Connection Using Adapters and Imported Interfaces 

Purpose

If interfaces are already available for exchanging data in a system, you can connect these to SAP Exchange Infrastructure using adapters. In the case of RFCs and IDocs you can import an XML description of this interface to the Integration Repository. This has the advantage that you can access the signature and structures of the imported interface used centrally. Furthermore, you can access the technical names of the imported interfaces using the value help (for example, in mapping or logical routing).

Generally, you do not need to import interfaces to be able to use adapters because you can also enter the interface names manually.

Prerequisites

RFCs and IDocs can be imported from SAP systems Release 4.0 and higher. However, you must have the authorization required to import from a system.

It is the adapter type and not the import function that determines whether a system can be connected to SAP Exchange Infrastructure using an adapter. Note the prerequisites for the respective adapter in this case.

The interface to be used should already exist in the system.

Process Flow

The procedure described below only applies for interfaces that cannot be imported into the Integration Repository. Therefore, if applicable, ignore the first step.

...

       1.      Import the RFC or IDoc that you want to use to exchange messages using SAP Exchange Infrastructure to the design maintenance screen of the Integration Builder (also see: Importing Interfaces from an SAP System).

       2.      The imported interface corresponds to either an inbound or an outbound interface. Depending on the communication partner, create the corresponding counterpart in the Integration Repository. If the counterpart is a message interface for communication using proxies, you must create appropriate data types and message types for the message interface for the data that is to be transferred using the adapter (see: Developing Message Interfaces).

An ABAP outbound proxy is to exchange data with an RFC interface that implements an inbound service. Besides the imported RFC interface, you must also create a message interface with appropriate message types and data types in the Integration Repository. Adapter to adapter communication is also possible. Also see: Communication Partners.

       3.      Different adapters generate, or expect different XML formats. Likewise, the proxy runtime generates and expects a different XML format to the various adapters. For this reason, you must map the XML structures to each other using a message mapping. The parameters of imported interfaces can be loaded directly as source or target structures into the mapping editor (also see:  Designing a Mapping).

You can also use the mapping editor to import XML files from the local file system and therefore to define a message mapping for interfaces that cannot be imported.

Result

The subsequent steps for design and configuration in the Integration Builder correspond to the procedure for developing message interfaces (however, you need to define different end points depending on the adapter).