How To Use TensorFlow Seamlessly Inside ABAP

[stefan_schnell]

Over one year ago I published a blog how to use Python seamlessly inside ABAP. Now shivamshukla asked whether it is possible to realize ML on this way. So I tried the last days the possibilities to use TensorFlow seamlessly inside ABAP. TensorFlow is an end-to-end open source platform for machine learning. And what should I say, it worked without any problems.

I started the installation of Python, but here I used version 3.7.2, and PyWin32, here I used version 224, as I described in my blog. Now I installed TensorFlow 1.13. In a normal case you can do it easily with PIP. I used the manually way - more complicated but I saw in detail what happens.



In the next step I added in the security configuration of the SAP Logon a user rule to allow the access to the Python.Demo control.



Now I changed my Python COM server program, I added two functions TensorFlow1 and TensorFlow2 - not very imaginative but enough for testing. These functions contains test routines to check the installation of TensorFlow. Both delivers a result back.

# -*- coding: iso-8859-15 -*-

#-Begin-----------------------------------------------------------------

import sys, win32com.server.register

import platform, struct

import tensorflow as tf



class PythonDemo:

  #To create a new GUID use the commands:

  #>>> import pythoncom

  #>>> print(pythoncom.CreateGuid())

  _reg_clsid_ = "{D1B0A23F-0B6E-46D6-8880-744DBFFB86CD}"

  _reg_progid_ = "Python.Demo"

  _reg_desc_ = "Python Demo COM Server"

  _public_methods_ = ["HelloWorld", "HelloYou", "TensorFlow1", "TensorFlow2"]



  #-Function HelloWorld-------------------------------------------------

  def HelloWorld(self):

    return "Hello World from Python " + platform.python_version() + \

      " on " + platform.system() + " (" + platform.architecture()[0] + \

      ")"



  #-Function HelloYou---------------------------------------------------

  def HelloYou(self, name="Anybody"):

    return "Hello " + str(name) + " from Python"



  #-Function TensorFlow1------------------------------------------------

  def TensorFlow1(self):

    hello = tf.constant('Hello World from TensorFlow')

    sess = tf.Session()

    rc = sess.run(hello)

    sess.close()

    return str(rc)



  #-Function TensorFlow2------------------------------------------------

  def TensorFlow2(self):

    a = tf.constant(10)

    b = tf.constant(32)

    sess = tf.Session()

    rc = sess.run(a + b)

    sess.close()

    return str(rc)



#-Sub Main--------------------------------------------------------------

def main():

  if sys.argv[1].lower() == "--register":

    print("Registering COM server...")

  if sys.argv[1].lower() == "--unregister":

    print("Unregistering COM server...")

  win32com.server.register.UseCommandLine(PythonDemo)



#-Main------------------------------------------------------------------

if __name__=="__main__":

  main()



#-End-------------------------------------------------------------------

Then I registered the COM server and tried the following ABAP report...

"-Begin-----------------------------------------------------------------

REPORT Z_PYTHON.



DATA:

  lo_python TYPE OLE2_OBJECT,

  lv_return TYPE STRING,

  lo_list TYPE OLE2_OBJECT

  .



CREATE OBJECT lo_python 'Python.Demo'.

CHECK sy-subrc = 0 AND lo_python-Handle > 0 AND lo_python-Type = 'OLE2'.



CALL METHOD OF lo_python 'HelloWorld' = lv_return.

WRITE: / lv_return.



CALL METHOD OF lo_python 'HelloYou' = lv_return

  EXPORTING

    #1 = 'Stefan'.

WRITE: / lv_return.



CALL METHOD OF lo_python 'TensorFlow1' = lv_return.

WRITE: / `Method TensorFlow1: ` && lv_return.



CALL METHOD OF lo_python 'TensorFlow2' = lv_return.

WRITE: / `Method TensorFlow2: ` && lv_return.



"-End-------------------------------------------------------------------

...with this result.



As I said above, it works so far without any problems. On this way it seems to possible to use ML seamlessly inside ABAP, in this case TensorFlow.