PowerCenter and SAP NetWeaver Integration Methods
PowerExchange for SAP NetWeaver integrates with mySAP applications in the following ways:
¨ Data integration using the ABAP program
¨ IDoc integration using ALE
¨ Data integration using BAPI/RFC functions
¨ Data migration integration
¨ Business content integration
Data Integration Using the ABAP Program
You can extract data from mySAP applications using the ABAP program. Create a mapping in the Designer that uses the ABAP program. Generate and install the ABAP program on the SAP server that extracts the source data. When you configure a session, you can access the source data through streaming or a staged file. The Integration Service accesses streamed data through CPI-C. It accesses staged files through FTP, SFTP, or standard file I/O, typically using network file sharing, such as NFS.
Complete the following steps to extract data from mySAP applications using the ABAP program:
1. Import an SAP R/3 source definition.
2. Create a mapping.
3. Generate and install the ABAP program.
4. Create a session and run a workflow.
IDoc Integration Using ALE
You can integrate PowerCenter with mySAP applications using Application Link Enabling (ALE) to send and receive Intermediate Documents (IDocs). IDocs are messages that exchange electronic data between SAP applications or between SAP applications and external programs.
The message-based architecture of ALE comprises three layers:
¨ Application layer. Provides ALE an interface to R/3 to send or receive messages from external systems.
¨ Distribution layer. Filters and converts messages to ensure that they are compatible between different releases of R/3 and R/2.
¨ Communications layer. Enables ALE to support synchronous and asynchronous communication. You use IDocs for asynchronous communication.
The architecture of ALE provides a way to send IDocs as text files without connecting to a central database. This allows applications to communicate with each other without converting between formats to accommodate hardware or platform differences.
ALE has the following components:
¨ Logical component. Determines how messages flow between the various applications or systems.
¨ Physical component. Transport layer that routes IDoc messages using the tRFC (Transactional RFC) protocol.
¨ Message types. Application messages that classify categories of data. For example, ORDERS and MATMAS (Material Master).
¨ IDoc types. Data structure associated with the message type. For example, MATMAS01, MATMAS02 forMATMAS . IDocs contain the data belonging to the message type.
IDocs contain three record types:
¨ Control record. Identifies the message type.
¨ Data records. Contain the IDoc data in segments.
¨ Status records. Describe the status of the IDoc. Status record names are the same for each IDoc type.
Data Integration Using BAPI/RFC Functions
Business Application Programming Interfaces (BAPI) provide a way for third-party applications to integrate data with SAP. You use BAPIs to create, change, delete, list, and detail objects in SAP.
The Business Application Programming Interfaces allow object-oriented access to the SAP system through methods for the business object types. Together with the business object types, BAPIs define and document the interface standard at the business level.
BAPIs also provide an object-oriented view of business components in SAP. You define BAPIs in the SAP Business Objects Repository. You implement and store them as Remote Function Call (RFC) enabled function modules in the Function Builder of the ABAP Workbench. You can call BAPIs as an ABAP program within SAP. You use RFCs to call BAPIs outside of SAP.
Use a BAPI/RFC transformation to create, change, or delete data in mySAP applications. When you run a session with a BAPI/RFC transformation, the Integration Service makes the RFC function calls to SAP to process SAP data.
You can use a BAPI/RFC transformation for one of the following reasons:
¨ Migrate data to SAP. For example, your organization uses PeopleSoft applications for enterprise purchasing management. You want to migrate to mySAP applications to manage enterprise purchasing. Use PowerExchange for for PeopleSoft to extract data from PeopleSoft and a BAPI/RFC transformation to write purchase management data to mySAP applications.
¨ Synchronize data in SAP. For example, a mySAP application contains customer orders. You want to add line items to some of the orders. You can use a BAPI/RFC transformation to make a BAPI/RFC call to add the line items to the orders in SAP.
Data Migration Integration
You can migrate data from legacy applications, from other ERP systems, or data from any number of other sources and prepare it for input into mySAP applications. The Integration Service extracts the data from the data source and prepares the data in an SAP format flat file that you can load into mySAP applications.
Business Content Integration
You can integrate PowerCenter with mySAP applications to provide an efficient, high-volume data warehousing solution. SAP business content is a collection of metadata objects that can be integrated with other applications and used for analysis and reporting. SAP produces the business content data, and PowerCenter consumes it. PowerCenter can consume all or changed business content data from mySAP applications and write it to a target data warehouse. You can then use the data warehouse to meet analysis and reporting needs.
PowerCenter and SAP NetWeaver BI Integration
Methods
PowerExchange for SAP NetWeaver BI can perform the following tasks:
¨ Extracting data from SAP BI
¨ Loading data into SAP BI
PowerExchange for SAP NetWeaver BI interacts with InfoCubes and InfoSources. An InfoCube is a self-contained dataset created with data from one or more InfoSources. An InfoSource is a collection of data that logically belongs together, summarized into a single unit.
Communication Interfaces
TCP/IP is the native communication interface between PowerCenter and SAP NetWeaver. PowerCenter and SAP NetWeaver also use the following interfaces:
¨ CPI-C
¨ Remote Function Call (RFC)
Common Program Interface-Communications
CPI-C is the communication protocol that enables online data exchange and data conversion between SAP and PowerCenter. PowerExchange for SAP NetWeaver uses CPI-C to communicate with SAP NetWeaver only when you run ABAP stream mode sessions.
To initialize CPI-C communication with PowerCenter, SAP NetWeaver requires information, such as the host name of the application server and SAP gateway. This information is stored in a configuration file named saprfc.ini on the node where the Integration Service process runs. The Integration Service uses parameters in the saprfc.ini file to connect to SAP NetWeaver when you run ABAP stream mode sessions.
Remote Function Call
RFC is the remote communications protocol used by SAP NetWeaver. It is based on Remote Procedure Call (RPC). PowerCenter makes remote function calls to communicate with SAP NetWeaver. To execute remote calls from PowerCenter, SAP NetWeaver requires information, such as the connection type and the service name and gateway on the application server. This information is stored in a configuration file named saprfc.ini on the node hosting the PowerCenter Client and the node where the Integration Service and SAP BW Service processes run.
Transport System
The transport system is a set of ABAP programs installed on the SAP system. It provides a way to import SAP metadata into the PowerCenter repository. It also enables run-time functionalities, such as passing mapping variables and filters.
You use the transport system in the following situations:
¨ Configuring PowerExchange for SAP NetWeaver. You need to transport some customized objects that were eveloped by Informatica to the SAP system. These objects include tables, structures, programs, and unctions. PowerCenter calls one or more of these objects each time you make a request to the SAP system.
¨ Deploying run-time transports and ABAP programs from development to production. If you are using BAP to integrate with mySAP applications, you might want to deploy the run-time transports provided by informatica and the ABAP programs installed by the Designer to extract data when you move from development to production. The SAP system administrator is responsible for completing transport tasks.
