_ADDRESS line in the Input Help column (Figure 48). Click the enter icon.

Figure 48

Change field 0006_ORT01

Repeat these actions for the I0006_STRAS Field Name line to attach these fields to the back-end service fields, and click the save icon.

Step 9. Test Your New Methods

To test your scenario, use transaction code HRASR_TEST_PROCESS, and fill in the fields as shown in Figure 49. Use a Personnel number that is available in your system.

Figure 49

The test process

Click the execute icon  and the following screen appears (Figure 50).

Figure 50

Input screen

At the bottom you see the old values of the address (Figure 50). Fill in the new house number and Zip code in the blank fields and click the Check button. The program executes the code you just created and returns the new values for the street name and city (Figure 51).

Figure 51

The end result