SAP XI and WBI adapters

[joannehaslett]

I have a customer who wants to integrate their SAP systems with the EAI solution (WebSphere Message Broker 5*) using XI 3.0 in the future. They basically would like to go:

SAP System -> IDOC adapter -> SAP XI 3.0 -> IDOC adapter -> WebSphere Business Integration Adapter for mySAP.com -> WebSphere.

They would like to use the WBI adapter for mySAP.com as they have already used this to transfer IDOCs directly from SAP systems to WebSphere in the past (XI not involved). Is it possible to use the 'WBI adapter for mySAP.com' in the above scenario? Not quite sure how the IDOC adapter can be configured to talk to the WBI adapter for mySAP.com as the R/3 application is obviously not part of SAP XI. I am also not sure if the WBI adapter for mySAP.com can even talk to XI 3.0?

It looks like there is also a 'WBI Adapter for XI'. The WBI adapter for XI looks like it supports the JMS adapter and the SOAP adapter only - not the IDOC adapter. Please could you confirm this. Also, is this a separate adapter that the customer would need to purchase/license from IBM? If you want to integrate WBI with XI do you HAVE to use the WBI adapter for XI as you can communicate directly with WebSphere MQ Series using the JMS adapter within XI. What benefit does the WBI adapter for XI offer over XI communicating directly with the WebSphere MQ Series?

Is there any documentation/how to guides for the above scenario that you know of? I have seen one for XI 2.0 using the JMS adaptor and WBI adapter for XI but nothing for XI 3.0.

I see the customer has 3 options :-

1) Try to use the idoc adapter in XI to connect to the WBI adapter for mySAP.com (if possible - not sure)

2) Try to use the idoc?/JMS/SOAP adapter in XI to connect to WBI adapter for XI (The customer would need to purchase this adapter)

3) Use the JMS adaptor in XI to connect to WebSphere MQ Series directly and bypass all WBI adapters.

Many Thanks for any help and advice you can give me in advance,

Best regards,

Jo

[Former Member]

If you are using the WBIMB, you don't have to use an adapter to interface with XI - it's all XML/SOAP over HTTP or JMS, which can be handled natively by WBIMB. The WBI Adapter for XI is primarily for the WebSphere InterChange server product.

[Former Member]

Wolf is right. The WBI Adapter is for the WebSphere Interchange server (the synchronous server)

I have an expirience with developming about 50 interfaces

using MF<->WBIMB<->XI/2 using XI_JMS Adapters. This days we are evaluating XI/3, cause the throughtput of XI/2 is very poor (specially in Request/Reply scenario).

We evaluate the WebSphere Adapter for SAP/R3 using Request/Reply scenario the and we where shocked, using WebSphere Adapter for SAP/R3 was 20 times faster.

[jens_hagen]

Hello Joanne,

as far as I know the WBI Adapter for mySAP.com is designed to connect to SAP back-ends. To connect WBI with SAP XI IBM has developed the other WBI adapter for SAP XI.

Hope that helps

Thx

Jens

[jens_hagen]

Hello Joanne,

first of all there is some documentation IBM has prepared within a redbook. Which is also available via SDN.

This redbook describes next to the WebSphere connectivity for back-end systems like SAP R/3 also the interoperability on message broker level, meaning between SAP XI and WBI family. This message based interoperability is achieved via SOAP and JMS. Whereas the JMS connectivity is mainly done via former MQ Series, which then acts as an adapter for WBI brokers.

If the customer does have this scenario I would prefer variant 3 you mentioned. Technically this is not different to variant 2. The WBI adapter for SAP XI is a bundling of the equivalent JMS and SOAP adapter on SAP XI side.

Variant 1 would not make sense in my eyes, since you do have IDOC communication between two systems and including a third system for intermediate purpose, where I do not see a benefit right now (maybe I know the customer scenario not well enough...)

Hope that helps to provide an answer to your customer

Thx

Jens

[joannehaslett]

Hello Jens,

The thing tempting about option 1 is that we can use XI to pass iDOCS both to Websphere and to other SAP systems therefore providing additional routing capabilities.

It also means that the customer hs already developed/configured this interface on the Websphere side (using the WBI adapter for mySAP.com) so no additional development is required there.

I am coming round to the conclusion that Option 1 is not even possible as XI cannot speak to the WBI adapter for mySAP.com. Am I correct on this as this is a key answer for my customer.

If option 1 is not technically possible then it does sound like option 3 is the better/neater solution.

Many thanks for your advice,

Jo

[Former Member]

Hi, Joanne (and Jens). Yes, the WBI adapter is designed to communicate with XI -- and the redbook Jens mentions shows how to do this with XI v2.0. We haven't yet figured out what differences there are (if any) in trying to do this with XI v3.0. Since we're using JMS and SOAP, I'm hoping there won't be many.

The redbook can be found at http://publib-b.boulder.ibm.com/abstracts/sg246354.html?Open. It says in the abstract XI v1.0, but I'm thinking it was done with v2. If you'd like more info, I can get you in contact with the guy who did the WebSphere configuration for the redbook; he's on my team.

I hope this helps. -- Darren

[Former Member]

Hi Darren,

Can I also get the contact info? I'm interested to know in detail the scenario described in the redbook. Particularly about using the XI adapter (Case 4). I don't really understand why we need this scenario where we can use WBI SAP adapter directly to send IDOC to SAP backend. Any added advantages?

Thanks,

Ferry