SAP ERP HCM and SuccessFactors Business Execution Integration – First Standardized Integration Package Supporting the Middleware Approach Available
While with the integration add-on 1.0 delivered in May this year, SAP and SuccessFactors supported customers with the file based integration approach, the next level of standardized and delivered integration has been achieved. On November 6, SAP shipped the second support package for the SUCCESSFACTORS HCM INTEGRATION add-on 1.0, containing the Web service for the data integration of employee and organizational data as well Web services for the bidirectional integration between SAP ERP HCM and SuccessFactors Compensation.
Support package 2 is the first package that allows for end-to-end process integration and that supports the middleware based integration approach, enabled by the SAP and SFSF standard integration delivery.
What do customers get more with the standard integration delivery?
With the integration delivery, SAP like for the file based integration in the past, takes care of the following:
- Delivered data extraction reports
- Field mapping for SAP and SuccessFactors fields
- Example coding for field value determinations
- Authorization roles to meet high security standards
- Error monitors
These pre-deliveries make it easy for customers to start their integration projects right away, and free of costs. There is no need to start those “from scratch”. Furthermore, customers can be sure to implement the integration on proven best practices. SAP and SuccessFactors build the integration scenarios continuously with the co-innovation customers and partners to offer tailored integration between SAP ERP HCM on-premise and SuccessFactors Business Execution.
Higher value with the middleware based integration approach
A lot of SAP customers already use today integration middleware to administer their interfaces and data flows between systems. With the increasing standard integration packages, more interfaces can be used right away, and the request from our customers to build middleware based integration has been listed to.
With the support package 2 customers get Web services and integration content delivered. Delivery thereby leverages SAP integration technology to offer the highest level of pre-delivery and with that adds an additional aspect to a shorter time-to-value. Customers now can administer the integration between SAP ERP HCM and SuccessFactors Business Execution in a more comfortable way.
Support package 2 has built the integration on SAP NetWeaver Process Integration, all delivered content fits this on-premise integration tool. Following the SAP integration technology strategy, it is planned to release the Web services based integration for SAP HANA Cloud Integration (previously also referred to as SAP NetWeaver Cloud Integration) as well, presumably in Q1 / 2013.
Where to download the software?
Customers interested in leveraging middleware for their integration set-ups and operations can download support package 2 at SAP Service Marketplace.
The detailed path then is: Support Packages and Patches -> Search for Support Packages and Patches, search for SUCCESSFACTORS HCM INTEGR 1.0.
Additional Information for Customers:
The corresponding administration guide can be found here: http://www.service.sap.com/~sapidb/012002523100008544122012E/SFI_AdminGuide_200.pdf
The SAP Service Marketplace contains as well additional information and documentation. You find these assets under SAP ERP Human Capital -> Media Library –> SuccessFactors Integration.
We plan a separate blog on the details about the compensation integration.
Great to see SAP stay on schedule with the integration and thanks for the update.
I would recommend that customers read The Real Truth about SAP and SuccessFactors Integration as "free of costs" is not exactly true as it only applies if customers ALREADY have NW PI set up and operational. Can you confirm that the "free of costs" will apply to the SAP HANA Cloud Integration option as well once it is released in Feb.
Hi Jarret,
thanks for commenting. Let me put some light onto the pricing.
Speaking on-premise integration tools, customers can use and license SAP NetWeaver Process Integration free of cost for SAP-to-SAP integration, including integration to SuccessFactors. With regards to SAP HANA Cloud integration (previously referred to as SAP Cloud Integration), pricing for SAP-to-SAP (incl. SFSF) integration is under consideration. Information will be passed on when we actually deliver planned HCM scenarios on SAP HANA Cloud Integration.
Hello Heike,
I have been Google'ing around looking to see if I can find any references to HCI being free for SuccessFactors + on-premise SAP HCM customers, as a replacement for the on-prem SAP PI free licensing you mentioned above.
Would you be able to confirm if HCI free licensing for SuccessFactors to SAP HCM packaged integrations ever came about?
Thanks for your time,
Graham
Hi Heike,
Thanks for informative weblog.
Couple of follow up questions -
1. What are the recommendations on middleware platforms for non SAP HCM customers planning to implement successfactors ? Is Boomi still the preferred one ?
2. Any plans to add successfactors connector/adapter/add on in SAP PI ? or SOAP adapter / webservices will be used in future too ?
3. Any plans to spin off a separate successfactors community/forum 🙂 ?
Regards,
Akhil
Hi Akhil,
ad 1) SAP delivers standard integration in SAP integration technology. This has happened already with the support pack 2 with pre-delivered content on SAP NetWeaver Process integration on-premise version. The other standard tool for the integration is under plan, as outlined we also plan to enable the integration including integration content on SAP HANA Cloud Integration. One important aspect to mention here is that our integration enables integration between SAP ERP HCM where from a traditional delivery perspective scenario oriented integration always has been delivered with the NW PI tool (SAP HANA Cloud integration then in future).The usage rate among installed based HCM customers is solid so we just continue to provide value delivering integration via this tool. This does not mean that customers who have chosen other integration tools (Boomi, webMethods,...) cannot use the integration; they only do not benefit from the pre-delivered integration content. Nevertheless we develop following standards, so our Web services can be used with other integration tools as well.
Ad 2) In the process integration we have enabled in support package 2 for the first selected scenarios (user data load into SFSF and compensation process integration), PI is the middleware the customers can use to feed data from SAP to SFSF and also the other way around; SAP and SuccessFactors have developed new Web services for these scenarios and continue to do.
Ad 3) With the "hybrid" between SAP ERP HCM and SFSF BizX what we describe is closely connected and relevant for HCM customers, so we decided to use the HCM space to describe our deliveries etc.
Hi Heike
I was surprised to see you mention "The usage rate of NW PI among installed based HCM customers is solid so we just continue to provide value delivering integration via this tool" as it was my understanding that ONLY ~40% of SAP HCM customers have NW PI and a lesser % actually installed. Can you confirm the % as the words "solid" loosely indicate a higher percentage. This is important topic because for customers that dont have NW PI will have to implement it or consider the SAP HANA Cloud Integration which is not yet released (Feb 2013) and licensing strategy in flux to be able to get the functionality mentioned above.
On a side I recently wrote this article and referenced your blog so thought I would share SAP and SuccessFactors - "Proven" Integration is Hype
Thanks in advance.
Jarret
Hi Jarret,
In the case where customers can use a variety of integration tools the perception of the SAP integration tool is a success story and continues to be one. What is driving the success, and that is really the point is that SAP delivers not only integration with the connectors, but also integration content with the tools. on a second side, no customer is forced to use SAP integration technology (SAP NetWeaver Process Integration or in future SAP HANA Cloud Integration). The strength for integration delivered with the SAP integration tools is that there is more in for customers what we can call "pre-packaged". we do not force customers to go with SAP tools, but content is a decision driver for tool choice.
Regards, Heike
Thanks Heiki for detailed response. Looking forward for more posts around Integration esp. for PI OnDemand, outbound processes from Successfactors. - publish subscribe etc.
Is there an updated link for the SFI_AdminGuide_200.pdf ? The link provided does not seem to work, and this document is not included in the HCM> Media Library (unless it has changed names).
Thank you
Hi Broderick.
Try this link
Document version: 2.10 – 2012-12-12
Thank you Vasiliy, that link is updated and works perfectly!