Top 25 Interview Questions With Answers For SAP PI/PO

Ace your next SAP PI/PO interview with these top 25 questions and expertly crafted answers.

Top 25 Interview Questions with Answers for SAP PI/PO

1. What is SAP PI/PO?

SAP PI (Process Integration) and SAP PO (Process Orchestration) are middleware tools from SAP that help integrate various systems (SAP and non-SAP) in a seamless and secure way.

• SAP PI allows message exchange between systems using adapters like IDoc, SOAP, REST, JDBC, etc.
• SAP PO is an advanced version that includes SAP PI, BPM (Business Process Management), and BRM (Business Rules Management), making it a complete integration and orchestration suite.

2.What are the key components of SAP PI/PO?

Key components include:

• Enterprise Service Repository (ESR): Design time repository for interfaces, mappings, and data types.
• Integration Directory (ID): Configuration layer where scenarios, communication channels, and routing rules are defined.
• Integration Engine: Executes message processing.
• Adapters: Facilitate communication with different protocols (File, HTTP, JDBC, etc.).
• Adapter Engine: Manages communication with external systems.
• System Landscape Directory (SLD): Stores technical and business systems metadata.

3.What is the difference between PI and PO?

4.What are the types of message flows in PI/PO?

1. Synchronous: Request-response communication.
   
   
2. Asynchronous: One-way communication.
   
   
3. Synchronous-Asynchronous Bridge: Conversion from one to another.
   
   

5.What is an Integration Scenario?

An Integration Scenario is a graphical representation of the process integration in ESR. It defines how source and target systems interact through interfaces, mappings, and communication protocols.

6.What is the purpose of SLD in SAP PI/PO?

SLD (System Landscape Directory) stores all metadata about software components, products, and systems. It provides this data to ESR and ID for defining scenarios. It also ensures system consistency across landscapes.

7.What is the role of ESR (Enterprise Service Repository)?

• Design service interfaces
• Create data types, message types
• Develop message mappings (Graphical, XSLT, Java)
• Reuse components across integration scenarios

8.What are the different types of mappings in PI/PO?

1. Graphical Mapping: Drag-and-drop functions
2. XSLT Mapping: XSLT-based transformation
3. Java Mapping: Custom Java code
4. ABAP Mapping: ABAP logic (in dual stack)
5. Operation Mapping: Combines message mapping and routing

9.Explain the Adapter Framework in SAP PI/PO.

The Adapter Framework is part of the Adapter Engine that enables communication between PI/PO and external systems using various adapters like:

• File/FTP/SFTP
  
• IDoc
  
• SOAP/REST
  
• JDBC
  
• SMTP (Mail)

10. What is IDoc and how is it used in SAP PI/PO?

• SAP PI uses the IDoc adapter to send/receive IDocs.
• In sender systems, IDocs are triggered via ports.
• PI/PO routes these to target systems after transformation.

11. What is the difference between Design Time and Configuration Time in PI/PO?

12. What are ICOs in SAP PO?

ICO (Integrated Configuration Object) is used in single-stack SAP PO systems. It combines sender agreement, receiver determination, and interface mapping in one object, simplifying configuration.

13. What is Business Process Management (BPM) in PO?

BPM in PO allows for process modeling and orchestration of business logic using a flow-based visual tool. It supports:

• Human tasks
• Automated steps
• Exception handling
• Conditional flows

14. What is BRM in PO?

BRM (Business Rules Management) allows defining business rules (if-then conditions) in a modular way that can be reused in BPM processes, enhancing flexibility and decision automation.

15.What is Mapping Template in SAP PI?

A Mapping Template is a reusable component that helps standardize and simplify complex mappings by allowing predefined logic to be reused across message mappings.

16. What is the use of Runtime Workbench (RWB)?

• Message monitoring
• Component monitoring
• Performance analysis

In PO (single-stack), these functions are now handled in the NetWeaver Administrator (NWA).

17. What are the different message statuses in PI/PO monitoring?

1. Scheduled
   
2. Delivering
   
3. Processed Successfully
   
4. Failed
   
5. To Be Delivered

18. How do you handle message failures?

• Use NWA (in PO) or RWB (in PI) to monitor and identify errors.
• Check adapter logs, payload, and error traces.
• Use resend/restart functionality for failed messages.
• Apply necessary fixes in mapping or configuration and retest

19. What is the difference between Asynchronous and Synchronous communication?

20. What is Value Mapping in SAP PI/PO?

Value Mapping is used to translate values between systems, such as:

• Country Code: "IN" ↔ "INDIA"
• Material Code: "M100" ↔ "MAT001"

21. What is a Receiver Determination?

It is a routing rule defined in the Integration Directory (or ICO) to determine which receiver system(s) should receive a message based on conditions like message type, sender, etc.

22. What is Dynamic Configuration in PI/PO?

Dynamic Configuration allows you to set message header values at runtime using:

• Message Mappings (via UDFs)
  
• Adapter modules

23. What is the use of Message Splitter?

The Message Splitter breaks a single message into multiple messages, typically used when a source file contains multiple records that need to be processed separately.

24. What is Interface Determination?

Interface Determination defines which mapping is to be used for transforming a message from sender format to receiver format, based on the sender and receiver interface.

25. What are best practices in SAP PI/PO development?

• Reuse design objects (Data Types, Message Types)
• Use consistent naming conventions
• Modularize mappings using templates and functions
• Use ICO for lean configurations
• Enable detailed logging for monitoring
• Implement alerts for message failures