Hummingbird Genio® Solutions for SAP

Transcription

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Solutions for SAP
> Hummingbird Genio — Solutions for SAP
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This edition published October 2004
2
Table of Contents
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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Business Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Data Warehousing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Loading SAP BW with non-SAP Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Including SAP R/3 Data in Platform-Neutral Data Warehouses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Enterprise Application Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
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Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SAP R/3 Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Presentation Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Application Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Database Layer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Exchanging Data with SAP R/3 Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Advanced Business Application Programming (ABAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Application Link Enabling (ALE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Challenges Presented by the SAP R/3 architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Batch Data Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Real-time Data Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
SAP Business Information Warehouse Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Information Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
DataSource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
InfoSource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
ODS Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
InfoCubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
ETL for SAP BW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Challenges Presented by the SAP Business Information Warehouse Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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The Real Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Data Integration Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Hummingbird Genio — Solutions for SAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
®
Hummingbird Genio for Data Warehousing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Hummingbird Genio — Data Warehousing Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Loading and Replenishing non-SAP BW Warehouses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Loading and Replenishing SAP BW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Application Integration Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5
Introduction
Many organizations around the world use the popular Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system
SAP as their primary business application platform, relying on it to run crucial day-to-day operations.
With SAP R/3, an enterprise can manage operational areas such as financial accounting, human
resources, manufacturing, logistics, sales, and distribution. While SAP may represent the core business
platform for these companies, they quite often have critical data stored in other business applications
spread throughout the enterprise. These may be older legacy systems or applications that were added
for additional functionality, but resulting in a heterogeneous environment and dissimilar database
technologies from those driving the SAP R/3 system.
Businesses today operate in an increasingly challenging environment and are driven to sustain
competitive advantage by making fast and sound decisions based on the full range of their corporate
data. Organizations must therefore find ways to include SAP R/3 in their data warehousing strategies
and exchange SAP R/3 data with other mission critical applications, in order to integrate, analyze
and act upon critical business data.
This paper explores the opportunity presented by successfully integrating SAP R/3 data with other
business applications throughout the enterprise. Moreover, it addresses the challenges of SAP R/3
integration and the requirements for overcoming those obstacles. Also explained is how companies
that have deployed SAP Business Information Warehouse (BW) can integrate data from across the
enterprise. Finally, this paper discusses how, with Hummingbird solutions, organizations can achieve
seamless SAP R/3 application integration and fulfill the need to include SAP R/3 data in their data
warehousing strategies.
Business Requirements
Before delving into the architectural complexities of SAP systems, here are some of the business
requirements that drive the SAP-centric organization.
Data Warehousing
Today, information is a vital business asset — and to take advantage of that asset, companies are
turning to data warehousing, which lets them combine large amounts of data to create a unified,
consistent view of their business. To develop that complete view, however, an organization has
to pull together data from many sources across the organization — and in today’s complex,
heterogeneous IT environments, that can be a real challenge.
Loading SAP BW with non-SAP Data
For organizations that have selected SAP BW as their data warehousing platform, loading and
replenishing SAP BW with external data is mandatory to ensure a 360° view of their operational
systems. In many companies, data is fragmented and spread across dozens of databases and
applications. Decision makers need information to develop a comprehensive view of the company
and to answer key business questions accurately and quickly.
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Data has to be collected from non-SAP applications or directly from relational database tables or files,
and cleansed and prepared to eliminate duplication and incorrect values. It must also be enriched
with additional information so that it is transformed into practical, business-descriptive information.
For instance, organizations may have external demographics or legacy data sources that need
to be integrated with SAP data to provide a complete customer profile.
Including SAP R/3 Data in Platform-Neutral Data Warehouses
Organizations may elect to warehouse enterprise data, including that stored in ERP systems, based
on a platform-neutral strategy. For SAP R/3-driven organizations this means having to access and
extract desired data, transform it into appropriate formats, and load warehouse tables with the
resulting information.
Without SAP R/3 data loaded into their corporate data warehouse, decision makers and knowledge
workers won’t get a complete view of their company data.
