Adobe Forms Integration

in SAP Web AS 6.40

Marc Chan
Sr. NetWeaver Consultant
NetWeaver RIG US
 Agenda

Scenario Overview
Technical Architecture and
Demo

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 Business Need for Interactive Forms

Extend business processes to more users

n Integrate more users (internal and external) into business processes

Improve forms-based business processes

n Paper is error-prone and easily outdated
n Paper-based forms require manual data re-entry
n HTML, email and fax documents are frequently redundant

The answer is to deploy interactive forms

n Documents that contain data extracted from core systems
n Can be dynamic or static, completed online or offline
n Enable full automation of forms-based business processes

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 What does it look like ?

Paper-like layout
n Self-explanatory
n Natural look and
feel

User Handling
n Save locally
n Distribute via email / Portal Background Services
n Digital signature n Structured data in XML
n Local printing n Prefilled application values
n Prefilled list boxes, help values, …
n Automatic data extraction
and integration in application

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 Partnership Overview

Adobe/SAP strategic partnership

n Initial partnership contract signed in 06/2002
n Solution is available with NetWeaver04

Adobe provides
n Open technology, de-facto standard for forms
n Combine benefits of PDF with open XML technology

Benefits of SAP-Adobe cooperation

n Integration of Adobe PDF technology into SAP solutions
n 500 million Adobe Readers distributed worldwide
n User-friendly design tool significantly reduce TCO
n Pre-existing PDF forms, e.g. government forms, can be re-used
n „Natural“ look and feel for many business scenarios

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 Benefits of Interactive Forms Solution

Reduce operational costs

n Eliminate time-consuming, error-prone paper document processing

Communicate and collaborate more effectively

n Reach out to extended teams and external parties with interactive forms;
capture information from anyone and return it to SAP system
n Make it easy to capture and process information from any employee,
customer, supplier or partner
n Streamline forms-based collaboration and communication

Embed best practices into interactive forms

n Enable new collaborative business scenarios with interactive forms based on
PDF via mySAP ERP, SAP for Public Sector, Manager Self Services (MSS)
etc.
n Re-purpose existing PDF forms from organization, government, or public
domain
n Easily create forms

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 Solution Overview

Graphical Forms Designer

n Integrated with SAP development environments
Documents for viewing and printing
n PDF, PS, PCL and ZPL output
PDF Documents with Adobe Reader Rights
n Enable new functionality in Adobe Reader, like “Save as”, Annotations,
Digital Signature and Certification
n Can be turned on by document
Interactive online forms
n Visually rich PDF forms
n Tightly integrated with existing SAP User Interface framework
Interactive offline PDF forms (round-trip forms)
n Created and distributed from the SAP application
n Are completed by the user in Adobe Reader while offline
n Completed form can be submitted using the integrated “submit” button, via
e-mail or http

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 Full Integration into SAP NetWeaver

SAP NetWeaver™
People Integration
Multi-Channel Access

Composite Application Framework

Portal Collaboration
Web-
Sphere

Life Cycle Management

Information Integration
Business Knowledge
Intelligence Management
Application Platform Master Data Management
.NET
J2EE ABAP Process Integration
Integration Business Process
Adobe Designer Adobe Designer Broker Management

Adobe Document Services Application Platform

…
J2EE ABAP
DB and OS Abstraction
DBDB andOS
and OS Abstraction
Abstraction

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 Communication of Components - Run Time

Application Platform
J2EE ABAP
Adobe Designer Adobe Designer

Adobe Document Services

SAP Web Application Server

DB and OS Abstraction

J2EE Stack ABAP Stack

Application Code (Java) Application Code (ABAP)

Post Processing
PDF Object (Java) Framework

Web Services
PDF Object (ABAP)
SOAP Web Services

Web Services
Document services SOAP
(EJB)

Adobe document services

Core Components

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 Scenario 1: Forms for Data Acquisition (online
scenario)

Prefilled according to
location and worker

SAP Application

e.g. worker of assembly line

Bill of Material, Material

properties, Q-Forms, ...

