sap-call-bdc

SAP Call BDC Skill

You execute a BDC session in SAP by reading an SHDB recording file and calling the transaction via RFC.

Task: $ARGUMENTS

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Step 0 — Resolve Work Directory

Settings reads/writes follow shared/rules/settings_lookup.md — merge settings.local.json over settings.json per-key on the .value field; writes always go to settings.local.json. Resolve sap-dev-core paths: 2 levels up from <SKILL_DIR> to the plugin root, then settings.json and (if present) settings.local.json. Read work_dir, custom_url.

Setting	Default if blank
work_dir	C:\sap_dev_work
custom_url	{work_dir}\custom

Set {WORK_TEMP} = {work_dir}\temp

Ensure the temp directory exists:

cmd /c if not exist "{WORK_TEMP}" mkdir "{WORK_TEMP}"

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Step 0.5 — Start Logging

Start a structured log run. The helper persists run_id in a state file ({WORK_TEMP}\sap_call_bdc_run.json) so subsequent steps and the final log-end call append to the same run. Best-effort: silently no-ops if userConfig.log_enabled=false or the lib can't load.

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "<SAP_DEV_CORE_SHARED_DIR>\scripts\sap_log_helper.ps1" -Action start -StateFile "{WORK_TEMP}\sap_call_bdc_run.json" -Skill sap-call-bdc -ParamsJson "{\"bdc_file\":\"<BDC_FILE>\"}"

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Step 1 — Parse Arguments

Extract from $ARGUMENTS:

• Transaction code — required (e.g., MM01, BP, SE38)
• Display mode — optional. Default N.
  • A = display all screens
  • E = display errors only
  • N = no display (default)
  • P = background processing
• Update mode — optional. Default S.
  • A = asynchronous
  • S = synchronous (default)
  • L = local (no update task)

If no transaction code is provided, ask the user for it.

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Step 2 — Find the BDC File

BDC files are stored in the plugin's bdc/ folder (relative to this skill directory: ./bdc/).

Search for a file whose name starts with the transaction code (case-insensitive):

$tcode = "THE_TCODE"
$bdcDir = "<SKILL_DIR>\bdc"
$bdcFile = Get-ChildItem -Path $bdcDir -Filter "$tcode*" -File | Select-Object -First 1
if ($bdcFile) {
    Write-Output $bdcFile.FullName
} else {
    Write-Output "NOT_FOUND"
}

Replace THE_TCODE with the actual transaction code and <SKILL_DIR> with the absolute path to this skill directory.

• File found → use its full path. Tell user: "Found BDC file: <filename>". Proceed to Step 3.
• Not found → tell user: "No BDC file found starting with <tcode> in the bdc/ folder." Offer to help create one (see BDC File Format below). Stop here.

BDC File Format (SHDB Recording)

The skill uses SAP SHDB recording format — the native format downloaded from transaction SHDB.

To create a BDC file:

1. Run transaction SHDB in SAP GUI
2. Click New Recording, enter a recording name and the transaction code
3. Perform the transaction steps as needed
4. When done, go back to SHDB, select the recording, and click Download
5. Save the file as <TCODE>_<description>.txt in the bdc/ folder

The file is tab-delimited with fixed-width columns:

Column	Width	Content
0	40	Program name (screen records) or spaces (field records)
1	4	Dynpro number (screen records) or 0000 (field records)
2	1	T = transaction header, X = screen start, space = field
3	120+	Transaction code (T lines), empty (X lines), or field name
4	varies	Flags (T lines), empty (X lines), or field value

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Step 3 — Read SAP Connection Parameters

Read SAP connection parameters from the merged sap-dev-core settings (per shared/rules/settings_lookup.md — settings.local.json overrides settings.json per-key on the .value field):

Setting key	Maps to	Example
sap_application_server	%%SAP_SERVER%%	10.0.0.1
sap_system_number	%%SAP_SYSNR%%	00
sap_client	%%SAP_CLIENT%%	100
sap_user	%%SAP_USER%%	DEVELOPER
sap_password	%%SAP_PASSWORD%%	(masked)
sap_language	%%SAP_LANGUAGE%%	EN

If settings are not configured, ask the user to provide the values and suggest they configure settings.json for future use.

At the end of this step, you must have all 9 values: Server, SysNr, Client, User, Password, Language, Transaction Code, Display Mode, Update Mode, plus the BDC file path from Step 2.

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Step 4 — Generate the Filled-In PowerShell and Execute

This step fills in the PowerShell template with parameters and runs it via 32-bit powershell.exe.

Why 32-bit? SAP NCo 3.1 is registered in the 32-bit GAC (C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\assembly\GAC_32) when installed for .NET 4.0 32-bit. Running via the 32-bit PowerShell ensures the assembly loads.

The PowerShell template is at ./references/sap_bdc_transaction.ps1 (relative to this skill directory).

