As of B2Bi version 2.6, Axway maintains the SAP certification of our SAP Connector in B2Bi. Besides just renewing the certification for connection to SAP R/3 as we have done many times before, we also successfully extended the validation and certification to SAP S/4 HANA.
(Note that SAP certification remains valid for three years. As of this writing, Axway B2Bi’s latest certification was in February 2023.)
See also: Moving to cloud-enabled SAP S/4HANA? Make sure all your B2B integrations come with you.
How Axway B2Bi 2.6 works with SAP
SAP certification helps us when working with customers and prospects that are already using SAP S/4 HANA or planning to upgrade. In this case, rest assured, that “our” connector to SAP will continue to work as-is without any change.
Technically, the SAP certification is for the ALE connectivity, and thus the exchange of native SAP IDocs with SAP. SAP is calling this certification “CA-ALE.”
As we’re officially certified, we’re also listed as such in SAP’s Certified Solution Directory. The details about Axway B2Bi 2.6 can be found on the SAP Certified Solutions Directory.
Understanding SAP-certified integrations
Historically, SAP has pushed its customers to use SAP’s integration layer XI/PI/PO (it has had different names over time) as the first line of integration in front of all SAP systems.
SAP XI/PI/PO uses the ALE layer and native IDocs for the integration with SAP itself, but to the outside world, it integrates with XML-formatted messages and other standard communication protocols like HTTP or JMS.
As a customer, if you use a separate, dedicated solution for B2B/EDI processing, you had to use two layers of integration. It can be quite complex, hard to maintain and monitor.
See also: 4 benefits of using Axway’s B2B Integration Platform
In the U.S., we have a customer case where the XML-based data integration with SAP R/3 via SAP XI/PI/PO (and a third-party EDI system), is being replaced with “native” IDoc integration between SAP R/3 and Axway B2Bi.
Primarily, that project is about replacing (ripping out) that third-party EDI solution, as B2Bi is already used for the external B2B communication. Additionally, it’s great to see that SAP customers are also starting to be interested in skipping that SAP XI/PI/PO layer, and thus reducing the complexity of their end-to-end EDI flows.
Axway’s B2B Integration platform allows enterprises to consolidate a wider variety of EDI protocols, modern APIs, industry standards, and market regulations into a single point of control.
We help enterprises leverage stringent security protocols, data integrity checking, and guaranteed SLA delivery with end-to-end supply chain visibility and control. Our high-performance, UX-friendly solution provides comprehensive capabilities that are trusted globally.