BAPIs

BAPIs, short for Business Application Programming Interfaces, are standardized interfaces provided by SAP to access SAP business objects and processes from external applications. They are designed to enable interoperable communication between SAP systems and third-party software, such as ERP extensions, CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, or custom integration layers. BAPIs are typically implemented as function modules that are RFC-enabled, allowing remote procedure calls over a network.

In practice, a BAPI is a function module with a naming convention like BAPI_<Object>_<Method> and a defined set of input, output, and return parameters. BAPIs reflect SAP's Business Object Repository (BOR) structure, exposing operations such as create, read, update, and delete for various business objects (for example, customers, materials, or sales orders). They provide prebuilt validation, data mapping, and business logic, helping to preserve SAP's data integrity and processes when invoked from outside SAP. Return data often includes a BAPIRET2 structure that carries messages and status information, and many BAPIs require a subsequent commit step (for example, BAPI_TRANSACTION_COMMIT) to finalize changes.

BAPIs are used to enable integration across SAP modules (such as FI, CO, MM, SD) and with external systems. They can be invoked via RFC connections or through modern adapters and gateways, including SAP Gateway for REST/ODATA-based access. While powerful, BAPI usage requires appropriate architectural planning, including security, connection management, and transaction handling, since many operations involve transactional updates and authorizations. Overall, BAPIs serve as a central, documented contract for programmatic access to SAP business functionality.