SAP Process Orchestration Reviews

We have several SAP systems in our landscape that have different modules incorporated in it, and we are using this solution as a gateway for the integration within our landscape of both SAP and non SAP applications that are within the firewall and outside of the firewall. 

The primary use case of this solution is as a gateway for all of the integrations.

Process Orchestration supports everything from simple workflows to complex practices by developing custom process applications.

Improved message processing - With the process Orchestration Single Stack version the throughput of message processing is improved. This is due to the fact that until now the messages were recorded in both the ABAP and Java databases.

Improved Alert Mechanism - Alerts can be filtered by message content.

SAP Process integration Test (PIT) tool - The PIT Tool is a framework with which you can set up automatic tests for process integration scenarios. It really helped us in testing the interfaces post-migration and saved a lot of effort and time.

B2B integration is easier with SAP B2B add-on.

ccBPM's were migrated to NWBPM which Supports human and automated tasks.

With the latest version, what I find to be the most valuable are the REST, SuccessFactors, and Ariba Network adapter, OAuth 2.0 authentication,x-csrf-token, Improved alert mechanism.

Message deletion option.

NWBPM, BRM and B2B add-on.

The NWBPM is also valuable. In the previous version, they had ccBPM, which caused performance degradation issues. With the migration into the new version, the performance has improved and our customers are pleased with this improvement.

They have rules to configure directly in the integration directory that can be done within the interface itself, instead of configuring within the NWA and manually sending it to the users.

Dell Boomi and MuleSoft have dedicated application based connectors. All of these connectors work on the same protocols such as SOAP, HTTP, and REST. They have dedicated application connectors that can be for  Amazon, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Slack, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Workday, etc that are readily available to use.

When it comes to SAP PO, SAP provides SOAP, HTTP, or the REST-based adapters, which we can use to integrate with any of the above-mentioned applications / Webservices / APIs, etc. have to bit-customize to integrate with those particular applications. This is true when using REST, SOAP, or HTTP.

I feel both application-specific adapters and SAP provided adapters (SOAP /HTTP /REST) adapters, They Still use the same set of protocols to integrate/Connect with respective applications.

Customers will think that they had a dedicated application adapter that will make our life easier. We can just plug in, play, and use it. This is the way sales and customers think and they will tend to go with these tools.

I feel that support is an area that needs improvement. They need to improve the response time and address the customer's issues as soon as possible.

Instead of maintaining so many tools, they should explore all of the features and offer just one tool. It would be good and would help customers as well as SAP.

Since they have a cloud version of integration to SAP CPI, it would be a good idea to provide a migration tool where we can install that tool and migrate the existing interfaces from Process Orchestration to CPA. Customers would appreciate the flexibility, and it would reduce the project cost and manual effort time. 

We were using the 7.3 dual-stack version and recently migrated to Process Orchestration 7.5 (Single-Stack)version. We have been using it for approximately Nine months.

This solution is stable, we have not had any issues.

We have not yet explored the scalability as we are still in the evaluating phase.

Technical support response time is slow. It takes some time to get a response.

I have noticed that in many cases, even though we have priority one or priority two tickets, they simply change that to decrease the level of priority from P1 to P2, and from P2 to P3.

It can take a week to get a response to tickets.

No, We have not used any other Middleware solutions previously. We have implemented all the interfaces in SAP PI/PO itself.

With the previous version, it was a bit difficult and took approximately one week to install and set everything up. When it comes to Process Orchestration, it is a Java-based system that makes it easier when it compares to a dual-stack system, and since we are hosting it in Azure Cloud, it's not a large burden.

Deployment is less than a week with the updated version. Sizing and the hardware takes a matter of seconds when it is approved and once they procure it.

We are handling the deployment.

We have implemented it with the vendor team.

There are fees in addition to the licensing. 

If we want to use B2B, which we use for sending and receiving messages to EDA, then there is an additional charge.

EDA is partners with B2B and you have to integrate them. You have to procure that separately because it is not included in the standard PO license. 

Everything else is by default and B2B is the only addon that we have to pay for it.

We are currently evaluating several solutions, such as Dell Boomi, MuleSoft, and Informatica Cloud. These are the three tools that we are evaluating and will be comparing with SAP Processing Orchestration and SAP CPI.

We will be evaluating how much flexibility there is to move the existing logic. We have to consider both the migration from SAP to a third-party or from a third party Middleware to SAP. It may not be easy, as the main transformation logic that we have built on SAP propriety tools and the other tools. They may not have the compatibility, and we will have to read all of the logic again in those applications.

This all has to be considered before we can make a decision.

