Modernising File-Based Integrations: SAP PO to SAP Cloud Integration with SMB Adapter

Migrating from SAP Process Orchestration (SAP PO) to SAP Integration Suite (SAP INTEGRATION SUITE) is an important step for organizations modernizing their integration landscape. While many SAP PO interfaces use technologies such as IDoc, RFC, SOAP, REST, and JDBC, file-based integrations continue to play an important role in enterprise environments.

These scenarios can become challenging during migration because SAP PO is generally deployed within the customer's on-premises network and can access internal file systems directly. SAP Integration Suite, being a cloud-based integration platform, requires a different approach when files are stored on internal network shares.

One option that can simplify this transition is the SMB Adapter in SAP Integration Suite.

The SMB Adapter enables SAP Integration Suite to communicate with remote SMB servers and perform file-based operations. This makes it particularly useful for organizations whose existing SAP PO interfaces depend on Windows or other network file shares.

Instead of introducing additional file-transfer infrastructure solely for the migration, organizations can continue using their existing SMB-based file storage while moving the integration processing to SAP Integration Suite.

This article explains how the SMB Adapter can be used in SAP PO to SAP INTEGRATION SUITE migration projects, how connectivity is established, what needs to be considered during migration, and how file-based scenarios can be modernized without unnecessarily changing the existing business process.

Understanding File-Based Scenarios in SAP PO

File-based integration is one of the most common patterns in legacy integration landscapes.

A source application may generate a CSV, XML, JSON, TXT, or other business file and place it in a shared network folder. SAP PO periodically checks the folder, retrieves the file, processes the contents, applies transformations or validations, and sends the resulting message to the target system.

This type of integration can run reliably for years. However, when the organization moves from SAP PO to SAP Integration Suite, the location of the file server becomes an important consideration.

The file server may remain inside the corporate network while the integration runtime is now hosted in the cloud.

Therefore, the migration needs to address connectivity between SAP Integration Suite and the internal file server.

Why SMB Is Important During the Migration?

SMB, or Server Message Block, is a network protocol commonly used to access shared files and directories. It is widely used in Windows-based enterprise environments.

An organization may already have applications writing files to SMB shares as part of its existing business processes. Changing those applications simply because the integration platform is being migrated can add unnecessary effort and risk.

Another option would be to introduce an FTP or SFTP server and change the existing file exchange process. Although this can be a valid architecture, it introduces another component that needs to be secured, configured, monitored, and maintained.

The SMB Adapter provides another possibility.

If the existing file server already exposes the required files through SMB, SAP Integration Suite can use the SMB Adapter to access the remote share. This allows the organization to retain the existing file-based process while moving the integration runtime from SAP PO to SAP INTEGRATION SUITE.

SAP documentation describes the SMB Adapter as a mechanism for connecting SAP Integration Suite with remote SMB servers. The supported SMB versions include multiple SMB 2.x and SMB 3.x dialects, allowing organizations to select an appropriate protocol version based on their server configuration and security requirements.

Role of SAP Cloud Connector:

Since the SMB server is typically located inside the organization's network, SAP Integration Suite needs a secure way to communicate with it.

SAP Cloud Connector can provide this connectivity between SAP Integration Suite and internal systems.

Cloud Connector is installed within the organization's network and establishes controlled communication between the cloud environment and selected internal resources. The required SMB server and port can be made available through the Cloud Connector configuration without exposing the internal file server directly to the public internet.

Before developing the complete integration flow, it is useful to validate the connectivity between SAP Integration Suite and the SMB server. This helps separate connectivity problems from integration-flow problems during testing.

SMB Sender Adapter in SAP Integration Suite:

The SMB Sender Adapter is useful when SAP Integration Suite needs to retrieve files from an SMB share.

Consider a scenario in which a legacy SAP PO interface reads employee files from an internal shared folder. During migration, the same business process can be implemented in SAP INTEGRATION SUITE using the SMB Sender Adapter.

The adapter configuration identifies the SMB server and share and includes the required authentication and connectivity information.

Depending on the environment, configuration can include details such as the server address, share name, SMB dialect, authentication information, credential name, timeout settings, and Cloud Connector-related configuration.

Credentials should be stored using the security mechanisms provided by SAP Integration Suite rather than being hardcoded into the integration flow.

Once the adapter retrieves the file, the remaining integration logic can be implemented in SAP Integration Suite. This could include content validation, message mapping, filtering, enrichment, routing, and delivery to the target system.

The important point is that the SMB Adapter handles the file connectivity while the rest of the integration flow handles the business processing.

SMB Receiver Adapter in SAP Integration Suite:

The SMB Adapter can also be used for outbound scenarios.

For example, an SAP system may send business information to SAP Integration Suite, where the message is transformed into a CSV or XML file. The resulting file then needs to be placed on an internal network share for another application to consume.

In this case, the SMB Receiver Adapter can be used to write the file to the required SMB location.

This is useful for organizations where downstream applications still depend on files rather than APIs or direct system-to-system integration.

The migration therefore does not necessarily require every application to be modernized at the same time. SAP Integration Suite can act as the integration layer between modern cloud services and existing file-based applications.

Migrating the SAP PO Interface to SAP Integration Suite

One of the most important aspects of SAP PO to SAP INTEGRATION SUITE migration is avoiding a simple adapter-to-adapter mindset.

A migration should not be treated as simply replacing the SAP PO File Adapter with the SAP INTEGRATION SUITE SMB Adapter.

Benefits of the SMB Approach

Using the SMB Adapter during SAP PO to SAP INTEGRATION SUITE migration can provide several practical benefits.

First, it allows organizations to retain existing SMB-based file infrastructure where it is still required.

Second, it can avoid introducing another file-transfer server simply to make an existing file interface accessible to SAP INTEGRATION SUITE.

Third, it supports hybrid integration, where the integration runtime operates in the cloud while the source or target file server remains on-premise.

Finally, it can reduce the amount of change required from applications that depend on existing shared folders.