SAP has come up with a new integration tool for giving enhanced web based services. This tool is called SAP XI. SAP XI uses both the Java SAP AS 6.40 and ABAP for its development. SAP XI provides centralized control over web services. SAP has come up with many unique features in SAP XI. I have listed down some of these key features below.

Application Code Integration - SAP XI not only supports ABAP based codes but also other application code formats. SAP XI allows one to encapsulate any agent software, supporting logic and mapping rules making it highly integrated.

Improved and Reliable Communications - SAP XI comes with asynchronous communication. Unlike older Web AS SOAP which are limited to synchoronous communications, SAP XI has asynchronous communication thus enabling smooth data transfer without any breaks. This considerably increases the reliability of the communication process.

Simple & Easy Routing - With SAP XI, routing can be configured based on routing rules. This simpley means that depending on the web service provider, various routing rules can be configured. Thus, in case of a content based message, routing can be configured to select a message based on the value of the field within the SOAP message.

Mapping Business Processes - SAP XI helps in automating and controlling business process with the help of business process management and SAP workflow. Various tools can be used to map the data with web service interface. Business process management is now much more easy with SAP XI.

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