Many of us have encountered a major concern and frustration at the start of very first week of our new XI Project. It all starts after installation of the XI box. Once the Development Consultant hear this great news, he directly jumps into the XI box to start building the interfaces. Some of the basics which we largely unrealize are those missing configurations and system readiness.
Having been involved with few XI projects, I, as a Development Consultant have learned a number of important lessons. By adopting the lessons learned, I have been able to dramatically cut short few start-up errors in subsequent XI projects.
Out of my experience, I hereunder elaborate few steps which one can follow for a sound footing in any XI project.
1. Check with the XI Technology Consultant (BASIS) about the Post-Installation Configuration. After XI installation, few additional configurations are done. Without these configurations in place, development of interfaces will be a show-stopper.
2. As you are the owner moulding the whole integration process, recommend the latest Version and Service Pack Level for XI. You will enjoy the complete benefits and features. To know the Version and Patch Level, from the Integration Builder, choose Administration and take a look at Software Build Information. Also, in the XI system -> SAP Easy Access (Start-up Screen), choose System -> Status and look at the SAP_BASIS Component Information. This would help you to check whether the ABAP Stack and JAVA Stack have the same Version and Patch Level.
3. As the XI Integration Builder is a fat client which is based on Java, a Java Web Start is required in your system. Install the latest Java WebStart and ensure that the required settings are done. For more information on Java Web Start, refer this blog --> Java Web Start.
There might be other reasons where your Integration Builder does not open. Check whether the host file (C:WINDOWSsystem32driversetchosts.dat) contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Also, you can refer to this blog for deeper thoughts ->Unable to open IR/ESR/ID ? (XI/PI/PI 7.1) [Updated for PI 7.1 support]
4. At times, after you successfully open the Integration Builder, you get authorization errors while accessing Integration Respository and Integration Directory. Check whether the Repository of XI is pointing to the client which you have logged in. Also, check you are assigned with appropriate roles. Check this link for more information: All Roles
5. Login to your Runtime Workbench. Under the Component Monitoring, check the Adapter Engine Component. Communication Channel Monitoring Icon should be available. Inside Communication Channel Monitoring, check the Adapter Type. All adapters should be available in the drop down. If not, either the post installation steps are not complete or otherwise the SAP BASIS SWCV is not imported to the Integration Repository.
6. Check whether QUEUES are Registered. Queues enable all XML messages to be processed automatically. At times, during post installation, the QUEUES will be created but will miss out to register the same. Use transaction SXMB_ADM to Manage Queues. Refer these blogs for XI Asynchronous Message Processing: Understanding XI Queues -Part I and Registering Queues
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it gives a glimpse into the basic technical check that should be involved in the overall XI project. Consultants following such checks have the potential to reduce errors before starting their interface.
Remember, it is not possible to be error-free in the first iteration of your XI project. This document serves the purpose of a basic guideline, especially for starters. "HAPPY DEVELOPMENT".
