SAP Process Integration (PI), also known as SAP Process Orchestration (PO) when combined with additional components, has long been the cornerstone middleware for integrating SAP and non-SAP systems in on-premise landscapes. With the growing shift to cloud-based solutions like SAP Cloud Platform Integration (CPI), understanding the fundamentals of PI and its integration engine artifacts remains critical. These artifacts form the backbone of message routing, transformation, and connectivity in SAP integration scenarios.
This article provides an overview of working with PI, focusing on integration engine artifacts, and explores their relevance and evolution within the SAP Cloud Platform ecosystem.
SAP PI is an on-premise middleware platform designed to enable seamless integration of heterogeneous systems through a centralized integration engine. It supports message transformation, routing, and protocol conversion.
In SAP PI, the Integration Engine processes messages based on configuration and artifacts created in the Enterprise Services Repository (ESR) and Integration Directory (ID).
Integration Engine artifacts define how messages are handled, transformed, and routed across systems. Key artifacts include:
Defines an end-to-end integration process including sender, receiver, and business process context.
Configure communication protocols, message formats, and transport methods for inbound and outbound messages.
The ICO connects the sender and receiver systems, defines routing rules, and specifies processing steps like message mapping.
Transforms data from sender format to receiver format using graphical or XSLT mappings.
Defines the conversion between different operations, such as converting between synchronous and asynchronous calls.
Adapters handle different protocols (e.g., SOAP, IDoc, RFC, JDBC) and ensure message transport compatibility.
When a message arrives at the Integration Engine:
While PI is predominantly on-premise, SAP Cloud Platform Integration (CPI) is cloud-native, yet conceptually similar:
| Aspect | SAP PI | SAP CPI |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | On-premise or private cloud | Public cloud (SAP BTP Cloud Foundry or Neo) |
| Artifact Management | ESR and Integration Directory | Web UI and Design Time tools |
| Development | Eclipse-based tooling or SAP GUI | Web-based modeling and script-based mapping |
| Adapters | Multiple pre-built adapters | Pre-packaged adapters + open APIs |
| Extensibility | Limited custom extensions | Supports Groovy, JavaScript, and Java extensions |
| Message Processing | Integration Engine with synchronous/asynchronous modes | Cloud-native message processing with advanced error handling |
In the evolution toward cloud integration, many PI concepts are mirrored in SAP CPI with artifacts such as:
Understanding PI artifacts facilitates smoother migration and hybrid integration between on-premise PI and cloud CPI environments.
SAP Process Integration and its Integration Engine artifacts remain foundational in the SAP integration landscape. Mastering these artifacts ensures effective message routing, transformation, and system connectivity. As enterprises transition to SAP Cloud Platform Integration, familiarity with PI artifacts helps bridge on-premise and cloud integration strategies, driving seamless hybrid integration scenarios.