Need of XI !!!!

[Former Member]

HI,

I have few things to mention here.

I know XI is an Integration Platform for SAP & Non-SAP systems as well. fine..

How SAP or any other clients used to manage to send and receive data before XI comes into picture...?

Becuase, around 10 Yrs back also, many people using SAP and other systems.. how they used to communicate at that time..

Let me ask you guys with a example, lets pretend this scenario is around 12years back.

My company placed an Order for 10000 Laptops to some XYZ Laptop making company.

That XYZ company need to buy some Processors, Storage devices from other Vendors(some of them using SAP and others Non SAP), so they need to do some procedure for request for Items from those vendors..

How they used to send at that time? ofcourse, now we have XI in that place.

please clarify my doubt.

Thanks

Jen

[Former Member]

Hello Jen,

10 years ago integration with SAP systems was much harder, what usully happened was one of two option: either you forced the other company to accept/send IDOCs or you had to write your own interface (usually involving programmer from both sides writing and reading files send by FTP/other file transferring protocol.

some other middleware existed but they were more in the line of making sure that the data arrived from one side to the other and not on actuallt checking if it was processed (various Message Queue like IBM MQ and such).

Uri Lifshitz.

[prasad_ulagappan2]

Hi Jen,

XI is just another middleware in the market. Before XI comes into picture, there were lots and lots of middleware available in the market like Biztalk, Mercarator, etc. These softwares not only communciate with SAP it can communciate with other applications too.. Even with XI we can build non SAP to non SAP scenarios too.. The main advantage of XI is that it is from SAP... If u google for Middleware topics, u will get more details....

Regards

Prasad U

[Former Member]

Hi,

many thanks for reply.

anybody can give more feedback on this.

Thanks

J

[Former Member]

Hi Jen,

12 yrs back companies had their own customised solutions to handle these B2B and EAI communications. Some companies used EDI subsystems for B2B communication along with their customised EAI solution. In the last twelve years the technologies,protocols and standards in the IT Integration space has matured a lot and many companies have adopted them in their middleware tools. XI is such middleware tool provided by SAP which when used with the large number of SAP Instances and SAP new dimension products bring down not only the total cost of ownership but also help the companies IT landscape to be updated with the future roadmap of SAP Products.

thanks,

rakesh

[bhavesh_kantilal]

Hi Jen,

XI provides a HUB and a SPOKE model of inetgration. So, the Sender need not to know the exact details of who the receiver is and vice versa. All he has to do is post the data to XI and XI will handle and determiane the receiver.

In earlier times, i guess it usually was a point to point integation between the end systems / application systems.

With the diverse IT landscape across multiple organizations, having such a poin to point model of integration can be a real problem and that is why EAI tools like XI play such an inportant role.

Regards,

Bhavesh

[Former Member]

Hi,

If you are speaking of Interfacing with SAP without XI or any other thrid-party then you have following options.

1. FIle upload

2. ALE/IDOC

3. RFC/BAPI (these are nothing but API being triggered from an outside application)

Generally for sync scenario the third option is/was used.

Regards

Vijaya