SAP AIF custom ABAP framework

Introduction

In complex SAP landscapes, Application Interface Framework (AIF) plays a key role in simplifying and monitoring data integration across systems. However, as the number of interfaces and actions grows, traditional procedural ABAP implementations can quickly become hard to maintain.By embracing object-oriented (OO) ABAP principles and clean architecture, developers can make AIF actions more modular, reusable, and easier to test. Structuring each action as a class, encapsulating business logic, and managing dependencies through interfaces not only improves code readability but also enhances long-term scalability and flexibility.In this article, we’ll explore how to design AIF actions in an OO - driven way - focusing on maintainability, clear separation of concerns, and best practices for aligning with modern ABAP development standards.

Actions

In SAP AIF (Application Interface Framework),actionsare the building blocks that definewhat happensto a message or data record as it flows through an interface. They represent discrete processing steps within an AIF interface - for example, posting a business object, or triggering follow-up processing.Each AIF actionis typically implemented as an function module that is called at a specific stage of message processing. When an incoming message is processed, AIF executes a predefined sequence of actions according to itsmapping. These actions can be executed automatically or manually from the AIF message monitor. At a high level, the flow looks like this:

1. Message arrives - AIF receives or generates a message (e.g., from IDoc, Proxy, or file input).

2. Message is then processed by structure mapping

3. Action sequence is triggered - The framework determines which actions to execute based on the interface configuration (namespace, interface name, version).

4. Action execution - Each action runs its assigned ABAP logic

5. Result handling - AIF records the outcome of each action (success, warning, or error) in the AIF message log, allowing users to monitor and restart processing at any action step.

We as Codemine introduced Clean ABAP and object-oriented (OO) approach to implementing AIF actions. Rather than embedding long procedural logic directly in AIF methods via function modules, we structure every action as a dedicated ABAP class that encapsulates a single state of the business object.By doing so, our AIF solutions remain modular, transparent, and future-proof - even as business requirements evolve. This approach also aligns with SAP’s modern development standards, ensuring that our solutions integrate smoothly with tools like ABAP Unit, ATC, and ABAP Git.

Proposed new architecture

Action Manager Class TheAction Manager class is responsible for instantiating, initializing, and coordinating all AIF action objects during message processing. It manages the complete lifecycle of each action - from creation and execution to cleanup - ensuring consistent control and error handling.
AIF Action Generic Function Group
The Generic Function Groupin AIF serves as the technical container that hosts generic function modules used to trigger and execute interface actions. It provides the standard entry points for AIF runtime integration and enables flexible linkage between configuration and custom logic.
AIF Action Function Module
An AIF Action Function Moduledefines the specific executable step within an interface, calling generic ABAP framework class implementation. It acts as the bridge between the AIF custom framework and the base SAP standard action class.
AIF Action Class Base (ABAP OO)
The AIF Action Class Baseencapsulates the actual business logic for a given action using object-oriented ABAP. It implements the required AIF interfaces (such asIF_AIF_ACTION~EXECUTE) and promotes clean, modular, and reusable code aligned with modern ABAP development standards.

//FUNCTION z_zyb4_aif_act_generic.
*"----------------------------------------------------------------------
*"*"Local Interface:
*"  IMPORTING
*"     REFERENCE(TESTRUN) TYPE  C
*"     REFERENCE(SENDING_SYSTEM) TYPE  /AIF/AIF_BUSINESS_SYSTEM_KEY
*"       OPTIONAL
*"  TABLES
*"      RETURN_TAB STRUCTURE  BAPIRET2
*"  CHANGING
*"     REFERENCE(DATA)
*"     REFERENCE(CURR_LINE)
*"     REFERENCE(SUCCESS) TYPE  /AIF/SUCCESSFLAG
*"     REFERENCE(OLD_MESSAGES) TYPE  /AIF/BAL_T_MSG
*"----------------------------------------------------------------------
  DATA:
        lx_root TYPE REF TO cx_root.
  FIELD-SYMBOLS: <fs_msg_cntx> TYPE zyb4_s_aif_msg_cnxt.
  ASSIGN ('(/AIF/SAPLFILE)GV_MSGGUID') TO FIELD-SYMBOL(<fs_aif_msg_guid>).
  TRY.
* [ Clean all Loggers ]
      "zcl_zyb4_logger_factory=>clear( ).
      ASSIGN ('DATA-MESSAGE_CONTEXT') TO <fs_msg_cntx>.
      IF <fs_msg_cntx> IS ASSIGNED.
        DATA(l_ref_action) = zcl_zyb4_aif_action_manager=>get_instance(
          iv_operation      = CONV #( <fs_msg_cntx>-operation )
          iv_class_name     = CONV #( <fs_msg_cntx>-class_name ) ).
        IF <fs_aif_msG_guid> IS ASSIGNED.
          l_ref_action->set_aif_message_guid( <fs_aif_msg_guid>