Receiving IDocs from SAP
The Adeptia platform can act as a listener that receives IDoc documents sent from an SAP system, converting each incoming IDoc into an XML file and automatically triggering a process flow to handle it.
How it works
When an SAP system sends an IDoc, the Adeptia platform receives it through a configured SAP Server listener. Each IDoc document is converted to XML format and recorded for tracking. The platform then automatically starts the process flow you have associated with that listener so your integration logic can act on the data.
Every received IDoc is tracked through a lifecycle of states, from initial receipt through processing, so you can monitor what has arrived and whether it was handled successfully.
What you configure
To receive IDocs, you create and activate a SAP Server listener. The settings you provide fall into a few groups:
| Setting area | What you provide |
|---|---|
| Gateway connection | The host and service name of the SAP gateway the platform connects through |
| Program ID | The identifier registered in SAP that routes IDocs to this listener |
| Connection count | How many parallel connections the listener maintains with the SAP gateway |
| SAP Client | The SAP client configuration associated with the listener |
| Process flow | The process flow to trigger automatically each time an IDoc arrives |
| SAP Router | An optional SAP Router string, used when the SAP system is reached through a router |
| Worker threads | Optional limits on the number of worker threads handling incoming requests |
| RFC Trace | An optional diagnostic trace flag for troubleshooting connectivity |
| SNC settings | Optional Secure Network Communications settings, including the SNC library, quality of protection, and the listener's SNC identity |
Activating and deactivating the listener
Once configured, you activate the SAP Server listener to begin receiving IDocs. Deactivating it stops the listener.
The platform automatically re-activates any listeners that were active the last time the system ran, so your integrations resume without manual intervention after a restart. If the scheduler is paused or shut down, activation fails with an error.
IDoc schema support
To map and transform the IDoc data within your process flows, you need an IDoc schema. The platform provides two ways to define one:
| Mode | How it works |
|---|---|
| Online | The platform connects to SAP using a SAP client configuration and retrieves the IDoc structure directly, then generates the schema automatically |
| Offline | You upload an IDoc definition file and the platform generates the schema from it |
Both modes produce an XML schema that you can use in data mapping steps within your process flows. The schema includes control record fields and segment fields with their descriptions and field positions.
For IDoc extensions, you can specify both the base IDoc type and the extension when defining the schema in online mode.
Tracking received IDocs
Each IDoc the platform receives is logged with header information captured from the document itself, including the IDoc number, IDoc type, sender and receiver partner details, and the transaction identifier from SAP. This tracking information lets you review what was received, correlate it with process flow executions, and investigate any failures.