I believe that there is a lot of talk online where people are asking the question … Why should I use Netweaver Gateway if I have Netweaver Process Integration (PI) or vice versa. I was recently on a SAP mobility call which included a great slide entitled “What SAP Netweaver Gateway is and is not!”. I thought I would share this with everyone and a couple other posts and links I have come across on the web, which hopefully people wanting to learn more about what Gateway has to offer, will find useful.
SAP Netweaver Gateway is NOT:
– The SAP Gateway process in the Netweaver Application Server ABAP that enables external communication (e.g. RFC).
– A mobile infrastructure (like Sybase Unwired Platform)
– A replacement for SAP Netweaver PI and eSOA services/ESB’s
– Access to non-SAP systems
SAP Netweaver Gateway is:
– The point of access into SAP Business Suite data and functionality
– Uses a non-proprietary interface based on the Open Data Protocol (OData)
– Service can be consumed by any channel that can process XML received over an HTTP(s) connection
If you are interested in reading more on this topic, I would suggest checking out:
This blog from Sascha Wenniger who wrote a article a couple of months ago about both GW and PI having their own place in the enterprise to provide connectivity and data consumption. http://scn.sap.com/community/netweaver-gateway/blog/2012/01/31/netweaver-gateway-and-pi–theres-a-place-for-both
Another great article was written by William Li making a direct comparison between PI and GW. This will help anyone who is trying to decide which, or if both, is right for their needs: http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-25547