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Defining Design Objects for Mediated CommunicationLocate this document in the navigation structure

Prerequisites

You have identified and defined the interfaces required for application integration in the ES Repository.

More information: Working with Service Definitions

Context

Note

This chapter is only relevant for use cases with regards to developing collaborative processes with usage type SAP Process Integration.

SAP Process Integration provides functions to implement complex integration scenarios that run across different components and systems.

SAP Process Integration, in particular, supports message-based integration using an integration broker between the systems interconnected with each other. You can use the Integration Server or the Advanced Adapter Engine as an integration broker. Scenarios using an integration broker are also referred to as mediated scenarios - in contrast to point-to-point scenarios where systems communicate directly with each other.

The functions handled in this section only refer to the application integration using the Integration Server or the Advanced Adapter Engine as an integration broker. For this type of integration you can perform mapping programs on the integration broker and using integration processes you can consider dependencies between messages during message exchange. You use adapter objects to define copy templates for configuration.

Note

SAP delivers predefined business packages for industry standards provided by SAP. The SAP Business Package contains the integration content (ESR content) for the industry standard (for example, RosettaNet) as well as the corresponding industry standard adapter (for example, CIDX adapter). You can download this content from Start of the navigation path http://service.sap.com/swdc Next navigation step Download Next navigation step Support Packages and Patches Next navigation step Entry by Application Group Next navigation step SAP Content Next navigation step ESR Content (XI Content) End of the navigation path

Procedure

  1. If you want to start the design of mediated communication based on a process model, you can use a process integration scenario. This model type was already available in the earlier releases of SAP Process Integration or SAP NetWeaver Exchange Infrastructure.

    More information: Defining Process Integration Scenarios

    The new modeling environment available as of SAP NetWeaver PI 7.1 also allows the definition of different models focusing on the integration-relevant aspects of processes. If you want to use the new modeling environment, particularly to design mediated communication, choose either of the following model types:

    • Use an integration scenario model to outline the overall process and the communication flow between the involved process components.

    • Use a process component interaction model to specify in detail the communication between two process components including the service interfaces, data types, mappings and communication channel templates.

      More information: Working with Process Component Architecture Models

    Note

    If you have already designed the communication based on a process integration scenario or a process component interaction model, you have the option to use the model later-on as a template for process configuration in the Integration Directory. This way, the configuration effort decreases considerably.

  2. If the receiver expects a different message format that the sender, you need a mapping program with which the integration broker can map both formats on to each other at runtime. To keep the number of mapping programs small, the sender and receiver would ideally agree upon a common format.

    More information: Mapping Messages with Mapping Programs

  3. If partners develop adapters for SAP, they can specify configuration data in the ES Repository with adapter metadata that is required for each adapter type. This configuration data determines the parameters possible for an adapter type.

    To use the configuration parameters of an adapter for some standard cases, all customers can define communication channel templates in the ES Repository for pre-existing adapters. SAP delivers, for example, communication channel templates to facilitate the configuration of RosettaNet scenarios.

    More information: Adapter metadata

  4. The exchange of messages using the integration broker is stateless. If it is required in more complicated integration scenarios that during a message exchange that information about this exchange be retained on the integration broker, then you must work with integration processes. An integration process defines a process-flow model and allows it to correlate multiple messages.

    More information: Integration Processes