In this post we will explore the SAP API Business Hub and learn about some of its features. This is going to be a quick introduction for those who are interested in SAP Integrations (specifically those that involve APIs).
Some of you are not yet aware of this SAP API Hub so I decided to write briefly on this topic. Hopefully, you are able to get an insight or at least find some helpful references / guides for your own development needs.
Some Thoughts:
I first encountered some materials on the SAP API Business Hub when I was taking up courses in openSAP. Eventually, I encountered it again as part of multiple SAP Learning Journey materials. Overall, I was able to appreciate the detailed references, documentations, and integration flow diagrams in the API hub. It is a good place to start exploring and looking for API related references.
Overview
- Purpose
- Accessing the SAP API Business Hub
- Explore Tab
- Resources Tab
- Discover Integrations Tab
- Additional Info
Purpose
The SAP API Business Hub is like a central repository for SAP related API’s. If you are not aware of API’s, you can read my post on SAP Interfaces in a Nutshell.
The Hub is a website where you can explore, and test API’s created by SAP and Partners. It will be beneficial for SAP Developers, SAP Consultants, or any person who wants to explore API integrations related to SAP.
For example: If you are looking for SAP API references, examples, or any existing API’s to incorporate in your SAP system then the SAP API Business Hub is a good starting point.
Accessing the SAP API Business Hub
The SAP API Business Hub can be accessed by going to https://api.sap.com/. The access is free or open to the public. I suggest that you create your own account to experience features that require login access such as documentation etc.
Once you are logged in, we can start exploring the Hub.
We will focus on the 3 main tabs to get started.
- Resources
- Explore
- Discover Integrations
Resources Tab
For those interested in learning about the SAP API Business Hub itself or exploring the SAP Community, you can start with this tab. “About SAP API Business Hub” will contain some Frequently Asked Questions.
Explore Tab
Explore tab will show some options for you to get started:
- By Products – If you are specifically looking for related API’s for an SAP Product, you can start here.
- By Business Processes – If you are looking to explore by Business Processes, you can start here.
- By Categories – If you are looking to explore via the general categories, you can start here.
In the example below, I want to see all API’s in the SAP API Business Hub. I selected APIs under the Categories portion.
The screenshot below shows the APIs by “type”.
You’ll notice that you can click through options for SOAP, ODATA V2, ODATA V4, and REST. You also have the option to view by Policy Template and Packages.
Once you have found something you are interested in, click on the tile to view the related details and documentation/s.
For the screenshot below, I have selected “Service Order – Create, Change (Asynchronous)”.
It should bring you to the screen below where there is an Overview and API References.
Notice that there is notable information provided such as:
- Status
- Type
- Version
- Last Modified
- Created On
By scrolling down further, you will see information such as:
- Documentation – for example, the related Business Documentation.
- API Specification – for example, the WDSL document.
For the API References Tab, it will provide information on Port Type, Target Namespace, Protocol, Operations, etc.
Note: In order to access the documentations and related information, please ensure to log in the SAP API Business Hub. Features that require you to log in will prompt on your screen.
Discover Integrations Tab
Discover Integrations Tab is another option if you want to directly search for integrations between products. In the screenshot below, you will notice the usual SAP Products and even third-party applications / entities.
Notice that third-party applications and other entities are part of the list.
By clicking on one tile, you can choose the application it integrates with.
In the example below, I selected Jira and S/4HANA. You will see that an integration package tile that you can explore further.
There are other notable integrations that you explore further as you scroll down the list.
Below is an example of Twitter and SAP CRM integrations that make use of Social Intelligence. The same concept applies where you click on the resulting Tile/s to view documentations, etc.
One difference when viewing integrations is that you can see Integration Flows aside from documentations. The diagram can be zoomed in / out according to your needs.
Additional Info
Below are some acronyms or terminologies you may encounter in the SAP API Business Hub. I have added some comments and helpful links for each.
| Acronym / Term | Notes | Helpful Links from SAP Help Portal and Related Official Sites |
| CDS View | Core Data Services View – Utilized with SAP HANA Extended Application Services (SAP HANA XS) | Core Data Services |
| OData | Open Data Protocol – Protocol for developing and consuming RESTful APIs | SAP Gateway and OData | OData | Understanding OData in 6 Steps from OData Org | |
| ODM | One Domain Model – Aligned business-oriented data model for SAP Solutions | One Domain Model |
If you are interested to Tour the SAP API Business Hub via SAP Developers site, you can go to this 15-minute tutorial. Please note that you need to login to complete the tutorial.
I hope this helps you get started with the API Business Hub. Good luck! 😊
Techlorean. 