RAP and CAP

RAP is modern and popular. On this page, the supermarket Billa advertises with RAP. Billa stands for "Billigladen" in German, which means discount store. Billa is the Austrian equivalent of Aldi, Hofer, Edeka, Migros, Coop or Rewe.

RAP is modern and popular. On this page, the supermarket Billa advertises with RAP. Billa is the Austrian equivalent of Aldi, Hofer, Edeka, Migros, Coop or Rewe.

So, let's “rap” about a few programming models of our liking to get an idea of what the SAP community can expect from an R/3 Abap approach. CAP (Cloud Application Programming) is of course different from RAP (RESTful Application Programming Model) and is more of a Java Script runtime environment than SAP Abap.

Open Source

CAP combines both familiar SAP technologies and open source products, primarily Node.js, a cross-platform open source JavaScript runtime environment that can execute JavaScript code outside of a Web browser. It can be used, for example, to run a Web server.

Also on board are Core Data Services (CDS), a universal modeling language for services and domain models that is part of SAP CAP by default. CDS has been the infrastructure for SAP data modeling since Hana. From a technical point of view, it is crucial that CDS defines the data models directly in the Hana memory and not on the ERP application server. JavaScript is commonly used, but many other open source languages can be used. 

Not a cheap framework

The SAP Cloud Application Programming Model is not a cheap framework. It simplifies the creation of cloud applications for programmers. The framework provides relevant libraries and languages, not just Node.js. But why CAP? SAP partner Snap Consulting has the answer: the future belongs exclusively to the SAP cloud. In the future, new or further developments in the SAP context will only be carried out using cloud technologies, making the SAP BTP (Business Application Platform) and CAP the new natural habitat for SAP users. A brave new world. Is the whole world in the cloud? Let's rap!

RESTful

SAP RAP, or RESTful Application Programming, is the preferred model for experienced programmers to use with ABAP (SAP’s programming language) in the cloud. RAP is suitable for both on-prem solutions and cloud services. It is primarily suited for interfaces in the Abap application layer, and the underlying database is Hana. CAP is cloud only with open source and SAP stacks on Java or Node.js. RAP, on the other hand, is the solution for Abap in the cloud, with a UI provided via Cloud Foundry or NEO and is colloquially referred to as Steampunk.

Thus, Embedded Steampunk is Abap Cloud. An advantage of Embedded Steampunk is the close connection to S/4 compared to looser extensions like Steampunk on the SAP Business Technology Platform. The Abap Cloud is a generic term that combines Embedded Steampunk in the public cloud and in the private cloud (on-prem). SAP plans to use the Abap Cloud to provide the most efficient Abap tools of the past decade, such as CDS, Eclipse, released APIs, and RAP. Now it's clear why the cheap store is rapping. 

Steampunk as a synonym for future S/4 add-ons and enhancements will accompany and challenge the SAP community for many years to come.