We are still in the evaluating phase and we are still evaluating other tools that are available. Based on that, we will be having a round table discussion in a meeting to discuss the outcome and finalize whether we will migrate the interfaces or go with Process Orchestration.

They want to evaluate and list the pros and cons of all of the tools.

As per the automation roadmap, we are planning to move everything into the cloud. We are just evaluating the cloud, particularly tools that are available. Even though we are hosting on Azure Cloud services, it is still on-premises.

They have introduced SAP CPI, and I am not sure whether SAP Process Orchestration is going to be available for much longer as they are investing more into SAP CPI. 

SAP CPI is the new IPaas tool that is improving and not a mature tool as SAP Process Orchestration. SAP is continuously improving and adding more features to SAP CPI.

Many customers are confused, whether they should invest in procure Process Orchestration or  SAP CPI.

There are some clients that invest in both  SAP CPI and Process Orchestration. because due to the current limitations in SAP CPI, they are not able to migrate all the interfaces from SAP PI/PO to SAP CPI.

If customers are considering investing in both, then they might want to think about the licensing costs. It will be a burden for them.

It will good to have a single middleware tool, instead of multiple middleware tools. 

I don't understand why the product companies are releasing multiple middlewares to handle various integrations like A2A, B2B, and EDI integrations, etc.

It will be a burden for the organizations to procure multiple middlewares for their various integration needs. They have to invest more money in licensing and maintenance.

I feel it's a bad practice to develop several middleware tools from the same organization. Instead of developing multiple middleware tools, It would be better to have all of those features into one middleware instead of providing multiple middleware tools? It's more of a business gimmick.

I think SAP seems to be following along the same path as they have many middleware tools within SAP. 

If you see the SuccessFactors, they have a SuccessFactors integration center (IC), where they can integrate the applications using SFTP / REST / SOAP protocols. The IC features are very limited to develop interfaces, it doesn't have flexible monitoring like SAP PO or SAP CPI. 

Of course, the Integration center (IC) is having some advantages, but it will not suffice for the customer to all the integrations using IC and they have to still invest in Middleware.

The SAP CPI area has to improve a lot when compares with the other middleware. 

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

We have 2 stances of the SAP PO 7.5 SP14 Java only and it is installed on-premise using IBM Hardware to support our on-premise SAP Applications and an instance installed on AWS to integrate our cloud application with other cloud application. We use the solution for application integration and transforming of data. Decoupling of systems is a feature of SAP PO that allows us to integrate systems without having to care about the data formats , communication protocols or security features of other systems on the bus. As a retailer, all our transnational data need to feed into our SAP system and visa versa to non - SAP systems . Example of this, would be raw point of sale data from the POS system to convert to XMLs and integrate it into the SAP system. We have a team of six developers that does development and support.Support issues are related to data and connectivity . Extrapolation data from other application systems are key to the proactive scaling of the system . We have built close to 700 Integration scenarios and process on average 1.2 m transaction per day.

A valuable feature of the solution are all the connectors. I can connect to any environment, anywhere in the world. I can convert any message or data type. It has great monitoring tools and has its own alert framework as well. The really nice thing is that there's a big community and a lot of support. There's a clear roadmap and a vision from the provider as well so they keep you updated. and always notify us of the latest technologies. You have an indication of where the industry is moving and the direction we should take. They've never failed us. 

The company has come out with a new version, SAP Cloud Integrator, which is not as good as the older version. They are trying to get us to move over to that even though the application is not ready yet. Technology changes and more people are going to micro services and API management tools, which doesn't provide all the functions that the project orchestration environment has. They have a great product but now they're moving into something new and discontinuing the old product. The community is not happy and I think SAP should listen to their clients, offer continuing support for the old product while improving the new. 

I think they could work on simplification. There is a business process modeling tool that they have besides the integration side where you could have one point connected, one system, one source to a target system, but they have the process modeling tool, which basically allows you to connect users to each other. You can connect users within a system and then they can connect that system to another system and get a result. It's like an orchestration, a workflow. I think all of that could be simplified. 

I've been using this solution for about 15 years. Of course, there have been many changes and we've had numerous upgrades over that time. 

This solution is one of the most stable integration SAP products that you could possibly have. Everybody in our organization agrees with that. The only time the system is down is when we carry out maintenance or upgrades. This is a very robust solution, there are no glitches or crashes.

This is a very scalable solution. We can add additional server loads, server nodes. If I have web services that I'm calling and those web services get an additional 100,000 calls, I can easily do a simple config on my side to allow that additional data to come through. 

