Disclaimer: This isn’t a tutorial about how button click works. No, the audience of this post are engineers with all levels of experience, from Junior up to Senior, which might have fallen into that “I’m SAP CPI”. My goal has been to help you move from just obvious to”Architectural Thinking – SAP BTP Integration Suite Consultant”. You got the basics, now let’s move on.
Introdução
In my last post, we talked about SAP EM/AEM. Today, we’re going deeper into are going to talk about SAP Integration Advisor.
This is the third of four posts (the last one a summary because I will not explain SAP CPI, I’m expect that you know already), and we will navigate you through how to stop being “SAP CPI Developer” and become an SAP Integration Suite Consultant – “Generals”.
Isaac Asimov once said: “The self-evident is that which is not seen until someone expresses it simply.”
In the world of B2B EDI, we have spent years overcomplicating the obvious with endless manual mappings. The SAP Integration Advisor is what finally expresses that complexity with simplicity. A “General” does not waste time redesigning what has already been standardized; instead, they leverage collective intelligence to focus on what truly matters: business strategy.
The “General” vs. The “Soldier” (A quick story)
Let me show you a imaginare conversation conversation
The following dialogue illustrates a common situation in integration projects when SAP BTP Integration Advisor is treated as an afterthought instead of an architectural capability.
Enterprise Architect / Solution Architect
Our next big challenge is B2B EDI migration from external platform on a global scale. We are dealing with 50 international partners using a literal ‘alphabet soup’ of standards:
specific variants of EDIFACT, ANSI X12, VDA for the automotive sector, and even RosettaNet.
How do you plan to maintain governance over these mappings and ensure the support team doesn’t get lost in a labyrinth of custom code and outdated Excel mapping sheets?
SAP CPI Developer
Well, it’s a manual grind. I’ll open the CPI graphical editor for each partner and start ‘connecting the strings’ (mapping). If a global rule changes, I’ll go into every single iFlow and update them manually. It’s complex and tedious, but that’s how I’ve always done it in CPI.
Enterprise Architect / Solution Architect
Manual only SAP CPI Iflows ?
That’s a compliance nightmare.
What about documentation?
What about industry standards ?
If you leave the project tomorrow, how will the next developer understand why field X was mapped to field Y specifically for partner number 32?
We can’t scale a business on ‘tribal knowledge.
(Awkward silence)
SAP BTP – Integration Suite Consultant
You’re right. CPI alone wasn’t built to manage business semantics at scale.
This is exactly where the SAP Integration Advisor (IA) comes in.
We stop acting like ‘manual mappers’ and start acting like architects.
By using IA, we leverage crowd-sourced AI to generate MIG’s automated Mapping Guidelines (MAGs) that are standardized, the EDI contract in the TPM and self-documenting, and easy to maintain across all 50 partners.
Here is the final English version of your proposal, using high-level architectural terminology to suit the “General” persona you’ve built:
Final Proposal: SAP BTP Integration Suite Consultant
Governance via MIGs (Message Implementation Guidelines): This is where business semantics become law. Instead of the developer arbitrarily deciding what a field represents, we create MIGs under the Architect’s supervision. The Architect defines the company’s ‘Golden Standard’, ensuring standardized fields and precise semantic descriptions. Structural governance is centralized within the Advisor library, rather than being scattered across 50 different iFlows.The Power of MAGs (Mapping Guidelines): As a consultant, I use the Integration Advisor to generate MAGs powered by Machine Learning. The IA suggests mappings based on collective intelligence—what the global ecosystem has already validated. This reduces manual effort by over 60%, ensuring that the “Golden Rule” comes from the official SAP library, not technical guesswork.TPM (Trading Partner Management) as the Controller: This is the true game-changer. The Architect acts as the Controller, managing all partners within the TPM portal. This is where we centralize contract registries, B2B agreements, and security certificates. In CPI, the developer simply consumes what has been governed in the TPM, ensuring total compliance.SAP CPI as the Execution Middleware: CPI acts as the engine that processes SAP’s Standard Pre-packaged Content (iFlows). To ensure the architecture is both resilient and extensible, we use CPI’s power for PRE or POST-mapping manipulations. Whenever a MAG reaches its limits with complex mapping requirements, we intervene with Groovy scripts or XSLT. This gives us the best of both worlds: the speed of IA automation and the total flexibility of code where it truly matters.
