Last updated: June 11, 2019
This blog provides you background information on the topic of Integration in the context of SAP Readiness Check and recommends you follow-up activities, additional resources and services.
With SAP S/4HANA, SAP has rebuilt the complete solution to be ready for demands of modern business processes and the digitization. In the process, SAP has simplified the existing business solution and integrated innovations. This has severe impact on the existing integration setup of customers. When customers transition to SAP S/4HANA, they need to adjust their current integration scenarios to be ready for the new solution. SAP provides services and tools to support our customers in this journey and ensure the successful completion of the transition.
With Readiness Check 2.0, we provide our customers with a first indication of the impact the S/4HANA transition will have on the current integration setup. The checks cover the integration technologies BW extractors and IDoc.
For the BW extractors part, we identify all data sources running in the analyzed system. The discovered objects are afterwards compared to the list of BW extractors which are impacted by the SAP S/4HANA transition. The set of impacted data sources is available in SAP Note 2500202 (S4TWL - BW Extractors in SAP S/4HANA). The extractors are grouped into four different categories:
The data source is working under SAP S/4HANA.
The data source is available with SAP S/4HANA but works with noteworthy restrictions, f.e. not all fields are available.
For SAP S/4HANA, the extractor is no longer relevant.
All data sources in this category are not working under SAP S/4HANA.
More information for each category is available when navigating into the result details. There are subcategories explaining the impact of the transition on the extractors in more detail and the Simplification Item related to the data source, if available.
In the IDoc area, we discover all customized ALE distribution models and combine the data with the runtime information available in the analyzed system. The discovered IDoc integration scenarios are categorized into:
ALE distribution model is available for the interface.
The integration scenario is customized, and runtime data is available.
While there is customizing information available, no runtime data was extracted for the IDoc interface.
The sum of active and inactive IDoc integration scenarios is displayed in the SAP Readiness Check 2.0 result.
In case you are wondering about the amount of IDoc interfaces retrieved, we are defining an interface as the technical instance characterized by sender and receiver system as well as the attributes (like Message Type or Extension).
In addition, the extracted interfaces are compared against the SAP S/4HANA RFC-enabled Function Module Blacklist. This list contains remote-enabled function modules which will generate a system dump when called in SAP S/4HANA. The caller program extracted for each interface from the analyzed system is used for the comparison. You can find more information about the blacklist in SAP Note 2416705 (Outbound / Inbound calls from external to RFC FM are blocked when the FM is blacklisted using Blacklist Object). In the result overview, you can see the share of blacklisted interfaces.
When navigating into the details, you can find the distribution of blacklisted integration scenarios across the application component. For each blacklisted interface, the name and caller program are displayed.
It is important to mention that interfaces using customer-specific caller programs (like Z*, Y* and other customer namespaces) will not appear in the SAP standard blacklist.
With the scope of checks for Integration described, you should consider that there are other interface technologies which are not covered by SAP Readiness Check 2.0. The integration scenarios based on these technologies must be analyzed as well.
While analyzing the current integration landscape, it is SAP Best Practice to build-up a central integration repository documenting all available scenarios in the system landscape. The interface information discovered can be used to kickstart the creation of the repository.
The result of Readiness Check provides you a starting point for the integration transition process for SAP S/4HANA. After the impacted interfaces are identified, technical designs must be created for each scenario to describe how it will be transitioned to SAP S/4HANA. With the design available, the interface implementation on SAP S/4HANA can be started.
There are services available to support you in the transition of integration scenarios to SAP S/4HANA. With the Integration Assessment, SAP offers a service to explain the concept and approach of the transition. It includes the demonstration of available tools and resources as well as empowerment of the project team to continue with the process. During an onsite workshop, the build-up of the integration repository will be started, and a set of prioritized interfaces are analyzed on the impact the SAP S/4HANA transition will have on them. The available tools include:
Use the information customized in the ESR of SAP PI/PO and import it into the Integration Repository.
The excel template provides a generic way to mass-import integration scenarios into the Integration Repository.
With Interface Discovery, we are offering the possibility to extract interface information from your business systems and import it into Integration Repository.
You can find more information regarding the service and tool offering in the Additional Information section.
One Page for Integration Assessment
Overview Presentation of Integration Assessment
This blog provides you background information on the topic of Integration in the context of SAP Readiness Check and recommends you follow-up activities, additional resources and services.
