SAP PO (Process Integration/Orchestration) is a tool that integrates various solutions. The tool’s function is to synchronize data between two different systems. If you’re using the SAP ERP system and you want to integrate with a CRM then you can use SAP PO. It allows users to integrate with different platforms quite easily. It also allows you to maintain all the connections within one place.

What Is SAP PO/PI?

SAP process integration or process orchestration is an application integration middleware. Provided by SAP, it’s a component of the SAP Netweaver group of products. It facilitates integration between SAP and other external systems.

The first of the SAP integration applications was called XI, which stood for Exchange Infrastructure. The other change to the system was the foundation of SAP PI (process integration). The latest iteration of this change is PO (Process Orchestration).

SAP PO Functionality

SAP PO has the capabilities which integrate a lot of SAP applications with legacy systems and apps. This allows the integration of SAP with other SAP or non-SAP systems. This helps to facilitate a lot of communication and synchronization between companies. It also allows the building and execution of both A2A and B2B interfaces. These are both synchronous and asynchronous communication techniques.

More importantly, it acts as a hub for organizations to build and integration interfaces. It also allows for the monitoring of heterogeneous systems.

Main Functions

Connectivity: You can connect systems through SAP PO with multiple protocols include sFTP, AS2 SOAP, HTTP, etc.

Routing: You can route messages between a lot of systems. PO can route messages from a single sender system to one or more receivers. This is based on business process rules and technical routing rules. Hence, you can get messages out to multiple sources with one click.

Transformation: You can transform or map message formats between a sender and its different target systems.

Provision of Runtime Environments: SAP PO allows a runtime environment for the exchange of messages between systems. It also allows interface monitoring.

Integration Workflows: SAP PO allows for the executions of integration workflows through a series of steps. This includes purchase orders and process integration with approval actions.

Advantages of SAP PO over Non-SAP Middleware

Seamless Integration

A major advantage of SAP PO is the implementation of interfaces using SAP. It’s easier than anything else that you pair it with. The SAP integration technologies being used here like Intermediate Document (ALE/iDoc) framework are seamlessly integrated with the PO. Others include BAPI (Business Application Programming Interface) and Remote Function Calls (RFC).

Adapters

SAP PO provides a huge set of adapters that can integrate heterogeneous systems across the landscape. For instance, RFC, HTTP, Java, Database Connectivity (JDBC), FTP, Mail, iDoc, etc are all included in SAP PO. Others include the Java Message Service (JMS) Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), and RosettaNet Implementation Framework (RNIF).

Simplicity

SAP PO includes Integrated Development Environments. These include Eclipse Based NetWeaver Development Studio. Or Jawa Swing based IDE. Interface developers can build end-to-end integration scenarios through these types of environments.

End-to-end integrations are also called Integration Flows (iFlow). These can be built with a user-friendly graphical interface of Eclipse NWDS. iFlows also employs standard NW BPM notation. This makes the development effort a lot more effective and the development interface a lot more user-friendly.

Central Interface of Monitoring Capabilities

This is the ability to monitor a lot of interfaces centrally. It’s one of the major advantages of SAP PO. The message monitor of SAP PO allows that each step of the interface run time pipeline is monitored. This includes the state that the message is in when it was transferred from the sender system. The monitoring goes on until the message is received by the target.

The message monitor can be customized so that it logs information, warnings, errors, etc of the interface run time steps. This can be customized for all points including the adapter, the routing determination, the XML validation, and the receiver adapter.

Learning SAP PO

As with all other software fields, you need to be an expert in very specific areas. This is what makes one an expert. Hence, you need to know how SAP tools work, for which you need SAP training. This includes a fundamental understanding of the concepts of SAP.

The second step after the necessary training is experimentation. Knowledge which is put in to practice has to be experimented with. You don’t just need to try with things that have already been done, but innovate. You need to experiment with your ideas and expertise.

Next is the implementation stage, which is the final step. This is where you begin to work on real-world solutions from beginning to end.

Which Aspects Should You Master?

The aspects that you need to master to become an SAP PO developer include the following:

System Landscape Directory

Before developing anything you need to achieve a mastery of certain areas of SAP. First, you will need to gain a solid footing in the world of System Landscape Directory. All the components here need to be registered. This is where you will create and define the Software Component Version which is to be used in development work.

You will need to know what kind of systems and applications exist in your landscape. You will need to know how they relate to one another. You will need to know about Business and Technical Systems and Products. In essence, you will need to know about the Landscape Directory like the back of your hand.

Enterprise Service Repository

This contains a lot of components that are imported from the SLD. This is where Namespaces need to be created. This is where you can place development. Namespaces can either be HTTP or URN. These two types provide a method that can easily separate namespaces that were created. This way, you can make sure that the development work that is done for different scenarios is placed differently.

Mastering SAP PO isn’t easy, but it will allow you to become a first-rate developer.