Charting New Responsibilities in Migrations: Who Does What?
The transformation from Soldier (SAP CPI Developer) to General (SAP BTP Integration Suite Consultant), one must reconfigure their mindset, gain governance experience, and, most importantly, understand the clear boundaries of authority for each role. In a migration from external vendors of B2B EDI, success depends on knowing how SAP Integration Advisor works and how to import and configure the stantard Iflows for this type of integration.
Integration Architect
Technology Analysis: They evaluate the technical fit from external platform provides for EDI integration vs Integration Advisor.Communication Standards: They check and analise the possibles protocols used for EDI’s (AMQP, MQTT, REST, AS2,AS4,VAN,API,OFTP2) and ensure they align with the SAP APIM e SAP CPI possibilities.
Solution Architect
Migration Roadmap: They define the phases of the migration and the ROI of moving to SAP BTP Integration Advisor + SAP CPI.Risk Management: They verify if the migration complies with industry regulations and internal security policies.Final Approval: They authorize the “Golden Standards” that will be used across the entire suite.
SAP BTP Integration Consultant
This is the person with hands-on expertise SAP Integration Advisor to support the bussiness on the creation of MIG and MAG’s
Technical Execution (The Scope): Their primary responsibility is the creation and optimization of MAGs (Mapping Guidelines), ensuring the engine (CPI) runs the business logic perfectly through iFlows if need extra logic apply groovy, or XSLT in duty of restrictions in MAG for complex logicsThe Boundaries (Out of Scope): To maintain the integrity of the role, the following are NOT the sole responsibility of the Consultant, but rather corporate governance assets provided by the Architects:Governance Policies: Defining the overall rules of engagement.MIG Creation & Semantic Definitions: The “Business Language” must be defined by the Architect/Business Owner.Naming Conventions: Global standards must be established at the architectural level.TPM Registration: Managing trading partner contracts and legal agreements is a business/governance function, not a developer task.
Image 1 – SAP Integration Suite Consultant
Conclusion — Part III
Being a “General” means realizing that standardization is your best weapon. With the SAP Integration Advisor, you stop being a slave to manual mapping and start leading with architectural intelligence. You move from “connecting strings” to governing business semantics.
In our final Part IV, we will wrap up the journey.
We’ll summarize the strategic pillars that separate the “Soldiers” from the “Generals” in the modern SAP BTP Integration Suite landscape.
Kind regards, Viana
References links compilation:
SAP FREE Course: Manage B2B Scenarios Effectively with SAP Integration SuiteSAP Integration AdvisorSAP BTP Integration Advisor Demo SAP Integration Suite MAG mapping video
SAP SCN Blogs:
SAP BTP – Integration Advisor – (MIG & MAG) from a CPI Developer PerspectiveIntegration Advisor: complex mapping code for dimension conversion in SAP B2BCreating MIGs and MAGs Using Integration Advisor in SAP BTP CockpitBase-/Overlay Mappings for Integration AdvisorIntegration Advisor – Download MAG Simulation Result as EDI PayloadIntegration Advisor: Overview of components for building B2B integration content and further readingintegration content advisor: Create a customized interface using MIG editorIntegration Advisor – direct support of EDI payloadsHow to build custom B2B Interface using Integration Advisor , AS2 Adapters and API ProxyIntegration Advisor – Tradacoms Message StandardIntegration Advisor – Support of xCBL MessagesTaming the X12 856 message in SAP Integration Advisor: A Step-by-Step GuideIntegration Advisor – multi-payload support for MIG creationAnnouncement: New integration content advisor for SAP Cloud Platform IntegrationHow to build custom B2B Interface using Integration Advisor , AS2 Adapters and API Proxyintegration content advisor: Discover B2B/A2A standard libraries
