PI/PO
SAP PI/PO (Process Integration / Process Orchestration) is SAP’s classic on-premise integration middleware, connecting SAP and non-SAP systems with routing, mapping and protocol conversion. It is being succeeded by the cloud Integration Suite.
PI/PO remains in use in many on-premise/hybrid landscapes, but for new integration SAP directs customers to the cloud Integration Suite.
- PI/PO receives messages from a sender, transforms them (mapping between formats/structures), and routes them to receivers, handling…
- Integration Directory & Repository: configuration and design.
- Mappings: transform between message structures.
- Watch out: Wrong tool for the integration style.
What PI/PO does
PI/PO receives messages from a sender, transforms them (mapping between formats/structures), and routes them to receivers, handling many protocols (IDoc, RFC, SOAP, REST, file, JDBC). It centralises integration so systems do not connect point-to-point, and provides monitoring of message flows.
Key aspects
- Integration Directory & Repository: configuration and design.
- Mappings: transform between message structures.
- Adapters: connect protocols (IDoc, SOAP, file, JDBC, REST).
- Message monitoring for troubleshooting.
When to use it
PI/PO remains in use in many on-premise/hybrid landscapes, but for new integration SAP directs customers to the cloud Integration Suite. Knowing PI/PO is valuable for existing estates and migrations.
Common pitfalls
- Wrong tool for the integration style.
- Ignoring monitoring/error handling.
- Point-to-point instead of governed integration.