E2Open interfaces built using enterprise services

[Former Member]

We need to build purchase orders related interfaces with E2Open and discussing on using IDOC vs ESOA services that were provided by SAP with Ehp4. We need to extend these services to get our custom data and using IDOCs would save time. There is web methods/software AG server (middleware) that will translate SAP structure into OAG structures.

Any suggestions/pros & cons on IDOC vs ESOA?

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Rajani,

My personal opinion:

I think that you need to think more long term, using IDOCs would save you time now but significantly reduces your flexibility. You should also factor into consideration business goals & strategy (where the company is headed towards).

If you have an ESR (Enterprise Service Repository) in your landscape (it comes shipped with SAP Netweaver CE or SAP PI), there's nothing stopping you from extending the standard SAP Enterprise Services to cater for your custom data. If you don't, an option would be to create custom Abap programs that wrap the enterprise service functionality & cater for your custom data. You could then web service enable those custom programs.

I'm personally not a big fan of IDOCs because I think that they are too cumbersome to use but they also work well. You need to ask yourself, some questions like:

- What if a business process changes, what would the impact be if you choose IDOCs over enterprise services?

- What if you at some stage need to orchestrate provisioning interfaces to cater for changing business / market / regulatory conditions?

- How much is SAP investing in Enterprise Services vs IDOCs?

- How agile is the approach of using IDOCs vs Enterprise Services?

- Does using IDOCs give you an egde over competitors & if there is a business opportunity that needs to be capitalized on, how quickly can you adapt the IDOC scenarios to take advantage of it?

- What about skill levels (developers etc.) for IDOCs & Enterprise services?

- Budget constraints?

These are just some questions...

On the whole, I think that Enterprise Services would work better but it depends on your specific circumstances & SAP is investing significantly more on Enterprise Servies than IDOCs so you would get that added benefit.

Regards, Trevor

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thank you Trevor ...for quick, detailed reply.

Our R/3 is connected to PI and we also have CE. We implemented couple of enterprise services via webmethods using rfc connection and LPCONFIG. As LPCONFIG is an obsolete t-code we are not confortable going this route.

Here are the concerns for using ESOA.

1. Because of our architecture decision to use web methods middleware and not PI, I find it hard to get SAP support.

2. Not all services with EhP4 are really good. Some of them are really just BAPI structures.

3. Some of the services need SWF_BAM configuration and others use output routine.

4. We have 1 developer that can extend these services. There is definitely resistance to switch to new technology from all groups of SAP in my company.

I completely believe in enterprise services and feel helpless in supporting them

Regards, Rajani