What can SAP CPI do for your company?

But what can CPI actually do as an integration platform and what advantages does it offer each user of this system?

What is SAP CPI?

While the use of cloud-based services used to be little used until a few years ago; nowadays intelligent solutions are used regularly and almost always work in parallel with those systems that are established on-premises.

SAP Cloud Platform Integration is one of the best-known platforms that promises to carry out a wide variety of real-time integration flow scenarios and that its services are available uniformly within the cloud.

SAP Cloud Platform Integration has enjoyed growing popularity since its launch and this is because it possesses ready-to-use integration elements. This means that business applications can also be controlled separately and synchronized independently in both directions.

SAP Cloud Platform How does the service work?

This cloud solution offers an internet-based development platform, a runtime environment, and a good amount of ready-to-use function blocks, with which the development cycles of new features and functions can be minimized significantly.

For example, CPI has integration packages for SAP ERP, Microsoft Outlook, Excel, SAP CRM or even for IBM Lotus Notes.

Real-time integration

With this suite, companies can react quickly to constantly changing market conditions and thereby increase functionality and reduce long-term development costs.

In addition to data integration, the platform also offers process integration, which allows you to intelligently link all business processes and automate manual processes.

In this way, it is possible to integrate data in real time, and thus enable the linking of open file formats, as well as web standards and some third-party systems to the platform.

Benefits of the platform

In today's rapidly changing business environment, SAP Cloud Platform provides extremely high flexibility and a large number of functions, and is also effective in preventing the obsolescence of corporate IT systems.

Furthermore, since SAP Cloud Platform is a PaaS, it is not necessary to set up an internal infrastructure to use it. It can be used in a way that could be employed when needed, and pay only for what is used.

Main functions and features of CPI

To make the platform completely accessible to a wider group of customers, SAP supports several open standards and known interfaces. In this way, SAP can have a better association of its services.

For example, SAP has been cooperating with Apple since 2017 and, as part of such partnership, an iOS software development kit was created, which is based on SAP Cloud Platform Integration.

From this alliance, some business applications for iPad or iPhone can be developed more quickly and efficiently.

Tools used in the integration content

In addition to the ready-to-use integration packages, SAP also offers special tools that work with AI support.

It is possible to integrate them into the platform of different tools such as Dell Boomi, MuleSoft, Jitterbit or IBM Integration Bus, and in this way the integration of SAP Data Services and SAP Process Orchestration is also available in a limited way.

API

SAP CPI supports a wide variety of APIs, such as Open Data Protocol (OData), Representational State Transfer (REST), Remote Function Call (RFC), or Web Services. In addition, the platform also integrates some proprietary interfaces, such as the Intermediate Document (IDOC), Application Link Enabling (ALE), or Business Application Programming Interface (BAPI).

Compatibility with open standards

To make the platform even more attractive to users who are not yet SAP customers, SAP Cloud Platform Integration offers maximum openness.

Java, as well as HTML5, Redis, or JavaScript among others, can be used on the server side. Open services can be linked to SAP HANA’s powerful in-memory database platform.

This also makes it possible for mobile applications and innovative applications to use SAP’s application services and database services.

Security in integrations

As is customary with SAP, the on-demand applications of the platform also operate with the highest security standards.

All servers are operated in dedicated data centers that feature the latest security standards and also comply with ISO 27001.

Other security features, such as the use of digital signatures, encryption of data storage and its content, data isolation, and certificate-based authentication, are also available if needed.

Who is the platform suitable for?

The platform is not only suitable for existing customers, but also for all companies that have a historically growing IT landscape and, therefore, have to maintain and monitor countless different interfaces.

With Cloud Platform Integration, SAP has created a central integration platform that can support the transfer of data and applications from on-premises to the cloud.

Appropriate connectors were created for this purpose, which can transfer data from a wide variety of systems to the cloud. This includes both external systems and SAP products.

This is achieved through the replication and transformation of databases, technical objects, and entire processes. Predefined integration packages ensure a smooth introduction by providing pre-configured adapters and interfaces.

In conclusion

SAP Cloud Platform Integration achieves grouping the different applications into one platform. This leads to greater transparency and also simplifies the tracking of individual applications.

The platform also has an alert function, so that it can automatically inform affected employees about misconduct in the event of an interruption.

All of this leads to more efficient operation of heterogeneous IT environments, so that the quality of the process environment can also be sustainably improved thanks to modules for reporting and monitoring.