SAP IBP Connector 1.0.0.9

Prerequisites

The Redwood SAP IBP Connector is available on request.

Installation

On release 9.2.x or higher the .car file can be installed using standard promotion. By default, the IBP car file requires the Partition IBP to exist before it can be imported. Please create this Partition prior to importing or select an existing Partition when importing.

Contents of the car file

The car file consists of the following objects:

Object Type Name
Application IBP.Redwood_IBP
Process Definition IBP.IBP_ImportJobTemplate
Process Definition IBP.IBP_ShowTemplates
Process Definition IBP.IBP_SubmitJob
Process Definition IBP.IBP_Template
Library IBP.Redwood_SAP_IBP

Redwood_IBP

The Application containing all the built-in Process Definitions as well as the Redwood_SAP_IBP library.

IBP_ImportJobTemplate

The IBP_ImportJobTemplate allows you to import a template using either the job template name or a SAP IBP job name.

Tab Parmeter Description Documentation Values
Parameters templateName Filter on Technical Name (wildcards * and ? allowed, empty for all) The job template to import, for example ZHDVK0F2BIAPONJPTEHJC26PCR4. If you leave both Technical Name Filter and Display Name Filter blank, all templates will be returned.

Parameters jobText Filter on Description (wildcards * and ? allowed, empty for all) The job template to import based on a job text, for example EH_HCI. If you leave both Technical Name Filter and Display Name Filter blank, all templates will be returned.

Parameters overwrite Overwrite? This controls overwriting existing definitions in Redwood. N - (default) do not overwrite existing Process Definitions Y - overwrite existing definitions
Parameters importType Use Technical Name or Display Name? This controls which filter will be used, technical name or job description D - (default) use the job descriptionG - use the template name (technical name)
Target targetPartition Import into Partition Partition of the generated Process Definition List of existing Partitions
Target targetApplication Import into Application Application of the generated Process Definition List of existing Applications
Target targetQueue Set default Queue Specifies the default Queue of the generated Process Definition List of existing Queues
Target targetPrefix Import with name prefix Prefix to prepend to the name of the generated Process Definition CUS_IBP_

IBP_ShowTemplates

Lists all job templates available in the SAP IBP system. This definition has no parameters. The process outputs lists of templates using the following syntax:

Copy
<sequence number> <template name> <job text>

Redwood_SAP_IBP

The library contains code used by the connection to connect to SAP IBP and

IBP_SubmitJob

This allows you to submit a job in your SAP IBP system.

Tab Parmeter Documentation
Parameters templateName The job template to use for the job, for example ZHDVK0F2BIAPONJPTEHJC26PCR4
Parameters jobText The job name to use for the job, for example EH_HCI
Parameters jobUser The user to run the job as; the user must be the same as the user you see in the Fiori App Communication System

Note: The template name ZHDVK0F2BIAPONJPTEHJC26PCR4 is used for illustration purposes, only, you submit IBP.IBP_ShowTemplates to display available templates.

Setup

IBP processes need their own Process Server and Queue. The Process Server and Queue must not be in Partition GLOBAL. By default, all the IBP objects live in the Partition IBP/your Partition (RMJ customer).

Example of a Process Server:

Example SAP IBP process server

The Process Server IBP_ProcessServer is used as an example to set up the connection to an IBP system. In order to connect to more than one IBP system, duplicate the IBP_ProcessServer Process Server and create a new Queue and a credential of type SOAP for that IBP system. Username and password of the SAP IBP system is configured in a credential. This credential must be created in the same Partition as the Queue. The virtual user of the credential must match the Process Server name. See Advanced for connection through an HTTP proxy.

Example of a credential:

Example SAP IBP credential

Put in the user and password created in the IBP systems Fiori App Communication System (or Communication User) as shown above. See Advanced for information on how to setup the Communication System and User.

Running IBP jobs

Finding IBP templates

To retrieve the list of job templates available for scheduling got to the IBP Application, click on Applications > IBP > IBP_ShowTemplates and submit it.

Locate IBP_ShowTemplates

Select the correct Queue

Submit IBP_ShowTemplates

Once the process has finished, click on the stderr.log, and you will see the output as follows:

Output of IBP_ShowTemplates

Here you can find the value later used as template name - it's the value after the sequence number and before the template title.

Schedule an IBP job

In the IBP Application choose IBP_SubmitJob and submit it

Submit IBP_SubmitJob

Remember to use the correct job user - with this user, the job is scheduled, and, for example, the IBP visibility filter settings are taken from this user. Also, this is the user ID as seen in the Fiori App Maintain Business Users. The template name is usually a GUID-like ID, the non-GUID-like template names are the SAP delivered templates, which usually have empty parameter values. Non-GUID-like template names contain one or more words, such as Material Requirement Planning (MRP), GUID-like template names contain specific letters and numbers, no spaces, like ZHDVK0F2BIAPONJPTEHJC26PCR4. To list available template names submit IBP.IBP_ShowTemplates.

Import Templates as Process Definitions

Submit IBP.IBP_ImportJobTemplate to import the template as a Process Definition.

Submit IBP_ImportTemplates

Advanced

Enable connections through HTTP proxy

When the connection to the SAP IBP system needs to be established through an HTTP proxy, create a new proxy credential and specify a proxy for IBP independent of the Secure Gateway proxy. To create the credential, navigate to Security > Credentials and use the following settings:

  • Protocol: login
  • Endpoint: \<host>:\<port> of your HTTP proxy server
  • Real User: \<proxy user> or forceNone when no proxy authentication is required
  • Password: \<password of proxy user> or dummy when user is forceNone
  • Virtual User: proxy: \<IBP URL>

Example of a proxy Credential:

IBP proxy credential

Setup IBP Communication System & User

IBP user

Open the Communication Systems Fiori App and click New and provide a meaningful system ID and description for your external scheduling tool. For example, you use JOBSCHEDULER. Then you choose the correct hostname as it is used as source of the request to the IBP system. Next, you add a new user for inbound communication (inbound from the IBP systems point of view).

New IBP user

We are then forwarded to the Communication User Fiori App and can create a completely new IBP local user which is used to identify the inbound communication from the external scheduler. For example, you use JOBSCHEDULERUSER and let IBP generate a password.

List IBP users

In the communication system you specify Username and Password as authentication method. In the Communication Arrangement Fiori App you choose New and create a new communication arrangement based on scenario SAP_COM_0064.

Create IBP com arrangement

We select the communication system and communication user from the previous step.

Show IBP comm arrangement

You can see in the lower right the URL which is to be used by the external scheduling tool as basis.