Technical support is fantastic. We've had some specific requirements for our situation and SAP basically did the developing for us and then the deployment. They're always willing to assist in that respect.

If I consider the fact that I'm able to train someone within three months to do very straightforward development, integration development, then I think it's very straightforward. An organization using this solution for the first time they would need to get the vendor to assist with implementation. Deployment would probably take about a day. 

For any enterprise services, if you want to centralize your integration and have one central place that you move data through, instead of having all these various different connections, running all over the show, then this would be the system to use. You can easily set governance policies, see rules, and manage all connections in and out of your environment, especially from a security point of view. It's a great integration tool and a wonderful idea.

I would rate this solution a nine out of 10. 

We use the product to integrate with several SAP and non-SAP systems for data transmission.

SAP can transform the data into any form. It is compatible with only IDOC. However, we can integrate it with third-party systems to convert the data into different formats.

We encounter challenges while connecting to MQTT and MQDD adapters. We have to purchase some adaptors to connect to the MQTT broker. They could enhance this particular area.

We have been using SAP Process Orchestration for eight years.

It is a stable product. We don't encounter any stability issues.

A cloud platform would be better than on-premises for a larger volume of data.

We receive help from the technical support team whenever we raise tickets via email. We can schedule in case of any crucial issues. We also share credentials in a very secure manner with them to check for problems and resolve them. However, they could respond faster. At present, they take a day or two to reply. We don't get an immediate assistant. It could be improved.

Our organization decided to work with SAP. I was eager to work with SAP modules during the migration process.

The complexity of the initial setup depends on various scenarios. It is simple to transfer files. We configure the business system with hostname code details and establish a connection using the firewall. It takes a few months to complete the system process.

I rate SAP Process Orchestration an eight out of ten. I look forward to working with cloud platforms.

We are using the solution for authentication purposes.

The product is a useful solution for integrations with any internal systems or any third-party systems as we're connecting SAP to our end-user.

SAP works best when a business doesn't require any additional apps in the architecture.  

The solution is very stable. 

Technical support is helpful.

The solution could be more scalable.

SAP doesn't recommend anyone to use this tool for high-volume transactions.

SAP does not recommend users to connect PI Process to be connected to third-party systems. If SAP was more complete, we wouldn't need to have third-party apps within the system. Right now, we need either DataPower or an IBM CVM solution to act as that connect point. 

In terms of the Orchestration, I've been using it for the last three years, however, the systems landscape I've been familiar with for more than ten years.

The stability of the product is very good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

The solution isn't meant to scale when high-volume transactions are in play. The scalability could improve. 

Currently, the technical team is using it, and all the users who are using SAP for the first time are connected via an API due to the fact that they are integrated with a third party or other internal downstream applications.

While I have never contacted technical support, my technical team has. Their level of service is fine. We have an enterprise license and it's a very big company. The responses we get are very quick. We have SAP implemented in almost 38 countries. 

I was not involved in the initial setup. I cannot speak, from first-hand experience, how easy or difficult it was at the outset. 

It's a BI (Business Intelligence) solution and we have a few managers that assist in maintaining it. 

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We've been pretty happy with the product so far. 

I would recommend the solution to others. All SAP products are good. As long as businesses are flexible they will be fine. If they try to customize any of the SAP solutions themselves, it becomes really hard in terms of the process.

We primarily use SAP Process Orchestration for electronic data interchange (EDI) processes.

The projects managed with SAP Process Orchestration allow us to make different business processes more automated.

Orchestration is beneficial for us. It helps to automate our business processes, making them more efficient. While I do not have extensive experience with SAP middleware or other tools, my colleagues find SAP Process Orchestration relatively complex. Despite its complexity, the orchestration capabilities are quite valuable as they contribute to automation. The automation assists us in streamlining business processes effectively.

There are two main areas for improvement: performance and cost. The cost is quite high, and if it were reduced, it might also improve the performance, potentially allowing us to access a more efficient tool.

I have been working with SAP Process Orchestration for approximately five years.

SAP Process Orchestration is quite stable with no significant issues.

We have a small number of users, only three, and the tool's scalability is challenging. I would rate it three out of ten for scalability.

We have external SAP support, which is usually specialized and effective if managed as an emergency. However, direct interaction with SAP can be lengthy and less responsive.

Positive

I have never used another middleware solution, so it's difficult for me to compare.

The setup is difficult. SAP is not a simple tool. It is very powerful, with many applications and possibilities, which makes it not easy to learn.

The main concern is the cost. If additional help is needed due to lack of skill, we have to pay for SAP support.

Potential users should be cautious about the cost. My only advice is based on my current experience with this middleware solution. 

