Unknown Exception "null- Error while parsing the metadata." While executing DefaultSalesOrderService () - updateSalesOrder ()

Question

As part of a PoC, I am currently trying to build a prototype for a side-by-side extension of S/4HANA Cloud, consisting of two layers: A SAPUI5 Frontend decoupled from a Java backend using the S/4HANA Cloud SDK.

On the whole it works great as well. But I often had trouble with the UPDATE commands, so I wrote a small servlet for demo purposes. Now I always get the same exception during the update, namely "Error while parsing the metadata".

I have already tried everything and now have no idea what could be the trigger for this exception.

I was trying to add more dependencies in the pom.xml, but that was without success. Also unsuccessful was the attempt to get all fields with the GET command and to update the filled object. The ETag is also not the problem, this is handled since the latest release by the "versionIdentifier" excellent.

If one of you has any idea of where my mistake lies, I would be very grateful!

Thanks in advance for your help!

[OLD] Code Snippet: public class UpdateService extends HttpServlet

@Override
protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
        throws ServletException, IOException {

    // Test-Run: UPDATE
    response.getWriter().write("Test-Run: UPDATE" + "\n");

    // Prepare the S/4HANA Cloud Service
    DefaultSalesOrderService service = new DefaultSalesOrderService();

    // Prepare the required Variables
    String salesOrderKey = "1";
    String deliveryBlockReason = "01";
    SalesOrder salesOrder;

    try {

        // Get the Sales Order
        response.getWriter().write("Step 1: Get old data.." + "\n");
        salesOrder = service.getSalesOrderByKey(salesOrderKey).select(SalesOrder.DELIVERY_BLOCK_REASON).execute();

        // Output: OLD DATA
        response.getWriter().write(new Gson().toJson(salesOrder) + "\n");

        // Change the Data
        response.getWriter().write("\n" + "Step 2: Set new data.." + "\n");
        salesOrder.setDeliveryBlockReason(deliveryBlockReason);

        // Output: NEW DATA
        response.getWriter().write(new Gson().toJson(salesOrder) + "\n");

        // Save the Changes
        response.getWriter().write("\n" + "Step 3: Save new data.." + "\n");
        service.updateSalesOrder(salesOrder).execute();

        // Success Message
        response.getWriter().write("\n" + "Update successful!");

    } catch (final ODataException e) {
        // Handle Errors
        response.setStatus(HttpServletResponse.SC_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR);
        response.getWriter().write("\n" + "Update failed!" + "\n");
        response.getWriter().write("Error Code: " + e.getCode() + "\n");
        response.getWriter().write("Message: " + e.getMessage() + "\n");
    }
}

[OLD] Http-Response

Test-Run: UPDATE

Step 1: Get old data..
{"DeliveryBlockReason":"","versionIdentifier":"W/\"datetimeoffset\u00272017-06-19T08%3A31%3A55.6635100Z\u0027\""}

Step 2: Set new data..
{"DeliveryBlockReason":"01","versionIdentifier":"W/\"datetimeoffset\u00272017-06-19T08%3A31%3A55.6635100Z\u0027\""}

Step 3: Save new data..

Update failed!
Error Code: null
Message: Error while parsing the metadata.

UPDATE - 2018-04-18

First of all, thanks for your help!

I reprogrammed the code a bit and implemented Henning's workaround. At first glance, everything seems to work. There are no exceptions and no warnings.

However, in the backend you can see that, that the actual values remain unchanged. Would you have another advice for me?

[NEW] Code Snippet: public class UpdateService extends HttpServlet

    @Override
protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
        throws ServletException, IOException {

    // Test-Run: UPDATE
    response.getWriter().write("Test-Run: UPDATE" + "\n");

    // Prepare the S/4HANA Cloud Service
    DefaultSalesOrderService service = new DefaultSalesOrderService();

    // Prepare the Sales Order Object
    SalesOrder salesOrder = null;

    // Prepare the required Variables
    String salesOrderKey = "163";

    // GET
    try {
        salesOrder = service.getSalesOrderByKey(salesOrderKey).select(SalesOrder.ALL_FIELDS).execute();

        // Success Message
        response.getWriter().write("\n" + "GET successful!:" + "\n");

        // Output: OLD DATA
        response.getWriter().write("Old Data:" + "\n");
        response.getWriter().write(new Gson().toJson(salesOrder) + "\n");

    } catch (ODataException e) {
        // Handle Errors
        response.setStatus(HttpServletResponse.SC_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR);
        response.getWriter().write("\n" + "GET failed!" + "\n");
        response.getWriter().write("| Error Code: " + e.getCode() + "\n");
        response.getWriter().write("| Message: " + e.getMessage() + "\n");
    }

