Connectivity Adapter Preference

This is a list of PI/PO adapters, sorted by the preferred way of communication from SAP PI point of view regarding reliability, architecture fit, monitoring and maintenance:

SAP Systems

1. ABAP (XI) Proxy
   • synchronous & asynchronous communication
   • dynamic queue assignment
   • usage of acknowledgements
   • processing of (binary) attachments (PDF, JPG, ..)
   • usage of Forward Error Handling (FEH, ECH Error and Conflict Handler)
2. IDoc (ALE)
   • asynchronous communication
   • usage of acknowledgements
   • SAP Business Workflow integration
3. BAPI/RFC
   • synchronous & asynchronous communication
   • async communication not recommended (monitoring)
4. File
   • for standard import programs
   • Integration via (S)FTP(s)/NFS

Non-SAP Systems

1. SOAP/http
   • exchange XML messages via http(s)
   • synchronous & asynchronous communication
   • reliable async communication via WS-RM protocol
2. JMS
   • exchange XML messages via queues
   • reliable asynchronous communication (exactly once/EOIO)
   • usage of drivers necessary (matching the JMS provider)
3. JDBC
   • integrate database tables/views by reading/writing entries, call stored-procedures
   • usage of drivers necessary (matching the database vendor)
4. File/FTP
   • exchange data (XML/CSV/Flat) via file systems/FTP Server
   • asynchronous communication
5. Mail
   • integrate e-mail systems via smtp/imap/pop3 protocol
   • asynchronous communication (at most once)