Synchronizing data with ERP systems like SAP has historically been very difficult. Learn about real-world use cases for connecting Ignition to SAP and other ERP systems and show how the new Business Connector Suite from Sepasoft drastically lowers the barrier to entry. Experts from Inductive Automation, Sepasoft, and 4IR Solutions cover how to optimize communications between SAP and the Ignition platform, the latter of which is used by thousands of companies worldwide for SCADA, HMI, MES, IIoT, and more.

2. Moderator
Don Pearson
Chief Strategy Officer
Inductive Automation

3. Today’s Agenda
• Introduction to Inductive Automation and Sepasoft
• Connecting SCADA and SAP/other ERP systems
• The Sepasoft Business Connector Suite: Overview and use cases
• Group discussion wrap-up
• Q&A

4. About Inductive Automation
• Founded in 2003
• HMI, SCADA, MES & IIoT software
• Used by 48% of Fortune 100 companies
• Over 2,200 integrators
• Ignition 8 released in April, 800 improvements
already made
Learn more at: inductiveautomation.com/about

5. One Universal Platform for HMI, SCADA, MES & IIoT:
• Unlimited licensing model
• Cross-platform compatibility
• Based on IT-standard technologies
• Scalable server-client architecture
• Web-managed
• Launch on desktop or mobile
• Modular configurability
• Rapid development and deployment
The Ignition Industrial Application Platform

6. About Sepasoft
• An Inductive Automation Strategic Third-Party Module Partner
• Develops & supports MES Modules for Ignition
• Incorporated in 2003
• Hundreds of companies in a variety of industries depend on Sepasoft MES software
• 600+ MES implementations worldwide
• 30+ MES-Certified System Integrator companies

7. Speakers
Keith Adair
MES Product
Manager,
Sepasoft
Joseph Dolivo
Principal, Digital
Transformation,
4IR Solutions
Travis Cox
Co-Director of Sales
Engineering,
Inductive Automation

8. SCADA and ERP Systems Overview
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
(SCADA)
● Used primarily by operators & others
on the plant floor
● Controls industrial processes
● Gathers & processes real-time data
● Records historical data
● Helps keep efficiency high and
downtime low
Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP)
● Software for managing and automating
business processes
● Collects, stores, manages & interprets
data from business activities
● Shares data across departments
● Helps increase efficiency and reduce
production & transaction errors
● Uses databases maintained by a DBMS

9. SAP ERP Software
• SAP ERP is widely considered the
industry standard for on-premise ERP
software
• Helps companies to eliminate
information silos, automate core
processes, and make better decisions

10. