Simon Barratt

Enterprise Integration with WebSphere Portal and SAP - Trans Alta

Overview of what Trans Alta have done with WebSphere/SAP Portal/Lotus collaboration tools...
(These are the note I took during the session, so they are quite raw.)
Here is a link to their presentation: CS111.pdf

Portal Vision

• Simple - minimal training
• Seamless - bring together all the disparate apps
• Fast -
• Reliable - Always up

SAP Portal (Vertical)
WebSphere Portal (Horizontal) & SAP Portal

Stage 2
SAP Portal 5.0 SP5 - great for SAP, weak for accessing non SAP systems
2400 users
Manager self service
Employee self service
Shortgut to SAPGUI
Notes Integration

Stage 3
3000 users
existing functionality
plus:
employee feedback
integrated ST, QP, email, calendar
web content management
elearning
ability to launch any application - simplifies decsktop image
SSO  - just log in to windows and off you go

Roles
Practitioner
Senior Practitioner
People Leader
Strategy Shaper - Exec

All:
Staff directory  - people finder
Search
Help
My Software
My shortcuts

Our Business

• Vision
• Standards
• News

Workplace - Who is on this page
Bulletin board
My workspace
About You - SAP Self service link

• Purchase Reqs

Travel
Collaboratin - QP, ST IM & Web Conf

Leaders tab only visible to memeber of the People Leader role.

Exec tab only visible to member of Strategy Shaper role

My Reports links to BW

Communites tab
Business Units can maintain this area of content

CEO Weekly news

Communications group a very active with the Portal

Financial info snap shot

Choice of tools is broad: SAP NetWeaver, Notes, Oracle, WebSphere Portal...

Techical details:
Front end everyting with WebSphere

iView links Portal to Portal
Simple, quick, not very powerful

ESS  (Employee Self Service) via ITS

• SAP ITS will not be offered as a stand alone in future

ESS Portlets

• IBM ESS Portlets available free from Portal catalog
• Based on J2EE
• Better user experience, SAP system is completely hidden

WebSphere Portlet Application Integrator (WPAI)

• Allows users to configure some custom needs - show certain SAP info for example - simple and user targetted

WebSphere Portal to SAP Integration

• SAP and WebSphere people need to trust each other!!!!
• Communicates directly with backend via WebSphere JCA Adapter
• deeper level of integration

Bowstreet Tool

• Can develop custom portlets rapidly which communicate with SAP
• Overcame their integration problems!

Things to consider when integrating with SAP BW

• SSO - Tivol Access & ID Manager - iPlanet directory was required by SAP EP5
• Performance issues in loading up BW