More Dynamism for the Adapters Please

[Shabarish_Nair]

The Problem:

I can dynamically update the parameters of my Receiver adapters (thanks to ASMA and Dynamic configuration) but why can't I do that with my Sender adapters?

Let my try and give an example to come to the point I am trying to make.

Process:

An application system generates files and an interface dumps it into a FTP folder (could be a folder on the SAP PI server itself). Users (including supplier and customers external to the company) can view and edit particular files of interest to him/her and then request them to be processed in the back end ERP. The same file data is also stored into a database.

Requirement:

Currently the whole process is manual. The aspiration is to automate and ease this process for the user. User expects an immediate notification, positive or negative of the backend posting of data.

Design:

For the sake of this blog, let me assume the design proposed looks something like below;

Now what I want to highlight here is that you will end up using a BPM process which I believe is absolutely fine. But one bit of the solution apparently is the use of scripts that will be required to move the specific file that was operated on or requested by the user to a different folder where an interface will then pick and process the file.

Now time for a confession. I hate Scripts! Why? For the simple thing that they are not standard and are so 1980s. Additionally, it's a struggle when it comes to error handling and reporting. Anyway, let get back on track.

Since at this point there is no feature to dynamically populate the parameters of a sender adapter, most of the consultants end up with workarounds like OS scripts to move files around for processing. What would be ideal is to make the tool more flexible to be able to dynamically fill the parameters at runtime of the sender adapter types and then invoke them.

I have seen this work with other product suites but I believe the core architecture of PI as a product might be creating some hurdles in its realization.

So this is my ask to the product management team - Can we get the product to include the feature of being able to dynamically configure the parameters of sender adapters?

I have posted this as a request on IdeaPlace. So if any of the readers feel this feature can bring some value add, please do feel free to vote. More the votes, more chances of SAP bothering to take a look at the idea.

PS: For those who just went "What the heck is IdeaPlace?" while reading the last line, Click here!