Hi,

Does an integration between SAP and webMethods requires SAP Business Connector.I’m confused of where Business Connector sits in the architecture.I would really appreciate if someone can tell me about this.Just curious to know as i’ve never worked before on integration projects involving SAP.
Is SAP XI the same as SAP Business Connector?

Thanks
ramesh.

There are few ways to integrate WM to SAP.

1)using SAP Adapter(uses WmPartners routingrules in IS)
2)SAPBC(webMethods BusinessConnector which has its own ISv4.6 or 4.7)
WM and SAP both involved in collaboration of BusinessConnector component which is supported by WM in the past and currently by SAP.

Regarding SAP XI its a new product owned and distributed by SAP corporation to its customers used for diff SAP integrations via Adapters technology.

SAP XI(new) and SAP BC (WM based)altogether they are different products.

HTH,
RMG

RMG,

Thanks for the Info.
one more question i have is, which is the recommended approach of the 2 ways, using SAP Adapter or SAP BC.

ramesh.

It depends on your companies interest,but SAP Adapter is tbe best approach if your environmnet uses IntegrationServer.so its easy install and configuration of SAP Adapter addon.

SAP Adapter is supporting by webMethods in all aspects,but BC i dont think WM is no more enhancing version/releasing fixes etc…so you can think upon this.

HTH,
RMG

RMG,

Thanks for the inputs.

ramesh.

Business Connector is going away. It was an SAP-branded version of Integration Server 4.x and SAP is abandoning it. SAP XI is (yet another) mechanism for SAP integration and uses NetWeaver components. I think this is the 3rd or 4th iteration of an integration solution to be offered by SAP. Each prior solution has been abandoned. I imagine–and completely speculate–that XI will eventually be abandoned too. wM introduced “webMethods for SAP” as a migration path for BC users. [url=“API Integration Platform | Software AG”]API Integration Platform | Software AG

The SAP Adapter uses RFCs, BAPIs, etc. under the covers and so should be workable for the foreseeable future.

Rob,

So webMethods for SAP is same as SAP Adapter or is it only for existing BC users.

ramesh.

SAP BC was a joint venture between SAP and webMethods to develop an “integration” product. webMethods supplied the 4.x version of (then) B2B Integrator and SAP provided the knowledge for the creation of the SAP Adapter. SAP BC was provided free of charge to all those who used the SAP R/3 product. Your licensing determined if you should pay or not. You could download the product from SAP if you believed you needed it. It is currently no longer supported by SAP. SAP’s new integration product is XI (eXchange Infrastructure) which is itself part of the Netweaver component stack. It allows you to create interfaces to systems external to SAP R/3 in either Java which is executable by the SAP WebAS (web application server) and communicate with R/3 systems using ABAP interfaces executable by the ABAP Engine. ABAP is SAP’s programming language (note that SAP R/3 itself consists of components written in C and Java as well as ABAP). In light of the heavy amounts of money that SAP is contributing to the Netweaver development and marketing campaign, XI will become a major competitor to webMethods at least where there is already an SAP presence. The functionality of XI is already planned to replace the “messaging” between R/3 and SAP components that the Basis module currently performs (Basis allows for the creation of RFC’s and system connections in R/3). Indeed, it has already been used to link SAP’s SRM modules (EBP - enterprise buyer professional - and SUS - Supplier Self-Service).

However, given its relative newness to the world of integration, XI still has some kinks to work out. webMethods is the better choice when you want stable and reliable communications on realistic platforms. XI currently has a large footprint and only works reliably on big server iron.

In a nutshell, XI is a tool in SAP’s attempt to re-image their products as being SOA compliant. Currently, you can’t access any R/3 components using a service call (WSDL & SOAP, XMLRPC, etc…). You mut use a proprietary, point-to-point interface in a BAPI, IDOC, or RFC interface.

Hope that description helps you!

webMethods for SAP includes IS version 6.5, the SAP adapter and (a new?) SAP XI adapter. Here’s a paper on the wM site that talks about the history and wM for SAP in more detail:
[url=“http://www1.webmethods.com/PDF/webMethods_for_SAP-wp.pdf”]http://www1.webmethods.com/PDF/webMethods_for_SAP-wp.pdf[/url]

Guess I didn’t really answer your question Ramesh. If you already have Integration Server, get a license for the SAP Adapter (or the XI Adapter) from wM and you’re set. You don’t need BC. You only need to get “webMethods for SAP” if you don’t already have an IS license.

Rob/RMG/Chad,

Info given by you guys was more than i expected.
Thanks again for the inputs.

ramesh.

hi all,

   I am currently working on SAPbc where I have created the flatfile-schema in webmethods 6.1 and planned to migrate it to SAPbc but, I am not able to see them now, I had to develop this in the SAPbc all new.

I see there is no schema kind of thing to be created as in 6.1 all it asks for the record creation and for which we need either XML,XMLSchema or DTD.

               I have 2 questions.kindly help me out if somebody worked on this.

1. Do I have to create from the scratch and if so how to go for? (where can I get the documents related? if anybody has kindly upload it)

2. If there is a possibility where I can import it from the webmethods6.1 or any other option in this regard?

I appreciate your immediate help!! as it is quite urgent

Thanks in advance,

Regards,
Teja:confused:

What I would do is use the pub.xml.documentToXMLString to convert your schema into an XML string.
I would create a jonb package with a test flow and include a
pub.flatfile.convertToValues step that uses your schema, then a pub.xml.documentToXMLString step. If you run this flow with no data, check the clickbox “include empty values for string types” or you could put data in every field. Then after the documentToXMLString step, you’ll see a string of XML in the pipeline. Copy this XML into a wordpad document and use this document to create your record layout in SAP.

hi jon,

   Thanks a lot for your suggestion, It worked...

thanks for this forum that helped many people at their tasks.

Thanks again.

Regards,
Teja.

Hi,

i was looking for this info… thanks for the posters…

J