XI & Biztalk - advantage & disadvantage

[former_member183906]

What are the advantage & disadvantage of XI & Biztalk ?

Which one is best solution as a middleware ?

Please provide in relavance to adapters IDOC etc..

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Obviously in SAP forum...you will get the support for XI

Anyways if we consider two in a true perspective....

<b>

There are some similarities between both tools:

- both have a non-distributed hub-and-spoke architecture

- both support the export/import of BPEL

- both use iWay to provide them with extra adapters

- both strongly focus on XML schema's to define messages

- both have fine file adapters capable of handling different types of record

structures

- both tools don't allow debugging of flows and processes

(well, BizTalk does support process debugging buth is pretty clumsy)

- both are new(er) players in the EAI market and lack the history (and e.g.

large sets of adapters) as opposed to IBM/Tibco/WebMethods/...

- SAP XI 3.0 is just GA and BizTalk 2004 also seems to have been released in

quite a hurry (e.g. incomplete docs)

Differences:

- SAP XI is largely based on J2EE (+ proprietary ABAP)

while BizTalk 2004 is completely built on .Net

(as opposed to its predecessors that were COM based)

- XI comes with more (technical) adapters in the box:

POP: Biztalk only supports SMTP

JMS: Biztalk only supports MSMQ and MQSeries

JDBC: BizTalk can only talk to SQL Server

- BizTalk has support for EDI, which is completely lacking in SAP XI

- SAP XI allows the use of XSLT but prefers its own event-driven (but

somewhat limited) message mapping solution

(the use of a 3rd party XSLT graphical mapper like Sonic StylusStudio is

an alternative)

BizTalk uses XSLT as its mapping technology and comes with a full blown

XSLT graphical mapper

- SAP XI is more resource hungry than BizTalk

- SAP XI is more complex and has a steeper learning curve

Regarding the choice between BizTalk and SAP XI:

- if you are strongly focused on Microsoft and in particular .Net, go for

BizTalk;

BizTalk 2004 actually generates .Net code underneath

- if SAP represents a major part of your IT landscape, go for XI

you will get it anyway as SAP evolves to its cross application solutions

- there are little or no EAI products based on .Net

so it is more likely to find 3rd party complementary software for XI

</b>

[Former Member]

HI

1. Sap XI

XI is well suited for connecting SAP systems with each other and with non-SAP. SAP XI provides an integrated workflow engine that allows defining adapters to non-XML protocols and mappings to convert data content from source to target format.

XI comes handy particularly incase of SAP - Non SAP interfaces where you can import standard integration content. Also XI has got sophisticated open standard adapter framework which is very easy to implement and custom logic can be implemented using Adapter module programming.

Advantages

u2022Monitoring is better than any other middleware product. It offers exhaustive monitoring features like message, performance, component monitoring etc, all of which can be used to track and rectify the errors. It follows a hub and spoke model.

u2022When you need to integrate with an SAP system XI has an advantage in supporting various SAP components and so on.

u2022Process functionalities inside XI to modify content in the communication channel on own defined rules for business purposes.

u2022Mappings and adapters are good as comparable with any other middleware product.

u2022Synchronous & Asynchronous communication is possible.

Dis-Advantages

u2022Web methods are particularly good if u have B2B kind of communication with their Trading Partners product.

u2022XI is lacking full-fledged Message Queue compared to other established Middleware products.

u2022It lacks in ability to process huge messages but SAP is working on that.

u2022It does not have a messaging layer exposed by APIs like IBM MQ-Series.

u2022It is not comparable to Tibco in terms of speed.

u2022SAP relies on other vendors except for a few adapters.

2. BizTalk

BizTalk is a business process management (BPM) server that enables companies to automate and optimize business processes. This includes powerful, familiar tools to design, develop, deploy, and manage those processes.

While planning for the integration scenario BizTalk takes care about tasks like Gathering information, Defining naming conventions, planning team development, setting up and working with source control.

