Adopting SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology

This lesson introduces the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology, a structured approach to developing and implementing integration solutions. The methodology comprises different phases and uses standardized templates to simplify the process.

The SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology cycle is introduced. This cycle provides a structured method for the development and implementation of integration solutions.

The methodology helps you to establish integration as a recognized discipline in your company and to use integration as a key differentiator. Users benefit from a proven methodology that includes integration patterns, architecture blueprints, and other best practices for cloud and hybrid landscapes. It enables you to increase the level of integration maturity in your organization.

The following is the structure of the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology.

The SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology provides a clearly defined implementation path along four phases that guide you through the process from defining to implementing an enterprise integration strategy.

Each phase consists of a series of steps that describe the context, approach, and related information. These phases are:

Along its phases, the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology is used by different personas. These are:

SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology Overview

A template-based approach to perform the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology cycle is described. This approach uses standardized templates to simplify and accelerate the development process.

When going through the four phases of the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology, a series of documents is created based on templates. The template-based process is now discussed in detail.

The following is a preliminary overview of the documents to be created in the template-based approach.

The phases of the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology

The settings and configurations for performing integration assessments as part of the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology cycle are explained. This phase includes the customization of the assessment tools to the specific requirements of the company.

To go through the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology phases, either a template approach as described or a tool-based approach via the Integration Assessment can be chosen. The use of the Integration Assessment Tool is shown after this.

In contrast to the template-based approach, the features that can be selected later, such as integration domains, integration styles, use case patterns, and others, must be predefined. SAP already supplies a standard set. This can be extended. A total of four areas must be processed.

The aim is to have the selected integration approach evaluated. In the template-based approach, the aim is to create a solution architecture, for example. First, check the settings and add to them if necessary.

You find all well-known integration domains here:

You find all well-known integration styles here:

At the moment, 23 use case patterns are available depending on the Integration Style.

Integration areas do not exist in the template-based version. They are the combination of Integration Domain, Integration Styles, and Use Case Pattern. The No. IP-13 was created by the user. All others are in the standard set.

These entries are much more extensive in the Integration Assessment Service than in the template-based version. There is no separate template for this in the template-based version.

This list does not exist in the template-based version.

This is an important area. Based on these questions, the technology is later selected and evaluated during the interface request. This area does not exist in the template-based approach.

SAP Integration Assessment

Step 2 describes the configuration of the IT landscape for carrying out integration assessments. This includes recording and analyzing the existing system and data landscape.

In the next step, the IT landscape is determined from an integration perspective. This involves defining the applications that can be considered as senders and/or receivers. The usable integration technologies are also defined.

At the end, all the specialized applications involved and the integration technologies that can be used are available for the next step. You can also use your own applications. The integration technologies form the basis for the subsequent evaluation of the integration solution.

There is always a sequence according to which applications must be created. This sequence is:

1. Vendor
2. Application profile
3. Application instance

The existing or required integration technologies are now provided as instances in the same way as for the applications:

1. Vendor
2. Technology profile
3. Technology instance

The following solution architecture is defined.

The red round numbers symbolize the application instances. The square green numbers symbolize the integration technology instances.

SAP Integration Assessment

This section explains how business requirements are captured and documented as part of the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology cycle. This includes the definition of objectives, requirements, and expected results of the integration.

The business request comes from the specialist department. In our example, this is the following.

After creating a new business partner in an SAP S/4HANA on Premise, this business partner is to be replicated in the Salesforce Cloud. Instead of using an event-based architecture, the business process checks every 10 minutes whether a new business partner has been created.

• Name
• Questionnaires as defined in Settings under Business Solution Request. This data is not analyzed.

A wizard is started. After filling in the basic data, the interface request is created.

Here you define which connectors you use (1), a message protocol mapping must be carried out and whether the Trading Partner App (3) should be used.

In this step, Runtime Monitoring (1) is set and the behavior in the event of an error (2).

In this area, the selected iFlow is compared with the selected technology. The result is displayed visually. You can see that the combination of the SAP Application Interface Framework and the cloud integration fulfills the requirements defined in the interface request 100%.

The following solution architecture is now defined:

SAP Integration Assessment

The evaluation of the results of the integration assessment is described. This phase includes the analysis of the assessment data and the derivation of recommendations for action to optimize the integration strategy.

This evaluation lesson provides an overview of the integration solutions used from various perspectives. Rules dependencies are defined here.

The integration area shows the status of each combination of integration domain and integration style. With this view, you can evaluate the use of the integration technology and the coverage per pattern. Based on the example, you see a green area with the intended integration solution only.

The SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology offers various recommendation levels that you can assign to the integration technologies/services in your organization. This allows you to define integration policies for your organization, including default recommendations, sensible alternatives, possible exceptions, or techniques that you want to avoid in your organization.

These recommendations must be manually checked against the solution to be implemented.

Integration technologies describe the scope of services and the use of middleware components. With the help of integration technologies, you can adapt existing technology profiles or create new integration technologies according to your organizational requirements.

One of the open questions is how you incorporate the work with the new capability into your delivery process, be it SCRUM, waterfall, Activate, or something else.

When using the tool, the question arises whether there must be multiple instances of the tool in each instance of the Integration Suite. It is best to have a central instance of the integration assessment in the development environment to perform the assessment before or during integration development. APIs may be available in the future to synchronize or import/export data between instances.

The tool will not be able to answer all questions for a new integration (technology selection) with superfine Artificial Intelligence. However, it translates your thoughts and ideas from the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology workshops into a tool. Therefore, it can replace manual work with Excel and create reports and documentation that can be accessed by everyone in the organization.

• SAP Integration Assessment
• Getting Started with Integration Assessment

A practical example is shown of how the steps of the SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology cycle described previously can be implemented. This example serves as a guideline for the application of the methodology in real projects.

The following is the solution architecture created according to the assessment.

During implementation planning, the connection to Salesforce was analyzed. In principle, there are two options.

1. Direct use of the Salesforce Receiver Adapter in the cloud integration.
2. Use of OpenConnectors, API management and use of the HTTPS Receiver Adapter in the cloud integration.

In this training, variant 2 is used.