Introduction
In the era of Industry 4.0, the ability to respond to real-time events in industrial production is crucial for operational efficiency. This blog outlines a proof of concept (PoC) that demonstrates how Airbus leveraged SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP Build Process Automation (BPA), and Events-to-Business Actions Framework to automate and orchestrate the missing part fulfillment process within production operations. The solution leverages an event-driven architecture to automate business processes based on missing part fulfillment in real-time.
This architecture is highly repeatable and can be applied to a wide range of SAP scenarios such as plant maintenance, purchase requisitions, inventory updates, and more, making it a valuable reference for enterprises looking to scale event-driven integrations.
Engagement
The outcome described in this article was facilitated by custom adaptation of the Events-to-Business-Actions Framework by Airbus and was supported by SAP OCTO Team under PVN Pavankumar
Business Scenario : Missing Part Fulfilment in Production
The use case centres on streamlining the missing part fulfilment process within Airbus production operations. It begins when a missing part is detected for a work order reservation in the SAP ECC backend, which supports day-to-day production activities. From that initial identification, the process continues all the way through to the confirmation of the work order operation.
Throughout this journey, the workflow leverages an event-driven architecture (EDA) to track progress in real time, integrating seamlessly with backend systems. SAP Build Process Automation (BPA) orchestrates collaboration between all involved actors by sending out forms and notifications, gathering approvals, and automating decisions based on predefined business rules. Additionally, the PoC highlights the real-time monitoring and dashboarding features of SAP Build Process Automation, ensuring end-to-end visibility across the process.
This PoC showcases how we made that happen.
Solution Architecture
Below is the architecture diagram representing the technical landscape for the missing part fulfilment process.
Figure 1: End-to-end architecture of the Airbus missing part fulfillment solution using SAP BTP, Advanced Event Mesh, E2B Framework, and custom Node.js applications.
Technical Implementation
This architecture leverages key components across SAP BTP, Advanced Event Mesh, and custom applications to create a robust event-to-action pipeline: The Solution Architecture is illustrated in Figure 1, and the important components along with their connectivity are explained below:
-> Business events are triggered:
Different actors interact with the SAP backend (supporting production operations). Transactions such as work order reservations, purchase orders, or outbound deliveries generate relevant business events.
-> Events are routed to SAP Integration Suite, Advanced Event Mesh (AEM):
These events are sent to SAP Integration Suite, Advanced Event Mesh—either directly or via Solace event brokers in Airbus Private Cloud, especially if events need to be shared with other platforms.
-> Event-specific queues manage the flow:
Within SAP Integration Suite, Advanced Event Mesh, specific queues collect events related to predefined topics, pushing them into the Events to Business Actions (E2B) framework.
-> Business logic and workflows are triggered:
E2B calls SAP Build Process Automation (BPA) APIs to:
Apply decision rules and determine what business action should occur based on the event payload,Launch new workflow instances,Update waiting tasks on running workflows,Push events to visibility scenarios for process monitoring.
-> Backend queries for richer context:
E2B also calls backend APIs to fetch more information related to business objects—such as:
Details of a reservation linked to a purchase order,The specific station tied to a work order reservation,The list of actors involved, leveraging Responsibility Management in SAP S/4HANA based on attributes like station.
-> Traceability with PartsNow:
PartsNow, is a custom SAP Cloud Application Programming (CAP,Node.js) application, used to persist the relationship between workflow instance IDs and related work order reservation IDs. E2B registers new workflow instances and can retrieve instance details as needed via PartsNow APIs.
-> Unified user experience in SAP Build Workzone:
SAP Build Workzone serves as the entry point for business actors, providing:
My Inbox: For completing tasks such as form fills or approvals,My Processes: For real-time workflow monitoring,Process Visibility Dashboard: To track KPIs and process efficiency,Studio Home: Where process specialists can manage BPA decision rules.
-> Automated notifications and integration points:
Finally, SAP BPA calls remote APIs to:
Inform the PartsNow app about workflow instance completion,Send email notifications to relevant actors via an SMTP server.
Developer Insights
As a developer building this PoC, a few key learnings stand out:
Loose coupling using SAP Integration Suite, Advanced Event Mesh and queues ensures resiliency and scalability.Decision capability in SAP Build Process Automation allowed us to externalize complex logic from the app code, making it easier to maintain and extend.Using SAP BTP Destinations and Service Bindings helped standardize secure backend access across environments.
Deployment Steps
Follow this GitHub documentation for detailed steps for configuration and deployment.
Closing Remarks
We hope this blog has inspired new ideas for applying event-driven automation to your own business processes.
Refer to SAP Architecture Centre and Events-to-Business-Actions Framework Repository for implementation details.
Thanks to colleagues from SAP OCTO Team Praveen Kumar Padegal and Swati Maste for their support.