Advantages

u2022BizTalk 2004 is completely built on .Net.

u2022Recoverable Interchange. In BizTalk, an Interchange can contain two or more messages, such as a batch. With the introduction of Recoverable Interchange in BizTalk Server 2006, only messages that fail validation are suspended, and the messages can be resumed after the error is corrected.

u2022Failed message routing. New functionality is available to allow orchestration and send ports to subscribe to failed messages. When used appropriately, failed message routing can be used for notifying users of failed messages or building rich error handling and message repair capabilities.

u2022Lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). BizTalk Server reduces the cost and complexity of automating and managing business processes with a single, unified solution for Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), Business-to-Business integration (B2Bi), and Business Process Management (BPM).

u2022Enhanced productivity through integrated management and development tools.

u2022Supports Computer Telephony Interface (CTI) through TAPI.

Dis-Advantages

u2022Recovery is manual.

u2022Backups are not automated.

u2022Fault Tolerance capabilities are supported through other Microsoft products.

u2022Repository only works with MS SQL.

u2022Requires additional software to use certain features in BizTalk 2002, Microsoft Operations Manager & Application Center.

u2022To use a server with 8-32 processors it requires Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter, which must be purchased through an OEM.

u2022Only runs on Microsoft/Intel platform and only supports XML Data Reduced (XDR) not XML Schema Definition (XSD).

cheers

reward points if found sueful

[Former Member]

Hi,

Why we use XI :

1. right now you are using point to point connection which is not the best way.

2. XI is a middleware tool (you can send message to many apdaters:

SOAP, mail, file/ftp ) by XML messages .

3. Error handling and Sloving the error easrier.

4.Integrate with SAP and Non SAP applications..........

5.XI has it's own Monitoring to track the incoming and outgoing messages

6.Synchronous and Asynchronous communication

7.Reusable components

8.Reducing cost of development work in future

9.End to End montoring the messages in SAP XI is great

10.Maintance is easeir .

11.The biggest Advantage of XI is that it supports web services.

12.It has the feature of business process management(BPM) which enables us to impliment the

business logic.

And this XI is a part of SAP so one side SAP any module is there then dam shore XI is the Best one.

Disadvantage is XI some cost to reduce this they released the PCK.

Adapters :

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/EN/ae/d03341771b4c0de10000000a1550b0/frameset.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/ad/bf93409c663228e10000000a1550b0/frameset.htm

IDoc Adapter :

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/EN/ab/bdb13b00ae793be10000000a11402f/content.htm

[Former Member]

Sap XI

XI is well suited for connecting SAP systems with each other and with non-SAP. SAP XI provides an integrated workflow engine that allows defining adapters to non-XML protocols and mappings to convert data content from source to target format.

XI comes handy particularly incase of SAP - Non SAP interfaces where you can import standard integration content. Also XI has got sophisticated open standard adapter framework which is very easy to implement and custom logic can be implemented using Adapter module programming.

Advantages

• Monitoring is better than any other middleware product. It offers exhaustive monitoring features like message, performance, component monitoring etc, all of which can be used to track and rectify the errors. It follows a hub and spoke model.

• When you need to integrate with an SAP system XI has an advantage in supporting various SAP components and so on.

• Process functionalities inside XI to modify content in the communication channel on own defined rules for business purposes.

• Mappings and adapters are good as comparable with any other middleware product.

• Synchronous & Asynchronous communication is possible.

Dis-Advantages

• Web methods are particularly good if u have B2B kind of communication with their Trading Partners product.

• XI is lacking full-fledged Message Queue compared to other established Middleware products.

• It lacks in ability to process huge messages but SAP is working on that.

• It does not have a messaging layer exposed by APIs like IBM MQ-Series.

• It is not comparable to Tibco in terms of speed.

• SAP relies on other vendors except for a few adapters.

3. BizTalk

BizTalk is a business process management (BPM) server that enables companies to automate and optimize business processes. This includes powerful, familiar tools to design, develop, deploy, and manage those processes.

While planning for the integration scenario BizTalk takes care about tasks like Gathering information, Defining naming conventions, planning team development, setting up and working with source control.

Advantages

• BizTalk 2004 is completely built on .Net.

