Planning Channel Availability

I get lot of questions from my integration colleagues about how they could start and stop the communication channel automatically at a given time of a day, So I decided of write a document to help others understand the great standard functionality in SAP PI called channel availability could be used to attain the automatic channel start stop .

When you can use this functionality?

• If you want to restrict availability for all affected communication channels
• If you want to stop lists of channels during public holidays and only allow the days when your business partner is working in the middle of the holidays.(Christmas time is a good example)

Path to communication channel availability planning is as follows:

There are time frequency (Once, Daily, Weekly, Monthly) for availability and will not allow you to change when you completed the configuration. Therefore make sure when you select the frequency you put some thought on this.

In this case I have selected “Once” just for demo purpose

Given a description with start date/time and End date/time. Make sure start date/time is in future and you scroll down you will find 2 sections (Scheduled Channel & Exemption Channel). The affected communication channel should be in Scheduled Channels section and the Channels you want to exclude from the configuration should be in Exemption Channel.

Make sure the control data for the communication channel is “Automatic”. If not use the button “Automatic Control” near “Stop” button to change the control data of the communication channel.

You notice the status of a communication channel is stopped which is the CC involved in the availability planning configuration. When the schedule time reaches the CC will automatically started and will be stopped at the end schedule time.