SAP CPI Integration with ReleaseOwl

ReleaseOwl seamlessly integrates with SAP Cloud Integration (CPI) to enable continuous integration and delivery of integration artifacts. Through secure credential management and environment registration, ReleaseOwl connects directly with the CPI tenant to manage, deploy, and monitor artifacts across development, quality, and production landscapes.

Step 1: Create Process Integration Runtime (PIR) Instances in SAP BTP

A Process Integration Runtime (PIR) instance is required in SAP BTP for ReleaseOwl to securely manage and deploy CPI artifacts across environments.

A. Create a PIR Instance with Plan: api

This instance enables programmatic access via API for integration tasks.

Steps:

1. Log in to your SAP BTP Cockpit.

2. Navigate to your Global Account > Subaccount.

3. Go to Instances and Subscriptions from the left menu.

1. Click on Create.

2. In the "New Instance or Subscription" wizard:

• Service: SAP Process Integration Runtime

• Plan: api

• Runtime Environment: Cloud Foundry

• Space: Select your development space (e.g., dev)

• Instance Name: Choose a name like CPI_API_Instance

1. Click Next, then Create.

Note: The api plan provides programmatic access to the SAP Process Integration Runtime, allowing you to connect via APIs for integration tasks.

Assign Required Roles

In the Parameters step, assign the following roles to allow artifact management:

Role	Description
MessagePayloadsRead	Read message payloads in the integration runtime.
MonitoringDataRead	View monitoring data for integration flows.
TraceConfigurationEdit	Edit tracing configurations.
TraceConfigurationRead	View current tracing configuration.
WorkspaceArtifactsDeploy	Deploy artifacts from workspace to runtime.
WorkspacePackagesConfigure	Configure packages, parameters, and dependencies.
WorkspacePackagesRead	Read-only access to integration packages.
WorkspacePackagesEdit	Modify and configure integration packages.

Create Service Key (for api plan)

After instance creation:

1. Go to Instances and Subscriptions.

2. Expand your newly created api instance.

3. Click Create Service Key.

4. Enter a name (e.g., cpi-api-key) and leave parameters blank.

5. Click Create.

1. Click View Credentials to retrieve:

• Client ID

• Client Secret

• Token URL

B. Create a PIR Instance with Plan: IFLOW

This is used for managing and deploying integration artifacts (iFlows).

✅ Steps:

1. Go to your SAP BTP Cockpit.

2. Select your subaccount that hosts SAP CPI.

3. Go to Services > Service Marketplace.

4. Select SAP Process Integration Runtime → Click Create.

5. Fill in the following:

   • Service: SAP Process Integration Runtime

   • Plan: IFLOW

   • Runtime Environment: Cloud Foundry

   • Space: Provide the appropriate space (e.g., dev)

   • Instance Name: (e.g., CPI_IFLOW_Instance)

1. Click Next and then Create.

Create Service Key (for IFLOW plan)

1. Navigate to Instances and Subscriptions.

2. Locate the IFLOW instance.

3. Click Actions > Create Service Key.

4. Enter a name for the key (e.g., cpi-iflow-key) → Click Create.

1. Click on the service key name to view the key details.

2. You will need these values when setting up ReleaseOwl credentials.

Step 2: Register Credentials in ReleaseOwl

Credential registration enables secure communication between ReleaseOwl and SAP CPI environments.

A. Register SAP CPI Credential (API Access)

✅ Steps:

1. Log in to the ReleaseOwl Platform.

2. Go to Administration > Credential Manager.

1. Click Register Credential.

2. Fill in the details:

   • Credential Name: Any identifiable name for the credential.

   • Authentication Type: Select OAuth2

   • Client ID: Provide the details from the above created API service key.

   • Client Secret: Provide the details from the above created API service key.

   • Token URL: Provide the details from the above created API service key.

3. Click Save.

The credential will now appear in your list and can be used in pipelines and deployments.

B. Register SAP CPI Credential (IFLOW Access)

This step allows ReleaseOwl to securely interact with CPI for artifact deployment and management via the IFLOW plan.

✅ Steps:

1. Navigate to Credential Manager from the Administration menu in the ReleaseOwl Platform.

2. Click Register Credential.

3. Set the Credential Type to SAP Cloud Environment.

4. Fill in the following details:

   • Credential Name: Enter a meaningful name (e.g., CPI IFLOW Credential)

   • Authentication Type: Select OAuth2

   • Client ID: Provide the details from the above created IFLOW service key.

   • Client Secret: Provide the details from the above created IFLOW service key.

   • Token URL: Provide the details from the above created IFLOW service key.

5. Click Save.

6. The new credential will now appear in the List of Credentials and can be used in Release Pipelines for IFLOW deployments.

CPI Environment Registration

1. Navigate to Environments from the Administration menu.

2. Select CPI environment and click on register CPI environment.

3. Provide the following details:

Field	Description
Name	Enter a unique name for the SAP CPI Environment.
Auth Type	Select the authentication type: Basic Auth or OAuth2.
API URL	Provide the API URL for connecting to the SAP CPI Environment.
Enable Test Automation (Optional)	Toggle to enable or disable test automation capabilities.
IFLOW OAuth Credential	Select the OAuth credentials used for IFLOW authentication.
IFLOW URL	Enter the IFLOW URL from the service key.
Use Custom IdP	Enable this option to set up a custom Identity Provider (IdP). Note: The setup process is outlined in the section below.
SSO URL	Provide the Single Sign-On (SSO) URL for authentication.
Email Address	Enter the service user email address.
Integration Advisor	Enable Integration Advisor to provide the Host URL.
Host URL	The host URL is the base address of your SAP Integration Suite instance. (Example: https://<subdomain>.integrationsuite-<region>.cfapps.<domain>.hana.ondemand.com)
Enable Git (Optional)	Enable this option to integrate Git with the environment.
Git Credential	Select the credential for accessing the Git repository.
Repository URL	Provide the Git repository URL.
Branch	Specify the branch to be used for the integration.
Environment Type	Select the environment type (e.g., Dev, QA, Prod).

Custom Identity Provider (IDP) Setup and Configuration

A Custom IDP (Identity Provider) must be configured to allow secure authentication and authorization for users who interact with the Integration Suite (CPI) instance through ReleaseOwl.

Use Case: This is particularly useful for executing test cases, simulation testing and updating value mappings as part of the pipeline.

Steps to configure custom IDP

Custom IDP (Identity Provider) is necessary for deploying certain artifact types, such as value mapping, REST, SOAP, and OData APIs. It is also essential for executing test cases associated with the artifacts.

To extract the SAP BTP SSO URL from the downloaded SAML metadata, follow these steps:

1. Open the SAML metadata XML file in a text editor (like Notepad++, VS Code, or any browser).

2. Search for the AssertionConsumerService tag. You can search for the keyword AssertionConsumerService.

3. Within that tag, look for the Location attribute. The value of this attribute is the SSO URL you need.

1. Click on Download Entity Descriptor to download the tenant-specific and SAP CPI Environment metadata descriptor.

1. Go to Trust configuration in SAP BTP Cockpit and click on new SAML Trust configuration. Upload ReleaseOwl CPI Environment metadata xml in SAP BTP Trust configuration as below.

1. Uncheck the option "Available for User Logon" to ensure that SAP does not list this IDP during the login process.

2. Add Role collection mappings for the IdP: PI_Administrator, PI_Business_Expert, PI_Integration_Developer. With attribute value “emailAddress” to value of the service-user (The same user basic auth credential should be linked to CPI Environment) in whose mail ID the updates should happen.

6. Assign role collection mapping for the IDP that is required for Integration Advisor:

iadv-content-read ,iadv-content-administrator. With attribute value “emailAddress” to value of the service-user (The same user basic auth credential should be linked to CPI Environment) in whose mail ID the updates should happen.

Create a Project

1. Go to the projects in the adminstation view.

2. Click on the "Create New Project"

1. Fill in the necessary details, select the project type as 'SAP CPI', and click the Save button

Adding Environments to the Project

For artifacts to load in SAP CPI Management page, the Integration Suite environments must be registered in Project Settings in ReleaseOwl.

To register SAP Integration Suite environment:

1. Go to Projects drop down at the top right corner and click Project Settings.

2. In Project Settings, go to Environment.

3. The following screen is displayed.

4. Click Add Environment to add a new environment in ReleaseOwl.

5. In the subsequent screen, choose the required environment from the list displayed by selecting Source. Only the artifacts with source are synced to ReleaseOwl.

