Technical Integration

Purpose

SAP Supply Chain Management ( SAP SCM ) is able to work in heterogeneous system environments. For this, it is important to differentiate between two different integration concepts:

  1. The connection to one or more SAP R/3 , SAP R/3 Enterprise , or SAP ERP Central Component ( SAP ECC ). For cases where it is not explicitly necessary to make a distinction, these systems are grouped under the common term ERP systems in the following section.

    The standardized interface solution required for this is called the Core Interface (CIF) . The features of this interface are explained below.

  2. The connection to non-SAP and legacy OLTP systems.

    The interfaces required for this are Business Application Programming Interfaces (BAPIs).

    For more information about BAPIs, see the Internet Business Framework ( service.sap.com/ibf) under Start of the navigation path Developer´s Zone Next navigation step BAPIs. End of the navigation path

    For SCM-specific information about BAPIs, on the SAP Easy Access screen for SAP SCM, choose Start of the navigation path Tools Next navigation step Business Framework Next navigation step BAPI Explorer End of the navigation path (transaction BAPI) or see the Interface Repository.

Implementation Considerations

As of SAP ECC 6.0 , CIF is an integrated part of the system.

If you use SAP SCM 5.0 with ERP systems up to SAP ECC 5.0 , you receive CIF via the relevant SAP R/3 Plug-In. The SAP R/3 Plug-In is a combined Plug-In used to link SAP components such as SAP SCM or SAP CRM to the ERP system up to and including SAP ECC 5.0 .

If you need an SAP R/3 Plug-In , we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the specific maintenance strategy used for this Plug-In before you import it. For more information, see SAP R/3 Plug-In and the SAP Service Marketplace at service.sap.com/r3-plug-in .