Middleware requirements for GTS-CHIEF connectivity

[former_member343561]

We currently run GTS 10.1 with Seeburger BIS5. The Seeburger system is requiring an upgrade to BIS6 in order to be on a supported version and in preparation for the HMRC CDS system. However, I need to answer the question why SAP PI (was XI) can't be used instead of Seeburger. For a Seeburger upgrade we will likely need new servers and potentially support from Seeburger for the upgrade. I believe (and I can't find much information out) that if we use PI, we would have to configure all the mappings from scratch and maintain them ourselves rather than being reliant on a) mappings that already exist for our implementation and b) continued support via upgrades. If anyone has any information regarding the use of any middleware besides Seeburger, whether through experience or best practice/recommendations I would be very grateful. Thank you

[former_member215181 · Accepted solution]

Hi Emily,

There's no technical reason why SAP PI can't be used for GTS messaging. The new CDS (Customs Declaration Service) system will use XML messages, which should be quite easy to handle in SAP PI.

I previously worked with a Danish customer who used SAP PI for their GTS messaging with DK Customs because they preferred to use SAP software exclusively for their business. It worked very well, and gave excellent performance. However...

The down-side, as you already identified, is the need to maintain your own mappings for the message conversion. That requires, in addition to good PI skills, having the ability to interpret the documentation from the Customs Authority into the mapping requirements. And since the Customs requirements tend to change over time, that resource must remain available. For a lot of businesses, that's a significant issue.

Regards,
Dave

[former_member343561]

Hi Dave,

Thank you for your very prompt answer it will help us in our decision making.

Kind regards,

Emily