PO Single Stack Designs and Interaction Models _ SCN

6/10/2015 PO single stack designs and interaction models | SCN

http://scn.sap.com/community/process-orchestration/blog/2013/12/19/po-single-stack-designs-and-interaction-models 1/4

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Hello all,

This attempt of a blog is actually more a list of open questions regarding best practice for designing PO interactions.

But if you will bear with me, I would like you to try and imagine the following situation:

You have been using the modeling framework in a SAP PI 7.31 dual stack installation. Now you need to migrate all

interaction models to a new PO 7.4 single stack AEX installation.

From help.sap.com you can read that all modeling functionality is available in ESR, but the option to choose

"ProComp Interaction Models" in the

Integration Builder when creating "Configuration Scenarios" is no longer an option in the single stack. You could sort

of deduce this from SAP help, since the option is only described for dual-stack.

Basics of Process Component Architecture Models - Managing Services in the Enterprise Services Repository - SAP

Library

Using Configuration Scenarios - Integration Directory - SAP Library

PO single stack designs and interaction models

Posted by Emil Jessen in SAP Process Orchestration on Dec 19, 2013 10:47:02 AM

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Now I am wondering what the plans are for the modeling framework for the PO single stack? I would also like to know

if the modeling technology from a PO perspective is being decommissioned? Or whether there are plans to

reintroduce the modeling framework into the Integration Builder, so we will again be able to use models in the single

stacks' Auto-Configurator - just like it is still an option in the dual stack.

Perhaps, this will only be a dual-stack option in the long run? Which on the other hand makes me wonder whether the

dual/single stack option is planned as an option long-term? I might have been misguided in assuming that using

single stack was and should be the long-term goal.

Of course, there are the new Integration Flows option in PO single stack, but these are generated from the "old"

Integration Scenarios. Talk about making a come-back!!

So it might be the plan, that we all stick the using Integration Scenarios when designing interactions in ESR? In that

case, are Models dead? Some might argue, that they were never alive.

Interesting enough neither the Integration Scenarios nor the Models are visible from the NWDS ESR perspective. So

where should these be created, changed or simply displayed when working in NWDS? Where should new interaction

designs be maintained when we all one day will be developing exclusively in NWDS?

Will we need to Free-styling the whole thing?

I have not been able to find any best practice recommendations. With best practice, I would like SAP to chose a side.

Instead of throwing semi-complete options at us, which to me seems to leave us letting our own preferences

determine what will be the "correct" method for designing interactions. Sorry to sound a bit negative, but

indecisiveness makes me nervous.

I still search for models in ESR content and on esworkplace.sap.com when I approach a new interaction requirement.

I have even found some interaction models that were in a newer state on esworkplace.sap.com than the models

delivered in the newest ESM XI Content (the newest XI content containing models being from 2011, hmmm).

Some new models are being developed by SAP, but how are we supposed to utilize such new developments in long-

term? Not easily, if these models are not an option in the single stack's Auto-Configurator. And not likely, if the newest

models are not even delivered as XI content.

I know I am asking a lot of questions. I am not expecting SAP or anyone else to deliver conclusive answers to all of

them right away. But if you have some insights regarding this matter, I would be very interested in hearing from you.

Regards,

Emil

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Holger Himmelmann Jan 5, 2014 6:14 PM

Hi Emil, you have really addressed an good topic in your blog above. In regards to the ProComp InteractionModels, the general idea in combination with the other ESR models was interesting, but the potentialadvantages couldn't really outweigh its disadvantages regards to the additional maintenance effort,governance and its limited usability & functionality. Since SAP has delivered almost no new featuresin this area since PI 7.10 and due to the very small number of SAP customers actually using thesemodels, my guess is that SAP won't deliver a wizard to generate Integration Flows from ProCompInteraction Models and that the ProComp Interaction Model won't be included in the NWDS ESRperspective. My recommendation in the past was to use the Process Integration Scenarios to generate theConfiguration Scenarios in the Integration Directory, since they offer a good basis for theconfiguration and documentation of the scenario. Although it still has some minor functionallimitations, the wizard to generate Integration Flows from Process Integration Scenarios is a validapproach. But the question in regards to SAP's official strategy in the future is definitely a significantone. One point is that the Process Integration Scenarios and Actions are currently not accessiblefrom the NWDS ESR perspective. This functionality may come with later support packages. But themore important question is whether this will really be the recommended configuration approach inSAP's mid-term strategy, since there definitely have to be some kind of configuration templates forcomplex and pre-packaged scenarios. One interesting approach would be to have some kind ofIntegration Flow template in the NWDS ESR perspective as a successor for the Process IntegrationScenarios to have a consistent BPMN-based view. Regards, Holger

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Emil Jessen Jan 20, 2014 10:38 AM (in response to Holger Himmelmann)

Hello Holger,Thanks for the input. I agree that we should look with interest for the SAP recommendationsregarding the configuration approach. How will future standard integration solutions bepackaged? And will this future packaging method also be made available for customdevelopments? And will it be a tool that can also be used to illustrate integrations indifferentiated levels, so such a tool could be used for communicating and documentingintegrations across functional and organizational gaps? I still find it common to see integrations only be discussed based on powerpoints andspreadsheets - and every single spec seems to be in a company (if not interface) uniqueformat. I am not talking data structure and mapping, but the specification of the integrationprocess within an Enterprise solution design. If such exist, it is never technically linked toany of the actual SAP PO objects/designs. By the way, after raising the same question to SAP, I did get this follow-up reply:"I can confirm that the PCIM and BPVT configuration options were removedin 7.31 and 7.40 Java-only/AEX PI systems, i.e. you do not see them anymore in the Integration Directory configuration scenario editors,although they're still visib le in dual-stack installations. The reason behind this is that these models used WSRM communication,but this adapter type is not availab le in java-only PI installations. PCIMs were introduced in PI in order to provide a modelling means forvery special scenarios. Though the modelling tools are visib le andusable for customers, the actual purpose was configuration of internalSAP systems. Entities like Business Object, Process Agents and ProcessComponents are only availab le in dedicated SAP systems which communicatevia the so-called Process Agent Framework. In general, this is not thecase for customer SAP installations. These SAP systems resided only inthe SAP Business ByDesign (ByD) cloud. ByD systems required very specialconfigurationand used the WSRM protocol heavily. Hence the DirectoryModel Configurator had special logic to translate the PCIMs to validconfiguration ob jects. Please do not expect that this configuration willwork for your SOAPscenarios. Please consider using the "classic" Process Integration Scenario Models.The configurationin the Directory will work better and meets yourexpectations." To be continued,... I hope. Emil

Daniel Graversen Feb 21, 2014 7:06 AM

Hi Great to see your blog. True the Iflows is missing some functionality to really describe the process, which makes you missthe overview of what you are doing.I hear that Iflow will be where SAP will put more effort in to be the way to configure things in the future.But they go to a deeper level in Integration scenarios, but they are just a different UI to ICO objects.



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PO Single Stack Designs and Interaction Models _ SCN