Walking around SAP TechEd & d-code 2014 – Las Vegas: Day 2
This blog is a personal professional editorial of information captured during the SAP TechEd and d-code.
main Tracks followed:
Technology, Strategy and Innovations
Cloud Integration, Orchestration, and Intelligent Processes
Day 2
Key Note with Björn Goerke
In comparison to day 1 key note, Björn Goerke went into a more details presentation on the the innovation around SAP Hana Cloud integration and gearing up to the new “Internet of Things”.
Watch the full keynote here:
SAP Executive Keynote: Björn Goerke | SAP TechEd && d-code
Integration and Orchestration Overview
Is no surprise that hybrid landscapes produce new challenges enterprise architecture practices. We visited an introductory session on the strategy of the SAP offerings in the area of integration and orchestration. The strategic approach of a single point of integration, as visualized during the initial SOA architecture days is long gone. We must accept a multiple integration technologies must co-exist in modern and hybrid landscape.
SAP solutions or tool-set to deal with integration is very clear that could, and in many cases must, co-exist in enterprise landscapes; this products are:
- SAP Process Orchestration
- On-Premise integration and process orchestration middle-ware
- SAP Gateway
- Technology Add-on to expose business services and in a small footprint, to produce device oriented applications
- SAP Data Services
- Data transport and synchronization technology to move and transform data at the persistency layer of landscapes
- SAP Hana Cloud Integration HCI
- Integration framework supporting orchestration,transaction, data and messaging services, for cloud and hybrid environments
SAP challenge is to prove all this technologies can co-exist without an excessive cost of ownership and delivery effort. So far the reduction of the footprint of each technology, plus the re-usability capabilities between SAP PO and HCI seem to be a solid start for achieving a low TCO of the hybrid landscape.
We must not forget that other technologies as MII (Manufacturing Integration Infrastructure), SAP FSN (Financial Service Network) or other VANs, Cloud and on-premise third party solutions, can also be factor in controlling the integration TCO.
The reaction, from the participants in the session I would qualify as rational en emphatic. There is a common understating and acceptance about the solution presented, to be a rational approach to manage the complexity of hybrid environment which already exist.
Development with SAP Hana XS
I decide to sneak in to a hands-on session on development of native application with SAP Hana XS. SAP Hana technology, running on cloud or on-premise, offers a complete simplified framework to developing application. It is looking good, and you can see the excitement of developer now that the potential is started to sink-in.
The development paradigm follow standard software engineering approach, leveraging over standard ITIL practices as version management, and development collaboration over a single repository.
The tools for development include web-based workbench and a eclipse based Hana Studio, which complement each other in areas as wizards, debug and development tools. The evolution of both tools is bi-directional, meaning that value adding functionality or accelerators developed in the web or Hana studio workbenches, will be ported to the counterpart solution.
SAP Hana XS engine is and integrated application server over Hana technology. The application developed over it take advantage of the performance and functionality offered by the Hana technology. The application development language HTML5 and the Javascript framework provided by SAP UI.
Running XS application over Hana has a very small footprint and overhead. These small overhead is already factored in the sizing tools used by hardware provider or SAP advisory for your Hana environment.
The XS Engines opens, a fantastic opportunity for developer and start-ups to produce new age, high performance on-memory application.
Integration Solution Advisory Methodology (ISA-M)
SAP has internally implemented a Methodology for govern and advise over the new architecture paradigm that cloud and mobile bring into the Integration landscape.
ISA-M is an extension to SAP Enterprise Architecture Framework, following TOGAF methodology.
It is very satisfactory that SAP has released the methodology they use internally, as a best practice to be used by enterprise and integration architects govern the mobile, cloud, integration and orchestration solution, hybrid landscape require.
Regardless of the type of integration, B2B, A2A, SOA, BPM, on-premise or cloud; architects must be prepared to provide advice over the technology to use.
It has categorized integration to three styles: Process Invocations, Data Movement and User-Centric Consumption.
This methodology is more important as integration now now composed also Data Warehouse integration and Data Quality, as Machine-2-Machine integration expands its reach in enterprise landscapes.
You can write to mailto:matthias.allgaier@sap.com to join SAP integration architecture community, and have access to the ISA-M template.
The Internet of Things and your Professional Career
As the Internet of Things predicts increasing Machine-2-Machine interaction, future solution will be composed of sensors, data modules, servers and application technology interacting with the Internet in between them.
Under this evolution Software development as an even higher significance over the business execution. Software will be driving business, and the challenge will be to find technology developers who also understand the machines their software will interact with.
As software advisers, developers and technology consultants we need to be included in the business decisions side.
We need to branch out from our specialized expertise, with the mentality of “What would be an alternative to achieve the same solution with a different approach or technology”.
At last we also need to be more aware of Laws and Regulation. As technology expert we will be to understand and asses the real impact of regulation over key technology topics as privacy, social and security. We need to be ready to participate and collaboration with law makers.
B2B and Partner Management
The challenges in B2B integration have not changed over the last 20 years. We still deal with several approaches and standards addressing B2B scenarios.
Legacy technologies, which were at some point though to be on the way out, are still existent and used widely.
Therefore the challenge to manage both legacy and modern integration technology will remain with us. SAP B2B add-on is aimed to produce tool to address the challenges using SAP Process orchestration as the unique on-premise B2B solution for legacy EDI and modern SOA interfaces.
SAP B2B add-on has been publicly available for over a year; most recently SAP changed its licensing policy in order to include the add-on as part of the Process Orchestration License.
In the latest released innovation to manage Mass Partner integration has been included as the Trading Partner Manager cockpit. This web based application if meant to simplify the roll-out, documentation and configuration of B2B partners.
SAP is continuously improve the functionality around the B2B tool-set.
The near future innovation to be released to public include.
- EDI advance monitoring
- Mass on-boarding of B2B partners
- Integration Advisory service
- Operational Process Intelligence
- B2B for Hana Cloud Integration
Day 1
Walking around SAP TechEd & d-code 2014 – Las Vegas: Day 1