IntroductionIn the era of Industry 4.0, the ability to respond to real-time events in industrial production is crucial for operational efficiency. This blog outlines a proof of concept (PoC) that demonstrates how Airbus leveraged SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP Build Process Automation (BPA), and Events-to-Business Actions Framework to automate and orchestrate the missing part fulfillment process within production operations. The solution leverages an event-driven architecture to automate business processes based on missing part fulfillment in real-time.This architecture is highly repeatable and can be applied to a wide range of SAP scenarios such as plant maintenance, purchase requisitions, inventory updates, and more, making it a valuable reference for enterprises looking to scale event-driven integrations. EngagementThe outcome described in this article was facilitated by custom adaptation of the Events-to-Business-Actions Framework by Airbus and was supported by SAP OCTO Team under PVN PavankumarBusiness Scenario : Missing Part Fulfilment in ProductionThe use case centres on streamlining the missing part fulfilment process within Airbus production operations. It begins when a missing part is detected for a work order reservation in the SAP ECC backend, which supports day-to-day production activities. From that initial identification, the process continues all the way through to the confirmation of the work order operation.Throughout this journey, the workflow leverages an event-driven architecture (EDA) to track progress in real time, integrating seamlessly with backend systems. SAP Build Process Automation (BPA) orchestrates collaboration between all involved actors by sending out forms and notifications, gathering approvals, and automating decisions based on predefined business rules. Additionally, the PoC highlights the real-time monitoring and dashboarding features of SAP Build Process Automation, ensuring end-to-end visibility across the process.This PoC showcases how we made that happen. Solution ArchitectureBelow is the architecture diagram representing the technical landscape for the missing part fulfilment process.Figure 1: End-to-end architecture of the Airbus missing part fulfillment solution using SAP BTP, Advanced Event Mesh, E2B Framework, and custom Node.js applications.Technical Implementation This architecture leverages key components across SAP BTP, Advanced Event Mesh, and custom applications to create a robust event-to-action pipeline: The Solution Architecture is illustrated in Figure 1, and the important components along with their connectivity are explained below:-> Business events are triggered:Different actors interact with the SAP backend (supporting production operations). Transactions such as work order reservations, purchase orders, or outbound deliveries generate relevant business events.-> Events are routed to SAP Integration Suite, Advanced Event Mesh (AEM):These events are sent to SAP Integration Suite, Advanced Event Mesh—either directly or via Solace event brokers in Airbus Private Cloud, especially if events need to be shared with other platforms.-> Event-specific queues manage the flow:Within SAP Integration Suite, Advanced Event Mesh, specific queues collect events related to predefined topics, pushing them into the Events to Business Actions (E2B) framework.-> Business logic and workflows are triggered:E2B calls SAP Build Process Automation (BPA) APIs to:Apply decision rules and determine what business action should occur based on the event payload,Launch new workflow instances,Update waiting tasks on running workflows,Push events to visibility scenarios for process monitoring.-> Backend queries for richer context:E2B also calls backend APIs to fetch more information related to business objects—such as:Details of a reservation linked to a purchase order,The specific station tied to a work order reservation,The list of actors involved, leveraging Responsibility Management in SAP S/4HANA based on attributes like station.-> Traceability with PartsNow:PartsNow, is a custom SAP Cloud Application Programming (CAP,Node.js) application, used to persist the relationship between workflow instance IDs and related work order reservation IDs. E2B registers new workflow instances and can retrieve instance details as needed via PartsNow APIs.-> Unified user experience in SAP Build Workzone:SAP Build Workzone serves as the entry point for business actors, providing:My Inbox: For completing tasks such as form fills or approvals,My Processes: For real-time workflow monitoring,Process Visibility Dashboard: To track KPIs and process efficiency,Studio Home: Where process specialists can manage BPA decision rules.-> Automated notifications and integration points:Finally, SAP BPA calls remote APIs to:Inform the PartsNow app about workflow instance completion,Send email notifications to relevant actors via an SMTP server. Developer InsightsAs a developer building this PoC, a few key learnings stand out:Loose coupling using SAP Integration Suite, Advanced Event Mesh and queues ensures resiliency and scalability.Decision capability in SAP Build Process Automation allowed us to externalize complex logic from the app code, making it easier to maintain and extend.Using SAP BTP Destinations and Service Bindings helped standardize secure backend access across environments.Deployment StepsFollow this GitHub documentation for detailed steps for configuration and deployment. Closing RemarksWe hope this blog has inspired new ideas for applying event-driven automation to your own business processes.Refer to SAP Architecture Centre and Events-to-Business-Actions Framework Repository for implementation details. Thanks to colleagues from SAP OCTO Team Praveen Kumar Padegal and Swati Maste for their support. Read More Technology Blog Posts by Members articles
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