Upgrading SAP XI or SAP PI to SAP PO

[MarioDeFelipe]

Hello, my motivation to write this blog is to trow some light to open questions I have been facing in the last months, wrapping up all the answers I could find and experiences I gathered.

In order not to confuse, I will not use the term BPM (Business Process Management) and I will follow the same approach as William Li's document differentiating ccBPM for ABAP BPM and nwBPM for Java only BPM  NetWeaver BPM for System-to-System Message Orchestration (Including Migration of ccBPM to NW BPM)

• SAP XI is commonly known as NW 7.0/7.01


• SAP PI is also known as NW 7.1/7.11, NW 7.30/7.31, NW 7.4 and NW 7.5*


• SAP CE (Composition Environment), NW 7.1, NW 7.2, NW 7.3/7.31 and NW 7.4, its a product still existing as part of use case "building Composite Applications" of SAP NW, since the introduction of PO some of its functionality is overlapped with PO like nwBPM, others with SAP PI like ESR.


• SAP PO has been around since NW 7.31, NW 7.4 and NW 7.5 is not the same product as SAP PI, its a SAP PI (Java only) + additional features of SAP CE (nwBPM and BRM). SAP PO includes three main components that previously existed as separate entities: SAP PI (Java only), SAP Business Rules Management (SAP BRM), and SAP Business Process Management (SAP nwBPM). SAP PO provides enterprise service bus (ESB), process orchestration, and business-to-business integration capabilities. In PO 7.5, an SAP Cloud Platform Integration runtime engine has been added.


• SAP AEX, called Advanced Adapter Engine, its a PI Java only version, available since NW 7.31 onwards.

FACTS for an upgrade

1. SAP always encourages customers to have SAP PI/PO as the most recent release environment in each landscape, "it is a prerequisite that no other system in your system landscape has a higher release and enhancement package level than the PI system. If you want to upgrade or install an application in your system landscape, you first have to make sure that the current release and enhancement package level of the PI system is on the same level - if required, you have to upgrade the PI system first to the new or a higher release". However its recommended to review SAP note 1388258 and wiki page Version Interoperability Strategy.


2. PI 7.4 is the last dual stack PI version – support ends on 31/12/2020, in 7.5 you have to split the stacks ABAP and Java, you will have 2 systems with their own SIDs (however they can share the same server and DB, you will have to maintain them individually, like patching), for NW 7.5 support currently ends on 31/12/2024


3. Since SAP PI 7.11 version, the product included a more prominent java stack. This was called the Advanced Adapter Engine (AAE) with which you could choose to build an entire interface in the java stack. Not all types of connections and functionalities were supported at this point. For some scenarios, we still needed to use the ABAP stack, this is the case of Idoc adapter for instance. This changed since version 7.3


4. SAP PI 7.3 was released with a more productively equipped java stack: Advanced Adapter Engine Extended (AEX). This is a java-only enterprise service bus (ESB) that can pretty much cover all the functionalities of the dual stack, with huge gains in TCO and performance, except that the processes implemented using cross-component Business Process Management (ccBPM) in a dual stack aren't supported in Java-Only scenarios. The installation option Advanced Adapter Engine Extended (AEX) provides the connectivity capabilities of the Advanced Adapter Engine (AAE) as well as design and configuration tools (ES Repository and the Integration Directory).


5. Each version uses a different JVM (Java Virtual Machine). source SAP JVM Netweaver compatibility and Installation
   
   
   
   • SAP JVM 4.1 (JDK 1.4) NW 04, NW 7.0/7.01/7.02/7.03
   
   
   • SAP JVM 5.1 (JDK 1.5) NW 7.1
   
   
   • SAP JVM 6.1 (JDK 1.6) NW 7.2, 7.3/7.31, 7.4
   
   
   • SAP JVM 8.1 (JDK 1.8) NW 7.5
   
   
   • This is important to have into consideration for all the deployments done as part of the Java part of SAP PI, like Java mappings, custom built adapter modules or third party drivers.
   
   
   • Modules or adapters that you have developed for SAP NetWeaver 7.0 adapter framework, do not run in the Process Integration framework of SAP NetWeaver 7.5 PI. During the upgrade of the adapter framework, you have to replace them by appropriate versions for the SAP NetWeaver 7.5 PI adapter framework.
     If you cannot upgrade these modules or adapters, you may use a J2EE Adapter Engine of SAP NetWeaver 7.0 as a non-central Adapter Engine in your SAP NetWeaver 7.5 landscape. To do so, you have to move all scenarios containing these modules and adapters to a non-central Adapter Engine of SAP NetWeaver 7.0 before you upgrade the central PI system.
   