Enterprise Application Integration
To enable faster execution of business critical processes, it can be necessary to implement enterprise
application integration (EAI) between operational systems. This application integration is often
achieved using a message-oriented data exchange solution to provide business transaction-centric
data exchange in real-time or near real-time mode.
Most applications provide their own interfaces, and to ensure business process integrity, using these
interfaces is recommended. The SAP ALE (Application Link Enabling) technology is one of these
interfaces, and it permits efficient, reliable business communications, in order to achieve a high
degree of integration between SAP and other systems.
Architecture
The next step is to take a closer look at the architecture of SAP R/3 systems and SAP Business
Information Warehouses, approaches for data exchange, and the challenges these architectures
can present to an organization.
SAP R/3 Architecture
The SAP R/3 architecture is similar to other ERP systems. It can be thought of in terms of three
layers of logic — the presentation logic or front-end access layer; the business logic or application
layer; and the data logic or the database layer that drives the system.
Presentation Layer
Used for browsing SAP R/3 data, this layer, commonly referred to as the graphical user interface
or GUI, can be thought of as a window to an organization’s SAP R/3 system. Additionally, data entry
(OLTP) is carried out via this presentation layer.
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Application Layer
Business rules and logic for SAP R/3 applications, such as those designed for human resources,
finance, sales and distribution, are stored at this layer. They work with data that they fetch from
the database layer and write the resulting new data back to that layer. SAP R/3 system application
enhancements, or customization work (performed using the SAP ABAP Workbench) is carried
out at the application layer.
Layer
3-Tier
Presentation
SAP GUI
Multi-tier C/S Software Architecture
SAP GUI ( Java)
Web Server/
Applet Server
Internet
Application
Application Software
Database
Web Client
Web Server
Internet Transaction Server
Internet Application Software
Database System
Figure 1 — SAP Architecture
Database Layer
The database layer manages an organization’s operational or transactional data. It also manages
the metadata maintained in the R/3 system, which describes the database structure. The database
layer, run by industry-standard relational database management systems (RDBMS), that harness
structured query language (SQL) for defining and manipulating all data, drives the SAP R/3 system.
Although most data is stored in this database layer, it is not always possible to access it. In fact,
it is often necessary to use the application layer to decrypt the content of the database layer.
Exchanging Data with SAP R/3 Systems
The SAP R/3 system offers several solutions to exchange data between multiple R/3 systems
or to implement data integration with external systems. These solutions include BAPI, direct input,
batch input, as well as ABAP and ALE which are described below.
Advanced Business Application Programming (ABAP)
ABAP programming is the approach SAP recommends for implementing batch data exchange.
This proprietary development language allows programmers to implement batch data exchange
with SAP R/3 systems.
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Application Link Enabling (ALE)
ALE technology is based on the controlled and timely exchange of business messages, with
synchronous and asynchronous communication mechanisms allowing demand-driven application
integration. SAP R/3 has pre-configured distribution scenarios to provide templates that
organizations can customize to suit their own solutions.
Application on R/3 System 1
Communication
ALE
Determine
Recipients
Application
Filter
Convert Data
Create IDoc
Comm
IDOC
Master
IDOC
Carrier
R/3 System 2
Workflow Input
Filter
Convert Data
Create IDoc
Application Data
Application Functions
Comm IDOC
Figure 2 — SAP ALE Architecture
The open ALE architecture allows non-SAP applications and third-party systems to be connected
to a distributed system architecture. Business messages are generated by ALE application services,
and ALE distribution services link the business level with the technical level, including, for instance,
specification and checking of message recipients, and filtering and conversion of messages.
ALE communication services ensure that data is transmitted reliably, with Intermediate Documents
(IDocs) and Business Application Programming Interfaces (BAPIs) providing the basis for
straightforward data exchange.