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 Scenario 2: Support for Sales Force (offline scenario)

@Sales Representative

n Generation customer visit

n Completing form with the
out of campaign
customer
n Filled PDF-meeting-minutes is
n Print-out for the customer
sent to sales representatives
as protocol
n Forwarding form to SAP
system

@SAP
n Automatic processing of next
steps (e.g. order posting)

z.B. mySAP CRM

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 Scenario 3: Structured Correspondence (document
creation)

SAP Application Employee

Generates
sets of data
at different
Processing
times
n Electronic dispatching
(email, portal) as PDF file
(with individual editing rules)
n Printing
n Automatic selection of
documents or sets of documents
n Automatic filling of
corresponding fields

Return
Interactive n Fully automatically
forms n Via employee

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 Agenda

Scenario Overview
Technical Architecture and
Demo

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 Interactive Forms Solution – Design Time

NetWeaver Developer Studio ABAP Workbench

SAP Web Application Server

Java PDF Object ABAP PDF Object

Adobe Document Services

J2EE Engine

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 Interactive PDF Forms in Web Dynpro

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 Overview – Software Components

Adobe provides
Adobe Document Services (ADS)
u Implemented as a Web Service on SAP NetWeaver 04
u Generates a PDF based on
l Template (XML Form Template - XFT): layout description
l Data (XML Form Data - XFD): data
u Applies Adobe Reader Rights to the PDF
u Extracts data from a PDF
u Additional features (not yet used):
l Encryption
l Digital Signatures
l Certificates

n Adobe Designer (AD)

u Design time for creating form templates

n Adobe Reader (Version 6.0.2 or higher)

u Additional Plugin handles client-side communication with Web Dynpro

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 Overview – Software Components

SAP provides

n SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio

u Java Development Tools (e.g. WebDynpro with Interactive Form UI element)
u Designer Integration Control (embeds Adobe Designer in Developer Studio)

n SAP Web Application Server

u Web Dynpro Runtime (e.g. Interactive Form server-side element)
u PDFObject
l Application interface for ADS-calls:

IWDPDFObject pdfObject = WDPDFObjectFactory.getPDFObject();

pdfObject.setTemplate(templateURL);
pdfObject.setData(dataStream);
boolean callStatus = pdfObject.createPDF(resultURL);

u Reader Integration Control (client-side integration: DLL + Installer)

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 Overview – Design Time

Developer Studio

DTR DDIC

Web Dynpro

Interactive Form

Designer Integration
Control

Adobe Designer

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 Overview - Runtime

Web Application Server Browser

Web Dynpro Runtime CSF

Web Dynpro Application

Interactive
Form
Interactive Form

Reader
Integration
PDF Object Control

Adobe Document Adobe

Services Reader

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 Demo

Demo

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 Interactive Form Demo – Online Scenario

DB

Web AS

Web Dynpro
Application

Browser
Web Dynpro
Application

Adobe
Reader

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 Interactive Form Demo – Offline Scenario

DB

Web AS

Web Dynpro Java

Application Application

Mail Server

Browser
Mail Client

Web Dynpro
Application Adobe
File system Reader

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 Interactive Form Demo - Architecture

Web-Dynpro-Project-Diagram: AdobeIntegrationDC

AdobeIntegrationComp
submitToDatabaseEvent

submitToDatabaseEvent
embeds embeds
init
read,
embeds clear,
submit
OnlineComp OfflineComp

Embedding
PrefillData Components
DatabaseComp
Cross Component
read, Control Flow
clear,
submit Cross Component
Data Flow

Database
DB Access

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 Build Up Context Of Form View

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 Define Form View And Bindings

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 Define Form Layout and Mappings

Data Schema Graphical Layout Designer Designer Tools Palette

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 Further Information

è Public Web:
SAP Developer Network: http://sdn.sap.com
Area: Web AS; Quick Link: Interactive Forms
(https://www.sdn.sap.com/sdn/developerareas/was.sdn?page=adobeforms.htm)

SAP Customer Services Network: http://service.sap.com/adobe

Adobe Systems: http://www.adobe.com/sap

è Product Management / Consulting Contact

Matthias Zeller, Adobe (mzeller@adobe.com)
Markus Meisl, SAP (markus.meisl@sap.com)
Carsten Brandt , SAP (carsten.brandt@sap.com)
Marc Chan, SAP (marc.chan@sap.com)

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 Questions?

