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SAP PI/PO - Process Integration and Orchestration
SAP PI/PO is SAP's on-premise integration platform: IDocs, RFC and proxies for SAP systems; SFTP, SOAP and REST for banks, carriers and e-document providers. Mainstream maintenance for 7.5 ends at end-2027; until then, interfaces must keep running while the move to SAP Integration Suite is planned.
Process
SAP PI/PO interfaces from design to production
Design lives in the ESR, configuration in the Integration Directory; the Advanced Adapter Engine reads it from a runtime cache.
- 01Interface contractService interface · SWCV
In a component version (SWCV)
- 02MappingGraphical · XSLT · Java
Shared UDFs in libraries
- 03ConfigurationIntegration Directory
Routing and mapping in one
- 04Runtime and adaptersIDOC_AAE · SOAP · REST
Module chain per channel
- 05Monitoring, alertingPIMON · alert rule
Resend or cancel
- 06TransportCTS+ · file export
ESR first, then ID
Comparison
What SAP PO is made of
SAP PO combines the Java-only AEX installation of PI with SAP NWBPM and SAP BRM in one system; AEX can also be installed alone.
SAP NWBPM and BRM
Process and rule components
- BPMN 2.0 processes in Process Composer
- Human tasks and approvals
- Rules and decision tables in BRM
- Process monitoring in NWA
AEX
AS Java only, since 7.3
- ESR, Integration Directory, SLD
- Local processing on AAE via ICO
- IDOC_AAE, SOAP (XI 3.0), REST
- Adapters, mapping and routing
Process Orchestration
AEX + NWBPM + BRM, one system
- AEX and NWBPM share one SID
- NWBPM talks to AAE over XI 3.0
- One price list item
- Runs on a single system only
Scope
What we take on in SAP PI/PO
ESR design and mapping
IDoc and RFC structures imported from SAP into the ESR; graphical, XSLT and Java mappings, shared UDFs in libraries.
Connecting SAP systems
IDOC_AAE with XI_IDOC_DEFAULT_DESTINATION and ALEAUD acknowledgments, sRFC/tRFC for RFC, XI 3.0 for ABAP proxies.
Connecting non-SAP systems
File, SFTP, JDBC, JMS, SOAP, REST; PGP for bank files, REST polling for carrier tracking, AS2 and EDI via B2B add-on.
Monitoring, alerts and archiving
PIMON message monitoring, alert rules with e-mail consumers, Restarting Jobs, retention and XI_AF_MSG archiving.
SAP NWBPM and BRM processes
Human-centric processes in Process Composer and BRM rule sets, mapped to SAP Build Process Automation for the cloud.
Migration groundwork in SAP PI/PO
On 7.50 the tools need SP06 or later; ESR/ID access via Cloud Connector, AAE performance data, unused ICOs weeded out.
Current state
SAP PI/PO 7.5: maintenance, installs and coexistence
- Mainstream maintenance for SAP PI/PO 7.5 stops at the end of 2027; extended maintenance to the end of 2030 carries Business Suite 7 price and terms. Release 7.4 and older get none.
- The dual usage type (ABAP plus Java) is still available in PI 7.5, but SAP recommends moving these landscapes to the Java-only AEX or to PO. ccBPM does not run on AEX or PO.
- In our projects the PO license covers the B2B (AS2, OFTP, X.400, EDI Separator) and secure connectivity (SFTP, PGP) add-ons, maintained with 7.5. SAP lists X.400 as planned in the Suite.
- SAP PI/PO 7.5 runs iFlows designed in Integration Suite on its AAE (Integration Gateway required). The SAP Process Orchestration runtime profile limits the editor to that release's features.
Localization
SAP PI/PO interfaces in Türkiye
Banks: SFTP, APIs and MT940
In Turkish bank projects we often come across three patterns: SFTP (host-to-host) with PGP, REST APIs with OAuth or client certificates, and MT940 for account statements.
