The easy PI message mapping documentation service

Update: 2015 October this feature is not in the swing GUI anymore. Instead it is recommended to use the NWDS and export the mappings in it.

Exporting SAP PI/PO Message Mapping to Documentation

We are now approaching the documentation season. This is the time when projects go live, and all documentations have to be completed as a part of the handover. Creating documentation for a mapping is a rather boring process, but it is necessary to secure the customer can maintain their software or mapping.

I have do not believe in static documentations of mappings documented in a document. It is difficult to update it, when a change have to be made as fast as possible.  Either because the documentation is not delivered in an updatable fashion or the procedures not support the changes.

In integration projects the documentation is often done in two phases.

• In the blueprint the business defines an initial mapping of the documents. This is done in a simple mapping template.
• In the realization phase development is performed. In this phase the initial specification is used to create the mapping with the formats, which can be used in the involved systems. The initial documentation is then updated to reflect some of what has been performed in the mapping. This documentation does not provide a full overview of what is in the mapping, because of limited ways to present the mapping.

If a mapping documentation is required, then a technical documentation of the mapping should be performed. This is boring job to describe, each mapping step. This mapping will represent give a better overview of what is going on, but is a pain to keep updated.

Fortunately have I created a tool, which can create an Excel document from a message mapping. Simply save your mapping as an XMI file and upload it to the website, and you will get the documentation back. The mapping will create documentation like the following.

It is possible to make comments in the documentation, for each target mapping. It is possible to preserve the comments, and update the mapping. This is done by uploading the old documentation Excel sheet, together with the updated mapping.  The comments should now be in the new Excel sheet.