Q&A

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 Copyright 2004 SAP AG. All Rights Reserved

n No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the express
permission of SAP AG. The information contained herein may be changed without prior notice.
n Some software products marketed by SAP AG and its distributors contain proprietary software components of other
software vendors.
n Adobe, Adobe PDF Logo and Reader are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems
Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
n Microsoft®, WINDOWS®, NT®, EXCEL®, Word®, PowerPoint® and SQL Server® are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation.
n IBM®, DB2®, DB2 Universal Database, OS/2®, Parallel Sysplex®, MVS/ESA, AIX®, S/390®, AS/400®, OS/390®,
OS/400®, iSeries, pSeries, xSeries, zSeries, z/OS, AFP, Intelligent Miner, WebSphere®, Netfinity®, Tivoli®, Informix
and Informix® Dynamic ServerTM are trademarks of IBM Corporation in USA and/or other countries.
n ORACLE® is a registered trademark of ORACLE Corporation.
n UNIX®, X/Open®, OSF/1®, and Motif® are registered trademarks of the Open Group.
n Citrix®, the Citrix logo, ICA®, Program Neighborhood®, MetaFrame®, WinFrame®, VideoFrame®, MultiWin® and
other Citrix product names referenced herein are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc.
n HTML, DHTML, XML, XHTML are trademarks or registered trademarks of W3C®, World Wide Web Consortium,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
n JAVA® is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
n JAVASCRIPT® is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc., used under license for technology invented
and implemented by Netscape.
n MarketSet and Enterprise Buyer are jointly owned trademarks of SAP AG and Commerce One.
n SAP, R/3, mySAP, mySAP.com, xApps, xApp and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as
their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other
countries all over the world. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective
companies.

 SAP AG 2004, Adobe Forms Integration with Web AS 6.40, Marc Chan / 29
 Copyright 2004 SAP AG. Alle Rechte vorbehalten

n Weitergabe und Vervielfältigung dieser Publikation oder von Teilen daraus sind, zu welchem Zweck und in welcher
Form auch immer, ohne die aus-drückliche schriftliche Genehmigung durch SAP AG nicht gestattet. In dieser
Publikation enthaltene Informationen können ohne vorherige Ankün-digung geändert werden.
n Die von SAP AG oder deren Vertriebsfirmen angebotenen Softwareprodukte können Softwarekomponenten auch
anderer Softwarehersteller enthalten.
n Adobe, Adobe PDF Logo und Reader sind entweder eingetragene Marken oder Marken der Adobe Systems
Incorporated in den USA und/oder anderen Ländern.
n Microsoft®, WINDOWS®, NT®, EXCEL®, Word®, PowerPoint® und SQL Server® sind eingetragene Marken der
Microsoft Corporation.
n IBM®, DB2®, DB2 Universal Database, OS/2®, Parallel Sysplex®, MVS/ESA, AIX®, S/390®, AS/400®, OS/390®,
OS/400®, iSeries, pSeries, xSeries, zSeries, z/OS, AFP, Intelligent Miner, WebSphere®, Netfinity®, Tivoli®, Informix
und Informix® Dynamic ServerTM sind Marken der IBM Corporation in den USA und/oder anderen Ländern.
n ORACLE® ist eine eingetragene Marke der ORACLE Corporation.
n UNIX®, X/Open®, OSF/1® und Motif® sind eingetragene Marken der Open Group.
n Citrix®, das Citrix-Logo, ICA®, Program Neighborhood®, MetaFrame®, WinFrame®, VideoFrame®, MultiWin® und
andere hier erwähnte Namen von Citrix-Produkten sind Marken von Citrix Systems, Inc.
n HTML, DHTML, XML, XHTML sind Marken oder eingetragene Marken des W3C®, World Wide Web Consortium,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
n JAVA® ist eine eingetragene Marke der Sun Microsystems, Inc.
n JAVASCRIPT® ist eine eingetragene Marke der Sun Microsystems, Inc., verwendet unter der Lizenz der von
Netscape entwickelten und implementierten Technologie.
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