SAP S/4HANA Cloud Integration Strategies
1. SAP S/4HANA Cloud Integration
Imagine you could transform your applications from products to platform easily and connect to your digital core business – that would be awesome, right? That is why SAP is publishing remote APIs. SAP S/4HANA Cloud provides you APIs which enable you to integrate with other SAP Cloud, On-premise or 3-rd party solutions or build your Cloud apps on SAP Cloud Platform and connect them to your core business processes. SAP S/4HANA covers different type of APIs such as: web technology based APIs (OData, REST and SOAP), traditional SAP APIs (BAPIs and IDOCs) and CDS views which can be exposed as OData services.
Figure 1: The following screenshot shows the technologies.
We also provide you a pre-delivered end-to-end business process integration scenarios between SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP On-premise or SAP Cloud products such as SAP Ariba, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Fieldglass, Concur, SAP Hybris, SAP Cloud for Costumer, SAP Business Objects Cloud, SAP Financial Services Network and more. The Integration could be realized using public Application Programming interfaces (APIs) or SAP Cloud Platform Integration Middleware. The following figure shows the current up-to-date SAP-to-SAP pre-delivered integration scenarios.
Figure 2: SAP-to-SAP Integration for SAP S/4HANA Cloud
1.1. SAP S/4HANA Cloud APIs
Publicly released APIs
To explore SAP S/4HANA Cloud APIs which are based on web technologies like OData, REST or SOAP Web Services, please check out the available APIs under https://api.sap.com. You can use these APIs to integrate your SAP S/4HANA Cloud to other systems.
Figure 3: S/4HANA Cloud APIs Are Available on SAP API Business Hub
With 1705 release, we have published around 60-plus APIs with dozens of operations. For a detailed information, check out our SAP S/4HANA packages.
Figure 4: The following figure shows the current published SAP S/4HANA Cloud APIs
Curious how it works? Check out the following blog to Try-out S/4HANA Cloud APIs on the API Business Hub.
SAP traditional APIs
SAP S/4HANA Cloud also provides SAP traditional APIs such as BAPIs & IDOCs to enable integration between S/4HANA Cloud to other SAP on-premise solutions. In order to use the APIs, the connectivity between the S/4HANA Cloud system and the on-premise landscape need to be established and secured with the SAP Cloud Connector.
Released CDS views
CDS views could be exposed as OData services using the key user tools.
Here are the available tools:
- Use the custom CDS tool to create a new OData services
- To enable the services for external call please create a custom communication scenario
- Create a communication user with role and authorization
- User and communication scenarios are combined in the communication arrangement
Figure 5: The following screenshot shows how CDS views can be used
1.2. SAP S/4HANA Cloud for Two-Tier Scenarios
Why 2-Tier scenarios?
2-Tier scenario enables companies to simply improve subsidiary business processes which are separated from the headquarter. In some countries, the headquarter system requires certain business model. Therefore, companies are looking for a 2-Tier solution which is integrated to the headquarter system.
How does S/4HANA Cloud support you in 2-Tier scenarios?
Well, SAP S/4HANA Cloud is a SaaS product which provides flexible implementation providing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for a quick integration to a Headquarter system. See chapter 1 for available interface types. In addition to that, you can extend missing functionalities using SAP Cloud Platform (SCP) enabling different technologies like SCP, Integration Services to build your end to end Integration scenarios.
Figure 6: Integration path of 2-Tier scenarios
The following picture shows you how SAP S/4HANA Cloud for subsidiaries provide the flexibility required to improve your business agility.
Figure 7: 2-Tier end-to-end scenario
1.3. EDI Based Integration
EDI stands for Electronic Data Interchange and can be used to exchange business application documents with an external system for instance, a customer or vendor system. You can send and receive messages such as purchase orders outbound and Sales orders inbound. The following two examples show you how EDI integration in S/4HANA Cloud can be implemented.
Customer driven scenarios can be implemented based on SAP released APIs and you can leverage the SAP Cloud Platform Integration middleware to build your integration flows, mappings and security settings.
Figure 8: Custom driven EDI Integration and scope description
SAP ARIBA also deliver a predefined EDI formats based on ARIBA Cloud Integration Gateway powered by SAP Cloud Platform Integration.
Figure 9: Ariba delivered EDI integration
Stay tuned for more details on SAP S/4HANA Cloud Integration.