   
   
   


6. Terms SAP PI and Advanced Adapter Engine Extended (AEX) are sometimes referring to the same, where SAP PI is a dual stack system and SAP AEX is a SAP PI Java Only stack. Compared to a complete SAP NetWeaver PI installation (dual stack), AEX has some restrictions. SAP AEX (PI Java Only) can't use the following adapters, as they are based in IE, running on AS ABAP (and there is no ABAP component in SAP AEX) review SAP note 1573180;
   
   
   
   • IDoc (IE). Instead we can use the Java based adapter Idoc_AAE
   
   
   • HTTP (IE). Instead we can use http_AAE
   
   
   • XI. Instead we can use the Java based adapter for SOAP.
   
   
   • WS. Not supported with AEX
   
   
   • ccBPM, not supported in AEX, migration required for SAP PO if we intend to use Java-Only.
   
   
   
   


7. The ABAP stack isn't expected to be phased out soon and will continue to be supported, but all developments around SAP PO will be focused on the Java-only stack. Its recommended to move to single-stack, but not mandatory.


8. Since NW 7.5, SAP Composition Environment is not part of NW, but a separate component. Starting on this version, in the last 2 years, SAP talks about nwBPM as part of a PO system. By the way, we can still have SAP PI in 7.5 and SAP CE NW 7.4 as separate installations, the main downside is the network communication overhead between the BPM part (CE) and the PI part, and the increased hardware costs compared to all integrated SAP PO environment.


9. As of SAP NetWeaver 7.5, the support of SAP PI dual stack (ABAP/Java) has been discontinued. We still can have both components in SAP NW, but as a different installation, NW ABAP + NW Java (AEX) each one with its own SID. Instead of dual stack, SAP calls this "dual usage" type, SWPM installation has an ‘Application Server ABAP for SAP Process Integration’, followed by performing an installation of ‘Application Server Java for SAP Process Integration’, both running on separate system IDs, they can share the same server and the same DB if required. The AS Java uses the User Management Engine (UME) of the AS ABAP, this dependency is important to have in consideration in terms of isolating the enviroments. Java system cannot start without ABAP with such a configuration, but this can be isolated if required. During runtime, Advanced Adapter Engine (Java) and Integration Engine (ABAP) communicate with each other for classical scenarios.


10. ccBPM is still supported in NW 7.5 ABAP, we can upgrade from XI 7.0 SP14 dual stack onwards to NW 7.5 in a single movement. ccBPM logic cant be moved to nwBPM using any kind of tool (if required, a manual migration to nwBPM is required) and ABAP mapping logic that needs to be re-ingeneered to java mappings. SAP consultants that worked with ccBPM were aimed to have some ABAP workflow experience for the development, for nwBPM some Java development skills is required, the nwBPM flows are designed in NWDS. The performance improvement of nwBPM compared to ccBPM is considerable, and SAP has indicated that ccBPM support is aimed to dissapear in future ABAP releases.


11. Some customers still have volume-type licenses for SAP PI, you can still maintain this license type with SAP moving to AEX and dual stack. SAP mainly licenses NW PO in CPU-type licenses. visit upgrade-options-to-the-latest-process-integration-or-process-orchestration


12. We can't add nwBPM add-on to an existing dual stack scenario (NW 7.31/NW 7.4) this is not supported by SAP, no nwBPM can run on a dual stack system, we can install the add-on to a NW 7.31/7.4 AEX system (java only) this is supported by SAP, you will require a PO license for that.


13. SAP provide a migration tool that moves/converts the PI content that can be migrated from the PI dual stack system to the PI Java only (AEX or PO) system. The migration from classic adapters to new java-only adapters is limited to the following scenarios;
    
    
    
    • ABAP IDOC adapter is transformed to Java IDoc adapter
    
    
    • ABAP XI adapter is transformed to Java SOAP adapter with XI 3.0 message protocol
    
    
    • ABAP HTTP adapter is transformed to Java HTTP adapter
    
    
    • In latest release for NW 7.5, with Migrate to IFlow you decide whether the listed scenarios are migrated to integration flows (IFlows) (preselected option) or to integrated configurations (ICOs).
    
    
    • Available as of PI 7.3 SP9, 7.31 SP7, 7.4 SP2
    
    
    
    


14. An old good recommendation that whenever possible (in any version that supports ICOs or IFLOWs), even if you have dual stack scenario, stop Using ABAP in SAP PI systems for new integrations. ICOs are development objects that let us configure our flows to run on the AAE part (java only) of our NW enviroment. Sender/Receiver agreement or interface/receiver determinations are no longer necessary. iFlows are development configurations done from NWDS. iFlows are BPMN artifacts.


