Connect Zero Copy Connector for ERP to SAP using OData and HTTP

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Connect Zero Copy Connector for ERP to SAP using OData and HTTP

    This guide explains how ServiceNow customers can securely extract data from SAP ERP systems using OData v2 APIs via the Zero Copy Connector for ERP. The connector uses HTTP to interface with SAP, enabling data transfer into remote and extraction tables within ServiceNow. This approach facilitates integration with SAP systems for up-to-date ERP data access.

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    Important: OData v2 does not support snapshot isolation, so customers may encounter some data consistency issues when retrieving data from SAP.

    Prerequisites and Access

    • An SAP system must have OData connectivity enabled.
    • Users require appropriate OData service authorizations on the SAP back-end server to access data.
    • Ensure the ServiceNow system property glide.attachment.extensions does not block XML file downloads, as XML files containing SAP service catalogs may be used offline.

    Configuration Properties

    Several system properties control how the Zero Copy Connector interacts with SAP OData services:

    • snerpintegration.catalogservicepath: Defines the SAP catalog service path used to retrieve and store the list of available services as an XML attachment. This enables offline parsing of service information.
    • snerpintegration.odataservicepath: Specifies the path to the SAP OData service endpoint for data extraction.
    • snerpintegration.responsetimeout: Sets the timeout duration (default 100 seconds) for OData HTTP responses to handle slow connections.
    • snerpintegration.usecookies: Indicates whether cookies are used for OData HTTP connections.
    • snerpintegration.usecsrftoken: Controls whether CSRF tokens are sent with OData calls to enhance security.

    Administrators can create or modify these properties within the Zero Copy Connector for ERP scope via the system properties list.

    Operational Monitoring

    Heartbeat mechanisms monitor the health of the ERP system connections separately for RFC and HTTP protocols. Successful heartbeats trigger parallel retrieval of BAPI data via RFC and OData data via HTTP, with status updates visible on the ERP system record in ServiceNow.

    Additional Guidance

    • Instructions for granting OData access to users are available on the SAP help site under "Back-End Server: Assign OData Service Authorization to Users."
    • For detailed configuration and supported OData v2 queries, ServiceNow provides specific documentation on creating OData connections and the capabilities of the Zero Copy Connector.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By leveraging the Zero Copy Connector with OData and HTTP, customers can efficiently integrate SAP ERP data into ServiceNow, enabling real-time or near-real-time data use cases such as reporting, analytics, and process automation without complex custom integrations.

    Extract data securely from ERP OData v2 APIs using ETL for use in remote tables and extraction tables. OData connects to SAP via HTTP.

    Important:

    OData v2 does not use snapshot isolation so you might experience some data consistency issues when retrieving data from an external ERP source.

    Providing OData access to users

    You must have an SAP system that has been enabled to make an OData connection.

    Extract data using OData and an HTTP connection. To give users OData access, see the following instructions on the SAP help site Back-End Server: Assign OData Service Authorization to Users.

    Allowing download of XML files

    The glide.attachment.extensions system property restricts the file types that can be downloaded. This property is empty by default. Check that the xml file extension has not been added to this property. For more information, see Restrict attachment file extensions.

    New properties

    The following are properties related to OData.
    Property Type Description Create manually? Role needed to edit property
    sn_erp_integration.catalog_service_path string After the hostname and port, this is the path to connect with any SAP catalog service. The default is: /sap/opu/odata/iwfnd/CATALOGSERVICE;v=2/ServiceCollection. After creating the property and setting it to true, a list of all services is retrieved from SAP. The information is stored in an XML file and attached to the system record. The XML can be used later. For example, parse the XML while offline with no connection to SAP.
    Note:
    If there is an update in the catalog service and you want to update the catalog information in the table, first remove the attachment displayed on the ERP Systems page and then run the retrieval process again to refresh the list.
    		 Yes admin
    sn_erp_integration.odata_service_path string After the hostname and port, this is the path to connect with any SAP OData service. Add a URL in Value to specify the OData service. The default is: /sap/opu/odata/sap. Yes admin
    sn_erp_integration.response_timeout integer Specifies the timeout value for OData response. If OData calls are timed out frequently, increase the timeout value. Specify the value in seconds. The default is 100 seconds. This value is used for responses both from external web and from a MID Server. No admin or sn_erp_integration.erp_admin
    sn_erp_integration.use_cookies true | false Specifies if cookies must be used for OData connection. No admin or sn_erp_integration.erp_admin
    sn_erp_integration.use_csrf_token true | false Indicates if CSRF token should be sent for OData calls in Zero Copy Connector for ERP operations. No admin or sn_erp_integration.erp_admin
    Note:
    To add a new property manually, verify that your scope is set to Zero Copy Connector for ERP, then navigate to sys_properties.list and select New.

    Heartbeat information

    For an ERP system, there are separate heartbeat indicators for RFC and HTTP. When a system is established, the heartbeats become active and the status is updated, including any errors. If the heartbeat calls are successful, BAPI and OData retrieval is triggered in parallel and the status can be seen on the system record. BAPI and table list retrieval is done via RFC. OData retrieval is done via HTTP.

    Zero Copy Connector for ERP systems page with RFC and HTTP heartbeat status.

    More information

    For more information about using OData in Zero Copy Connector for ERP, see Create an OData connection in Zero Copy Connector for ERP and OData capabilities supported by Zero Copy Connector for ERP.