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Configuring the IDoc AdapterLocate this document in the navigation structure

Use

You use the IDoc adapter to have IDocs (intermediate documents) processed by the Integration Engine. IDocs from SAP systems Release 3.1x or higher are supported. You can also use the IDoc adapter to connect non-SAP systems to the Integration Engine.

The IDoc adapter converts the IDocs to IDoc XML format so that they can be processed by the Integration Server pipeline.

You can also transfer XML in IDoc format received from the Integration Server to connected systems. The Integration Server pipeline must convert the received XML to IDoc XML, and then transfer this IDoc XML to the IDoc adapter. The IDoc adapter converts the IDoc XML to native IDoc format and sends the IDoc to the identified receiver system using the standard IDoc interface.

More information: IDoc Processing with the IDoc Adapter

Note For a comparison of the IDoc adapter (Integration Engine) and the IDoc adapter (Advanced Adapter Engine), see Comparison of IDoc Adapter (IE) and IDoc Adapter (AAE).
Prerequisites

General Prerequisites

  • Only use the IDoc adapter to integrate SAP systems with the Integration Server if such a scenario is to your advantage; for example, you want to provide IDoc data in the form of XML messages to additional receivers, or you want to connect components or integration processes that were previously not connected.

    You should only stop using existing functioning IDoc scenarios after serious consideration.

  • The adapter can be created automatically for business systems that are defined in the System Landscape Directory.

    For more information, see the documentation on the Integration Directory → Defining Communication Channels → Creating Communication Channels Automatically.

  • The IDoc adapter only evaluates the payload of a received XML message. Additional attachments are ignored and not forwarded.
  • If none of the pipeline services require the IDoc XML, then you can set a configuration parameter so that IDocs are not converted to IDoc XML, but are transported as tables instead.

    This only makes sense if IDocs are to be received by the Integration Server and sent again as IDocs without changes to the data records. Avoiding unnecessary conversions from and to XML can lead to improvements in system performance.

    More information: Pipeline Service, Display/Change Configuration Data

  • You cannot execute transactions that have the locked symbol (), because you do not have the required authorization.

    The authorizations for the individual transactions are based on the respective requirements; they are assigned as derived from the following roles. They are all based on the authorization object S_XMB_AUTH or S_XMB_DSP.

Authorizations and Roles

Transaction Authorization Object Role

IDX1

S_IDOCMETA

SAP_XI_ADMINISTRATOR

IDX2

S_IDOCMETA

SAP_XI_CONFIGURATOR

IDX5

S_XMB_DSP

SAP_XI_MONITOR

Prerequisites for the Integration Server

  • If the system on which the IDoc adapter is located is configured as the Integration Server, then inbound IDocs are processed using the IDoc adapter and not using the normal IDoc interface.

    More information: Configuring the Integration Engine

  • On an Integration Server, you must enter IDocs that are to be processed using the IDoc interface in the IDXIDOCINB exception table by using the IDX_SELECT_IDOCTYP_WITHOUT_IS report.

    You can only include IDoc types in this table that are already defined in the system. These IDoc types are not processed using the Integration Engine.

    To delete IDocs from the IDXIDOCINB exception table, use the report IDX_DELETE_IDOCTYP_WITHOUT_IS.

  • You can set the following parameters for IDoc processing in the Integration Engine configuration:
    • SYNTAX_CHECK

      An IDoc must be syntactically correct to be able to convert it to IDoc XML. We recommend that you activate the syntax check.

    • XML_CONVERSION

      This parameter defines whether the IDoc is transported as a table in the IDoc adapter and not converted to IDoc XML. This only makes sense if IDocs are to be received on the Integration Server and sent again as IDocs. If none of the services in the Integration Engine use the IDoc XML then you can optimize performance by avoiding the unnecessary conversion of IDocs to IDoc XML and the other way around.

    More information: Displaying/Changing Configuration Data

  • To load IDoc metadata, you must establish an RFC connection to the connected system using the port maintenance in the IDoc adapter. This system is defined by the sender port and the client in the IDoc control record.

    More information: Loading IDoc Metadata, Port Maintenance in the IDoc Adapter

  • You use an evaluation to compare the metadata loaded to the Integration Server with the metadata in the reference system.

    More information: Comparing Metadata with the Reference System

Prerequisites for Application Components

You do not need to change existing applications.

Sender System

In the sender system you need to change the target address of the RFC destination of a tRFC port for the Integration Server.

  • To change an existing tRFC port, proceed as follows:
    • Call the transaction Display and Maintain RFC Destinations (SM59).

      Choose the corresponding RFC destination by double-clicking it.

    • Enter the server address of the Integration Server as the Target host.

      More information: Displaying, Maintaining, and Testing Destinations

  • If no tRFC port exists, create one for the Integration Server.
    • Call the transaction Display and Maintain RFC Destinations (SM59) to create a connection type 3 RFC destination and then specify the server address of the Integration Server as the Target host.

      More information: Displaying, Maintaining, and Testing Destinations

    • Call transaction Ports in IDoc Processing (WE21) and use this destination to define a new port of type Transactional RFC (tRFC).

      More information: Managing Ports for IDoc Metadata

    • Call the transaction Partner Profiles (WE20) to change the partner profiles. Enter the receiver system as the partner number, select the type of message to be sent and the basic type in the outbound parameters, and enter the new port as the receiver port.

      More information: Creating an Outbound Partner Profile

Receiver System

You must change the partner profiles in the receiver system.

To do this, call the transaction Partner Profiles (WE20) and create an inbound partner profile for the sender party.

Specify the inbound message type and the basis type for the inbound parameters.

Procedure
  1. To copy IDoc packages from the sending system and to specify information about the IDoc segment release, configure the sender adapter in the Integration Directory.

    In addition to this there is no configuration for the sender adapter in the Integration Directory. The configuration only takes place in the sending system.

    More information: Configuring the Sender IDoc Adapter

  2. To send IDocs from the Integration Server to a system, configure the receiver adapter in the Integration Directory.

    More information: Configuring the Receiver IDoc Adapter in the Integration Directory

  3. If the processing sequence of the IDocs is important, serialize them.

    More information: Serializing IDocs

  4. You can process IDocs for the same receiver in packages.

    This enables you to improve performance.

    To create message packages, use event-driven message processing.

    More information: Event-Driven Message Processing

  5. Define which acknowledgments are requested by the sender.

    More information: Configuring Acknowledgment Requests

  6. You can configure that acknowledgment IDocs are sent as XI request messages.

    More information: Sending Acknowledgment IDocs as XI Request Messages

  7. Monitor the inbound and outbound messages in the IDoc adapter.

    More information: Displaying XML Messages