AS2 Adapter B2B add on with Process Orchestration

[harish_babu5]

Hi guys,

Client insists on AS2 adapter for third party.

I have some doubts.

1) What format should I ask the client to put the data in? AS2 format or EDI format?

2) When we send data in AS2 protocol from sender to receiver, do we have to do field mappings in SAP PO? Is this something like encrypted at the sender side and decrypted at the receiver side kind of transport?

3) Can a normal system receive AS2 format data? Or PO has to do transformation? Should the target and sender have some specific format or is it interoperable across any sytem? Say using PI, we can send data from File to JDBC, SOAP, Idoc, RFC or File or anything like that is it possible while using AS2. Both sender and receiver have to use AS2 protocol?

4) Do we need Certificates  installed at both sender and receiver side?

5) I read receipient systm should be up and running 24/7. What will happen if the server is down? Will those messages fail ? Can it be processed in PO again?

Regards

Harish

[Dimitri · Accepted solution]

Hi Harish,

1) AS2 is the protocol and EDI is the message format. So, you need to send EDI messages

2) When data enters the SAP PI or PO system, you can do what you want with it and map it to what ever format you would like.

3) There is absolutely no need to use the AS2 adapter on the receier side too. You can choose whatever you would like.

4) You need to have certificates on your SAP PO or PI system and on the sender or receiver side to be able to understand and know each other.

5) Messages could fail, but will never be lost. SAP PI or PO has very good monitoring and alerting capabilities to be used in these cases.

Hope this clarifies a little bit.

Kind regards,

Dimitri

[harish_babu5 · Accepted solution]

Thanks a lot Dimitri

Is there something that I need to tell or ask the client before agreeing to this? Client wants to select from SFTP or AS2. Which one should I select, in your opinion? I even asked a thread about that in PI and Middleware

Do I have to ask whether they want MDN for scenarios?

Is it quite complex to manage?

Regards

[Dimitri · Accepted solution]

Hi Harish,

Message Delivery Notifications are only in scope for as AS2 adapter. Not for SFTP communication.

Both AS2 and SFTP are fine. Up to you to choose.

The SFTP adapter is a separate download and requires no license at all.

Perhaps that could accelerate your choice.

In any case, these scenarios are easy to build and monitor. All is out-of-the-box available and standard SAP.

Kind regards,

Dimitri

[harish_babu5 · Accepted solution]

Dimitri

I know that MDN is only for AS2.

What I was asking is whether I should ask the Client in advance whether they intend to go for MDN or not. As of now, I have to tell him to put the data in EDI format. Apart from that, I there anything else that I need to inform them

Harish

[S0003485845 · Accepted solution]

Hi Harish,

on the GS1-side , there is a pretty useful Implementation Guideline for AS2

http://www.gs1.org/docs/gsmp/xml/sbdh/Newcomers_to_AS2_Implementation_Guide_i1.pdf

In Chapter 3.9 , it includes all the different parameters that should be exchanged between you and your trading partner when you agree to use AS2 as the communication protocol.

Other than this, I think that AS2 is a very good protocol and hihgly standardized and this is also why it has been applied by so many companies.

A (signed) MDN should always be used in my opinion, as this then guarantees to the sender of a message, that the file has been received successfully by the recipient..which the recipient then confirms wit ha signed messages.

[Dimitri · Accepted solution]

Hi Harish,

When you go for AS2, the sending party receives an MDN with delivery details. That is always usefull.

Also, you have signing and encryption and the AS2 adapter within the B2B add-on is very robust and flexible. If you choose for EDI over AS2, you will not regret it and you will have enough freedom to configure the process you would like.

Kind regards,

Dimitri