    // CHANGE
    salesOrder.setSalesOrderType("SO");

    // Success Message
    response.getWriter().write("\n" + "CHANGE successful!:" + "\n");

    // Output: NEW DATA
    response.getWriter().write("New Data:" + "\n");
    response.getWriter().write(new Gson().toJson(salesOrder) + "\n");

    // UPDATE
    try {

        // Workaround - Henning Heitkötter -
        // https://stackoverflow.com/questions/49862888/unknown-exception-null-error-while-parsing-the-metadata-while-executing-defa

        SalesOrderUpdateFluentHelper updateHelper = new SalesOrderUpdateFluentHelper(salesOrder) {
            @Override
            public ODataUpdateRequest toQuery() {
                ODataUpdateRequestBuilder requestBuilder = getQueryBuilder()
                        .withErrorHandler(new ODataVdmErrorResultHandler());
                getEntity().setSalesOrder(null);
                final Map<String, Object> params = new ODataJsonMapResolver(getEntity()).withoutNullValues();
                return requestBuilder.withBodyAsMap(params).build();
            }
        };

        // EXECUTE
        updateHelper.execute();

        // Success Message
        response.getWriter().write("\n" + "UPDATE successful!" + "\n");

    } catch (ODataException e) {
        // Handle Errors
        response.setStatus(HttpServletResponse.SC_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR);
        response.getWriter().write("\n" + "UPDATE failed!" + "\n");
        response.getWriter().write("| Error Code: " + e.getCode() + "\n");
        response.getWriter().write("| Message: " + e.getMessage() + "\n");
    }

}

[NEW] Http-Response

    Test-Run: UPDATE

GET successful!:
Old Data:
{"SalesOrder":"163","SalesOrderType":"OR","SalesOrganization":"1010","DistributionChannel":"10","OrganizationDivision":"00","SalesGroup":"","SalesOffice":"","SalesDistrict":"","SoldToParty":"1000355","CreationDate":1516752000000,"CreatedByUser":"CB9980000321","LastChangeDateTime":1516793069586,"PurchaseOrderByCustomer":"110","CustomerPurchaseOrderType":"","CustomerPurchaseOrderDate":1516752000000,"SalesOrderDate":1516752000000,"TotalNetAmount":35.00,"TransactionCurrency":"EUR","SDDocumentReason":"","PricingDate":1516752000000,"RequestedDeliveryDate":1516752000000,"ShippingCondition":"","CompleteDeliveryIsDefined":false,"ShippingType":"","HeaderBillingBlockReason":"","DeliveryBlockReason":"","IncotermsClassification":"CFR","IncotermsTransferLocation":"DE","IncotermsLocation1":"DE","IncotermsLocation2":"","IncotermsVersion":"","CustomerPaymentTerms":"0001","PaymentMethod":"","OverallSDProcessStatus":"A","TotalCreditCheckStatus":"","OverallTotalDeliveryStatus":"","OverallSDDocumentRejectionSts":"A","versionIdentifier":"W/\"datetimeoffset\u00272018-01-24T11%3A24%3A29.5861550Z\u0027\"","AssignmentReference":""}

CHANGE successful!:
New Data:
{"SalesOrder":"163","SalesOrderType":"SO","SalesOrganization":"1010","DistributionChannel":"10","OrganizationDivision":"00","SalesGroup":"","SalesOffice":"","SalesDistrict":"","SoldToParty":"1000355","CreationDate":1516752000000,"CreatedByUser":"CB9980000321","LastChangeDateTime":1516793069586,"PurchaseOrderByCustomer":"110","CustomerPurchaseOrderType":"","CustomerPurchaseOrderDate":1516752000000,"SalesOrderDate":1516752000000,"TotalNetAmount":35.00,"TransactionCurrency":"EUR","SDDocumentReason":"","PricingDate":1516752000000,"RequestedDeliveryDate":1516752000000,"ShippingCondition":"","CompleteDeliveryIsDefined":false,"ShippingType":"","HeaderBillingBlockReason":"","DeliveryBlockReason":"","IncotermsClassification":"CFR","IncotermsTransferLocation":"DE","IncotermsLocation1":"DE","IncotermsLocation2":"","IncotermsVersion":"","CustomerPaymentTerms":"0001","PaymentMethod":"","OverallSDProcessStatus":"A","TotalCreditCheckStatus":"","OverallTotalDeliveryStatus":"","OverallSDDocumentRejectionSts":"A","versionIdentifier":"W/\"datetimeoffset\u00272018-01-24T11%3A24%3A29.5861550Z\u0027\"","AssignmentReference":""}

UPDATE successful!

