About SAP XI

Question

Hello ,
            We have so many technologies for integration like BDC,LSMW,ALE. Then why we have to go for SAP XI. Can any one give some clarification.
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Hi
XI exchange Infrastructure?
This is a middleware used to establish communication betweesn two Systems in a Hetrogeneous IT LandScape.Using XI communication(Exchange of messeges) between SAP-SAP, SAP-NonSAP, NonSAP-NonSAp, Systems can be done.
XI Understand only XML messeges.The input message coming form source System will get converted into XML (with the help of different adapters(communication channels )avaolable in XI)and the XML message will get into XI Integration engine.Now at the reciever side the XI will through an XML message as an output and again with the help of suitable adapter the XML message will be converted according to the reciever System format.
XI Infracture mainly has :
(1)Integration Repository
Where all the desigen of objects (EX. Data Type,Message Type,Message Interface,Message Mapping,Interface Mapping)is done to provide structure and direction to the Messages.
(2)Integration Directory
This contains all the configuration part which includes the Sender System,Reciver System,Communication Channels where adapters are used,Reciver Determination(Who is the reciver for a particular message)etc.
(3)Integration Scenario
(a)Integration Engine.
(b)Adapter Engine.
(c)Business Process Management.
(4)Syatem Landscape Directory.
This stores all the information and provides to the Integration Repository Objects.
(1.) XI provides security as it deals in XML .
(2.) XI provides monitoring facilities to monitor the message at different steps.
Purpose
SAP Exchange Infrastructure (SAP XI) enables you to implement cross-system processes. It enables you to connect systems from different vendors (non-SAP and SAP) in different versions and implemented in different programming languages (Java, ABAP, and so on) to each other. SAP Exchange Infrastructure is based on an open architecture, uses open standards (in particular those from the XML and Java environments) and offers those services that are essential in a heterogeneous and complex system landscape:
● Modeling and design of messages, transformations, and cross-component integration processes
● Configuration options for managing collaborative processes and message flow
● Runtime for message and process management
● Adapter Engine for integrating heterogeneous system components
● Central monitoring for monitoring message flow and processes
SAP XI supports internal company scenarios and cross-company scenarios.
Features
SAP XI is based on general standards so as to enable external systems to be integrated. At the center of the infrastructure is an XML-based communication that uses HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). The application-specific contents are transferred in messages in user-defined XML (eXtensible Markup Language) schema from the sender to the receiver using the Integration Server.
In the above graphic, Integration Broker is an SAP NetWeaver capability (that is, the features for a technological area of SAP NetWeaver) that is supported by SAP XI. The Integration Server, on the other hand, is an XI runtime component.
Senders and receivers that exchange messages using the Integration Server are separated from one another. This separation makes it easier to connect systems that are technologically different. Every system that can exchange messages with the Integration Server can also exchange messages with all other systems that are connected to the Integration Server. SAP XI supports the following methods of communication with the Integration Server:
● Direct communication using proxies, which you generate in the application systems using a description in WSDL (Web Service Description Language).
● Communication using adapters. In this case, you create interfaces for message exchange in the application system, or use existing interfaces.
Simple message processing on the Integration Server is stateless. This means that the Integration Server does not know of any connections between various messages. Cross-component integration processes, on the other hand, describe related processes, which can use the knowledge about messages that have already been processed to further control the process (for example, waiting for the corresponding response for a message in order to start further actions). You can use SAP XI to model, change, and manage these cross-component integration processes centrally. These processes are executed on the Integration Server and are included in message processing by configuration.
As with cross-component integration processes, you save the entire integration knowledge of a collaborative process centrally in SAP XI: Objects at design time in the Integration Repository and objects at configuration time in the Integration Directory. In this way, SAP Exchange Infrastructure follows the principle of shared collaboration knowledge: You no longer need to search for information about a collaborative process in each of the systems involved, but can call this information centrally instead. This procedure considerably reduces the costs for the development and maintenance of the shared applications.
for more information please follow the links.
https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/106d9259-4b9a-2910-e899-d0934d712da0
https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/34860699-0701-0010-8aa7-d15aaea98830
https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/4f27ad80-0c01-0010-f8b8-c5e153a16ca1
https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/4f58802d-0a01-0010-e58b-d135f1b01dc5
Regards,
Sameer