SAPconnect

SAPconnect provides a standard interface for external communication, which supports sending using telecommunication services, such as FAX, text messages (pager/SMS), Internet mail and X.400, as well as sending to printers and between different SAP Systems. It enables external communication components to be connected to the SAP System. 

 

SAPconnect provides a direct connection to the Internet through the SMTP plug-in of the SAP Web Application Server. This enables you to send and receive Internet mails, faxes and text messages (pager/SMS) directly, without having to use additional external communication systems.

 

 

The graphic shows the SAP components that may be part of the message exchange process using SAPconnect:

·        SAP applications, such as CRM with e-mail campaigns

·        Business Workplace

·        Smart Forms

·        PPF (for alerts)

 

All components use the BCS (Business Communication Services) to send messages. The BCS communicate with SAPconnect. SAPconnect then communicates with the outside world by SMTP, RFC or http.

Independent to these components, there is also address management, which manages the sender and recipient addresses for all of them.

Features

SAPconnect can be used to create links to various types of communication components and communication systems:

·        The SMTP Plug In

This enables e-mail exchange between the SAP system and each SMTP mail server, without having to use additional external components. Exchanging faxes and text messages (pager/SMS) using SMTP is also possible. For this, faxes and messages are packed as e-mails.

·        The HTTP Plug In

This enables text messages (pager/SMS) to be sent to external text message servers or providers as URLs.

·        Fax servers, text message (pager/SMS) servers, SMTP gateways or X.400 gateways that support the SAPconnect RFC interface (provided by SAP software partners)

·        Other SAP systems

·        Printers

 

The following graphic shows the different communication paths that Internet mails, faxes and SMS messages can travel to and from the SAP system: 

 

The following communication paths are available:

·        Two SAP systems exchange messages through SAPconnect and an RFC connection.

·        An SAP system uses SAPconnect and RFC to communicate with an external communication system (fax server, text message (pager/SMS) server, SMTP- or X.400-Gateway) that forwards Internet mails, faxes, SMS or X.400 messages.

·        An SAP system uses SAPconnect and the SMTP plug-in to communicate with the Internet directly to send e-mails, or with a paging/fax server or provider that forwards SMS messages and faxes.

·        An SAP system uses SAPconnect and the HTTP plug-in to communicate with a paging provider that forwards SMS messages.