Connection to External Communication Systems 

Purpose

The SAPconnect interface allows connection to external communication systems that are represented as SAPconnect nodes in the R/3 System. Administration settings are all defined from within the R/3 System. R/3 user and R/3 applications can send via the connected communication components. If R/3 users use the address management to send to external addresses, the standard communication method specified there is used. If you are not using the address management to send documents, you must select the required communication method.

Process Flow

Incoming messages

  1. The external communication system registers with the R/3 System via RFC and transfers the messages to SAPconnect.
  2. SAPconnect forwards the messages to the Business Communication Interface (BCI).
  3. The BCI determines the recipient in the address management.
  4. The BCI puts the messages into the inbox of the R/3 user or transfers them to the business objects.
  5. SAPconnect returns synchronously a confirmation or non-confirmation of receipt.
  6. If an R/3 user calls a message in their inbox, a read receipt is returned asynchronously (that is, with a separate RFC call).

 

Outgoing messages

  1. Applications transfer the objects Document, Attachments, Sender, Recipient and/or Business object ID to the BCI. Users call the send screen and specify the recipient and, if necessary, the communication method. The function Send transfers messages to the BCI.
  2. The BCI stores the messages as message objects in the queue.
  3. The SAPconnect send processes read the messages from the queue.
  4. Using the recipient address, the send processes determine the nodes via which the messages should be sent. If necessary, the messages are converted into one of the formats supported by the connected communication system.
  5. The send processes transfer the messages via RFC to the nodes determined (that is, the external communication systems).
  6. The node confirms - for each recipient - whether the send order was:
    1. rejected or executed successfully (synchronous status) or
    2. accepted for dispatch later

In scenario (b), the node subsequently confirms whether or not the document could be successfully sent (asynchronous status).

R/3 users can trace the status of messages they have sent in their outbox. The current status and the transmission history (that is, the status history) are also available. The administrator can evaluate the status of all messages and, if necessary, apply error-handling measures.