When to use XI for interfacing needs?

[Former Member]

I'm involved in a very large scale SAP implementation. XI has been choosen as a middleware for interfacing needs.

THis project will requires interfaces to be built a.c various platforms, EDI, SAP-CRM, BI, SAP(main), and other applications/3rd party.

The golden question seems to be when to and when not to XI.

Having worked on XI for the last 3 years, I have my reservations and preferences. Are there set of guidelines / thread in this forum discussing this topic.

Thanks, Pam

[MichalKrawczyk · Accepted solution]

Hi,

just follow SAP guidelines presented in many presentaitons

about performance, naming conventions, development guidlines

and common sense

+ prepare (and perform them) lots of tests

Regards,

michal

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

The general thought here seems to be to use direct connections where possible especially when RFCs are available for such connections. Ex: SAP to CRM, SAP to BW and BW to CRM and to exclude XI from the picture. I tend to agree with that since utilizing XI causes an additional layer of error handling. Any thoughts?

[prabhu_s2 · Accepted solution]

I'm not much sure but u can check on BADI's. I remember one of my colleague working on APO and R3 using BADI

[Former Member]

Hi

This is one of the most standard questions that we get to ask ourselves in any kind of SAP implementation when to XI and when not..

Actually the client needs to know that what is the longer vision that they have thought of the SAP implementation. Is it just transformation of legacy application into ERP implementaion using SAP.

Or they are thinking in terms of ESA and keeping SAP as the backbone and connecting the SAP / Legacy products using the Netweaver suite.

If this be the case then XI is the way forward. If you are making your landscape SAP dependent and migrating from a legacy enviornment to SAP, we should recommend using XI.

As in your case it is actually benefitial for using SAP XI as the middle ware tool. We can take care of error handling it depends on what kind of functionality is required. There are standard out of box error handling and messaging present. But if any custom error handling is required we need to do some development.

But if you a landscape where we have a lot of non-sap systems and SAP is not the main system, I think other middle wares could be used.

Hope this answers your queries.

Thanks

Indranil

Message was edited by:

Indranil Roy

[prabhu_s2]

Xi is like anyother interfacing technologies avaiable like IBM webspere, Oracle Fusion etc. As quoted by you on integration of XI with EDI,CRM and other non-sap system check if any std RFC's are avilable that could potentially extract the data you req and if not found you can check with XI when and where you need to have data transformded that cater your need. You can imagine the adv over other integrating tech over XI being a SAP product.