BRFPlus Vs BRM (Java)

Question

Hi,
1) Can someone give a comparison between BRFPlus and BRM Java, ie, feature-wise ?
2) How can BRFPlus integrate with WDP ABAP and R/3 or other business suite?
3) Since WDP ABAP does not supported by BPM for UI, what other workflow can be used to integrate BRFPlus and WDP ABAP ?
Thanks in advance.
- julius

Answer 1

Hi Julius,
What you should consider is not ABAP or Java Stack but rather both together - i.e. taking the Dual Stack option. 
Yes the data all comes from the ABAP stack and all the SAP Business Workflow Engine and related transactions are in the ABAP stack.
The Universal Worklist Inbox is the Java component that brings the ABAP work items to the Java Portal via an extraction process - and provides connectors for bringing Java work items to the Portal as well... e.g. Collaborative Workflow. My understanding is that the UWL will also provide the user face for relevant parts of BRF/BPM.
The only option to integrate traditional workflow administration transactions at this stage would be via SAPGUI for HTML. But this is usually not needed - the workflow administrator works mainly in the ABAP stack, and the UWL provides all necessary conversions for user activities and actions.
In any case there are many other reasons why Dual Stack is the best approach - such as wanting to print forms or use interactive forms with Adobe Document Services, which is another area that requires both Java (for the engine) and ABAP for the data.
Having a Dual Stack helps to future proof you for new functionality such as BRF, BRM etc. as the decisions on where new functionality is placed are complex and it is not unusual for both stacks to be required for a complete solution.
Regards,
Jocelyn