What is SAP Cloud Platform Integration?

SAP Cloud Platform Integration (CPI) — now part of SAP Integration Suite — is a cloud-native middleware that connects SAP and non-SAP systems using message-based integration flows (iFlows).

Think of it as the glue between your backend SAP systems (S/4HANA, ECC, SuccessFactors) and the outside world — third-party APIs, B2B partners, microservices. Every time an order created in S/4 needs to notify a logistics provider, or HR data needs to sync to SuccessFactors, an iFlow handles that message.

The iFlow canvas

Everything in CPI starts with an iFlow. An iFlow is a visual pipeline you build on a drag-and-drop canvas — place adapters, mappers, routers, and processors, wire them together, configure each step, and deploy to your BTP tenant.

Tip

The iFlow canvas is Eclipse-based under the hood. Learn the keyboard shortcuts early — Ctrl+S to save, Ctrl+Z to undo, and the zoom controls. It will save you hours of clicking.

The canvas has two main areas:

  • Integration Process pool — where all your processing steps live
  • Sender/Receiver pools — where external systems connect via channels

Your first iFlow

Before writing a single XSLT or Groovy script, understand the anatomy of a complete iFlow:

  • Sender — the source system triggering the flow (a REST client, another iFlow, a scheduler)
  • Channel — the transport protocol binding the sender to your process (HTTPS, SFTP, SOAP, OData, JMS…)
  • Integration Process — the heart of the iFlow where you transform, route, enrich, and split messages
  • Receiver — the target system that receives the final processed message
Task

Create a new Integration Package in your BTP tenant, add an Integration Flow, configure an HTTPS sender adapter with CSRF protection disabled for testing, and add a simple Content Modifier step that sets a body. Deploy it and test with Postman.