Evolution SAP Process Integration 7.5 (AEX)
Until SAP Process Integration 7.1, the Adapter Engine was used to connect the Integration Engine ABAP to SAP systems or non SAP systems. Using the various adapters in the Adapter Engine, local processing in the Adapter Engine started as part of SAP PI 7.1, with the creation of the Advanced Adapter Engine (AAE). The AAE (Java) allows for end-to-end message processing without using the central ABAP-based pipeline of the Integration Server.
Further enhancements came with 7.1 EHP1 like:
- control based routing
- receiver split
- or proxy routing, etc.
With SAP PI 7.3, the first installation option that relies only on Java and not ABAP, is available. Additional features to close the gap with the dual-stack option were developed. This new option, called Advanced Adapter Engine Extended (AEX), has richer connectivity and routing capabilities.
The AEX installation option provides the connectivity capabilities of the AAE. The AEX provides the same design and configuration tools, Enterprise Services Repository (ESR) and the Integration Directory (ID), as the SAP PI Dual Stack installation. The ID installed with AEX contains the same subset of configuration options as that of the AAE, which is basically the integrated configuration. The AEX supports the mediation capabilities of the AAE. In version 7.3 EHP1, the completion of the IDoc Java Adapter and further enhancements of other adapters together with the possibility of installing AEX in the same Java Application Server as SAP Business Process Management and SAP Business Rules Management, created a full new solution called SAP Process Orchestration.
Version 7.4 makes it possible to use SAP HANA as a database with the same functionality as 7.3 EHP1 and in version 7.5, it is not possible to use dual stack PI. Despite this removal, most customers should already be using Java-only systems or in the process to moving.
Enterprise Services Bus (ESB)
Integration of Business Systems - Enterprise Service Bus
The Enterprise Services Bus (ESB) is an architectural style of integration that simplifies the communication between mutually interacting software applications in a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).
The figure, Point-to-Point Integration, shows the complex connection of systems. Each system is connected to at least one other system.
The Point-to-Point approach forms a spider web of application systems, which keeps growing exponentially as more systems are introduced into a system landscape. If a detail changes in one connection or one message, this detail must also be changed in all connected systems
In order to reduce the complexity and the associated administration effort, you can choose a Service Oriented Architecture. SOA is a design pattern that provides the functionality of an application as a service
SAP AEX acts as an ESB, and takes care of implementing the communication and interaction between the software components that participate in the exchange of data and interacting.
SAP AEX is at the heart of your SOA implementation strategy. The Advanced Adapter Engine Extended plays the role of a middleman, courier, and translator and facilitates the exchange of calls between different systems. Interface definitions are centrally stored in the Enterprise Service Repository (ESR).