Let’s be honest, integrating with SAP can sometimes feel like trying to plug your toaster into a spaceship. You know there’s power there, but making the connection work smoothly? That’s the real trick. Fortunately, SAP’s OData services offer a clean, standardized way to access and interact with data—without the need for custom rocket science.
OData (Open Data Protocol) is the modern backbone of many SAP APIs, making it a reliable and developer-friendly option for reading, creating, and updating business records. And when you pair that with ServiceNow ERP Canvas, you unlock a whole new level of simplicity and reusability. With ERP Canvas, you can build modular, drag-and-drop data models that connect directly to SAP and can be reused across apps and workflows—no duct tape required.
In this blog, I, along with my co-author @Sandeep Voona, will show you how to use SAP’s OData services to create clean, reusable data models right inside ERP Canvas. Whether you're building an app to display real-time SAP data or creating workflows that push updates back to the core system, this guide will get you from “where do I even start?” to “why didn’t I do this sooner?”
Prerequisites:
- Have ERP Canvas Installed
- See Blog for detailed steps on getting started with ERP Canvas https://www.servicenow.com/community/app-engine-for-erp-blogs/erp-canvas-app-install-guide/ba-p/3146...
- Confirm that you have an SAP system that has been enabled to make an OData connection.
- See SAP Help documentation for enabling OData on S/4HANA
- https://help.sap.com/docs/excise-tax-management/administration/sap-s-4hana-activating-odata-services...
- https://discovery-center.cloud.sap/card/893e883c-0801-4a8f-9b32-304a1fafc22a
- ERP Canvas versions 6.0.9 and greater
- MID Server Configuration is optional
- These steps will be shown with no MID Server
Steps:
- Navigate to Connection -> Connection & Credential Aliases
2. Select ERP Canvas HTTP
You may be prompted to change scopes
3. In the bottom right under Related Links in the Connections Tab click New
4. Name your HTTP(s) Connection
5. Select or Create your Credential - As of this blog only Basic Auth is supported for OData
6. Select the URL builder checkbox
7. Enter your Host URL [saphostname]
8. Enter your port number - Default is 443, but could be different based on your SAP implementation
Note: Mid Server [optional]
Finished record should look like below
9. Click Submit
10. Navigate to ERP Canvas
11. Click the Systems Tab in ERP Canvas
If your System is already created skip to step 15.
12. Click New
13. Enter a name for ERP system and enter a description in Short description
14. Click Save
15. Select the HTTP connection you created earlier.
16. Click Save
17. Click Restart data retrieval
18. Successfully Connected when you have a Successful ERP HTTP heartbeat and Completed OData Retrieval status
Congratulations you’ve successfully established OData connectivity between SAP and ERP Canvas!
Check out these blogs on what to do next from creating models using OData to using those models in ServiceNow applications!
ERP Model creation using OData Service: A Step-by-Step Guide
Part 1 of 4 – Intelligent ERP Workflows
ServiceNow Documentation:
More to come on OData and REST !!!