IDocs, developed by SAP, are the basis for smooth, reliable exchange of data in integrated distributed
application environments. They are data containers designed to ensure reliable, seamless exchange
of messages between SAP systems or between SAP R/3 and non-SAP systems. IDocs have a neutral
data structure, independent of the application data to enable the free exchange of SAP R/3 data with
non-SAP applications and vice versa.
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Technologies such as Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) or Message-Oriented Middleware (MOM)
can be used to exchange SAP IDoc messages with external systems. This application layer, residing
between the business applications and the network infrastructure — that supports high-performance
interoperability of large-scale distributed applications in heterogeneous environments — provides
multiple communication protocols, languages, and application support to link SAP R/3 systems with
other systems.
Challenges Presented by the SAP R/3 Architecture
One of the challenges in optimizing SAP R/3 data exchange and integration is the complex internal
structure of R/3. The SAP R/3 data structure is designed in such a way as to optimize operational
efficiency in the system. However, in accomplishing this, the resultant data structure does not easily
lend itself to data warehousing projects or application integration initiatives.
For example, the way in which table and field names are defined and stored in the SAP system
can make identifying tables and fields difficult. SAP R/3 also has complex business logic that resides
in the application layer. This presents problems when table relationships, security and metadata,
for example, are not accessible at the database level.
Batch Data Exchange
With more than 50,000 logical tables in the SAP R/3 system, it is easy to see why there can
be navigation problems in locating, accessing, and extracting desired information. On top of this,
the normalized data structure poses additional challenges in that a thorough knowledge of the way
in which data is stored within SAP R/3 — in transparent, pooled, and clustered tables — is required
in order to locate appropriate and complete information for extraction.
An additional obstacle in dealing with the SAP R/3 architecture is the effort required to map
the physical names with the business ones. The information is in the SAP R/3 dictionary table
(where we learn that the table “KNA1” is actually the “Customer Master” table), but accessing and
deciphering SAP R/3 metadata tables is no easy task either. Again, a thorough knowledge of the SAP
R/3 data structure is required to know which information is stored where, as well as in which tables
the related information or dependent data is kept.
In addition to the complexity of the data dictionary, the ABAP code may present other challenges.
There is no impact analysis capability, so changes to existing programs or applications that affect
the integration interfaces are not flagged to administrators. This means that the low-level code built
to enable data exchange may be broken, unbeknownst to programmers or administrators.
Real-time Data Exchange
SAP R/3 systems use IDocs as the standard message container. That is, MOM technologies queue
IDoc messages and handle their transmission between SAP R/3 systems and other applications.
While representing a highly efficient solution for process automation (banking, telecommunications
industry applications), MOM technologies often lack the ability to transform data content.
In other words, MOM is ideally suited for carrying business messages between applications
(format interpretation and conversion) but lacks the sophistication required to transform messages
from raw data to valuable information, a fundamental requirement of data warehousing.
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SAP Business Information Warehouse Architecture
SAP BW is the component of mySAP Business Intelligence that delivers enterprise-wide data
warehousing, a business intelligence platform and a suite of business intelligence tools.
It represents a new generation data warehousing solution that combines state-of-the-art data
warehousing technology with the business expertise of SAP.
The Information Model
SAP BW delivers an information model that forms the foundation for answering all relevant
business questions. The SAP BW information model is based on a fundamental building block
called the InfoObject, which contains data about customers, sales orders, and so forth. They also
carry metadata that describes the data contained in the InfoObject, such as its origin, history,
and technical properties. InfoObjects are the most basic elements of the SAP BW information
model and can be reused easily in the model.
DataSource
ODS Object
InfoSource
Mapping &
Transfer Rules
Update Rules
Update Rules
PSA
InfoCube
ODS Object
InfoCube
Figure 3 — SAP BW Information Model
The figure above shows all objects of the information model. Three of the four elements in the
information model also store transactional or master data: the Persistent Staging Area (PSA),
Operational Data Store (ODS) object, and InfoCube.
The key elements in the information model are:
DataSource
Data is transferred into SAP BW in a flat structure, that is, a table, rather than a multidimensional
data structure. DataSources contain the definitions of source data.
