What's going on with Project "Gateway" and Sybase?

[Former Member]

I've just returned from Teched in Berlin where I followed mostly the mobile track of sessions.

I've come away alternately energised and confused. Each topic in its own right is clear, but piecing allthe components together is a different matter.

Has anyone got opinions on the future role of project Gateway? I saw many sessions by Sybase on the SUP and only one which mentioned Gateway. Gateway didn't feature in the mobile strategy slides. However, I have seen material mentioning the future tie-up of the two. If this should happen, then how might they interact? And what future for the co-innovation platform? Can we draw any conclusions on this yet?

The instant value mobile apps session CD161 seems to build on top of the SAP Data Protocol (SDP), but thinking back, they didn't mention Gateway in there at all. And the co-innovation platform session was silent on both Gateway and SDP

So does "Instant Value" equal "Project Gateway"? It can't be since the Sybase guys talk a lot about Instant Value. Are there two interpretations of this term within the organisation?

Just hoping to kick off a general discussion on this subject. All opinions and replies welcome. Especially from insiders...

Alex.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi,

I also just had a read through the CD161 material and it positions the 'Light Mobile Server' (LMS) as an alternative way to connect lightweight mobile applications directly to the backend - without using synchronisation middleware like SUP.

Looks like this part of Alex's question isn't answered yet, especially whether there is a link to project gateway here somehow?

Anybody got some further information about LMS and when it will be made available?

Cheers,

Steffen

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Steffan - good point. I kind of assumed that LMS is another term for Project Gateway... They seem to be addressing the same problem, and the architecture diagrams look qualitatively similar. The CD121 Sybase slides also talk about the "SAP Mobile Connector", which might be yet another name for the same thing. I think you would know better than me since you've already built that thing you showed at the Demo Jam - what data consumption technology was your demo-ed app using?

I get the impression that there have been a number of independent development streams within SAP which are only now being brought together. This manifests itself to us as mixed or incomplete messages. It's easy to see how at a teched, each group might be responsible for getting its own message out and not necessarily integrating into the overall message of the mobile strategy.

So essentially there are two categories of mobile app inthe SAP vision:

1. Instant Value and

2. Mission Critical.

Then there are various methods of consuming SAP backend data from our mobile apps:-

1. Netweaver mobile DOE (via co-innovation platform?)

2. LMS

3. Project Gateway

4. Web services

5. BAPIs (via JCA)

(This is five methods, not four, which is another reason why I thought LMS and Gateway were the same thing).

Then on top (or underneath?) of all this, you have to make a call on whether to make use of the SUP middleware and/or a security product like Afaria.

So perhaps the most likely combinations look like:-

Mission Critical apps with SUP ( + Afaria ) + DOE/Gateway

or

Instant Value apps with (LMS/Gateway or simply Web services/JCA)

But if you have a LOT of Instant-value apps to build I guess your landscape could become complicated enough to justify the middleware too.

Now please someone point out the flaws in this summary!

Alex.

Edited by: ajfear on Oct 20, 2010 6:44 PM

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Alex,

I've been in touch with product management and beta tested the three mobile instant value applications that have been developed on LMS. What's really neat is that the apps use the meta data that the SAP data protocol exposes to adapt the available fields on the screen to what is provided by the backend services. This will allow us to create some simple object lookup scenarios very quickly in the future.

Regarding the LMS as a backend component: You've been right in that there have been parallel development streams that are now coming together. The three mobile instant value apps are now being moved to use SAP Gateway as a backend. Confusion resolved, I'd say.

Regards,

Steffen

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Good man! So the LMS is soon to be history.

What were the products you tested?

Alex.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Alex,

The instant value apps that are in beta now are called:

- Employee Lookup

- Travel Expense Capture

- ERP Sales Lookup

- Mobile StreamWork

They were already mentioned in a session (CD161) at TechEd this year. I tested the first three only. My favorite one was the Travel Expense Capture.

Regards,

Steffen

[Former Member]

Hi Stefan / Alex,

I think SAP is currently focusing only on the light weight applications (online). This means the application has to be connected always online to get some data from the back-end. No back-end connection means no data to be displayed.

DOE is the solution for the heavy weight applications. This means that the application can store the data on itself for some time and after the connection is established , a synchronization is done. SAP is not focusing at this solution at the moment.

A relay server is also included between the Gateway and the SUP. ( A Sybase product and SAP will focus only on 2.1 version)

The applications you might have seen are based on the Rainbow solution or directly connected to the gateway. NO SUP is involved.

bye.

Edited by: g7920453 on May 23, 2011 4:45 PM

[Former Member]

Thanks to David (points on the way) for providing this information, which essentially clears up the confusion. I think there is still room for further opinion or debate, so I'm leaving the question as unanswered.

[Former Member]

Alex,

Thanks for kicking off this thread, here are some clarification points:

Project Gateway has very important role to play in making it extremely simple to consume SAP data through any popular environment or device. It is already enabling SharePoint and Office users to connect to SAP applications using Duet Enterprise and similar access through IBM is enabled. As such, Project Gateway will also enable access to SAP applications through Mobile devices. We plan to integrate Project Gateway and Sybase Unwired Platform as well as part of our Mobile SDK project announced here: http://www.sap.com/usa/about/newsroom/press.epx?pressid=14101.

The instant value mobile apps session CD161 seems to build on top of the SAP Data Protocol (SDP), but thinking back, they didn't mention Gateway in there at all.

>>>Instant Value Mobile Apps can be written on Sybase Unwired Platform and Sybase Unwired Platform will consume SAP data in four different wayu2026including Project Gateway. Of course, as Instant Value mobile applications donu2019t need a lot of advanced services offered by Sybase Unwired Platform, they can be written without using Sybase Unwired Platform as well.

And the co-innovation platform session was silent on both Gateway and SDP

>>>The whole idea of the co-innovation platform is to hide the complexity of consumption layer from mobile applications developers. However, co-innovation platform can consume SAP data in four different wayu2026including Project Gateway

So does "Instant Value" equal "Project Gateway"? It can't be since the Sybase guys talk a lot about Instant Value. Are there two interpretations of this term within the organization?

>>>I hope the above points clarify how Project Gateway and Instant Value relate to each other. To re-iterate , Instant Value is type of mobile application while Project Gateway is one of the ways to consume SAP data.

David.

[Former Member]

In fact, can I ask this follow on question right away: Can you explicitly list the "four ways" in which the co-innovation platform can consume back-end data? Project Gateway is the first.

Thanks,

Alex.

[Former Member]

Alex.

The other three ways are Netweaver Mobile (DOE), Web Services and JCA. Also, please note that Sybase Unwired Platform can be used to connect to non-SAP data and applications as well.