15. if you have EDI/B2B communications using SAP PI, either using a specialist EDI broker or have 3rd party EDI/B2B adapters for PI, in PO you can use out of the box B2B add-in that provides EDI/B2B functionality. More to read in this blog


16. Adapter Engine (Java SE) is a separate software unit and its still fully supported in newer versions like NW 7.5. It can be used only if customer has another SAP NetWeaver PI in the system landscape. Customers can use the Adapter Engine to connect to external systems using a limited set of adapters, File/FTP, JDBC, JMS and SOAP adapters. It can be installed in a non-SAP Java environment, but have at least a JDK 1.3 or higher. Therefore, SAP recommends to use the Adapter Engine (Java SE) only if the platform prerequisites do not allow to use the Advanced Adapter Engine.


17. Modules or adapters that you have developed for SAP NetWeaver 7.0 adapter framework, do not run in the Process Integration framework of SAP NetWeaver 7.5 PI because Java versions are different. During the upgrade of the adapter framework, you have to replace them by appropriate versions for the SAP NetWeaver 7.5 PI adapter framework. If you cannot upgrade these modules or adapters, you may use a J2EE Adapter Engine of SAP NetWeaver 7.0 as a non-central Adapter Engine in your SAP NetWeaver 7.5 landscape. To do so, you have to move all scenarios containing these modules and adapters to a non-central Adapter Engine of SAP NetWeaver 7.0 before you upgrade the central PI system.


18. Review frequently SAP note 1515223 - SAP Process Integration and SAP Process Orchestration: Release Recommendation
    
    
    
    • AEX and SAP PO support running on top of a HANA DB with release 7.40 SP4 on.
    
    
    • PI Dual Stack installation type is not supported on a HANA DB
    
    
    
    


19. Communication from nwBPM and SAP PI part is preferred to be done with SAP XI 3.0 protocol, as it guarantees message delivery and reliability, other protocols as WS protocol don't guarantee the delivery of quality of service.


20. It's not the aim to discuss here the benefits to move from PI to PO, as we stated, its a different product and can probably require different licenses, if you wish to discover the improvements, visit this blog, by the way, keep in mind not to confuse PO with Java-only PI (AEX)

UPGRADES

1. SAP PI 7.4 will be discontinued December 31st 2020 so it might better idea to upgrade to 7.5. However pay attention that 7.5 will require stack split (additional hardware and human effort maintenance might be needed) and the Java version 1.8 that NW 7.5 requires compared to Java 1.6 that NW 7.4 requires might push you to work on custom developed adapters. We will focus on migrating to NW 7.5 as an standard option below.


2. You are a customer running SAP XI 7.0/7.01, you got out of normal SAP Support December 31st 2017, although SAP released a new SP stack, its available as part of the extended maintenance. You must perform an upgrade ASAP. Below information is independent on running PI 7.1/7.11/7.3/7.31/7.4
   
   
   
   • You don't use ccBPM.
     
     
     
     • You can directly upgrade to PI 7.5 in one step if 7.0 is SP14 or higher. Classic scenarios need to be me migrated to Java-only versions, look for above information about "migration tool".
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • You use ccBPM
     
     
     
     • You migrate to SAP PI 7.5 (aka NW 7.5 Java-Only AEX) for all the PI part and split the ABAP part to a different NW 7.5 ABAP system for the ccBPM.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   


3. You run SAP CE
   
   
   
   • You must upgrade to SAP PI 7.5 and start using SAP ESR from SAP PI 7.5, transport the content from CE to PI using CMS of SAP NW DI
   
   
   • Last version of SAP supporting CE is NW 7.4, newer version is integrated into SAP PI AEX and SAP PO. All your SAP Composite applications can be developed in SAP PO.
   
   
   • Upgrade from SAP CE to SAP PO should be pretty straight ahead because SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment  and SAP NetWeaver 7.5 have the same usage type (product instance) structure.
   
   
   
   

 

Review these magnificent blogs and SAP notes if you plan an upgrade of your PI system.

https://blogs.sap.com/2012/11/19/moving-integration-directory-artifacts-from-dual-stack-to-single-st...
https://blogs.sap.com/2015/04/28/13-reasons-to-migrate-from-sap-pi-to-sap-po-and-intelligent-busines...

https://blogs.sap.com/2012/12/07/upgrade-options-to-the-latest-process-integration-or-process-orches...
https://archive.sap.com/documents/docs/DOC-28803
https://blogs.sap.com/2015/11/06/what-s-new-in-sap-process-orchestration-75-sp00/
1515223 - SAP Process Integration and SAP Process Orchestration: Release Recommendation