BizTalk and SAP IDocs Schemas

Schemas play a key role in the BizTalk-SAP integration architecture established by the BizTalk Utilities SAP Connector. They represent both incoming and outgoing messages, and therefore require regular administration. BizTalk Utilities provides specialized utilities that significantly ease the maintenance tasks related to these schemas.

How it works

As shown in the illustration below, the BizTalk Utilities SAP Connector provides front-end interfaces for messaging schemas.

BizTalk Utilities accomplishes this by providing an MMC (Microsoft Management Console) snap-in as part of the SAP Destinations tool. Here, schemas for IDoc types representing incoming or outgoing messages can be accessed, altered and deleted. A sample screen is displayed below.

 Additionally, BizTalk Utilities delivers an IDoc Schema Cache front-end. This allows you to easily generate schemas based on the IDoc type information stored within the cache. Using this tool (which also exists as an MMC snap-in), schema files can easily be created or removed. See below for a sample screen shot.

 Summary

IDoc Schema management is an important part of administering integration solutions that rely on the BizTalk Utilities SAP Connector. Fortunately,BizTalk Utilities provides a straight-forward front-end that simplifies maintenance tasks and conveniently locates user-interfaces within the BizTalk MMC environment.

To learn more about these and other features, download an evaluation copy of BizTalk Utilities