In the SAP BW information model, data is physically stored in the Persistent Staging Area (PSA)
object, a transparent database table. A PSA is the initial storage area of data, where requested data
is saved unchanged from the source system according to the structure defined in the DataSource.
InfoSource
InfoObjects that belong together logically — from a business point of view — are grouped into
Info-Sources. InfoSources (and their underlying InfoObjects) can be ‘filled’ with any data from
within the enterprise or from external sources using ‘Extraction, Transformation, and Loading’ (ETL)
processes. They can hold both transactional data and master data.
Transactional data is generated from transactions in an Online Transaction Processing system
(OLTP), such as SAP R/3. This data is quantifiable and it can be granular. Master data, such
as a customer address or an organizational structure, typically remains unchanged over a long period.
Master data in SAP BW includes attributes, texts, and hierarchies.
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ODS Object
SAP BW uses ODS object technology to build the operational data store (ODS) layer and the data
warehouse layer. The ODS object describes a consolidated dataset from one or several InfoSources.
In contrast to the multidimensional data models of InfoCubes, data in ODS objects is stored in flat,
transparent database tables. ODS object data can be updated into InfoCubes or other ODS objects
using a delta update. Data in an ODS object can be analyzed with the SAP BW Business Explorer
(BEx) tool, from the business intelligence suite of mySAP Business Intelligence.
InfoCubes
InfoCubes are containers that organize data around its multidimensionality in terms of business
dimensions. This means that users can analyze information from various business perspectives,
such as geographic region or type of sales channel. InfoCubes can be accessed by the SAP BW
Business Explorer for reporting and OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) analysis.
ETL for SAP BW
To load SAP BW with data from external, non-SAP systems, data must be integrated, standardized,
synchronized, and enriched. This extract, transform and load process, known as ETL, will normalize
data in an understandable format for SAP.
DataSource
DataSource
DataSource
DataSource
DataSource
PSA
PSA
PSA
PSA
PSA
BAPI
Service
API
DB
Connect
XML
File
ETL tools
Source System
A
Source System
B
Source System
C (SAP)
DBMS
Flat Files
XML Files
Figure 4 — SAP BW and ETL
As illustrated in the figure above, an ETL tool may be used in conjunction with SAP data
acquisition mechanisms.
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ETL is a critical — and perhaps the most challenging — part of data warehousing and the complete
business intelligence project. Organizations must identify the right sources of data, assess the value
and reliability of that data, and screen the data sources to ensure that the ETL process captures and
loads the full range of required data, while avoiding an overload of irrelevant data.
Challenges Presented by the SAP Business Information Warehouse Architecture
According to some reports, when greater than 80 per cent of operational data is handled by SAP
R/3, SAP BW is the platform of choice for data warehousing projects. However, when less than 20
per cent of the operational data is handled by SAP R/3, a platform neutral approach is considered
the best method for data warehousing. In between these two extremes, organizations may decide
according to their preference.
If SAP BW is chosen as the data-warehousing platform, data from non-SAP systems must be included
if the organization is to provide knowledge workers with a complete view of the business reality.
Loading and replenishing BW environments with non-SAP data requires SAP-certified solutions
to ensure that reliable information is housed in the system.
While there are several business intelligence vendors providing front-end access to SAP BW,
very few provide the external data feed that is crucial to the environment’s acceptance within
corporate enterprises.
The Real Solution
Having established the need for both warehousing SAP R/3-based data and integrating SAP R/3
with other enterprise operational systems, and the challenges involved, the next step is to discuss
solutions to address these needs.
Many SAP R/3 data integration projects make use of homegrown, point-to-point connections
between applications. There are several problems with this traditional, manual approach, as follows:
> The connection is hard-coded so that every time there is an application, system, or business
change the code has to be rewritten;
> The point-to-point approach makes the integration extremely complex and time-consuming.
Over time, as the number of applications and connections between them proliferate, an organization
ends up with an unmanageable jumble of code holding the business system together.
