Different approaches exist for how systems communicate with each other. In previous lessons, we mostly considered direct communication using API calls. In some scenarios, direct communication could lead to tight coupling and unwanted dependencies at runtime. Therefore, communicating through messages or events can be desirable in some contexts. However, we will now learn the theory and concepts behind message-based interaction and get to know how to achieve event-based integration between SAP S/4HANA Cloud and applications on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP).
Event-based integration expands the set of approaches available to us for designing a modern application architecture.
Challenges in Developing Extensions
Side-by-side extensions run in highly distributed and heterogenic environments as they interact with SAP S/4HANA systems and possibly other dependencies that run in different environments. This situation results in new challenges for the development of the extensions. As such, an extension is a system of distributed components. If an extension app can react immediately to the user requests, it would become more meaningful and appealing. To keep the extension responsive, we must cater to all situations, especially situations when any component might fail. Therefore, we need all components to be responsive when they run into errors and when they run under high loads.
Messaging Between Reactive Systems
Reactive systems are defined as responsive, resilient, elastic, and message-driven. Under the hood, a reactive system relies on interactions using asynchronous message-passing that establishes boundaries among individual components. Reactive systems require a different approach to the architecture of distributed systems and offer distinct benefits to make systems responsive.
The key element of reactive systems is the asynchronous message-driven communication between systems, as shown in figure, Messaging Between Reactive Systems. Regardless of their location, reactive systems communicate in the same way with each other - using messaging, which allows loose coupling, efficient resource usage, and isolation between systems. Using messaging, reactive systems notify supervisor components about failures without blocking the process so that another component can take over the role of a failed system.
The advantage that we get from such reactive systems is that we can avoid too many API calls to the system that owns the data. The system that runs the core business applications actively informs the potentially interested consuming applications on the SAP BTP when changes happen. Knowing that a change happened, the consumer application can use the relevant API to fetch the new or changed business data.
Key Building Blocks of Messaging in SAP BTP
Now, let us explore the core components of SAP BTP and SAP S/4HANA that make the described architecture possible.
On the left-hand-side of the following figure, Key Building Blocks of Messaging in SAP S/4HANA and SAP BTP, we see the components of SAP S/4HANA that enable message-based communication. In SAP S/4HANA, business objects (BOs) are the basis for Event Enablement. BOs are well-defined in the context of the SAP Business Suite and in SAP S/4HANA Cloud. A BO is a piece of business functionality that can be instantiated on its own, for example, sales order, business partner, or cost center, just to name a few.
In SAP S/4HANA, an event can be raised when a certain action is executed for the BO, or when a certain state of the BO has been reached. The event is propagated from the application to the Enterprise Event Enablement component of SAP S/4HANA that communicates directly with the responsible components in SAP BTP. On the right-hand side of the high-level component diagram in this figure, we see SAP BTP components that allow consumption of messages. The SAP Event Mesh service facilitates messaging capabilities in a robust, efficient, and scalable broker architecture.
It includes an out-of-the-box integration with SAP applications such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud to propagate events and enable reactive business processes across enterprise landscapes. With the first version of the SAP Event Mesh service, SAP S/4HANA Cloud and the SAP BTP can act both as event sources to the SAP Event Mesh service. Applications built on the SAP BTP can act as consumers.
Finally, let us consider how the connection between the described SAP S/4HANA and SAP BTP components works. SAP Event Enablement communicates directly with the respective instance of the SAP Event Mesh service on the SAP BTP using a WebSocket connection.
Events are transported as the payload of Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) messages, and is a standardized protocol widely used in the Internet of Things.
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