Listing Options for Navigating the ESR

The figure, SAP PI Tools Relationship, gives an overview of the association between three important levels: User, Eclipse-based (SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio (NWDS)) PI Tools and the PI Landscape.

SAP Process Integration Tools Configuration

In the Unit SAP Process Integration Architecture, you learned how to connect NWDS to your PI JAVA system. The SAP PI Tools configuration provides the connectivity necessary with the Application Server for Java (AS Java) for creating, configuring, and deploying iFlows (this will be covered later in the course) and repository objects. When connected to the AS Java, the following four perspectives exist with which the different development activities are performed:

• SAP PI Administration Perspective

  Two types of objects can be created from this perspective: iFlows and communication components (systems). This perspective is also used to deploy iFlows after they have been created.

• SAP PI Runtime Perspective

  This perspective provides a detailed overview of all runtime-related activities for iFlows. In addition, this perspective allows the status of each iFlow to be retrieved and monitored.

• ESR Perspective

  This perspective allows you to create repository-related objects, such as inter- face objects, mapping objects, and namespaces. It supports the import of Software Component Versions (SWCVs) that have been created in the SLD. Most functions that can be performed by the Enterprise Service Builder (ESB) are supported.

• SAP PI Designer Perspective

  This perspective makes it possible to work with the repository and directory objectives concurrently. When in this perspective, you can switch to the PI Explorer tab to create iFlows or switch to the ESB tab to create repository objects.

The figure shows a screenshot of the ESR browser in SAP NWDS 7.5.

SAP NWDS 7.5 offers you the possibility to create, modify, delete, import, export and transport objects in the Enterprise Services Repository.

Before you can start working with objects, you have to import the Software Components (SC) from the SLD into the ES Repository (see exercise: Import Software Components into the Enterprise Service Repository (ESR) and Create a Namespace). You also have the option to create repository objects for testing purposes under a local SWCV. Local SCs don't depend on data from the SLD and so don't need to import anything from the SLD. Regular and local SCs are the virtual container in which you will store the repository objects, you will be building during design time in SAP Process Orchestration.

Importing and Exporting Design Objects, allows you to import or export SWCVs with all depending objects.

The ESR offers you also the possibility to import Data Types, External Definition, IDocs and RFCs and to assign it to a certain SWCV.

Prerequisites

Before you can load IDocs and RFCs into the ESR underneath a certain SWCV, you have to maintain the Properties → R/3 Info for your SWCV.

As an alternative it's possible with SAP NWDS 7.5 SP21 to use an RFC Destination you have already created in the NetWeaver Administrator tool, or to create a new destination. For this choose the link Create Destination.

Once the prerequisites are fulfilled, you will be able to import IDocs and RFCs from the connected SAP System into your SWCV.

To search for objects that you have created, use the Search functionality in the ESR perspective.

The search functionality in SAP NWDS offers you a broad possibility to search. You can not only search for ESR objects, but also for Files, Tasks, Development Components (DC), Java, Rules, etc.

The figure ESR Search shows the search posibilities inside the SAP NWDS. To search for Enterprise Services Repository objects, use the tab ESR Search. To narrow your search, select the Category and the Type from the Object Type area as well as the Context, Version or Language from the Software Component Version.

The figure Search Page Selection offers you the possibility to select the pages you want to see in the search. Use the Customize button in the Search window to modify the accessible tabs .

In the Enterprise Services Repository (ESR) perspective in NWDS, you subscribe to an interface object if you want to receive emails of changes made to the object. You receive notifications when an interface object is modified or deleted. For service interfaces, you can also choose to receive notifications when you classify or publish a service interface.

Perform the following steps to subscribe to notifications in the context menu of an interface object:

1. Choose Manage Subscription.

   The New Subscription dialog box appears.

2. In the Notification Event section, select the events for which you want to receive notifications.
3. To receive an email notification, specify a valid email address.
4. Choose OK.

Perform the following steps to unsubscribe to notifications in the properties part of an interface object:

1. In the properties part of your interface in SAP NWDS open the My Subscriptions tab.
2. Use the right mouse button for the interface you want to unsubscribe.
3. Choose Unsubscribe from the context menu.
4. Confirm the pop-up.