Given the complexity of many integration projects being undertaken today by SAP R/3-driven
organizations, investing in a universal data integration solution to overcome these obstacles
will prove to be a sound, cost-effective investment.
A true universal data integration solution is one that, because of a sound architectural framework,
is capable of simultaneously managing the ETL requirements for warehousing R/3 data and seamlessly
integrating SAP application data with other SAP systems or non-SAP applications. The well-known
‘hub-and-spoke’ architecture has been adopted to achieve this level of dual functionality.
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The Data Integration Architecture
Solutions based on the hub-and-spoke architecture are ideally suited to organizations looking
to maximize their investment in SAP R/3 systems by including it in their data warehousing strategy
and application integration initiatives.
For data warehousing projects, a central engine, or information broker, serves as the hub of the
solution. Its role in the solution is to automate and manage the flow of data — all extraction,
transformation, and loading processes. The hub can be thought of as a traffic controller of sorts,
controlling the movement of data from disparate sources — via the spokes — and ensuring the safe,
reliable arrival at the data warehouse destination. Moreover, the engine serves to transform raw
source data into valuable information to be used by knowledge workers, decision makers, and other
decision support system users.
ERP (SAP)
CRM (Siebel)
Custom
Application
Data
Warehouse
Mainframe
Application
Single Version of the Truth
Information
Broker
Datamarts
Repository
Business
Intellegence
Transformation Rules
Message Broker
Flat Files
Staging
ODS
Cube
Figure 5 — Hub-and-Spoke Architecture
For SAP R/3 data-level application integration initiatives, a central hub-and-spoke-based architecture
facilitates the controlled exchange of business messages between the R/3 system and other enterprise
operational systems. Essentially, the engine serves as a universal data format mediator. The hub
intercepts messages from the SAP R/3 system in the form of IDocs and ensures that any desired
transformation is carried out on the affixed data prior to passing the message on to target systems.
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The alternative to the hub-and-spoke based data exchange solution, as discussed, is for organizations
to develop separate hard-coded point-to-point interfaces that patch together systems for data
integration or ETL processes for data warehousing. As outlined, maintaining and modifying these
‘band-aid’ solutions to meet changing organizational requirements becomes unwieldy.
The hub-and-spoke based solution ensures efficient application integration by providing reliable
delivery of business messages in required formats while simultaneously managing the ETL
processes demanded by data warehousing projects.
SAP R/3
IBM MQ Series
Hummingbird Genio
Extraction
RFC/ABA
SAP R/3
IDoc (CA-ALE)
Aggregation
Loading
Transformation
Replication
SAP BW
BAPIs
(BW-STA)
Other Operational Applications
Figure 6 — Hummingbird Genio — Solutions for SAP
Hummingbird Genio — Solutions for SAP
®
Extracting, transforming, and sharing data between ERP applications and metadata repositories
is crucial to successfully maintaining an organization’s operational effectiveness.
Hummingbird Genio gives organizations the ability to access information stored in SAP applications,
combine it with data from other sources, and then share it with other systems throughout the enterprise.
The Hummingbird Genio solution facilitates direct access to SAP R/3 data, supports bi-directional data
interchange through the SAP IDoc format, and populates SAP BW with data from other systems.
Hummingbird’s solution includes three MetaLinks that simplify access to SAP data:
> Genio MetaLink for SAP R/3
> Genio MetaLink for SAP IDoc
> Genio MetaLink for SAP BW
15
Hummingbird Genio for Data Warehousing
Production
Environment
SAP R/3
Decision Support
Platform
Population
SAP BW
SAP BW
SAP Tools
Hummingbird Genio
Extraction
Aggregation
Loading
Reporting and
Analysis Tools
Transformation
Replication
DataWarehouse
Figure 7 — Hummingbird Genio — Data Warehousing Architecture
Loading and Replenishing non-SAP BW Warehouses
The Hummingbird Genio MetaLink for SAP R/3 provides an intuitive graphical environment
for mapping and transforming data from R/3 systems to data warehouses or other data stores.
