Previously, processes used to be aligned with the internal organization structure, but effective operation requires an IT system architecture that actually serves the business needs, allows for the implementation of cross-system business processes, and, within these processes, provides direct access to all necessary data. SAP XI is such a solution.

The XI component can be considered the functional successor of IDocs (Intermediate Documents, the standard data exchange format between R/3 systems) and SAP Business Connector (an XML-based data exchange tool between R/3 and external systems), but technically it surpasses these EDI-based solutions.

With XI, all applications within a company can quickly and cost-effectively be connected into a central system in order to implement online data and information exchange. Furthermore, XI is the main building block of Business Process Management (BPM). If you want to have integrated processes across companies covering even external applications, the BPM functions of NetWeaver help with modeling, creating, and monitoring complex processes partly realized between different business partners.

Within SAP XI, a Java™-based graphical interface is available to describe involved systems and design processes (design), configure and activate the detailed technical parameters (configuration), launch the configured interfaces, and monitor the data flows and message traffic (monitoring). SAP XI manages the interfaces that support the data exchange between the various systems mainly via XML-based communication and offers a set of tools for defining and implementing interfaces, integration scenarios, and message mapping rules. Mapping of data with different structures originating in different systems is assisted through a graphical mapping process, which reduces data inconsistencies. The several dozens of preconfigured XI processes and scenarios available to users were developed based on SAP’s expertise and experience.

Besides asynchronous processing, SAP XI also supports synchronous processing, which significantly increases the speed of processes through a single platform. Communication between the connected systems is implemented using different formats (mainly XML). To help with building connecting SAP-to-SAP, SAP-to-non-SAP and B2B systems, support has been provided for an increasing number of adapters such as:

The major benefits of using the SAP Exchange Infrastructure

	The hub-and-spoke structure of XI significantly reduces the number of interfaces and point-to-point connections between the systems and applications and offers a single, well-defined external access point to the company.
	The processes can run on all systems involved without interruptions.
	Using open integration technologies and industry standards (e.g., Web services, XML messaging, Java, and J2EE) makes the solution flexible and future-proof.
	All IT systems are connected through a single, fully scalable platform.
	The unified architecture significantly reduces integration costs and results in a lower TCO.

SAP XI helps with designing the business processes, includes the business logic needed for their execution, executes them, and because it has information on the location of individual processes, it allows for monitoring. In the long run, SAP XI as a central component of the IT landscape, may realize the end-to-end management, monitoring and – using the appropriate tool – modeling of business processes.