SAP PI (Process Integration) Tutorial

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Last Updated: Wednesday, 08 June 2016 16:00

What is SAP PI?

SAP PI (Process Integration) is an integration platform which 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). But this was a technical aspect of SAP PI, but to understand this better we will
see the example of implementation of SAP PI.

Example: To understand the concept of SAP PI more clearly, we take an example of a

large scale Dairy Industry, which is operating in a large portion of a state and dominating
the region. But there are some small scale dairy industries operating in the same region,
parallel to the large scale industry which is not making profit due to their price variation
compare to large-scale industry. So to avoid the pricing conflict and maintaining the same
price all over the region, large scale and small scale industry decides to link together,
with the help of SAP PI. They inter-connect with each other with the help of SAP PI and
started to work as a single unit. Now, through SAP PI they are able to exchange all the
information pertaining to dairy industry, including pricing and share equal amount of
profit.

SAP PI connects different platforms like

 SAP and Non-SAP systems

 B2B and A2A Scenarios
 Asynchronous and Synchronous Communications
 Cross component business process management

In this tutorial we will learn

Why SAP PI?

How SAP PI works

SAP PI Architecture

Connectivity: Proxy Framework & Adapter Framework

Adapter Framework:

How adaptor framework works

SAP PI Security

Benefits of Security in SAP PI

New Features in SAP PI

Advantages of SAP PI

SAP PI vs. BizTalk

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

Why SAP PI?

Prior to SAP PI, business would connect with each other through point-to-point
communication. But this process is not useful for multiple and complex processes. For
smooth communication between multiple businesses, Mediated communication or
Integration broker is used, and SAP PI adapts this system very well. It enables
interconnection of different process via a central location known as Integration Broker,
unlike the 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 a message sent by a sender system to one or more
receiver systems
 Connectivity Adapters: Connecting the integration broker and 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
(ccBPM) consists of functions for enhanced service orchestration.

How SAP PI works

SAP PI performs three basic functions

 Connect: SAP PI has an ability to integrate with all application regardless of

whether it is an application from a 3rd 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. It ensures that each message is correctly delivered from the source to
the target destination
 Communicate: It can translate files into any format whether an internal file
format or any business to business integration standard.

SAP PI Architecture

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 makes 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 includes

1. 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."
2. Integration Builder: It is a tool-set which contains a set of tools for accessing
and editing integration objects
3. 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.
4. Integration Server: It is a central processing engine of the PI. All messages are
processed using this server.
5. Central Monitoring: With the help of this monitoring of PI domain is done, and
"workbench" is the tool that is used for monitoring.
6. Adapter Engine: It acts as a connector to connect the integration engine to SAP
systems and other systems.
7. Message Processing Technique by PI: To access data from SAP and Non-SAP
application this techniques is used. SAP PI uses intermediate document like IDoc
to Flat files to transfer their data.
8. Design: Process Integration (PI) uses integration repository to design message
structure
9. Configuration: Integration Directory (ID) is used to configure technical
parameters for objects created in IR ( Integration Repository)
10. Message Processing: Once the IDOC is activated in SAP system, PI takes in
charge and convert messages into XML format for its internal processing
11. 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 or Non-SAP) using the Adapter
Framework. The adapter framework is based on the AS Java runtime environment and the
connector architecture (JCA) version.

The adapter framework consists of two default module chains if message processing is to
be executed entirely within the adapter, default module chain for adapter can be used.
 1. One for the sender direction
2. One for the receiver direction

There are four types of Adapters used in SAP PI

 File adapters: It exchanges files with external systems

 JMS adapters: It communicates with messaging system
 SOAP adapters: It communicates with providers and clients of web services
 JDBC adapters: It is an extended pack for SAP PI

Other interfaces supported 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 adaptor framework works?

 1. The data is received from wire through a receive location that is listening for
messages at certain protocol at a specified address
2. After the message is received by the receive location, 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 the message to the receive pipeline where the data is
transformed into XML , here the message sender is authenticated, message is
decrypted and the XML is validated
5. Next, the messaging engine published the message to the message box. The
message box is a Microsoft SQl table containing messages to be processed
6. The messaging engine sends the message to either the orchestration or send port.

SAP PI Security

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 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, Certificate 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)

Enabled System

To connect with WSRM enabled system you use a communication channel of adapter
type 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 Security in SAP PI

 Permissions of the receiver application are checked against the original user
 In the receiver system, user can be audited
 Dynamic configuration at the PI receiver channel

New Features in SAP PI

The new features in SAP PI includes

 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

 In comparison to any other middleware product monitoring in SAP PI is better. It

offers monitoring features like 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 is required while integrating
with SAP PI
 Adapters and mappings are good as comparable with any other middleware
product
 Asynchronous and Synchronous communication is possible

SAP PI vs. BizTalk

SAP PI
 Mostly used only by SAP customers to
enable SOAP based integration
 ESB product designed and implemented
to integrate SAP systems with Non-
SAP Systems
 SAP PI has pre-delivered message
monitoring system
 SAP PI can do multiple data transfer
 In SAP PI automation can be manual as
well as scheduled
 SAP uses net weaver portal solution
 SOA architecture paradigm for SAP is
eSOA ( Enterprise Service Oriented
Architecture)
 SAP PI Base Engine is priced based on
the overall processed message volume
expressed in Gigabytes/month. SAP PI
is free to use between SAP-to-SAP
BizTalk
 BizTalk is completely built on
.Net, certified by Microsoft and
SAP to Integrate with SAP
directly without the need of any
middleware
 More generalized product, ability
to integrate variety of systems
including SAP and other products
 Not available
 Not available
 Not available
 BizTalk uses MS SharePoint as
portal solution
 SOA is on basis of .NET and
BizTalk
 MS BizTalk server is priced based
on the server capacity. It has four
different version Enterprise,
Standard, Branch and Developer

When SAP PI 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 a synchronous 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