Hi Javit, Will The current published SAP S/4HANA Cloud APIs will be available and supported for the SAP S/4HANA 1705 on-premise as well ? Thanks, Ferry
Hi Ferry,
Only the S/4HANA Cloud Edition is shipped on a quarterly basis. The next S/4HANA on-premise shipment is in 1709. However, you can use the 1705 S/4HANA Cloud APIs to integrate with SAP S/4HANA on-premise.
Best,
-Javit
Hi,
Is there any option for customer to develop a customized API under S/4 HANA Cloud environment?
Hi Kah Choon,
The APIs itself need to be released from SAP, but you could also extend the public APIs with custom fields - the prerequisite is that the interface is extensible.
Hi Javit,
I must say this is a wonderful piece of information you have shared before i ask any question.
We are planning to connect our GRC systems to Employee Central (Success Factors) using HCI, Can you please give us any information related to the connectivity and integration of Success Factors and On Premise GRC Systems using HCI or API's you mentioned above.
Your Inputs are very valuable to us and will be highly appreciated!
Thanks
Surakshith
Hi Javit,
We have a packaged integration available to connect SuccessFactors to GRC.
Thanks,
Naresh
Hello Surakshith,
you can find said package in SAP Cloud Platform Integration by the Name of:
SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central to SAP Access Control Integration
Best regards,
Samir
Hi,
I am thinking about an intregration SAP ECC <-> S/4HANA Cloud. May you give me more information in regard to IDOCs.
Background of my question is to stay as far as possible in the standard. IDOC already has an existing error handling etc.
Regards
Martin
Hi Martin
All available IDOCs in S/4HANA Cloud for integration will be published with SAP Note 2506411
Please keep in mind that the released IDocs/ BAPIs require SAP Cloud Connector to enable the integration.
Kind regards,
-Javit
Hi Javit,
Can you please let me know what steps need to perform in SAP S4HANA Cloud 1705 to trigger the Outbound and Inbound IDOCS to EDI subsystem.
Thanks in Advance!
Hi Javit,
Thanks a lot for this informative and useful blog.
I am trying to connect SAP MII with S/4HANA Cloud. I have configured Cloud Connector.
Is there any documentation or link from where I can get more information about sending and receiving data to/from S/4HANA Cloud through traditional API e.g. BAPIs, RFCs etc.?
Or is there any API already released publicly for MII to S/4HANA Cloud integration?
Your help is appreciated.
Thanks and Regards
Khaleel
Hi Javit,
I am working on Tier-2 ERP Scenario in integration S/4Hana Cloud with our on-premise SAP ERP.
I have 4 questions refering to your Figure 8: Custom driven EDI Integration and scope description
What is the difference between them and which one should I used in order to generate Supplier Invoice in S/4Hana Cloud from the Billing generated in our on-premise SAP ERP?
Thanks.
Hi Javit,
if we are using S4 HANA Cloud Public API for integration without CPI, is there any central monitoring infrastructure for API calls at run time? Also, do you see SAP API Management as an optional component here for managing APIs..
Thanks.
Hi Javit, I have been asked a question from our tech team if the white listed APIs allow User Exits. Unfortunately I do not have additional details. It may be implied how BAdIs are used through Expert Configuration or thru Side by side extensibility.
Hi Javit ,
We are planning to implement Concur cloud solution in our landscape , and want to connect it into GRC Access Control , Any idea when the SAP Standard Connector would be delivered .
Thanks ,
Jaya
Hi Javit ,
We are trying to integrate both S4HANA Public Cloud <> Onprem S4HANA .
I can see so many blogs related APIs and Communication Arrangements but i am not clear with calling services in on premise .
1.After communication arrangement Activated -> how to call the Cloud service into On premise like BAPI ( can you please provide sample code )
2. How to configure IDocs with in S4HANACloud ( like ALE configuration )
Hi Javit Gellaw
I am very new to this. Could you please confirm whether my below assumption is correct?
The API's are meant for integrating S/4HANA Cloud solution with other SAP products (Cloud or On-premise) and 3rd party products. For S/4 HANA on-premise version, we don't have such API's, and the external system has to use other methods like OData service to communicate with them.
Thanks,
Johann
Hi Javit,
Wonderful piece of information.
Just a quick question. So lets say we integrate S/4Hana Cloud with Microsoft Office. Then do we do so using Third Party APIs?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Krishna,
your assumption is correct. If your desired API for S/4HANA Cloud is published - for instance on API Business Hub, you can consume them and start your integration with the third party system.
Cheers