Connection Using Adapters and Imported Interfaces in SAP XI

Purpose

If interfaces are already available for exchanging data in a system, you can connect these to SAP Exchange Infrastructure by using adapters:

· In the case of RFCs and IDocs you can import an XML schema of these interfaces to the Integration Repository.

· In the case of adapters that work with WSDL, XSD, or DTD documents, you can use external definitions to import the XML schema for messages.

This has the advantage that you can access the signature and structures of the imported interface centrally. Furthermore, you can access the technical names of the imported interfaces using the input help (for example, in mapping or logical routing).

Prerequisites

· The interface to be used must already be available in the application system before you import it to the Integration Repository.

· If you are using external definitions, note the prerequisites for external definitions.

· You can import RFCs and IDocs from SAP systems Release 4.0 and higher. However, you must have the necessary authorization to import from a system (see the Prerequisites section in Importing IDocs and RFCs).

It is the adapter type and not the import function that determines whether a system can be connected to SAP Exchange Infrastructure using an adapter. Note the prerequisites for the respective adapter.

Process Flow

The procedure described below also applies to interfaces that cannot be imported to the Integration Repository. If this is the case, ignore the first step.

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1. On the design maintenance screen of the Integration Builder, import an interface description for the interface that you want to use to exchange messages using SAP Exchange Infrastructure:

¡ For RFCs and IDocs, you do this by importing from the respective application system (see also: Importing IDocs and RFCs). Specify an application system for each software component version.

¡ For third-party adapters, import external definitions. In this case, you can only use the message schema of the external definition.

2. The imported interface corresponds to either an inbound or an outbound interface. Depending on the communication party, create the corresponding counterpart in the Integration Repository. There are different procedures for creating the counterpart depending on which counterpart you use and the demands of the communication parties. For more information, see: Communication Parties (Case Examples).

You can also use the mapping editor to import XML and XSD files from the local file system and therefore to define a message mapping for interfaces that cannot be imported.

Result

The subsequent steps for design and configuration in the Integration Builder correspond to the procedure for developing message interfaces.