Evaluation of SAP API Management

[former_member200962]

Dear All,

Currently we are in the phase of evaluating options for API management and I have few questions regarding SAP API Management:

1. API Management now runs on HCP so does it mean if we procure license for HCP we can avail features of API management in the same license?

2. On-premise solution is offered along-with SAP Process Orchestration so again just purchase license for SAP PO and use full features of API management in same license?

3. Right now we are using HCPms to route requests from our mobile applications.....so what exactly should we look for (additional features) if we switch to SAP API Management. Or are there any limitations if we decide to stay with HCPms instead of API Management?

4. If there is a need to procure separate license for API management then what is the general licensing agreement of SAP (the one which is publicly available over internet)?

Help in regards to above questions would be helpful.

I am posting these questions on the forum as I could not find email of a person / team from SAP who could help me with these. If anyone knows such an email then please let me know of the same.

References used :

http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-57919

https://open.sap.com/static/podcastgen/feed.xml (episode 7)

Regards,

Abhishek.

[martin_bachmann]

Hello Abishek,

good to hear about the interest!

Even if SAP API Management technically is running on HCP it is an own license that has to be licensed separately. We have customers who are using the on-demand version completely independant of HCP - for exposing their services that are running on-premise.

On-Premise is not offered together with SAP PO from a licensing aspect. Of course technically the presentation of the SOAP-services to externals can be managed by API Management - but there are two licenses.

SAP API Mangement is a great tool to make the life of the app-developers easier, for example with API documentation and testing. In addition it is helping to manage the app-developers (onboarding, monitoring, ...). Sometimes the calls also need to be manipulated (adding / removing parameters, adding addition information, ...). These features are helping in addition to HCPms to ease the opening of the backend-services.

Please contact your SAP contact person for more details on the licensing aspect. If you need help finding out who it is just send me a PM.

Martin

[former_member200962]

Dear Martin,

Thank you for your reply!

I now have answer to my license question.

In terms of advantage, do you mean to say that the features available in API Management are in addition to those in HCPms?

HCPms supports applications which are developed using SAP SDK (Kapsel plugins in particular...with features like Push, Login, etc). So will these features be available also with API Management?

Thanks,

Abhishek.

[martin_bachmann]

Hello Abhishek,

the two products have two different goals:

- HCPms: mobile scenarios (offline together with SDKs, push, device onboarding, ...)

- API Management: developer convenience (API portal, API documentation, Registration, detailed analytics, manipulation of APIs presentation to developers via Node.js, JavaScript, ...)

The HCPms features are not part of the product 'SAP API Management'. But if you have the requirement to offer a public http://developer....com webpage that should support mobile scenarios then you should look at both products from SAP.

A good scenarios for usage of API Management (using SAP's solution or not...) is here: https://developer.nike.com/documentation/api-docs/activity-services/list-activities.html

With this API now every developer can develop an own app using based on the API.

What scenario are you planning to implement?

Martin

[former_member200962]

Dear Martin,

We are building mobile applications (Hybrid) using features like Login, Push Notification provided by SAP SDK. For now we are routing our requests via SAP HCPms.

These applications can be either used by internal employees or external customers or vendors. Source of data for these applications will be back-end servers which are hosted within our company network. Initial apps that we are building do not have a common model or common back-end table. Each app is different from the other in terms of functionality, display, usability. So we want to check what will be the best solution for us.

Reading your above reply I feel (may be i am wrong), HCPms is the (only) solution we should be looking for right now for our mobile applications.

For API Management, if I understood correctly, it could a good option to implement it if you have multiple commonly used APIs. Also if your APIs are going to be used across webpages / mobiles etc.

Your reference link was helpful!

Thanks,

Abhishek.

[martin_bachmann]

Hello Abhishek,

yes, for your scenario I also assume that HCPms is the tool you need focus on.

Maybe - over time - you should also have a look at HCI in order to connect to different backends via e.g. SOAP, REST, IW_BEP ... Today HCI is not able to produce OData (which is needed for HCPms), but over time this is planned to be added.

SAP API Management could add value if you want to add more the security-related side of API Management like spike arrest, quota management, sophisticated analytics, ...

https://help.hana.ondemand.com/apim_od/frameset.htm?bf441dc839034613b059cb508ad610f7.html

Martin

[former_member200962]

Dear Martin,

Yes, I had a trial account for HCI some months back and it is a nice platform to work with especially when I am working in the PI area for some time now. It is good that SAP came up with HCI so that even smaller organizations can have the "integration" capabilities with reduced TCO.

Your answers were helpful....thank you!

Thanks,

Abhishek.