General remarks regarding Integration
With SAP S/4HANA, SAP has rebuilt the complete solution to be ready for demands of modern business processes and the digitization. In the process, SAP has simplified the existing business solution and integrated innovations. This has severe impact on the existing integration setup of customers. When customers transition to SAP S/4HANA, they need to adjust their current integration scenarios to be ready for the new solution. SAP provides services and tools to support our customers in this journey and ensure the successful completion of the transition.
Which analysis is done by SAP Readiness Check 2.0 and what are recommended additional steps and considerations?
With Readiness Check 2.0, we provide our customers with a first indication of the impact the S/4HANA transition will have on the current integration setup. The checks cover the integration technologies BW extractors and IDoc.
For the BW extractors part, we identify all data sources running in the analyzed system. The discovered objects are afterwards compared to the list of BW extractors which are impacted by the SAP S/4HANA transition. The set of impacted data sources is available in SAP Note 2500202 (S4TWL - BW Extractors in SAP S/4HANA). The extractors are grouped into four different categories:
- Working
The data source is working under SAP S/4HANA.
- Working with Restrictions
The data source is available with SAP S/4HANA but works with noteworthy restrictions, f.e. not all fields are available.
- Obsolete
For SAP S/4HANA, the extractor is no longer relevant.
- Not Working
All data sources in this category are not working under SAP S/4HANA.
More information for each category is available when navigating into the result details. There are subcategories explaining the impact of the transition on the extractors in more detail and the Simplification Item related to the data source, if available.
In the IDoc area, we discover all customized ALE distribution models and combine the data with the runtime information available in the analyzed system. The discovered IDoc integration scenarios are categorized into:
- Customized
ALE distribution model is available for the interface.
- Active
The integration scenario is customized, and runtime data is available.
- Inactive
While there is customizing information available, no runtime data was extracted for the IDoc interface.
The sum of active and inactive IDoc integration scenarios is displayed in the SAP Readiness Check 2.0 result.
In case you are wondering about the amount of IDoc interfaces retrieved, we are defining an interface as the technical instance characterized by sender and receiver system as well as the attributes (like Message Type or Extension).
In addition, the extracted interfaces are compared against the SAP S/4HANA RFC-enabled Function Module Blacklist. This list contains remote-enabled function modules which will generate a system dump when called in SAP S/4HANA. The caller program extracted for each interface from the analyzed system is used for the comparison. You can find more information about the blacklist in SAP Note 2416705 (Outbound / Inbound calls from external to RFC FM are blocked when the FM is blacklisted using Blacklist Object). In the result overview, you can see the share of blacklisted interfaces.
When navigating into the details, you can find the distribution of blacklisted integration scenarios across the application component. For each blacklisted interface, the name and caller program are displayed.
It is important to mention that interfaces using customer-specific caller programs (like Z*, Y* and other customer namespaces) will not appear in the SAP standard blacklist.
With the scope of checks for Integration described, you should consider that there are other interface technologies which are not covered by SAP Readiness Check 2.0. The integration scenarios based on these technologies must be analyzed as well.
While analyzing the current integration landscape, it is SAP Best Practice to build-up a central integration repository documenting all available scenarios in the system landscape. The interface information discovered can be used to kickstart the creation of the repository.
The result of Readiness Check provides you a starting point for the integration transition process for SAP S/4HANA. After the impacted interfaces are identified, technical designs must be created for each scenario to describe how it will be transitioned to SAP S/4HANA. With the design available, the interface implementation on SAP S/4HANA can be started.
Which services and tools does SAP offer to support you?
There are services available to support you in the transition of integration scenarios to SAP S/4HANA. With the Integration Assessment, SAP offers a service to explain the concept and approach of the transition. It includes the demonstration of available tools and resources as well as empowerment of the project team to continue with the process. During an onsite workshop, the build-up of the integration repository will be started, and a set of prioritized interfaces are analyzed on the impact the SAP S/4HANA transition will have on them. The available tools include:
- SAP Process Integration / Process Orchestration Enterprise Service Repository Integration
Use the information customized in the ESR of SAP PI/PO and import it into the Integration Repository.
- Generic Excel Template
The excel template provides a generic way to mass-import integration scenarios into the Integration Repository.
- Interface Discovery for IDoc and qRFC
With Interface Discovery, we are offering the possibility to extract interface information from your business systems and import it into Integration Repository.
You can find more information regarding the service and tool offering in the Additional Information section.
Additional Information
One Page for Integration Assessment
Overview Presentation of Integration Assessment
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