Write {WORK_TEMP}\sap_bdc_run.ps1:

$content = [System.IO.File]::ReadAllText('<SKILL_DIR>\references\sap_bdc_transaction.ps1', [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8)
$content = $content.Replace('%%SAP_SERVER%%',   'THE_SERVER')
$content = $content.Replace('%%SAP_SYSNR%%',    'THE_SYSNR')
$content = $content.Replace('%%SAP_CLIENT%%',   'THE_CLIENT')
$content = $content.Replace('%%SAP_USER%%',     'THE_USER')
$content = $content.Replace('%%SAP_PASSWORD%%', 'THE_PASSWORD')
$content = $content.Replace('%%SAP_LANGUAGE%%', 'THE_LANGUAGE')
$content = $content.Replace('%%RFC_LIB_PS1%%',  '<SAP_DEV_CORE_SHARED_DIR>\scripts\sap_rfc_lib.ps1')
$content = $content.Replace('%%TCODE%%',        'THE_TCODE')
$content = $content.Replace('%%BDC_FILE%%',     'THE_BDC_FILE')
$content = $content.Replace('%%DISMODE%%',      'THE_DISMODE')
$content = $content.Replace('%%UPDMODE%%',      'THE_UPDMODE')
$content = $content.Replace('%%RESULT_FILE%%',  '{WORK_TEMP}\bdc_result_THE_TCODE.txt')
[System.IO.File]::WriteAllText('{WORK_TEMP}\sap_bdc_filled.ps1', $content, [System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8)
Write-Host 'Done'

Replace all THE_* placeholders and <SKILL_DIR> with actual values. Run it:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "{WORK_TEMP}\sap_bdc_run.ps1"

Execute via 32-bit PowerShell:

C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "{WORK_TEMP}\sap_bdc_filled.ps1"

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Step 5 — Handle Results

Read the result file {WORK_TEMP}\bdc_result_<TCODE>.txt.

On success (output contains STATUS: SUCCESS:):

• Tell the user the BDC was executed successfully
• Show message summary from the BDCMSGCOLL table
• Open the result file in Excel: Start-Process "{WORK_TEMP}\bdc_result_<TCODE>.txt"

On failure (output contains STATUS: ERROR:): Diagnose from the error message:

Error	Cause	Fix
RFC connection failed	Wrong server/credentials	Verify SAP connection details in settings.json
NCo 3.1 not found in GAC_32	SAP NCo 3.1 not installed for .NET 4.0 32-bit	Install SAP NCo 3.1 for .NET 4.0 (32-bit) per SAP Note
BDC file not found	File path wrong or moved	Verify BDC file exists in bdc/ folder
No valid BDC records	Malformed SHDB file	Re-download from SHDB transaction
Call exception / Call failed	BDC data incorrect or auth issue	Check S_RFC and S_TCODE authorization; review SHDB recording

BDCMSGCOLL Output Fields

The result file contains all 13 fields of the BDCMSGCOLL structure:

Field	Type	Description
TCODE	CHAR 20	Transaction code
DYNAME	CHAR 40	Program name of the BDC screen
DYNUMB	CHAR 4	Screen number
MSGTYP	CHAR 1	Message type: S(uccess), E(rror), W(arning), I(nfo), A(bort)
MSGSPRA	LANG 1	Message language
MSGID	CHAR 20	Message class
MSGNR	CHAR 3	Message number
MSGV1	CHAR 50	Message variable 1
MSGV2	CHAR 50	Message variable 2
MSGV3	CHAR 50	Message variable 3
MSGV4	CHAR 50	Message variable 4
ENV	CHAR 4	Environment (blank = online)
FLDNAME	CHAR 132	Field name causing the message

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Step 6 — Clean Up

cmd /c del {WORK_TEMP}\sap_bdc_run.ps1 {WORK_TEMP}\sap_bdc_filled.ps1

The result file {WORK_TEMP}\bdc_result_<TCODE>.txt is kept for user review.

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Final — Log End

Log the run-end record. Best-effort: silently no-ops if logging disabled. On success:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "<SAP_DEV_CORE_SHARED_DIR>\scripts\sap_log_helper.ps1" -Action end -StateFile "{WORK_TEMP}\sap_call_bdc_run.json" -Status SUCCESS -ExitCode 0

On failure (substitute <CLASS> and short message):

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "<SAP_DEV_CORE_SHARED_DIR>\scripts\sap_log_helper.ps1" -Action end -StateFile "{WORK_TEMP}\sap_call_bdc_run.json" -Status FAILED -ExitCode 1 -ErrorClass <CLASS> -ErrorMsg "<short>"

Suggested <CLASS>: BDC_FAILED, BDC_FILE_NOT_FOUND, RFC_LOGON_FAILED.

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Security Note

The generated .ps1 file contains the SAP password in plain text. It is deleted automatically after execution. The result file does NOT contain credentials. Connection parameters are stored in settings.json. The password field is marked as sensitive and masked in the Claude Code UI.