Special support for RFC_READ_TABLE using Direct Transfer activity

The RFC_READ_TABLE is a very widely used RFC in ECC. Special functionality has been added to make working with this call as easy as possible. Normally, the data returned by RFC_READ_TABLE comes in the table DATA, which has one column of text 512 bytes wide. It is normally your job to parse this field and reconvert the text values to the proper data types that exist in the SAP table's "was is" being read.

About this task

Optional functionality has been implemented that passes a structure (the table that you want to read) back to you. This means that you do not need to work with the table DATA or worry about parsing and converting the data in it. The SAP Connector will do this for you.

In the following description of how to activate this functionality, assume that you are reading from the ECC table KNA1.

To enable this functionality, you need a properly configured SAP connection document. Complete the connection document fields as you would for any other RFC/BAPI, with one exception. In the field Function Module, instead of entering RFC_READ_TABLE, enter RFC_READ_TABLE with the name of the table you want concatenated to the end of it. For example, to read table KNA1 enter RFC_READ_TABLEKNA1 for the Function Module name.

Procedure

  1. A properly completed SAP connection document to read table KNA1is shown below.
  2. Create an activity document to use this connection.
  3. The first example shows how to use a Direct Transfer activity. The second example shows how to prepare a Virtual Fields activity.
  4. Create a new Direct Transfer activity, and select your SAP connection document as the data Source.
  5. Click the Select Metadata option button (down arrow button) in the Source section.
    A dialog box with a list appears. Even though KNA1 is not a table found in the interface of RFC_READ_TABLE, it appears in the list.

  6. Select the table KNA1 as your metadata.
  7. After you have selected your Target connection document, you may do field mapping. The SAP connector will now supply only the KNA1 column names in the mapping dialog box.

    The field names follow the same syntax as any other table -- the field name is the table name concatenated with the column name.

    Do not use Automatic Field Mapping unless you plan to read every single column available in your table. In order to maximize performance, the non-wanted columns of the wanted table are not initialized, KNA1 in this case, with valid data for each possible data type. You must specify in the Select Statement which columns you actually want to get from your table.

    The Select Statement behaves like that of any other RFC/BAPI, except that the only required parameters are values for the FIELDS table. You must enter the field names to be read from your table.

    Note: In this example, the connection needs to read two columns, KUNNR and NAME1, from each row in table KNA1. You can also add additional criteria in the OPTIONS table.
    Note: If you specify that the Number of Records to Transfer Concurrently is 1000 or 5000, instead of the default of 1, your performance will be much better.