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Simplified Yet Scalable SAP® Integration

When organizations integrate SAP® with non-SAP® systems it typically happens because the non-SAP® application requires data that is managed within SAP® in order to deliver the expected value. Integrating to SAP® is unfortunately not an easy task for a couple of reasons:

  1. SAP®'s data structures are deeply normalized. While this is a great strength for SAP® as an ERP system it also means that data most people would consider basic objects ends up being scattered over numerous tables. Retrieving the data required by the external application therefore requires deep knowledge of the SAP® data-model. Many organizations and 3rd party system providers do not have that knowledge.

  2. To control access to the SAP® database SAP® has developed several proprietary integration technologies. These technologies do provide a more streamlined view of the underlying data complexities, but they also introduce new technology barriers that typically require costly development and 3rd party integration tools to overcome. The objects exposed by these integration technologies often don't provide access to all the data required to resolve an integration challenge. Many solutions therefore end up looking like a mix of technologies and approaches resulting in long-term sustainability issues.

AdapLink Objects for SAP® changes this picture rather dramatically in several ways:

  1. AdapLink ObjectsTM are rich standardized objects that are installed in a plug-and-play fashion. Because they are standardized they are much easier to support and in general perform to a much higher standard than home-grown solutions. Support can be provided in-house or outsourced very cost effectively due to the standardized nature.

  2. The task of bringing the data contained in the exposed AdapLink ObjectsTM from SAP® to the non-SAP® application is greatly simplified because the fully populated AdapLink ObjectsTM are designed to be largely self-explanatory.

  3. Extracting data from the populated AdapLink ObjectsTM can be done through any of the many XML capable technologies. AdapLinkTM obviously offers clear advantages from a strict functionality perspective, but if an organization prefers to use stored database procedures or some other technology then they can do so.

AdapLink ObjectsTM for SAP® therefore largely eliminates the typical challenges posed by having to adopt new technology skills just to be able to get data in and out of SAP®.

SAP® is a registered trademark of SAP AG, Germany
AdapChain® is a registered trademark of AdapChain Inc, USA
AdapLinkTM, AdapLink PlannerTM, AdapLink ObjectsTM are trademarks of AdapChain Inc, USA