I rate SAP Process Orchestration five out of ten. It has both satisfying and frustrating aspects.

The solution is mainly used for integration.

The monitoring tools are the most valuable feature.

The solution needs to move to the cloud.

I have been using the solution since 2004.

It is a stable solution.

It is a scalable solution.

The technical support is good for us as we are the premium clients.

The initial setup is simple. It takes three weeks to deploy it.

The implementation was done by in-house team.

The pricing depends on what type of client you are with SAP and the contract you have. There is a licensing cost that needs to be paid.

It is a good solution. I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.

SAP Process Orchestration has all the features that are necessary.

SAP Process Orchestration could improve from an API standpoint. This is not an API management tool, which is one of its drawbacks. However, SAP has released an SAP Cloud Platform Integration which has all of the features, such as API management along with process integration to replace what they had previously.

There will not be any more improvements to SAP Process Orchestration because they are ending the support for the solution. All the users using SAP Process Orchestration should move to SAP CPI, this is what is replacing. There are no longer any updates and they only offer maintenance.

This solution is only going to be supported until 2027 or it might be extended to 2030. However, there will only be maintenance support. No additional features will be provided or released.

I have been using SAP Process Orchestration for approximately 11 years.

The technical support from SAP Process Orchestration is good, but the response times are based on the priority of the issue which causes delays. However, SAP offers different support. If you need priority to your issues, you can choose MaxAttention, which is a different kind of support that SAP offers. MaxAttention is very good in terms of emergency issues.

When SAP Process Orchestration is integrated it is important it is done well. This can be done through the services and architecture. There are many connectors to do most of the complex integrations.

It is important to understand how Java works and the pipeline.

Someone who has to work on a PO should at least have a basic understanding of Java because as it is an integration tool, the way SAP provides to transform the messages from one structure to another is very good. This understanding of Java as a backend is important because SAP also supports writing mappings on Java, which they call it Java Mappings.

I would rate this tool from an ESB point of view for integrating on-premise applications, a nine out of ten, not as an overall integration tool. An overall integration tool has API management which is missing.

I rate SAP Process Orchestration a seven out of ten.

We are using the solution mostly on-premise but we have purchased a license for cloud processing which we are planning on migrating to soon.

In general, we use SAP Process Orchestration for e-commerce and e-invoicing for the government. Others, we have done Salesforce integrations as well. Most of our work is distributed to approximately 140 countries and depending on the regional requirements we have a few interfaces which are spread across all the regions, such as America, Europe, and Asia.

SAP Process Orchestration is middleware where we are able to manage and interact with everything from a single location. One of the most beneficial areas is monitoring which is very easy because it is all in one place. There are many adapters added recently that can be used for new functionality. The solution is easy to operate and it is more mature than the cloud solution provided by SAP.

The improvement team from SAP Process Orchestration is good at taking in customer feedback. Recently we voted for an update to a migrating mappings issue that has now been added to the solution and that problem is now resolved.

The solution could improve by making it more user-friendly by limiting the code required. We have to add some code in some cases where we need complex logic or some other functions. If this was able to be done in a more simplified manner then it would save a lot of effort and time. By liming code like in case of dynamic variables usage.

We have experienced latency and reliability issues when using large amounts of data. In the future, they should come up with a solution to this problem. Latency in case of huge amount of data. Iterface gets timed out if data is very huge.

I have been using SAP Process Orchestration for approximately 11 years.

The stability is very good, we have not experienced any major issues.

The solution could improve in scalability. Files above 50 MB become a bit difficult to process. However, the scalability could improve if were using Microsoft Azure.

We have approximately 15 people using the solution in my organization.

We have experienced times where SAP support has not been able to solve our issue or other times they were not able to give back much feedback. There have been extended delays from one person to another. We have had some good experiences but they can improve on their knowledge and reducing delays.

We previously used other solutions, such as Xi and Pi.

The installation is quite easy to handle.  I have worked on previous versions also, this could be why I feel it is easy. It was easier for me to jump into the SAP Process Orchestration and feel comfortable with it.

We did the implementation of the solution using a team within our company. Additionally, they handle the migration, maintenance, patching, and updates.

Looking at market conditions, vendors nowadays are giving products at very low price levels. However, SAP Process Orchestration have not yet reduced their prices. The prices could be reduced a lot to stay competitive.

I recommend SAP Process Orchestration because it has currently reached maturity over the last few years. I can see on the online forums there are many questions raised by customers and SAP is slowly taking care of all the issues that people were facing. This is a good solution and they do not need to quit using it to move to a cloud version.

I rate SAP Process Orchestration an eight out of ten.