PO / PO tutorial

What is SAP PI ?

PI ( Process Integration ) is an enterprise integration platform that provides seamless integration between SAP and non-SAP applications within the organization A2A ( Application to Application ) or even outside the organization B2B ( Business to Business ). It allows organizations to exchange information between internal software within the company and external systems outside the company.

What is SAP PO ?

PO ( Process  Orchestration ) is a tool for automation and optimization of business processes. It combines the features of SAP Business Process Management (BPM) ,SAP Process Integration (PI)  and SAP Business Rules Management ( BRM ).In other words, SAP process orchestration is a more advanced version or SAP PI and has all the tools required to integrate applications.

Prior to SAP PI, business would connect with each other through point-to-point communication. But this process is not  used for multiple and complex processes. For smooth communication between multiple businesses, mediated communication or integration broker is used, and SAP PI adopts this very well. It enables interconnection of diffirent process via a central location knows as integration broker, unlike point to point connection which is more like a spider web. The integration broker or server is an integral part of mediated communication consist of Java based Advanced Adapter Engine (AAE) and an integration engine for routing.Mediated communication is based on an integration broker which is executed by exchanging XML messages.

Let see how SAP PI handles the XML messages by the help of Integration Broker. The exchange of data or message in SAP PI occurs in this four phases.

• Message Transformation : During message exchange , it transforms the structure of the business data.
• Message Routing : Forwarding one message sent by sender system to one  or more receiver systems
• Connectivety Adapters : Connecting the integration broker and the receiver system, the adapter will transform the incoming message into an inbound message and later convert it to  the format of the receiving system at the other end
• Integration Processes : Cross component Business Process Management  consists of function of advanced service orchestration.

How SAP PO / PI work ?

SAP PI perform three basic function :

• Connect : SAP PI has an ability to integrate with all application regardless of weather it is an application from third-party or from SAP,It uses the adapter framework to integrate 3rd party solutions.
• Co-ordinate : It can define a path / workflow for each business transaction that is integrated.
• Communication : It can translate files into any format wheather an internal files format or any business to business integration standard  .

SAP PI is not a single component responsible for the integration of SAP and Non- SAP application, but it is a cluster of components that together make SAP PI functional. This architecture of SAP PI or components is used during design time, configuration time and at run time. The various components of SAP PI include

System Landscape Directory:
It is a central information provider in a system landscape. SLD contains two types of information, "Component Information (Installable & Installed) and Landscape description."

Integration Builder:
It is a tool-set which contains a set of tools for accessing and editing integration objects

Integration Repository:
To develop, design and maintain data types, message structures, mappings, interfaces, integration processes and integration scenarios independently of system landscape, integration repository is used.

Integration Server:
It is a central processing engine of the PI. All messages are processed using this server.

Central Monitoring:
With the help of this monitoring of PI domain is done, and "workbench" is the tool that is used for monitoring.

Adapter Engine:
It acts as a connector to connect the integration engine to SAP systems and other systems.

Message Processing Technique by PI:
To access data from SAP and Non-SAP application this technique is used. SAP PI uses an intermediate document like IDoc to Flat files to transfer their data.

Design:
Process Integration (PI) uses integration repository to design message structure

Configuration:
Integration Directory (ID) is used to configure technical parameters for objects created in IR ( Integration Repository)

Message Processing:
Once the IDOC is activated in SAP system, PI takes in charge and convert messages into XML format for its internal processing

Message Monitoring:
The messages can be monitored and traced using "Run Time Workbench". This tool can be useful in monitoring sender and receiver adapters, Outgoing and Incoming messages, End to End monitoring of complete scenario and error traces.

Connectivity : Proxy Framework & Adapter Framework 

Adapter Framework : 

SAP PI connects with any external systems( SAP and non-SAP ) using adapter framework. The adapter framework is based on the  AS jave envioranment and the connector architecture (JCA) version. The adapter framework consists of two default module chains , if message processing is executed entrily within the adapter, the default module chains for the adapter can ben used .

