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Recommended Integration Style : SAP PI

Former Member
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Dear Experts ,

I am currently working on defining the integration strategy for my client . The client will be using SAP PI as their middleware technology . While defining high level strategy general recommendation is to use SAP PI for application to application style of integration as opposed against presentation to application style of integration . The question which keeps haunting me is what is the limitation on using SAP PO as mediator for user transacted messages from presentation layer ( portal )  to the called application . Eg. Scenario is ( Portal : End User <->( Sync Call )  to SAP CRM ) and do we recommend having this kind of service call mediated via SAP PI . Understand there is no value added esp. when the call is synchronous and the control is always at the source rather then in the middleware for failures  and the performance can be compromised in long run as each transaction creates message in SAP PO and increases with growing number of users in business . Incase the logging is enabled its adds to the performace woes . Are there any other limitations for not recommedning this style of integration via SAP PI .

Need inputs from experts as to what is the preferred mode of mediation via SAP PO as per leading industry practices .

Thanks

Nishant

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Answers (1)

iaki_vila
Active Contributor
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Hi,

You should evaluate the advantages and disadvantages to use a middleware,

-Disadvantages: one element more in the architecture that it could fail

-Advantages: monitoring, decoupling interfaces and firstly centralized communication.

In a critic industry interfaces that they can stop the production i usually treat to understand about all the alternatives there is a black or white decision:

- Is there existing interfaces implemented that rarely fails?

- Do they want to increment the confiability with extra PI with load balancing configuration?

- How the important is the monitoring?

- Have they a system with a lot of interfaces?

Regards.

Former Member
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Thanks for your inputs . As of now the client has been using point to point communication and with addition of SAP Business Suites in the landscape they see a need to have a middleware which can be used as single point of integration and monitoring  . This is first time they are going to enable ESB capabilities using SAP PI . Having said that the question revolves around why not use SAP PI for Synchronous calls intiated by end-users . We know SAP PI cannot help much from troubleshooting angle for synchronous messages eg. restart and cause for errors can only be detected if detailed logging is enabled for sync. messages which is definately a compromise on performance as in this case integration scenario involves users and not application . So what would be the right way to got with keeping in mind the number of users grow and the number of services grow with more and more functionalities implemented and used in log run .

The points  mentioned  are really helpful but are there reasons in specific for not advocating the style of integration mentioned i.e. Presentation Layer ( Portal )  <-> SAP PI <-> SAP CRM .

Regards

Nishant