Make SAP integration 'suck less'

Nov 29, 2018

Often a huge upfront investment is done by buying an API gateway software plus enabling existing integration solutions (ESBs, SAP connectors etc) to connect to backend systems. Also, SAP has multiple offers through older and newer integration options (eg. SAP NetWeaver Gateway) that need specialized experts. Those solutions often need extensive backend development resources which in return creates another implementation bottleneck. Also, while self-service integration platforms emerge, they are often focused on providing end user services. Providing a re-usable API interface is not their primary target.

Therefore, a much more radically simpler integration approach is needed to create, publish and maintain APIs for backend systems like an SAP ERP, HR, FI etc. Self-service becomes more and more important since connectivity is the necessary stepping stone to build much more versatile systems on top of those backends. Being able to connect to your customers and partners without the need for costly integration projects is a key differentiator and should always be the focus with integrating third-party platforms.

In our opinion a state-of-the-art solution should:

Use a zero code self-service approach
Be flexible to fit in any existing API infrastructure
Use common and open standards (OpenAPI)
Use a serverless approach to delegate operational aspects away from API exposure as much as possible
Work with a license model that scales up/down with usage

Our solution provides a simple web UI, which allows you to configuratively expose existing SAP functionality through open restful endpoints. The whole solution is built with a serverless mindset, to provide best in class cost structure. To only pay for usage is an important aspect when it comes to scalability, separation of concern, security encapsulation and so on.

Out of the box, our solution embeds an API Gateway which will provide functionalities like throttling, authentication and black/whitelisting which enables you to directly use it in an end-to-end use case or be part of a setup behind your own API gateway.

In contrast to many other possible solutions we provide:

No need to set up any infrastructure. All infrastructure is managed through the AWS Marketplace template that is provided, so installation is just a one-click procedure.
Start with virtual zero cost as billing follows the pay-per-use model.
Expose new SAP functionality within seconds, configure an endpoint and instantly invoke the function.
Use the Test UI that is already built-in. The web-based UI embeds a SwaggerUI which allows you to test your endpoint the moment they are configured.
Protect your API through an integrated user and API key management.
Protect your SAP system through an adjustable throttling.
No integration experience required to provide SAP internal functions as API to your partners or customers.
Out of the box monitoring via ElasticSearch easily accessible through a Kibana UI.
Define custom Dashboards which represent the metrics you want to watch.
Use AWS CloudWatch to provide infrastructure level monitoring.

So, if you want to give it a try, head over to the demo section and use our public demo instance (no registration required).