Carriers: shipments, tracking
We often meet both REST and SOAP in carrier services. Shipments go out on a receiver channel; with REST, tracking is polled, new records only where the API allows.
e-Invoice, e-Archive, e-Dispatch
We see two models: SAP PI/PO builds the UBL-TR and sends it, mostly over SOAP, or the integrator builds it from its own simple format. Status is queried from its service.
E-Invoice
From the field
What we keep seeing in SAP PI/PO operations
- One failed message stops the EOIO queue. Under EOIO, later messages wait until the earlier one reaches a final status. The failed one is resent by hand or canceled; where order may break, extended EOIO error handling copies it to an error queue or out of the sequence.
- IDoc acknowledgments missing in the monitor. On IDOC_AAE, acknowledgments and monitoring need the JavaIdocAdapter property Persistance set to true; false is faster but loses them. In default mode ALEAUD goes to inboundRA, so SM59 uses its gateway and program ID.
- PGP settings differ from the bank's. The PGPEncryption module defaults to CAST5, SHA1 and ZLIB, with signing (applySignature) off. Enter the bank's algorithms and signing explicitly, and keep key files in a directory the PI JVM user can read.
- URL, directory and password stay behind. These channel fields are not transported on purpose; adapter metadata marks them nonTransportable and they are entered by hand in the target. Without SLD transport targets, ID objects also miss their business systems.
FAQ
Common questions about SAP PI/PO
What is SAP PI/PO, and how do PI and PO differ?
SAP PI/PO is SAP's on-premise integration platform. PI (Process Integration) provides message routing, mapping and adapters. PO (Process Orchestration) adds SAP NWBPM and BRM to the Java-only AEX installation of PI, with everything installed on one system. Release 7.5 is the only one still in maintenance.
Can a company with no SAP system use SAP PI/PO?
Technically, yes. SAP's connectivity guide lists the File, JDBC, JMS, SOAP, REST and SFTP adapters for SAP and non-SAP systems, and in SAP's file-to-file tutorial both sender and receiver are business components. A flow from a bank's SFTP server into a database runs on AEX with no SAP back end. A new investment should weigh the end of mainstream maintenance in late 2027.
When does maintenance for SAP PI/PO end?
SAP PI/PO 7.5 follows SAP NetWeaver 7.5. Mainstream maintenance runs until the end of 2027, and extended maintenance to the end of 2030 comes at the same price and terms as Business Suite 7. There is no separate schedule per installation type: PI dual usage type, AEX and PO share these dates.
Which SAP PI/PO scenarios need manual work after the migration tool?
SAP CPI (new name: SAP Integration Suite, Cloud Integration) does not support JDBC senders that select and update rows in one transaction; the redesign uses stored procedures and status flags. Migrated EOIO channels lose EOIO behavior; a JMS queue with Exclusive access restores it. Mappings with RFC or JDBC lookups, N:1 mappings and schema validation are reworked too.
How do ABAP proxy and RFC interfaces run without SAP PI/PO?
ABAP proxies use XI 3.0 via the SAP CPI (Cloud Integration) XI adapter, and SPROXY can generate proxies from a service interface imported into Integration Suite. Acknowledgments are not supported; EOIO order comes from an Exclusive JMS queue. For RFC callers, the RFC sender adapter exists only in Edge Integration Cell; in the cloud, ABAP switches to an outbound SOAP proxy.
Does SAP PI/PO include API management?
No. SAP defines the PO package as AEX plus SAP NWBPM and BRM; API management is not among its components. If you need to expose APIs to outside parties with a developer portal, subscriptions and traffic analytics, treat that as a separate item in the plan for the move to Integration Suite.
Sources12 sourcesSAP Help Portal, SAP Community, SAP
SAP Help Portal
- Process Orchestration help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Installation Options help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Connectivity help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- What Is Migration Tooling? help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Known Limitations of Migration Tooling help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Standard Adapter Migration help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Cloud Integration Content help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Configuring the Encryption PGP Module help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Generating ABAP Proxies help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
SAP Community
SAP
Sources checked as of October 2026.
SAP Consulting
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