SAP EAI

SAP EAI: Connecting Enterprise Applications Across Hybrid SAP Landscapes

SAP enterprise application integration (EAI) is the process of connecting independently designed software applications so they work together across on-premise, cloud and hybrid environments. As SAP landscapes grow more complex, the integration challenge has intensified: SAPinsider research found that 90% of organizations identified integrating third-party applications with SAP systems as their top integration challenge, and fewer than 10% said their current integration strategy fully met organizational needs. With SAP Process Orchestration reaching end of mainstream maintenance in 2027, organizations are reassessing how EAI capabilities must evolve to support modern, connected SAP environments.

What Is SAP EAI?

SAP EAI, or enterprise application integration, is the implementation of technologies that facilitate communication between enterprise applications to move business data across systems in an SAP landscape. SAP Process Integration, later evolved into SAP Process Orchestration, has served as the middleware backbone for more than 12,500 SAP customers globally. Today, SAP EAI encompasses APIs, event-driven architectures, data mapping and integration platforms such as SAP Integration Suite on SAP BTP, enabling organizations to connect SAP and non-SAP systems, automate end-to-end business processes and support real-time data exchange across hybrid IT environments.

What Use Cases Are Referenced?

Migrating from SAP PI/PO to SAP Integration Suite

With SAP Process Integration and Process Orchestration reaching end of support in December 2027, organizations must plan their transition to a modern EAI platform. This SAPinsider article outlines how SAP Integration Suite serves as the cloud-native successor to SAP PI/PO, offering API-led integration, advanced connectivity and tools for system and landscape assessment prior to migration.

Integrating SAP and Non-SAP Systems Across Hybrid Environments

With 67% of organizations using both SAP and non-SAP integration tools and the average enterprise integrating 37 applications with SAP, hybrid EAI is now a baseline requirement. This SAPinsider analysis examines how organizations connect SAP with CRM, HR, e-commerce and supply chain platforms using agnostic integration platforms for order-to-cash, customer 360 and supply chain optimization scenarios.

Building a Connected, AI-Ready Integration Strategy

SAPinsider and cbs consulting’s Holger Himmelman examine how enterprise integration has evolved from point-to-point data exchange to automating end-to-end processes across ERP, CRM, supply chain and AI-supported scenarios. This expert exchange outlines a blueprint for mature integration architecture built on reusable APIs, governance policies and SAP Integration Suite to support composable business services and long-term agility.

Evaluating Alternatives to SAP PI/PO for Enterprise Integration

As organizations plan beyond SAP PO’s 2030 maintenance end, IT teams are evaluating a range of EAI platforms. This SAPinsider article compares SAP Integration Suite, MuleSoft Anypoint, Dell Boomi and other iPaaS options across deployment models, licensing, connector ecosystems and long-term integration strategy, helping teams select the right platform for their SAP landscape.

Accelerating Innovation with SAP Integration Suite

SAP Integration Suite, part of SAP BTP, consolidates application integration, API management, B2B integration and event-driven architecture into a single platform. This SAPinsider article explains how organizations use SAP Integration Suite to automate workflows and connect hybrid landscapes using prebuilt connectors and accelerators to respond in real time to events across SAP and third-party systems.

Extending SAP PI with Custom Adapter Modules for JSON Integration

SAP Process Integration does not natively support JSON, requiring custom adapter development for modern API and web service integration scenarios. This SAPinsider technical article walks developers through building a Java-based adapter module in SAP PI to convert between JSON and XML formats, covering ESR configuration, module deployment and channel setup for HTTP and file-based integration flows.

What SAPinsider Research Supports This Topic?

SAPinsider SAP BTP Data, Integration and AppDev 2025: Hybrid Integration Adoption

The SAPinsider SAP BTP Data, Integration and AppDev 2025 report found that 83% of respondents cite integrating SAP and non-SAP solutions as a top requirement, and 48% are implementing integration strategies across cloud and on-premise systems. Respondents report integrating an average of 37 applications with SAP, up from 33 the prior year.

SAPinsider SAP BTP Data, Integration and AppDev 2025: SAP Integration Suite Adoption

The same SAPinsider report found that 65% of respondents plan to update or replace existing integration capabilities with SAP Integration Suite in at least some scenarios. SAP Integration Suite also ranks as the most utilized service within SAP BTP, used or evaluated by 80% of respondents in 2025, up from 63% in 2024.

SAPinsider Enterprise Integration for SAP 2025

The SAPinsider Enterprise Integration for SAP 2025 benchmark report, based on a survey conducted from May to August 2025, found that while many organizations are progressing toward cohesive, automated integration, only a select few have achieved full enterprise-wide integration with real-time data flow across all SAP and non-SAP systems.