[NEW] S/4HANA Cloud API

    <entry m:etag="W/"datetimeoffset'2018-01-24T11%3A24%3A29.5861550Z'"">
    <id>
   ...../sap/opu/odata/sap/API_SALES_ORDER_SRV/A_SalesOrder('163')
    </id>
    <title type="text">A_SalesOrder('163')</title>
    <updated>2018-04-18T16:03:24Z</updated>
    <category term="API_SALES_ORDER_SRV.A_SalesOrderType" scheme="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices/scheme"/>
    <link href="A_SalesOrder('163')" rel="edit" title="A_SalesOrderType"/>
    <link href="A_SalesOrder('163')/to_Item" rel="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices/related/to_Item" type="application/atom+xml;type=feed" title="to_Item"/>
    <link href="A_SalesOrder('163')/to_Partner" rel="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices/related/to_Partner" type="application/atom+xml;type=feed" title="to_Partner"/>
    <link href="A_SalesOrder('163')/to_PricingElement" rel="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices/related/to_PricingElement" type="application/atom+xml;type=feed" title="to_PricingElement"/>
    <content type="application/xml">
    <m:properties xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices/metadata" xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices">
    <d:SalesOrder>163</d:SalesOrder>
    <d:SalesOrderType>OR</d:SalesOrderType>
    <d:SalesOrganization>1010</d:SalesOrganization>
    <d:DistributionChannel>10</d:DistributionChannel>
    <d:OrganizationDivision>00</d:OrganizationDivision>
    <d:SalesGroup/>
    <d:SalesOffice/>
    <d:SalesDistrict/>
    <d:SoldToParty>1000355</d:SoldToParty>
    <d:CreationDate>2018-01-24T00:00:00</d:CreationDate>
    <d:CreatedByUser>CB9980000321</d:CreatedByUser>
    <d:LastChangeDate m:null="true"/>
    <d:LastChangeDateTime>2018-01-24T11:24:29.5861550Z</d:LastChangeDateTime>
    <d:PurchaseOrderByCustomer>110</d:PurchaseOrderByCustomer>
    <d:CustomerPurchaseOrderType/>
    <d:CustomerPurchaseOrderDate>2018-01-24T00:00:00</d:CustomerPurchaseOrderDate>
    <d:SalesOrderDate>2018-01-24T00:00:00</d:SalesOrderDate>
    <d:TotalNetAmount>35.00</d:TotalNetAmount>
    <d:TransactionCurrency>EUR</d:TransactionCurrency>
    <d:SDDocumentReason/>
    <d:PricingDate>2018-01-24T00:00:00</d:PricingDate>
    <d:RequestedDeliveryDate>2018-01-24T00:00:00</d:RequestedDeliveryDate>
    <d:ShippingCondition/>
    <d:CompleteDeliveryIsDefined>false</d:CompleteDeliveryIsDefined>
    <d:ShippingType/>
    <d:HeaderBillingBlockReason/>
    <d:DeliveryBlockReason/>
    <d:IncotermsClassification>CFR</d:IncotermsClassification>
    <d:IncotermsTransferLocation>DE</d:IncotermsTransferLocation>
    <d:IncotermsLocation1>DE</d:IncotermsLocation1>
    <d:IncotermsLocation2/>
    <d:IncotermsVersion/>
    <d:CustomerPaymentTerms>0001</d:CustomerPaymentTerms>
    <d:PaymentMethod/>
    <d:AssignmentReference/>
    <d:OverallSDProcessStatus>A</d:OverallSDProcessStatus>
    <d:TotalCreditCheckStatus/>
    <d:OverallTotalDeliveryStatus/>
    <d:OverallSDDocumentRejectionSts>A</d:OverallSDDocumentRejectionSts>
    </m:properties>
    </content>
    </entry>

Answer 1

The error while parsing metadata occurs because the key field SalesOrder is not set on your entity. You would need to retrieve it as part of the get-by-key as follows, and then you can change the fields that allow changes in SAP S/4HANA, such as the requested delivery date:

SalesOrder salesOrder = service.getSalesOrderByKey(salesOrderKey)
    .select(SalesOrder.SALES_ORDER)
    .execute()
salesOrder.setRequestedDeliveryDate(Calendar.getInstance());
service.updateSalesOrder(salesOrder).execute();

As of version 1.11.1 of the SAP S/4HANA Cloud SDK, this will only send changed fields (or any field that you explicitly specify via includingFields).

Note: Some fields such as the SalesOrderType or DeliveryBlockReason cannot be changed via the API.

Make sure to use the most recent version of the SAP S/4HANA Cloud SDK, at least version 1.11.1.