• Recoverable Interchange. In BizTalk, an Interchange can contain two or more messages, such as a batch. With the introduction of Recoverable Interchange in BizTalk Server 2006, only messages that fail validation are suspended, and the messages can be resumed after the error is corrected.

• Failed message routing. New functionality is available to allow orchestration and send ports to subscribe to failed messages. When used appropriately, failed message routing can be used for notifying users of failed messages or building rich error handling and message repair capabilities.

• Lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). BizTalk Server reduces the cost and complexity of automating and managing business processes with a single, unified solution for Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), Business-to-Business integration (B2Bi), and Business Process Management (BPM).

• Enhanced productivity through integrated management and development tools.

• Supports Computer Telephony Interface (CTI) through TAPI.

Dis-Advantages

• Recovery is manual.

• Backups are not automated.

• Fault Tolerance capabilities are supported through other Microsoft products.

• Repository only works with MS SQL.

• Requires additional software to use certain features in BizTalk 2002, Microsoft Operations Manager & Application Center.

• To use a server with 8-32 processors it requires Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter, which must be purchased through an OEM.

• Only runs on Microsoft/Intel platform and only supports XML Data Reduced (XDR) not XML Schema Definition (XSD).

Edited by: chandra kanth. k on Jun 10, 2008 8:14 AM

[Former Member]

The key areas of concern that SAP XI is being used to address are as follows:

u2022 A business system is connected to the integration server using the IDoc adapter, which exchanges IDocs with the business system. (IDOC Adapter)

u2022 A third-party business system is connected to the integration server using the plain HTTP adapter, which exchanges XML messages using plain HTTP with the business system. (Plain HTTP Adapter)

u2022 A third-party (or legacy) system is connected to an integration engine using the file adapter, which exchanges text files with the third-party system. When reading a file from the third-party file system, the file adapter transforms this file into an XML message for further processing by the integration engine. (File adapter)

u2022 A third-party or legacy system (or simply a database) is connected to an integration engine using the JDBC adapter, which accesses database content using JDBC. When reading database content, the JDBC adapter creates an XML message from this data and sends it to the integration engine for further processing. (JDBC Adapter)

u2022 SOAP/RNIF, Java, and ABAP proxies will be piloted out shortly.

The end objective is to standardize all application integration with SAP systems with SAP XI and non-SAP systems with Biztalk or SeeBeyond.

regards

chandra

[Former Member]

XI scores over BizTalk. Moreover XI is a much matured product than its earlier version and most of the issues have been plugged as well.

There was a similar discussion going on in an alternate thread, so have a look at it.

2)BizTalk uses XSLT as its mapping technology and comes with a full blown

XSLT graphical mapper

• SAP XI is more resource hungry than BizTalk

• SAP XI is more complex and has a steeper learning curve

3)BizTalk is Microsoft-based therefore limited to one environment. It is

however cheaper and simpler to use for less complicated scenarios.

4) * SAP XI is largely based on J2EE (+ proprietary ABAP)

while BizTalk 2004 is completely built on .Net

(as opposed to its predecessors that were COM based)

• XI comes with more (technical) adapters in the box:

POP: Biztalk only supports SMTP

JMS: Biztalk only supports MSMQ and MQSeries

JDBC: BizTalk can only talk to SQL Server

• BizTalk has support for EDI, which is completely lacking in SAP XI

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/eaf7e690-0201-0010-25bc-db30f0ef...

regard

chandra

Edited by: chandra kanth. k on Jun 10, 2008 8:07 AM

[Former Member]

Hi,

Why do we need XI

1. right now you are using point to pont connection which is not the best way.

2. XI is a middleware tool (you can send message to many apdaters:

SOAP, mail, file/ftp ) by XML messages .

3. Error handling and Sloving the error easrier.

4.Integrate with SAP and Non SAP applications..........

5.XI has it's own Monitoring to track the incoming and outgoing messages

6.Synchronous and Asynchronous communication

7. Reusable components

8.Reducing cost of development work in future

9.End to End montoring the messages in SAP XI is great

10.Maintance is easeir .

11.The biggest Advantage of XI is that it supports web services.

12.It has the feature of business process management(BPM) which enables us to impliment tough

business logic.

Regards

Seshagiri