eSOA and Out of the Box services doubts

[Former Member]

Hi,

I am reading about PI 7.1 and going through eSOA architecture. What I understand is, The eSOA says that we have some out of the box services avalable from SD, for example creating a sales order. This can be exposed as a web service from R3. When this available as a web service, and if the calling application is capable of calling web services, where is the need for PI? Why do we need to use PI for SOAP to SOAP communication?

How inside out and outside in approaches are different in eSOA architecture as far as PI and R3 are considered? Can some one clear my doubts?

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Sri,

only some hints...

1 -> If you want to expose functions already available (remote enabled function modules, bapis, etc...) as web services, you can go without PI. But just publishing functions like that is not SOA.

2 -> You don't need PI to SOAP to SOAP communication. You can do it with Java, .Net, Abap, and so many other tools and platforms using many different connectors. But only making Soap to Soap communication is not SOA.

3 -> I think there is no way to "clear doubts" about SOA, because it is about software architecture. It is really about making new doubts, not even solving doubts. You need to question why the things are working and how make it work better, with lower resources, lower effort to change, and things like that. And then you will see that you don't need it, but you want it because then you can do the things better.

regards.

roberti

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Roberti..

Thats a cool reply. But.. then waht is eSOA? As a developer (not as an architect) how should I be going for it..? As an architect, how can I propose a solution to make use of eSOA?

For some out of the box services available, the documentation points to SWCV provided by SAP. What should I do than? When I generate a proxy for inbound interface, is it going to be enabling any ABAP code already supplied by SAP, which I can interface with any other business system using some adapter with the outbound interfaces?

Lots of doubts.. donno where to go and whom to ask in particular..

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

no, no, just hints and personnal opinion

eSOA is SOA from sap marketing point of view. It was ESA, but nobody undertood, so, they changed the name to eSOA. Don't mind about the name, it is all about to have services well organized (someone could use "orchestrated") supporting business processes. Different than having function modules published for remote use

Well, developers has almost nothing to do with soa (but they want it We want (as developers) to make soa, but it does not work. This initiative (as sap really got in its soa name) need to be from enterprise level, and probably do not apply to mid-sized companies, only to the big ones.

Software architects will be probably disapointed (at least untill PI7.0 that we have here) and start to build their own components and their own soa strategy - very hard working.

I didn't find any of called "out of the box" sap services that really match our requirements, but found many bapis and standard functinos that do that. So, most of our services are based on using many different standard functions to provide a complete service, using sometimes ccBPM, sometimes abap proxies, sometimes soap to soap, sometimes RFC, even depending on requirements, but all of them centralized at PI to help on the governance of all those services.

Did you tried to go through ES Workplace and its forum? I think is a good starting point. You can get an user id to try the services there and make some experiences.

reagards.

roberti

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thats what I am going through. So called out of the box services are not seem to be the solution for my requirements. When I import a pre-delivered content (SWC) from SLD and generate an ABAP proxy for the inbound interface, ECC would automatically have the code also predelivered?

In the blog pointed by Swarup, We do have an out bound inteface and linked to an inbound nterface synch'ly. But how this inbound interface actually returns the response? I knew the directory configuration has to be done manually. But what about the code for the server proxy? How actual data is returned to PI?

Am I making any sense?

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hum... this is a good question.

I think it would use standard functions by rfc or pre-delivered abap proxies.

Reading those blogs (only the great picture of them) I think they are more about soa than about pre-delivered content. So, when they say you need to create the proxy, they are saying you need to create the proxy to get or send the message and to implement the proper redirection to the information, coding abap code. We use very much this approach.

Some pre-delivered scenarios I have evaluated (on PI7.0), the used rfc (for sales order create and sales order update, for example). Then, importing the content on PI gets all rfc metadata, only need to configure the scenario (communication channel for rfc and so...) and execute, all were working, no abap code (but no abap proxy, only rfc.). In the end we didn't use it because some performance issues - sap never make you totally happy

regards.

roberti

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Roberti,

What you have explained with RFC is nothing but the Inside Out approach that they are calling. How about the otherway around? that is the Outside in approach that means, we have content in XI, pre-delivered and need to use the pre-delivered functionality by generating a proxy.

Is that possible? any one worked like this?

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Perfect, is exactly this.

The only way it could be distributed by sap, I think, is with enhancement packages, but don't know if it is the case. Did you tried to find something about it?

Could you please let me now where did you find this "outside in" pre-delivered content and what components are you trying to use?

regards

roberti

[Former Member]

Hi Sri,

I would like to explore few things about your concern,

You are absolutly right as some of the services can be evoked as WebService in R/3.

But You need to integrate these WebServices with various SAP as well as NonSAP applications such as CRM, SCM, Business one, .Net or Java based Applications etc

This kind of integration with various applcaitions as well as with Business Processes is possible with the power of PI.

E-SOA is the concepts relied leveraging the various applications or Business Processes within distributed environment which could be possible with Process Integration.

AS per your example you could have the Webservice evoked in R/3 to create Sales Orders. After creating the sales order you need to communicate with systems relied on Vendor or Supplier end. To integrate those applications or Business Process with Suppliers you need to go for the Integration Broker and PI serves this role

Refer

/people/jing.chen-schirrmeister/blog/2008/02/07/experience-enterprise-service-in-pi-with-a-real-healthcare-application

I hope now its clear to you

Thanks

Swarup

[Former Member]

Thanks Sawanth,

So, PI comes in to picture when there is some Process Management is in scope.. like if something goes wrong what should be done or looking up for some thing etc? Am I correct? We can use out of the bos services directly when they just return the search results or something which does not have to do with any process flows..??

How eSOA is exactly linking R3 (backend) with PI 7.1?? What is the dependency or any relation at all??

[Former Member]

Hi,

PI comes in to picture when there is some Process Management is in scope.. like if something goes wrong what should be done or looking up for some thing etc? Am I correct

---> PI have provied the interoperability for various processes which is the Key advantage of ESOA. So upto certain extent you are right if we interprete it in such way that the integration of verious processes is easier due to PI.

PI have the solution for communicating with various processes which is the basic concept behind the eSOA

We can use out of the bos services directly when they just return the search results or something which does not have to do with any process flows..??

---> The Out of Box process means PI is not doing somthing extra-ordinary its providing the comfortable, coherrant nad secure way to talk with applications or processes

Just go throgh below link it will provide you the exact role of PI in eSOA.

/people/satyabrata.basu/blog/2008/01/27/what-to-choose-supercar-for-sap-xi

/people/franklin.herbas/blog/2007/12/10/an-in-depth-look-at-enterprise-soa

/people/community.user/blog/2007/08/22/a-beginners-perspective-on-esoa-part-i-evolution