Disclaimer: This isn’t a tutorial about how button click works. No, the audience of this post are engineers with all levels of experience, from Junior up to Senior, which might have fallen into that “I’m SAP CPI”. My goal has been to help you move from just obvious to”Architectural Thinking – SAP BTP Integration Suite Consultant”. You got the basics, now let’s move on.IntroduçãoIn my last post, we talked about SAP EM/AEM. Today, we’re going deeper into are going to talk about SAP Integration Advisor.This is the third of four posts (the last one a summary because I will not explain SAP CPI, I’m expect that you know already), and we will navigate you through how to stop being “SAP CPI Developer” and become an SAP Integration Suite Consultant – “Generals”.Isaac Asimov once said: “The self-evident is that which is not seen until someone expresses it simply.” In the world of B2B EDI, we have spent years overcomplicating the obvious with endless manual mappings. The SAP Integration Advisor is what finally expresses that complexity with simplicity. A “General” does not waste time redesigning what has already been standardized; instead, they leverage collective intelligence to focus on what truly matters: business strategy.The “General” vs. The “Soldier” (A quick story)Let me show you a imaginare conversation conversationThe following dialogue illustrates a common situation in integration projects when SAP BTP Integration Advisor is treated as an afterthought instead of an architectural capability. Enterprise Architect / Solution ArchitectOur next big challenge is B2B EDI migration from external platform on a global scale. We are dealing with 50 international partners using a literal ‘alphabet soup’ of standards:specific variants of EDIFACT, ANSI X12, VDA for the automotive sector, and even RosettaNet.How do you plan to maintain governance over these mappings and ensure the support team doesn’t get lost in a labyrinth of custom code and outdated Excel mapping sheets?SAP CPI DeveloperWell, it’s a manual grind. I’ll open the CPI graphical editor for each partner and start ‘connecting the strings’ (mapping). If a global rule changes, I’ll go into every single iFlow and update them manually. It’s complex and tedious, but that’s how I’ve always done it in CPI.Enterprise Architect / Solution ArchitectManual only SAP CPI Iflows ?That’s a compliance nightmare.What about documentation?What about industry standards ?If you leave the project tomorrow, how will the next developer understand why field X was mapped to field Y specifically for partner number 32?We can’t scale a business on ‘tribal knowledge.(Awkward silence)SAP BTP – Integration Suite ConsultantYou’re right. CPI alone wasn’t built to manage business semantics at scale.This is exactly where the SAP Integration Advisor (IA) comes in.We stop acting like ‘manual mappers’ and start acting like architects.By using IA, we leverage crowd-sourced AI to generate MIG’s automated Mapping Guidelines (MAGs) that are standardized, the EDI contract in the TPM and self-documenting, and easy to maintain across all 50 partners.Here is the final English version of your proposal, using high-level architectural terminology to suit the “General” persona you’ve built:Final Proposal: SAP BTP Integration Suite ConsultantGovernance via MIGs (Message Implementation Guidelines): This is where business semantics become law. Instead of the developer arbitrarily deciding what a field represents, we create MIGs under the Architect’s supervision. The Architect defines the company’s ‘Golden Standard’, ensuring standardized fields and precise semantic descriptions. Structural governance is centralized within the Advisor library, rather than being scattered across 50 different iFlows.The Power of MAGs (Mapping Guidelines): As a consultant, I use the Integration Advisor to generate MAGs powered by Machine Learning. The IA suggests mappings based on collective intelligence—what the global ecosystem has already validated. This reduces manual effort by over 60%, ensuring that the “Golden Rule” comes from the official SAP library, not technical guesswork.TPM (Trading Partner Management) as the Controller: This is the true game-changer. The Architect acts as the Controller, managing all partners within the TPM portal. This is where we centralize contract registries, B2B agreements, and security certificates. In CPI, the developer simply consumes what has been governed in the TPM, ensuring total compliance.SAP CPI as the Execution Middleware: CPI acts as the engine that processes SAP’s Standard Pre-packaged Content (iFlows). To ensure the architecture is both resilient and extensible, we use CPI’s power for PRE or POST-mapping manipulations. Whenever