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Background documentationConfiguring B2B Scenarios Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

The model configurator supports the configuration of business-to-business (B2B) processes.

Caution Caution

For the purposes of this section, it is assumed that you are configuring a process for a process integration scenario.

End of the caution.
B2B Communication

In a B2B scenario, a minimum of two parties communicate with each other. The internal system landscapes of the parties are only made partially public or not at all. The parties communicate using business components.

When you design a Process Integration Scenario, you can predefine B2B communication by classifying an application component as an External Party with B2B Communication (a B2B component in short). B2B Component). All connections to and from a B2B component are known as B2B connections.

In the graphic below, B2B communication between two communication parties is shown schematically:

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

B2B Communication Between Two Parties

The integration expert configuring the process integration scenario for party A only has access to the details of party A’s internal system landscape. Therefore, he can only define communication components for business systems and integration processes from this part of the system landscape. He does not have access to details about the internal system landscape of party B. The situation is the opposite for an integration expert who configures the process integration scenario at party B (see figure under Configuring Cross-Company Processes).

Configuring B2B Scenarios Using the Model Configurator

Note Note

Below are the steps that need to be performed at party A to configure the B2B scenario.

End of the note.

When designing the process integration scenario that you are using as a configuration template, you must have predefined B2B communication as a B2B component by creating an application component.

You perform the following steps in the model configurator (option Configuring a Process Integration Scenario.

Assigning Communication Components

When assigning the communication components for the application component of party A, do the following:

  • First assign the communication components for the internal systems (business systems and integration processes) that are responsible for the processing of the messages (tab page Business System Components for A2A)

  • Determine the business components to be used for B2B communication with external party B (tab page Business Components for B2B).

    These business components are "visible" to party B.

  • Assign the communication components that were defined for the internal systems (business systems or integration processes) system 1…n to the business component (at party A) (tab page for Business Components for B2B).

If any business components are missing, you can create them directly when assigning the components.

Configuring B2B Connections

Senders and receivers are connected by joining together their respective business components when configuring the B2B connection.

The communication channels at the sender and receiver must be defined to define the technical details of message exchange. If, in the process integration scenario used as the template for configuration, communication channel templates are assigned to a connection, they can be used to create new communication channels. You can reuse or copy existing communication channels.

Generating the Configuration Objects

The following B2B-specific settings are preconfigured when generating the configuration objects:

  • The receiver determination with sender party B also contains party A’s business component as a virtual receiver in the key. The communication components that were defined for the internal systems (systems 1...n) are also entered as assigned receivers. At runtime, the messages sent from party B to party A's business component are also forwarded to the internal systems 1...n by means of receiver-dependent routing.

    Note Note

    You must create the routing conditions for the assigned receiver manually after generation is complete.

    End of the note.

  • A header mapping is predefined in the receiver agreement that defines the outbound processing for the message for party B as the receiver. The header mapping maps the communication components of the internal systems 1...n to party A’s business component. Therefore, party A’s business component is entered as the sender in the header of the messages sent from the internal systems 1…n to party B.

    Note Note

    You can use the model configurator to configure both party-integrations (B2B connections) and connections between internal systems.

    End of the note.