Adapter Engine 

Purpose

You use the Adapter Engine to connect the Integration Engine to SAP systems (RFC adapter) and external systems. You use the various adapters in the Adapter Engine to convert XML- and HTTP-based messages to the specific protocol and format required by these systems, and the other way around. 

Implementation Considerations

The Adapter Engine is based on the adapter framework.

More information: Adapter Framework

The Adapter Engine is a separate software component that is automatically installed on the Integration Server. In this case, it is the central Adapter Engine. However, you can also install the Adapter Engine separately on another host. This is then a non-central Adapter Engine.

For Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about adapters of the Adapter Engine and references to the FAQs for each of the individual adapters, see SAP Note 821268.

Integration

You configure the adapters in the configuration part of the Integration Builder. You define the parameters of the respective adapter during the definition of collaboration profiles in the communication channel. It is possible to define generic modules for each adapter in the module processor to equip the adapter with additional functions. For more information about creating your own modules and adapters, see Adapter and Module Development.

Features

The Adapter Engine provides adapters, which you use to do the following, depending on their configuration:

●      Communicate with SAP systems using the RFC interface (RFC adapter)

●      Enable data exchange with the SAP Business Connector (SAP Business Connector adapter)

●      Exchange data with external systems using a file interface or an FTP server (File/FTP adapter)

●      Access databases using JDBC (JDBC adapter)

●      Communicate with messaging systems using the JMS API (JMS adapter)

●      Integrate remote clients or Web Service providers using the SOAP adapter (SOAP adapter)

●      Connect marketplaces to the Integration Engine (Marketplace Adapter)

●      Connect e-mail servers to the Integration Engine (Mail adapter)

●      Communicate with systems that support the RosettaNet standard (RNIF adapter)

●      The CIDX adapter supports Chem eStandards, an open standard for business-to-business data exchange in the chemical industry.

In the adapter configuration, you specify whether an adapter is to be located at the inbound channel (sender adapter) or at the outbound channel (receiver adapter) of an Integration Engine.

Acknowledgments

Receiver adapters support system acknowledgments if they are requested by the sender. They are triggered if the message is processed successfully by the adapter. Receiver adapters do not support application acknowledgments. The RNIF and CIDX adapters are exceptions to this rule, since they also support scenario-dependent application acknowledgments. Sender adapters do not request any acknowledgments.

For more information about acknowledgments, see Processing Acknowledgment Messages.

Activities

Queue Separation for Receiver Channels

In the Adapter Engine there is a queue for each connection and adapter type in the receiver direction.

You can adapt the parameters for these queues in the Visual Administrator.

More information: Properties for Service SAP XI AF Core

EOIO Processing

More information: Changing Exactly Once in Order Processing in the Adapter Engine

Archive Messages

You can archive messages in the Adapter Engine.

You make the following entries:

●      In Web AS Java

For more information about archiving XML messages, refer to XML Data Archiving - Configuration Guide for J2EE Applications on SAP Service Marketplace.

More information: Administration of the XML Data Archiving Service

●      In the Adapter Engine

More information: Configuring Message Archiving for the Adapter Engine.

●      In the Runtime Workbench

More information: Background Processing  ®  Archiving.

Delete Messages

You can only delete messages in the Adapter Engine if they have the status FAILED or DELIVERED.

To do this, you make specifications in the Runtime Workbench.

More information: Background Processing

Resending Messages in Receiver Channels

If a receiver system is not available, the Adapter Engine tries to resend the messages.

You can determine the number of attempts made to resend and the intervals between retries for each receiver channel individually in the communication channel monitor.

The default values are taken from the parameters xiadapter.outbound.numberRetries.default and xiadapter.outbound.retryInterval.default of service SAP XI Adapter: XI.

For more information, see: Communication Monitor

Using the Non-Central Adapter Engine in Java Proxy Mode

More information: Using the Non-Central Adapter Engine in Java-Proxy Mode