a MAG reaches its limits with complex mapping requirements, we intervene with Groovy scripts or XSLT. This gives us the best of both worlds: the speed of IA automation and the total flexibility of code where it truly matters.Charting New Responsibilities in Migrations: Who Does What?The transformation from Soldier (SAP CPI Developer) to General (SAP BTP Integration Suite Consultant), one must reconfigure their mindset, gain governance experience, and, most importantly, understand the clear boundaries of authority for each role. In a migration from external vendors of B2B EDI, success depends on knowing how SAP Integration Advisor works and how to import and configure the stantard Iflows for this type of integration.Integration ArchitectTechnology Analysis: They evaluate the technical fit from external platform provides for EDI integration vs Integration Advisor.Communication Standards: They check and analise the possibles protocols used for EDI’s (AMQP, MQTT, REST, AS2,AS4,VAN,API,OFTP2) and ensure they align with the SAP APIM e SAP CPI possibilities.Solution ArchitectMigration Roadmap: They define the phases of the migration and the ROI of moving to SAP BTP Integration Advisor + SAP CPI.Risk Management: They verify if the migration complies with industry regulations and internal security policies.Final Approval: They authorize the “Golden Standards” that will be used across the entire suite.SAP BTP Integration ConsultantThis is the person with hands-on expertise SAP Integration Advisor to support the bussiness on the creation of MIG and MAG’sTechnical Execution (The Scope): Their primary responsibility is the creation and optimization of MAGs (Mapping Guidelines), ensuring the engine (CPI) runs the business logic perfectly through iFlows if need extra logic apply groovy, or XSLT in duty of restrictions in MAG for complex logicsThe Boundaries (Out of Scope): To maintain the integrity of the role, the following are NOT the sole responsibility of the Consultant, but rather corporate governance assets provided by the Architects:Governance Policies: Defining the overall rules of engagement.MIG Creation & Semantic Definitions: The “Business Language” must be defined by the Architect/Business Owner.Naming Conventions: Global standards must be established at the architectural level.TPM Registration: Managing trading partner contracts and legal agreements is a business/governance function, not a developer task.Image 1 – SAP Integration Suite ConsultantConclusion — Part IIIBeing a “General” means realizing that standardization is your best weapon. With the SAP Integration Advisor, you stop being a slave to manual mapping and start leading with architectural intelligence. You move from “connecting strings” to governing business semantics.In our final Part IV, we will wrap up the journey.We’ll summarize the strategic pillars that separate the “Soldiers” from the “Generals” in the modern SAP BTP Integration Suite landscape.Kind regards, VianaReferences links compilation:SAP FREE Course: Manage B2B Scenarios Effectively with SAP Integration SuiteSAP Integration AdvisorSAP BTP Integration Advisor Demo SAP Integration Suite MAG mapping videoSAP SCN Blogs:SAP BTP – Integration Advisor – (MIG & MAG) from a CPI Developer PerspectiveIntegration Advisor: complex mapping code for dimension conversion in SAP B2BCreating MIGs and MAGs Using Integration Advisor in SAP BTP CockpitBase-/Overlay Mappings for Integration AdvisorIntegration Advisor – Download MAG Simulation Result as EDI PayloadIntegration Advisor: Overview of components for building B2B integration content and further readingintegration content advisor: Create a customized interface using MIG editorIntegration Advisor – direct support of EDI payloadsHow to build custom B2B Interface using Integration Advisor , AS2 Adapters and API ProxyIntegration Advisor – Tradacoms Message StandardIntegration Advisor – Support of xCBL MessagesTaming the X12 856 message in SAP Integration Advisor: A Step-by-Step GuideIntegration Advisor – multi-payload support for MIG creationAnnouncement: New integration content advisor for SAP Cloud Platform IntegrationHow to build custom B2B Interface using Integration Advisor , AS2 Adapters and API Proxyintegration content advisor: Discover B2B/A2A standard libraries Read More Technology Blog Posts by Members articles
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