Legacy adapter family for SAP NetWeaver®

Overview

Within the framework of the NetWeaver technology, SAP® offers the option of integrating external or third-party systems simply and efficiently into the business processes of a system through the SAP® XI Exchange Infrastructure 3.0 (XI). To do this, SAP's® XI Adapter Framework provides a standardized interface making it possible for third-party suppliers to integrate existing applications and data resources into the SAP® world through so-called XI adapters. The conformity of an adapter with the SAP® standard can be ensured by certification by SAP®. This guarantees for the customer that XI adapter implemented by a third-party supplier can still be operated in the SAP® environment with no problems.

Consist Software Solutions offers in cooperation with Mummert Consulting AG an SAP® XI adapter for the integration of third-party systems using the Attunity Connect product family.

SAP® XI Adapter Framework

The SAP® XI Adapter Framework is based on the Java/J2EE Connector Architecture (JCA) developed by Sun Microsystems. This was extended by SAP® on the one hand with the requirements of a message-based data exchange, and on the other with the specifics of the SAP® XI technology. Basically, the following two integration scenarios are supported:

• Outbound
  synchronous or asynchronous access from SAP® XI to external systems
• Inbound
  The external system independently sends data/messages to SAP® XI

Moreover, there are different levels of "quality of service" defined for data exchange (e.g. "BestEffort"). The options for support of the different processing scenarios by an adapter are primarily determined by the functionality of the target system to be integrated. For example, not all systems are capable in themselves of actively generating notifications.

Besides pure data exchange functionality of an adapter, the SAP® XI Adapter Framework defines a series of requirements that an adapter must fulfill for smooth operation and support by SAP®. These are primarily:

• a standardized installation using SAP® SDA archive files
• configuration through the central SAP® System Landscape Directory (SLD)
• integration into the administration and monitoring tools of SAP® XI (logging, adapter monitoring, start and stop, and so on).

SAP® XI Attunity Connect Adapter by Consist Software Solutions

The SAP® XI Attunity Connect Adapter provides the following basic functionalities for the integration of Attunity Connect-based products:

• Integration scenario: Outbound BestEffort
• Configuration, logging, and monitoring 

 

®SAP and SAP NetWeaver® are registered trademarks of SAP AG.