Function documentationSoftware Agent Framework (SAF)

 

The Software Agent Framework (SAF) provides an open architecture that can integrate tools to easily and flexibly assemble information from multiple SAP data sources (such as SAP ECC, SAP CRM, SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence) and external data sources. Examples of such tools are compilation, classification, and search services (see Features below).

Integration

See Business Applications.

Prerequisites

Installation

No separate installation of the SAF is necessary. However, Search and Classification (TREX) - specifically the TREX search engine and text mining engine - is a required component of the SAF. Install TREX and set up a remote function call (RFC) connection as required. For more information, see the installation guide for TREX on SAP Service Marketplace at https://websmp105.sap-ag.de/installnw70Information published on SAP site under Start of the navigation path Installation — Standalone Engines Next navigation step SAP NetWeaver Search and Classification TREX End of the navigation path.

Configuration

See Configuration Help for Software Agent Framework.

Checking Configuration Using Diagnosis Tool

You can use a diagnosis tool to identify and resolve problems related to SAF configuration, communication among components, and operation. Whenever an unknown problem occurs, you should always use this tool as the first step to identify the problem. The tool tells you the possible causes of the problem and how to fix it using a guide. If the failure is due to multiple causes, the tool's error view dynamically suggests the problems to be fixed. When a problem is resolved, the tool automatically presents the next problem until all problems are resolved.

The diagnosis tool can also alert you to any problems by e-mail. In the diagnosis tool, you can specify which alerts you want to receive.

You can access the diagnosis tool from the SAP menu by choosing Software Agent Framework Diagnosis Tool.

From the Goto menu in the SAF diagnosis tool , you can access Customizing for the Software Agent Framework, including the default customizing. You can also access the Knowledge Base Compilation application, which is used to compile the index for a given knowledge base and language.

Features

The SAF is a fully integrated solution that enables you to:

  • Define knowledge bases from data sources

    A knowledge base is a set of knowledge entities, mostly from the same data source, recognized by the Software Agent Framework (SAF); that is, the structure of the data source is recognized by the SAF, and a mapping of IDs, descriptions, languages, and attributes is established in the SAF. This makes the knowledge base ready for further processing such as compilation and search.

    You can create and add new knowledge bases via a Business Add-In. For more information, see BAdI: Knowledge Bases in Customizing.

  • Compile the content of knowledge bases into search indexes (requires TREX)

    The SAF supports manual full compilation and manual delta compilation of one or more knowledge bases, and manual deletion of search indexes. For more information, see Knowledge Base Compilation.

    In the knowledge search in the Interaction Center (IC), you can search knowledge bases by using a non-TREX search engine (see Search a knowledge base below).

  • Automatically synchronize knowledge bases and search indexes (requires TREX)

    The SAF supports automatic delta compilation via scheduled background jobs to ensure synchronization between knowledge bases and search indexes.

  • Search a knowledge base

    In addition to TREX and SAP Content Management, the SAF supports limited integration with external search engines and third-party content management systems via a Business Add-In. (The same Add-In is used for both because third-party content management systems are considered equivalent to a search engine in the SAF.) The limited integration includes basic search through HTTP. For more information, see BAdI: External Search Engines in Customizing.

  • Build your own information security for knowledge bases

    You can use a Business Add-In to build your own information security. For more information, see Generic Information Security.

Activities

Finding the Languages Supported

The SAF supports only the languages supported by the search engine. If the search engine is TREX, a quick and easy way to find out which languages are supported is to access the Customizing activity Name and Configure Knowledge Base. In this Customizing activity, all supported languages are listed in the Name and Language step. See also the following SAP Notes:

SAP Notes

SAP Note Number

Description

561348

TREX 5.0, 6.0: Supported Languages

631390

TREX 6.0 and Higher: Additional Languages

663917

Additional Language Support for SAF Based on TREX