The Genio MetaLink for SAP R/3 accesses the data at the logical level while integrating the
information from the internal SAP metadata tables. However, access is also provided for all SAP
tables, including transparent, pooled, and clustered tables. Additionally, users can view the SAP
data within the tables using the MetaLink for SAP R/3 interface.
Hummingbird is able to achieve this because Hummingbird Genio understands the SAP R/3 data
structure, enabling it to locate, filter, and extract appropriate information and share it with external
analytical environments. From a logical data table standpoint, this means it provides the user with
the ability to view the complex storage structure, locate, and extract information, decipher any
proprietary naming conventions or codes, traverse logical data relationships, and load and replenish
external tables with valuable information. Often, this involves ‘unclustering’ SAP clustered tables,
‘unpooling’ pooled tables, and combing them for appropriate or desired data through the use
of ABAP and Remote Function Calls (RFC).
With Hummingbird Genio, the process for loading and replenishing non-SAP data warehouse tables
is very straightforward. By enabling this seamless SAP R/3 data-level integration with external
environments, Hummingbird Genio offers organizations the ability to generate true competitive
advantage. For example, it can greatly increase the value of the data warehouse to an organization
through improved data, resulting in increased effectiveness in enterprise-wide decision making.
16
By following the steps below, organizations can achieve efficient and effective SAP R/3 data integration:
> Use the MetaLink for SAP R/3 interface to display and identify the necessary objects (tables and IDocs)
> Import them into the Hummingbird Genio Metadata Repository
> Build the required transformation objects in preparation for loading warehouse tables
> Start the Genio Engine to facilitate process of loading and replenishing target warehouse tables
Note: For organizations with a need for transactional-level warehouse updates (e.g. near real-time
data warehousing), Hummingbird Genio can also leverage the ALE interface to implement
near-real-time data warehousing.
Loading and Replenishing SAP BW
Loading and replenishing SAP BW with external data presents a challenge to organizations.
While there are several business intelligence and reporting tool vendors providing front-end access
to SAP BW, very few provide the external data feed that is crucial to the environment’s acceptance
within corporate enterprises.
Genio MetaLink for SAP R/3 enables efficient staging of data for inclusion in SAP BW environments.
The following steps are carried out using intuitive Genio and MetaLink interfaces to accomplish this:
> Identify the data models in source systems using Genio Designer
> Create the SAP BW staging area in Genio Designer
> Connect to SAP BW using MetaLink for SAP R/3
> Import the SAP BW staging objects into the Genio Repository
> Start the Genio Engine to load the SAP BW staging area
Certified by SAP under the Complementary Software program (SAP Certification ID — STA
BW — Business Information Warehouse — Data Staging), Hummingbird Genio is classified
as a data-staging tool for SAP BW.
Hummingbird Genio harnesses the power of the SAP BAPIs that include methods for updating
and retrieving metadata as well as sending data extracts to the SAP BW. By using these BAPIs,
Hummingbird Genio can connect its metadata repository and powerful extraction and transformation
engine to SAP BW.
17
Business Explorer
3rd Party OLAP Client
SAP
Database
MetaData Repository
OLAP Processor
Administrator
Bench
Business Information
Warehouse Server
Staging Engine
SAP
R/3 (Rel 3.0)
R/3 (Rel 4.0)
File
Extraction
Aggregation
Loading
Transformation
Replication
SAP R/3
Other Operational
Applications
R/2
Legacy
Provider
Native
iDoc
BAPIs
ABAP/RCF
Hummingbird Genio
Databases
Mainframes
IBM MQ Series
Files (Flat, Delimited,
XML, Web Logs...)
Figure 8 — Hummingbird Genio — SAP BW Architecture
Application Integration Solution
With Hummingbird Genio and its MetaLink for SAP IDoc, organizations achieve robust data
exchange between SAP R/3 and non-SAP applications through the use of IDocs. Technically,
Hummingbird Genio creates/processes IDoc messages and passes them between the SAP system
and the target application and vice versa. Then, the SAP R/3 application layer takes care of the
message, which may require information from or pushing data to the system.
