Transferring Data Using SAP NetWeaver PI 

Purpose

SAP NetWeaver Process Integration (SAP NetWeaver PI) allows you to have cross-system business processes. Within the overall architecture of SAP NetWeaver, SAP NetWeaver PI performs the task of process integration throughout a series of departments, organizations or companies.

The integration of SAP NetWeaver PI and SAP NetWeaver BW allows you to use SAP NetWeaver PI to send data from various sources to the BW system’s delta queue.

The integration of PI and BI and SAP NetWeaver BW offers the following advantages:

●      Central maintenance of message flow between logical systems of your system landscape.

●      Options for transformation of message content between sender and recipient

Mappings help you to adapt values and structures of your message to the recipient. This allows you to transfer different types of files to a BW system using interface mapping. It is always necessary however to transform the data into a format that corresponds to the interface of the function module generated in the BW system and used for data transfer. The function module contains a table parameter with a flat structure. This means that the data has to be transformed to fit a flat structure in the BW system.

●      Using proxy communication with SAP NetWeaver BW

Proxies are executable interfaces generated in the application systems for communication with the SAP XI Integration Server. We recommend using proxies for communication with SAP NetWeaver BW because they guarantee Full Quality of Service (Exactly Once in Order). They also guarantee that the data is delivered only once and in the correct sequence. The SAP NetWeaver PI Integration Server keeps the serialization as defined by the sender.

Prerequisites

You are familiar with the concept, architecture and functions of SAP NetWeaver PI . For more information, see the SAP NetWeaver PI documentation.

You have integrated SAP NetWeaver BW and SAP NetWeaver PI. You can find more information on this in the SAP NetWeaver PI configuration guide on the SAP Service Marketplace at the Internet address http://service.sap.com/instguides.

Process Flow

...

       1.      Create an XML DataSource in the BW system based on a file-data source. When you generate the DataSource, an RFC-enabled function module is generated for data transfer. For more information, see XML DataSource and Creating XML DataSources.

       2.      Activate the transfer of data to the SAP BW delta queue by initializing the delta process. More information: Activating Data Transfer to the Delta Queue.

       3.      You create an inbound and an outbound message interface in the SAP NetWeaver PI Enterprise Services Repository.

If there is already an interface for data exchange in a system, you can import the interface description into the Enterprise Services Repository.

The interface description in the BW system is available in the form of the RFC-capable function module for the inbound message interface generated for your DataSource. To create the inbound message interface, you can import the function module into the Enterprise Services Repository. For more information, see Importing Idocs and RFCs.in the documentation for SAP NetWeaver PI.

○       If you are using an existing SAP NetWeaver PI scenario, the outbound message interface is already in the Enterprise Services Repository. You then only need to create the inbound message interface.

○       If you want to implement a new scenario, create an outbound message interface in addition to the inbound message interface.

       4.      You implement proxy generation for your inbound message interface in the BW system.

An ABAP object interface (inbound or server proxy) is generated in BW for the inbound message interface.

For more information see the SAP NetWeaver PI ABAP proxy runtime documentation.

We recommend proxy communication with BW as this guarantees Full Quality of Service (Exactly Once in Order).

       5.      You implement the generated ABAP object interface using an ABAP object class in BW for recipient processing.

The proxy runtime calls this processing automatically after receiving the appropriate message.

       6.      If you have newly created the outbound message interface, you implement the data transfer according to your specific requirements.

       7.      You implement the message-exchange related configurations in the SAP NetWeaver PI Integration Directory. At the time of configuration, you set up the cross-system process for a concrete system landscape. The relevant objects are structured, organized and stored in the Integration Directory as configuration objects.

For more information about the steps to perform in SAP NetWeaver PI, see Configuration and Design in the SAP NetWeaver PI documentation.

Result

You can now send data to the SAP NetWeaver PI Integration Server, which transfers this data to the BW system at runtime using proxy communication (see Proxy Programming). In BW, the data is written to the delta queue. From there, you can process the data using the usual staging methods for deltas in BW and update it to the data targets.

The following graphic illustrates how interface-based processing of messages works: