EcoSys Integration Methods - EcoSys - Help - Hexagon PPM

EcoSys Integration Methods

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EcoSys Version
8.6

The table below shows additional details of EcoSys's integration technologies. Each integration method, along with considerations for when to use a specific approach.

Suitable For

Subject Areas

Formats

Flexibility

ECOSYS ENGINE

EcoSys Web Service API

SOA, ESB integration, customer interfaces

All (plus unit and exchange rates)

SOAP

XML, REST

XML, REST

JSON

All fields, configurable logic, event triggers

EcoSys Gateway

(Using Web Services)

Integration of tabular/database data and event triggers

All (plus unit and exchange rates)

Tab- separated flat file or database tables

All fields, configurable logic, event triggers

Spreadsheet/File

Import/Export

Interactive users, ad-hoc configuration

All

Excel or tab- separated flat file

All fields, configurable logic

ADAPTERS

SAP ERP Adapter

SAP integration

Cost Object, Transaction

SAP Adapter

Native fields, custom fields and categories only

Oracle Primavera P6 Adapter

Oracle Primavera integration

Cost Object, Resource, Transaction, Cost Account, % Complete, Dates, Activity Codes, Roles

Built in Primavera API

Native fields, custom fields and categories only

EcoSys Web Services API

For integrations with data warehouses, middleware (Biztalk, TIBCO, etc.), BI tools, and other web services compliant application APIs, it is recommended to use the EcoSys Web Services API to push and pull data to/from EcoSys.

The following are general advantages of using a Web Services API approach for integrating systems:

  • Industry Standard: Web Services is an industry standard integration platform for interoperability between systems.

    • Adopted and promoted by leading vendors of enterprise software such as Oracle EBS, Oracle Primavera, SAP.

    • Compatible with industry integration platforms including BizTalk, OpenESB, SSIS, Informatica, WebSphere, and Talend.

    • Preferred and adopted by enterprise-scale EcoSys customers.

  • Platform Agnostic: Web Services works with any client, language, network, and database technology.

  • Real-Time: Provides per-record results back to the sender of the data and fine-grained control over exceptions, allowing for real-time re-importing of data if required.

  • Backwards Compatible: The web service interface does not change with software upgrades or reconfiguration.

The EcoSys Web Services API provides the following key benefits:

  • Publish web services suited to each interface, exposing only what is needed.

  • Fine-grained control over read/update rules on a per-row and per-field basis.

  • Full access to EcoSys's formulas and rollup calculations.

  • Industry-standard SOA compatibility: REST, SOAP, XML, JSON.

  • Automatically leverages the EcoSys performance platform:

    • Each request broken into sub-tasks that are executed in parallel threads (PULS).

    • Multi-layered adaptive cache (query > request > session > global).

    • Detailed performance metrics and built-in logging.

There is a license fee for the EcoSys Web Services API.

EcoSys Gateway

For cases where data is available and all key identifier fields are present in tab delimited files or database staging tables, you can consider the EcoSys Gateway integration approach. Using the EcoSys Gateway utility is appropriate in cases when:

  1. The 3rd party system is outdated and has limited data integration capabilities, such as an API. You can set up EcoSys with flexible import and export templates to match the file format or database table requirements of the 3rd party system.

  2. The 3rd party system is being retired in the near future. Server-side file exports/imports are typically faster to se tup than API integrations.

  3. The data to import is available in database staging tables or tab delimited data files.

  4. There is no requirement for custom programming or detailed exception handling.

EcoSys Gateway is a lightweight, flexible command line utility for interacting with the EcoSys web service API in an automated fashion. This integration method can import data from tab-delimited flat files or a JDBC data source into EcoSys spreadsheets as well as execute events (EcoSys Action Batches). You can also use this method to export data from EcoSys spreadsheets to tab-delimited data files.

You can use EcoSys Gateway to import/export data without resorting to programming or configuring a full web service client module. Additionally, you can use EcoSys Gateway to generate web service traffic as well as data, providing a simple way to benchmark performance.

There is a license fee for the EcoSys Gateway, but is included in the license fee for the EcoSys Web Services API.

Spreadsheet/File Import/Export

Front-end file import/export is for cases where data is being imported into or exported out of EcoSys by an end-user who is accessing the application and needs to interactively make adjustments to the data. For instance, detailed budget line items received from a contractor in Excel format can be imported.

Data that you import into EcoSys needs to be in Excel or tab-delimited formats. Data that you export from EcoSys can be created in any of these formats: Excel, tab-delimited, PDF, pipe-delimited, CSV, RTF, XML.

Spreadsheet/file Imports can be set up in an automated fashion (via a batch process) but do require set-up time and require some maintenance.

  • If the data being imported exceeds approximately 10,000 records, we recommend using EcoSys Gateway.

  • There is no additional license fee for front -file import/export functionality.

SAP ERP Adapter

EcoSys is SAP certified for integration with SAP Applications. The EcoSys ERP Adapter enables EcoSys to interact with specific SAP Modules (PS, PM, MM, CO, CATS) using EcoSys Operations (using EcoSys SOAP Web Services). You can configure EcoSys Operations to run automatically on a schedule or on demand from the EcoSys GUI.

Integration is performed with SAP using SAP JCo, utilizing SAP BAPIs (Business Application Programming Interfaces). There is no installation of custom components required in the SAP system. Different integration and mapping rules can be established for different business areas, departments, project types, etc.

Data can be exchanged bi-directionally between EcoSys and SAP for the following common subject areas:

  • Import to EcoSys from SAP - Subject Areas:

    • Project and WBS Structure

    • Networks, Network Activities, Activity Elements, Work Orders

    • Actual Costs, Revenue, Budgets

    • Commitments, Purchase Orders, Purchase Requisitions

    • CATS Timesheets

    • Planned Costs and Revenue

    • Forecast Costs

  • Export from EcoSys to SAP - Subject Areas:

    • Project and WBS Structure, WBS Status

    • Networks, Network Activities

    • Forecast Costs by Version

There is a license fee for the SAP API Adapter.

Oracle Primavera P6 Adapter

EcoSys with its P6 Adapter, has out-of-the-box automated bi-directional integration with Oracle Primavera that is Oracle Validated. EcoSys has a flexible and seamless integration with Oracle Primavera through its P6 Adapter, extending Primavera P6’s world-class project scheduling solution with EcoSys' best in class project controls. 

The EcoSys P6 Adapter utilizes the Primavera API, ensuring that all data moved between systems respects the business rules and data integrity standards of Primavera P6. It provides a series of optional integration flows, which are configured to the needs of each customer. As part of the implementation effort, the data flows, filter criteria, and standard fields/codes are defined and used for the integration configuration.

The following are key integration flows supported by the EcoSys Primavera adapter. Typically, any one customer uses only a subset of the available features, based on their business process requirements. Each P6 Adapter integration action can be configured to run automatically or on-demand from the EcoSys GUI.

  • Import to EcoSys from Oracle Primavera P6 - Subject Areas:

    • Projects/WBS

    • Resources

    • Dates (Early and Late)

    • % Complete

    • Time-phased Resource Assignments (Actuals & Forecasts)

      • Units (BL, actuals, planned, remaining)

      • Costs (BL, actuals, planned, remaining)

      • Resource Assignment attributes

      • Corresponding Activity attributes

    • Import/Map P6 Codes/Attributes

      • Project Codes

      • Resource Codes

      • Roles

      • Activity Codes

      • Cost Accounts

      • Expense Categories

    • Additional Project/WBS/Activity/Assignment/Expense Attributes

  • Export from EcoSys to Oracle Primavera P6 - Subject Areas:

    • Projects

    • Forecasts to WBS Summary Activity Resource Assignments

      • Units

      • Costs

      • Resources

      • Dates

      • Map to WBS/Activity Codes/Roles

There is a license fee for the Primavera P6 API Adapter.