1. One for the sender direction.

2. Two for the receiver direction.

There are four types of adapters for SAP PI .

• file adapter : It exchanges files with extermal systems.
• JMS adapter : It communicates with a messaging system.
• SOAP adapter : It communicates with the providers and clients of  web services.
• JDBC adapter : It is an external pack of SAP PI.

Others interfaces supposed by adapter framework are : 

1. Configuration Services ( API and Adapter metadata xsd)
2. Administration Services
3. Various service APIs provided by Adapter framework- Thread Manager, Transaction Manager)
4. Adapter framework includes a message audit log API. The API can be used for the technical trace and logging to write trace statements that describes the execution of the code.

 

How adapter framework works?

1. The data is received from the wire through a location that is listening for message at certain protocol at a specified address.

2.  After the message is received by the receive location , a message is sent to the adapter. It creates a new Biztalk message, attaches the data stream to the message.

3. It adds any meta-data pertaining to the end-point over which the data was received and then the message is submitted to the message engine.

4. Message engine sends message to the receive pipeline where the data is transformed into XML, here the message sender is authenticated, a message is decrypted and the XML is validated.

5. Next, the message engine published the message to message box.The message box is a mircosort SQL table containing message to be processed.

6. The messaging engine sends the message to either the orchistration or send port.

SAP PI/PO Secutiry 

For messages , SAP PI provides the message level security for XI message protocol, for the SOAP adapter, for the RosettaNet protocol, for mail adapter, for the CIDX protocol and for the connectivity with WSRM ( Web Service Reliable Messaging ) enabled systems.In SAP PI message level security enabled through the use of encryption, digital signature, SAML Assertion, Username token, etc.Authentication methods supported by WS infrastructure for transport level includes basic authentication ( Password and Username ), SAP assertion ticket , and HTTP over SSL.

Connecting integration server with WSRM ( Web Service Reliable Messaging ) enable System . 

To connect with WSRM enable system you see use a communivation  channel of adapter of WS,

• You use a sender agreement with an assigned WS sender adapter to connect the Integration Server to a WS consumer
• You use a receiver agreement with an assigned WS receiver adapter to connect the integration server to a WS provider

Benefits of SAP PI/PO

• Permission of the receiver application are checked against the original user.
• In the receiver system, a user can be audited.
• Dynamic configuration at PI receiver channel.

NEW Feature in PI/PO

The new features in SAP PI include

• Centralized monitoring based on SAP solution manager.
• Very large (binary) file to file transfer
• IDOC ( Intermediate Document ) and HTTP adapters in AAE (Advance Adapter Engine)
• User Centric perspective in the ESR
• Interface and Mapping based message split on AAE
• Time Out configuration per communication channel
• Automated Transport for Schema Validation
• Replacing Trex, user-defined message search
• User Centric perspectives in the ESR
• Add-on for SAP PI: Secure Connectivity add-on (SGTP Adapter, PGP module) & B2B add-ons (OFTP adapter, AS2 adapter, EDI separator, EDI XML converter etc.)

Advantages of SAP PI/PO

• In comparison to any other middleware product monitoring in SAP PI is better. It offers monitoring features like a message, performance, component monitoring and so on, all of which can be used to track and rectify the errors.
• SAP PI supports various SAP components which are required while integrating with SAP PI
• Adapters and mappings are good as compared with any other middleware product
• Asynchronous and Synchronous comminication is prossible

When SAP PI/PO is not recommended in enterprise SOA (Service Oriented Architecture)

SAP PI is not recommended for synchronous communication as it will put a significant load on the infrastructure service for servicing asynchronous request
SAP PI is not recommended for UI driven scenarios if the backend is exposed as enterprise services
SAP PI is not needed for intermediation if a non-SAP backend like J2EE or .NET platform is exposing business services in a UI scenario

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