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SAP PI/PO Tutorial: Process Integration &

Orchestration
What is SAP PI?
SAP PI (Process Integration) is an integration platform
which provides seamless integration between SAP
and non-SAP applications within the organization A2A
(Application to Application) or even outside the
PowerEdge servers optimise SAP, organization B2B (Business to Business).
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What is SAP PO?
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SAP Process Orchestration is a tool to automate and
optimize business processes. It combines features of SAP Business Process Management (BPM),
SAP Process Integration(PI) and SAP Business Rules Management(BRM). In other words, it's
more advanced version of SAP PI and has all the tools required to integrate applications.

Understanding SAP PI/PO with an Example

But this was a technical aspect of SAP PI, but to understand this better we will see the example
of implementation of SAP PI.

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Example: To understand the concept of SAP PI more clearly, we take an example of a large-scale
Dairy Industry, which is operating in a large portion of a state and dominating the region. But
there is some small-scale dairy industries operating in the same region, parallel to the large-
scale industry which is not making a profit due to their price variation compare to large-scale 5
industry. So to avoid the pricing conflict and maintaining the same price all over the region,
large scale and small scale industry decide to link together, with the help of SAP PI. They
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interconnect with each other with the help of SAP PI and started to work as a single unit. Now,
through SAP PI they are able to exchange all the information pertaining to dairy industry,
including pricing and share an equal amount of profit.

SAP PI connects different platforms like

SAP and Non-SAP systems

B2B and A2A Scenarios
Asynchronous and Synchronous Communications
Cross-component business process management

In this training, we will learn

Why SAP PI/PO?  

How SAP PI/PO works   
SAP PI/PO Architecture    
Connectivity: Proxy Framework & Adapter Framework    
Adapter Framework:    
How adaptor framework works    
SAP PI Security    
Benefits of Security in SAP PI/PO    
New Features in SAP PI/PO    
Advantages of SAP PI/PO    
SAP PI/PO vs. BizTalk    

Why SAP PI/PO?

Prior to SAP PI, business would connect with each other through point-to-point
communication. But this process is not used for multiple and complex processes. For smooth
communication between multiple businesses, Mediated communication or Integration broker
is used, and SAP PI adapts this system very well. It enables interconnection of a different
process via a central location known as Integration Broker, unlike the point to point connection
which is more like a spider web. The integration broker or server is an integral part of mediated
communication consist of Java (/java-tutorial.html)based Advanced Adapter Engine (AAE) and
an integration engine for routing. Mediated communication is based on an integration broker
which is executed by exchanging XML messages.
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SAP PI Overview

Let see how SAP PI handles the XML messages by the help of Integration Broker. The exchange
of data or message in SAP PI occurs in this four phases.

Message Transformation: During message exchange, it transforms the structure of the

business data
Message Routing: Forwarding a message sent by a sender system to one or more receiver
systems
Connectivity Adapters: Connecting the integration broker and receiver system, the adapter
will transform the incoming message into an inbound message and later convert it to the
format of the receiving system at the other end
Integration Processes: Cross component Business Process Management (ccBPM) consists of
functions for enhanced service orchestration.

How SAP PI/PO works

 

SAP PI performs three basic functions

Connect: SAP PI has an ability to integrate with all application regardless of whether it is an 5
application from a 3rd party or from the SAP. It uses the adapter framework to integrate 3rd
party solutions.
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 Co-ordinate: It can define a path/workflow for each business transaction that is integrated.
It ensures that each message is correctly delivered from the source to the target destination
Communicate: It can translate files into any format whether an internal file format or any
business to business integration standard.

SAP PI/PO Architecture

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SAP PI is not a single component responsible for the integration of SAP and Non- SAP
application, but it is a cluster of components that together make SAP PI functional. This
architecture of SAP PI or components is used during design time, configuration time and at run
time. The various components of SAP PI include

1. System Landscape Directory: It is a central information provider in a system landscape. SLD

contains two types of information, "Component Information (Installable & Installed) and
Landscape description."
2. Integration Builder: It is a tool-set which contains a set of tools for accessing and editing
integration objects
3. Integration Repository: To develop, design and maintain data types, message structures,
mappings, interfaces, integration processes and integration scenarios independently of 5

system landscape, integration repository is used.