Before January 2021, SAP BTP (SAP Business Technology Platform) was known as SAP Cloud Platform. It covers the application development and integration pillar of SAP BTP, with other services split across two suites: SAP Integration Suite and SAP Extension Suite. This article focuses on one of those capabilities — SAP Cloud Integration.
What is SAP Cloud Integration?
SAP Cloud Integration is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) that connects cloud and on-premise systems — whether SAP or non-SAP — making it a central hub for managing technology integrations. It handles real-time scenarios and comes with a wide range of pre-built integration content (Integration Packages), along with various connectivity options.
Businesses use it to build integration landscapes through iFlows (integration flows) — a graphical modelling environment where you can define message processing logic and configure sender/receiver adapters.
SAP Cloud Integration sits within SAP Integration Suite, which also includes API Management, Integration Advisory, Open Connectors, and other capabilities. The suite itself is part of SAP BTP — an open, business-focused platform built to turn data into value, spanning database management, analytics, application development, and intelligent technologies.
SAP offers two development environments — Neo and Cloud Foundry — giving teams flexibility in terms of runtimes, technologies, and services.
How SAP Cloud Integration Connects Systems
SAP Cloud Integration uses adapters to link remote systems via a range of communication protocols — HTTP(S), SFTP, FTPS, SMTPS, and others. These protocols include options to protect data in transit from unauthorised access. Beyond transport-level security, message content can also be protected through digital encryption and signatures.
How SYBIT Uses SAP Cloud Integration
Making projects more efficient
SAP Cloud Integration's pre-built content reduces development time and costs considerably. It's scalable, straightforward to deploy, and requires minimal maintenance after go-live — making it a sensible choice for organisations moving their IT infrastructure to the cloud.
To improve testing further, SYBIT has developed a test automation tool built on Groovy and XSLT. This speeds up test cycles and improves reliability. The approach aligns test automation with the deployment of fully tested integration flows, using both unit and integration testing within the iFlow. APIs from the SAP Business Accelerator Hub are also used to manage integration flow processing.
Our workflow
SYBIT follows a structured process for every SAP Cloud Integration project:
- Discover Package — Review SAP Cloud Integration to identify the relevant package for the project.
- Adapter Validation — Check inbound and outbound adapters to confirm and implement connections with external systems.
- Configure iFlow — Set up the iFlow configuration, using Post-exit/Pre-exit process calls for any customisation required.
- Test Automation — Define use cases and run test automation using Groovy or XSLT scripts. This ensures the integration flow is thoroughly tested before deployment.
- Deployment — Save the completed iFlow version and deploy it to the Production tenant.
How we collaborate with client teams
Clear communication is essential in integration projects. SYBIT aims to include at least one member from each relevant team throughout the process, which helps build a shared understanding of project requirements and surface potential issues early. JIRA is used to keep everyone aligned — tracking progress, sharing updates, and flagging issues as they arise.
How we handle troubleshooting
When an issue emerges, SYBIT analyses it thoroughly before acting. Once the root cause is identified, a fix is developed and tested in the test tenant before being deployed to Production. If a test tenant isn't available, a copy of the iFlow can be used instead.
SAP Cloud Integration in Practice
In a recent project, SYBIT helped a client bring together SAP's full ecosystem — including ERP, C4C, Commerce, and Marketing — with SAP Cloud Integration at the centre. The pre-built content and scalability made development faster and smoother, all systems were connected in real time, and the solution required very little maintenance after go-live.
When Custom Integration is Needed
Standard SAP Cloud Integration content doesn't always cover every requirement. Where clients have specific or complex needs, SYBIT carries out an initial analysis before any development begins — including a review of SAP standards — to understand what's possible within the standard setup and where custom work is needed.
In cases such as SAP Commerce integrating with Azure, multiple data entities need to be exposed and consumed by SAP Cloud Integration. Where pre-built content can't accommodate this, a tailored integration flow is built to meet the client's exact requirements.