"How to create an API trigger to start an instance of a business process from any service, like SAP Build Apps"

"What do I need before I start?"

" Acquire the template - Sales Order Management (MI01) by referring to tutorial Acquire a Template Project From the Store OR Complete the mission Build Your First Business Process with SAP Build Process Automation "

Create an API Trigger for the Process

Create an API trigger for the business process.

🎓beginner ⏱10 min SAP Build Process Automation Beginner SAP Business Technology Platform Free Tier 0/5

Overview

🎓 beginner ⏱ 10 min. SAP Build Process AutomationBeginnerSAP Business Technology PlatformFree Tier

You will learn

✔How to create an API trigger to start an instance of a business process from any service, like SAP Build Apps

C Chaitanya Priya Puvvada October 30, 2025

Created by January 25, 2023

Contributors

Prerequisites

Acquire the template - Sales Order Management (MI01) by referring to tutorial Acquire a Template Project From the Store OR
Complete the mission Build Your First Business Process with SAP Build Process Automation

Steps

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Intro

A business process is started by defining a trigger, an event that indicates to your SAP Build Process Automation tenant to start a process instance.

Process triggers can be a form, such as a request form, an API call, where an external system starts the process or an Event.

You can start an instance of your process using an API call, with the inputs for the call configured from the process builder. These inputs can then be used as input fields in your process.

You may also start the instance with an event trigger which on-boards and listens to back-end events emitted from an external source system and reacts to such events by triggering artifacts such as processes and automations.

Step 1 Create a data type

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A data type is an artifact describing a data structure that can be used as an input and/or an output parameter in automations or processes. You have two options to create the fields in the data type. You can either import an excel file or define the fields manually.

Once you have acquired the Template Project from the Store, your process looks as below:

In this option, you will be importing an excel file to create the data type. Based on the values present in the excel, the type of field is determined automatically and the fields are created accordingly. For example orderAmount is maintained as 19000, hence the type of the field orderAmount is determined as Number.

Download SalesorderDatatype.xlsx excel file for Sales Order datatype.
Create data type
Navigate to your project. Click on the Project Content icon on the top left corner > + > Create > Data Type .
Create data type
Name the data type Sales Order.
SalesOrder
Click on Import Excel File.
Excelfile
Click on Browse to select the excel file.
Excelfile
Select Import an Excel File.
excelFile
Your final data type looks as below.
DataType

In this option you will be defining each field with field name and type of field manually.

Click on the Project Content icon on the top left corner > + > Create > Data Type.
Create data type
Name the data type Sales Order.
dataType
Click on New Field to add new fields to the data type Sales Order.
dataFields
Repeat the process to add all the fields of the type as shown below.
Field Name Type
customerName String
orderNumber String
orderAmount Number
orderDate Date
shippingCountry String
expectedDeliveryDate Date
IMPORTANT: The spelling and casing of the fields, as well as any extra spaces, is crucial because the API to trigger the process will require the fields exactly as written.
Your final data type looks as below. Click Save to save the data type.
DataType

Field Name	Type
`customerName`	String
`orderNumber`	String
`orderAmount`	Number
`orderDate`	Date
`shippingCountry`	String
`expectedDeliveryDate`	Date

Step 2 Create an API trigger for the process

Step 3 Create inputs for the process

Open the Process Details by clicking on the Canvas.
Process Details
Choose Variables. Then choose Configure to configure process inputs.
Configure
Delete the existing inputs by clicking on the delete button.
The existing inputs were configured from the Order Processing Form. Since you have removed it, you will need to configure new input parameters for the Sales Order Trigger.
Delete
Choose Add Input and add the following parameter:
Name Type
salesOrderDetails SalesOrder
Check the Required box and choose Apply.
Delete
Save your project.
Once the trigger is created successfully, you can view the trigger under the Triggers section in the Overview page.
Triggers Overview
You can edit, deactivate, or delete the API trigger properties from Triggers tab in the respective process builder overview.
- Deactivate means that while the trigger exists in design-time, you cannot consume it in runtime.
- Delete will permanently delete the trigger from design-time, but for already deployed processes the trigger will still exist at runtime.
In general, any changes in the trigger will be effective only when the process is released and deployed.
Note: All the API triggers that are created in that project will be shown.

Name	Type
`salesOrderDetails`	`SalesOrder`

Step 4 Modify the process

Since you have created an API trigger, the bindings were lost. Let’s adjust the process with the new inputs configured for the API trigger.

Choose the condition artifact and click on Open Condition Editor.
Condition
Enter the condition for orderAmount.
Condition
Condition
Enter the condition for shippingCountry.
Condition
Condition
Click on Apply.
Choose Approval Form to adjust the bindings. Modify the General section. In the Subject field, do the following:
- Enter Review and approve order
- Select Order Number from Process Inputs
- Enter from
- Select Customer Name from Process Inputs
- Enter company
Condition
Since the process would be started through an API, remove the Users Process Started by and enter your EmailID that was configured for the tenant.
Condition
Modify the Inputs section.
Condition
Choose Order Confirmation Form to adjust the bindings. Modify the General section. In the Subject field, do the following:
- Enter Your order
- Select Order Number from Process Inputs
- Enter has been successfully received
Condition
Since the process would be started through an API, remove the Users Process Started by and enter your EmailID that was configured for the tenant.
Confirmation
Modify the Inputs section.
Inputs
Choose Order Rejection Notification Form to adjust the bindings. Modify the General section. In the Subject field, do the following:
- Enter Your order
- Select Order Number from Process Inputs
- Enter is rejected by the supplier
Condition
Since the process would be started through an API, remove the Users Process Stared by and enter your EmailID that was configured for the tenant.
Rejection Form
Modify Inputs section.
Inputs
Choose Auto Approval Notification Form to adjust the bindings. Modify the General section. In the Subject field, do the following:
- Enter Your order
- Select Order Number from Process Inputs
- Enter has been successfully received
Condition
Since the process would be started through an API, remove the Users Process Started by and enter your EmailID that was configured for the tenant.
Approval Notification
Modify the Inputs section.
Inputs
Save your project.