6. The environment is added to the corresponding project in ReleaseOwl.

7. Click Permissions (under Users tab in Project Settings), to add users that can access (read or deploy to) the registered CPI environment.

1. Click Permissions. The roles that are assigned to the selected user are seen.

Note : On clicking Permissions in the above screen, one can know the actions that the user role can perform each for the available features such as Transport Management, Change Management, Pipelines, Release Management.

Managing CPI Packages

1. Access SAP CPI Management:

• Switch to the Project view.

• Click on SAP CPI Management in the Build section.

2. Add and Sync Packages:

• Click the Add Packages button in the CPI Packages section.

• Select Package: Use the search bar to find a package, then check the box next to the desired package(s).

• Sync Package: Click Sync to add and synchronize the selected package(s).

A pop-up screen will display the sync history. Use the Refresh button to update the sync status and view the latest details. Click Close when done.

3. Configure Artifacts:

• Click the arrow next to the package name.

• In the "Artifacts" list, click the three dots in the "Actions" column for the desired artifact.

• Select "Configure" from the dropdown menu.

• Modify the required values in the configuration screen.

4. Save Changes:

• Save: Update the existing artifact directly.

• Save as Artifact: Create a new version of the artifact with the modified values.

• After selecting "Save as Artifact", a new artifact is created with the updated values.

• To view more details about the new artifact, click the three dots (Actions) next to it.

• Click on Edit Configuration to open the artifact configuration.

• Verify or modify the updated values by clicking on the pencil icon (Modify Values button), then click the Save button to apply the changes.

• A newly created artifact will be displayed with its specified name and the associated configuration settings.

• Editing timer configuration parameters (such as start time, recurrence, etc.) is not supported directly from ReleaseOwl.

Creating a Release Pipeline

Release Pipelines in ReleaseOwl manage approvals, validations, deployments, automated tests, task assignments, and user story updates for SAP systems.

1. Create a New Release Pipeline:

• Switch to the Project view and select the Release section.

• Navigate to Release Pipelines and click on Create New Release Pipeline.

• Provide a Pipeline Name.

• Add stages (e.g., QA, Prod) and assign tasks to each stage.

2. Add Deployment Tasks:

• Click the Add button in a task stage to include deployment tasks.

• Fill in the required details:

  • Name: Enter a preferred name for the deployment task.

  • Deploy Type: Select the type of deployment.

  • Select CPI Environment: Select the target CPI environment where the deployment will take place.

  • Deployment Action: Choose between:

    • Upload Only: Uploads the deployment package without executing the deployment.

    • Upload and Deploy: Uploads the deployment package and executes the deployment.

  

3. Save and Configure Notifications:

• Add notification emails if needed.

• Save the pipeline configuration.

Managing Sprints and User Stories

1. Create a Sprint:

• In the Project View, navigate to Change Management and click Create Sprint.

• Enter the sprint name and click Save.

• Click the three dots (Actions) button and select Start Sprint.

2. Create a User Story:

• Go to User Stories and click Create User Story.

• Fill in the required details:

  • Summary: Provide a summary of the user story.

  • Type: Select the type of story.

• Click Save.

3. Edit and Promote User Story:

• After creating the user story, click the three dots (Actions) and select Edit.

• Select the release pipeline and associated component.

• Add the artifact in CPI Artifacts and click Save.

• To promote the user story, click the three dots (Actions) and select Promote.

You can view the Deploy Logs in the ReleaseOwl Dashboard under the SAP CPI Deploy Logs window after promoting the user story.

• Upload Status: Indicates whether the artifact was successfully uploaded.

• Config Status: Confirms if the configuration for new or updated artifacts was successful.

• Deploy Status: Reflects the final deployment status of the artifact.

• Already Deployed: Indicates that the artifact was previously deployed, either during a retry operation or through manual completion. This status helps avoid duplicate deployments and provides clarity during re-runs.

• Manual Completion: If a deployment fails or times out, users can use the Manual Completion option to continue the pipeline after resolving the issue manually.

• Refresh Button Fetches the CPI runtime artifact deployment status and updates the runtime status in the deployment log.

• Retry Button Allows you to reattempt a failed deployment or pipeline stage.

• Status Button If the status is shown as "Suspended", it usually indicates that the pipeline or task has been paused or is awaiting a manual action.