I have been trying to find a way to integrate our SAP time sheets with a web API. What I want to be able to do is allow users to enter their time sheets through a (more user friendly) web interface, and have those time sheets be automatically entered into our SAP system. Currently we use SAPGUI 7.10rev3 to enter time sheets and it is a nightmare! I have searched around for API references but they all seem a little too verbose and require a lot more knowledge of SAP than I personally know.
Through my research I was able to find a reference to a .NET connector here:
Integrating SAP in ASP.NET project?
However, my project is going to be using a LAMP setup. I was able to find this page that seems to have a lot of resources:
And through further investigation I was able to find a this page which seems to be a good starting point.
So, my question is, can someone give me some direction on where to go from here? Is there any references or documentation for updating time sheets that would help my situation? Or is there a reference to the database tables that SAP uses for time sheets that I could possibly update using LAMP?
The backend APIs are usually complex for a good reason - chances are that you will have to wade through that complexity with the help of an experienced SAP consultant if you have no previous experience in accessing ABAP backend systems. The first thing to do is to get the cooperation if one of these consultants or administrators - otherwise you might run into all kinds of non-technical issues.
Assuming that we are talking about CA-TS, you're at least on the right track with BAPI/RFC programming. Read the BAPI programming guide (an outdated version, but not much has changed there) - one of the examples is even related to the timesheet. Then, take a look at the BAPI definitions using the transaction BAPI using this as a starting point and approach the consultant or admin of your choice to get the details filled.
Also, if you've never accessed a R/3 system before, note that things are usually waaay more complex than they seem at first glance. You have been warned...