Basics 

Design, Configuration, and Runtime

The implementation of a collaborative process using SAP XI is split into three phases:

·        During the design phase, you document the entire collaborative process and determine which interfaces are required. You can either define new system-independent interfaces to implement at a later point in time (outside-in development) or work with functions that already exist in the systems (inside-out development). In this phase you design the logical collaborative process by describing in a specific role the message exchange between the application components. This description is still not specific to any particular installed system (see: Design Time).

·        During the configuration phase, you configure your collaborative process for a specific system landscape. For example, you define conditions for the message flow and select design objects that meet your requirements. (See:  Configuration Time).

·        The configuration data is evaluated at runtime and controls communication. You can monitor the message flow by using a central monitoring.

This three-stage process is reflected in the architecture of SAP XI:

·        Design time and configuration time each have a central data storage point providing an overview of all data that is relevant to the cross-component process: the Integration Repository and the Integration Directory respectively. To edit this data, you use a single tool, the Integration Builder. The content of the Integration Repository and Integration Directory is known as collaboration knowledge.

·        The Integration Server is the central ‘distribution engine’ for messages in SAP Exchange Infrastructure at runtime. All systems that use SAP Exchange Infrastructure to communicate use this server to exchange messages. These systems are referred to as business systems at a logical level; within a specific system landscape they are called technical systems or communication parties. Using the configuration data from the Integration Directory, the Integration Server decides to which receiver or receivers it must send the message and whether a mapping needs to be executed beforehand.

The Connectivity section describes the options available to you for connecting systems to the Integration Server.

SAP Exchange Infrastructure and the System Landscape Directory

In SAP Exchange Infrastructure, you save design-time objects in the Integration Repository and configuration-time objects in the Integration Directory.  The System Landscape Directory (SLD) is an SAP product that enables you to describe products, software components, logical systems, and technical systems.  SAP Exchange Infrastructure accesses this information at design time, configuration time, and runtime.

Relationship Between SLD and Integration Repository/Integration Directory

Phase	Objects Used in System Landscape Directory
Design Time (Integration Repository)	Software components and software products as installable shipment entities.
Configuration Time (Integration Directory)	Technical systems (for example, an SAP system), in other words components installed in a system landscape.

The differentiation SAP XI makes between objects from a logical collaborative process and the installed system landscape is also made in the SLD. However, this distinction is not reflected in the product names (System Landscape Directory).

See also: SAP System Landscape Directory in the Exchange Infrastructure.