Hummingbird Genio enhances the concept of data exchange between SAP R/3 and other operational
systems and data stores by using direct program-to-program communication instead of a file interface
to transfer IDocs. An additional benefit is that it is possible to build interfaces that allow Hummingbird
Genio to recognize the format of any interface structure of a non-SAP system and not simply standard
formats. This greatly broadens the range of data sources and targets between which Hummingbird
Genio can exchange data.
18
The concept of the SAP ALE involves using external converters to connect non-SAP systems
to the SAP R/3 system. External converters are generic format conversion programs. In addition
to SAP certification for populating SAP BW, Hummingbird Genio qualifies as an ALE converter
in accordance with SAP guidelines (SAP Certification ID — CA-ALE — Cross-Application —
Application Link Enabling Interface).
The following converter functions are covered by SAP ALE certification:
> The transfer of R/3 IDoc formats straight into the Genio Repository so that these data
descriptions can be used as source or target structures when assigning data fields.
> Adoption and conversion of IDocs from SAP R/3 systems via the ALE interface —
a remote function call that can be called up using an SAP transaction.
> Conversion of any data format into IDoc structures and import into the R/3 system
via a remote function call in the ALE interface.
IBM MQ Series
Hummingbird Genio
Extraction
SAP R/3
IDoc (CA-ALE)
Aggregation
SAP R/3
Loading
RFC/ABA
Transformation
Replication
Figure 9 — Hummingbird Genio — EAI Solution
19
Conclusion
Currently, organizations are changing the way they think about their business. They are re-examining
processes, altering business models, and introducing innovative applications that change the way
they interact internally and with their customers and partners. This movement is driving the pace
of data consumption and the size of data volumes.
As organizations strive to realize the benefits of driving their day-to-day business with SAP R/3
systems, the need to integrate the platform with other disparate data sources is critical to achieving
a return on the SAP investment.
The need to do this in a fast-paced, highly competitive environment requires organizations within
the very tight timeframes allowed by the business users forces them to look for solutions that
generate results without long-term development efforts.
Hummingbird Genio enables organizations to exchange SAP R/3 data efficiently and effectively
with external data stores and other applications on an enterprise-wide basis. Hummingbird Genio
provides organizations with the ability to integrate SAP R/3 data at the application layer, directly
from physical and logical tables, and by the loading of non-SAP data into SAP BW. As a result,
it is the complete solution for SAP customers to gain insight into their data and to capitalize
on the opportunities that it presents.
20
ice Authorizations > Spatial Data Management > Integrated Practice Support > Matter-Centric Portal > Case Management > Critical Dates Management > Records
FOIA Deal Management > Risk Management > Basel Capital Accord (Basel II) > M&A Pitch Books Management > Virtual Deal Rooms > Corporate Compliance >
nflict Management > Invoice Authorizations > Spatial Data Management > Integrated Practice Support > Matter-Centric Portal > Case Management > Critical Dates Mana
O 15489 > EFOIA Deal Management > Risk Management > Basel Capital Accord (Basel II) > M&A Pitch Books Management > Virtual Deal Rooms > Corporate Compli
Transforming Information into Intelligence™
Corporate Headquarters
1 Sparks Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2H 2W1 Canada
Toll Free Canada/USA: 1 877 FLY HUMM (359 4866)
Tel:
+1 416 496 2200
Fax:
+1 416 496 2207
E-mail:
getinfo@hummingbird.com
For more information, visit www.hummingbird.com/wp/sapr3
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WP-06-00-EN-0005.10/04
Copyright © 2004, Hummingbird Ltd. All rights reserved.
® ™ — Trademarks and logos are the intellectual property
of Hummingbird Ltd.
All other company and product names are trademarks
of their respective owners.

Hummingbird Genio® Solutions for SAP

Transcription

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