Content Server vs. XI ?

[Former Member]

Dear all,

Actually I started writing my thesis, the subject is Enterprise Content Management based on ESA. Now, I just got a problem to understand, what is the different between XI and the Content Server. Of course, I know that XI is more a Middleware with a Runtime a Builder for xApps, for example but now I want to describe how to insert an external Document Management System to SAP R/3.

Is it right, that I use XI for the “total” integration of an application, and because I just need the content from the DMS Tool, I need the Content Server? The other functionality of the DMS doesn’t not be integrated?

Thank you so much for a short note!

Viele Grüße,

Jörg

[michael_kronfeld · Accepted solution]

Hello Joerg,

Do you know SAP Knowledge Management?

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/4c/9d953fc405330ee10000000a114084/frameset.htm

With repository managers documents of different sources can be intergrated into the portal.

Michael

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hello Michael,

thank you for your quick answer!

I just studied the Knowledge Provider page http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04s/helpdata/de/9b/e8c186eaf811d195580000e82deb58/frameset.htm

But I still don’t not really understand the whole background. When do I have to use XI (integration of the full application) and when the information integration with the knowledge provider(Integration Information from the stored Documents by the DMS)?

Thank you for a short answer!

Jörg

[michael_kronfeld · Accepted solution]

Hello Joerg,

XI or KM are not similar. See

Process Integration

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/20/68a72acfb61f4a9dfefa1901e8c3b6/frameset.htm

Information Integration

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/0c/58497f411a7848985ae2aa0dda0bd3/frameset.htm

KM can be used to integrate documents from different data sources (web, file and webdav server) into the portal and you can search for them in one UI.

XI is used to exchange messages between systems.

But now I think I missunderstood your question and gave you a wrong direction. Thought you looked for a way to integrate different sources in a content/knowledge management way.

Michael

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Michael,

thank you again! This seems to be different I did not understand. I just thought that Process Integration has to integrate the Docuement Managenemt System, too. But now I understood that the KM gets the result from the DMS, which is just content. It is not important, that the application is integrated, right?

Jörg

[Former Member]

We are currently using FileNet attached to HP Jukebox 2200 MX w/236 worm platters for our SAP data archiving needs. A strategic decision has been taken by our Architects to use OCS in place of FileNet and NAS for data storage. While this solution may work for document storage we are not convinced it is a viable solution for our data archiving needs. Can anyone suggest the different SAP approved options available, specifically SAP's content server? Has anyone gone through a migration similar to this? What effort is required in migrating the already archived data using FileNet on worm platters? Any problems in retrieval after migration?

Any insight you can give us will be appreciated.

Philip Cherian

pcherian@allstate.com

[Former Member]

Hi Joerg,

if you speak about SAP Content Server than you talk about the SAP Knowledge Provider.

XI is an infrastructure for messaging and in addition it is going to be a business process management platform similar to the SAP Business Workflow.

Now, the SAP platform (SAP R/3 4.5B up to SAP NetWeaver) contains a complete DMS infrastructure (where I don't mean KM) called SAP Knowledge Provider. Now, the so called KPro consist of a meta data layer within the SAP system called the DMS infrastructure. It is an infrastructure component that allows to model document models (for example the attributes of a document model).

All meta data are stored in SAP but the content is usually not stored within the SAP database. Therefore, part of the SAP Kpro is also a clearly defined HTTP API that allows to store content in an external archive system.

Now, the SAP Content Server is the SAP reference implementation of this HTTP API and is part of SAP NetWeaver.

Summarizing that, the SAP Content Server is only used to store big BLOBs and to access them via the HTTP 4.5 ArchiveLink/Knowledge Provider API. For example, the Knowledge Warehouse Component is using it for delivering their Content.

Hope that helps.

Torsten

[Former Member]

Hello Torsten,

I just want to thank you so much for your answer, this was exactly I wanted to know.

Kind regards,

Jörg

[michael_kronfeld]

Found some documentation under

https://www2.iviewstudio.com/support_content/_17237/BP_for_DMS_Conn_EN.pdf

Extract: The Business Package connects document management in an ERP system to Knowledge

Management in the SAP NetWeaver Portal.

[PeterGutsche]

Hello,

I am no expert on the Content Server topic, but as far as I understand it, the Content Server is an information management/archiving tool.

SAP XI is SAP's platform for process integration based on the exchange of XML messages. In this respect, XI is used for "total" integration of an application: you can define whole cross-component business processes, ancapsulating all relevant interfaces, mappings.... within XI Integration Repository.

Regards,

Peter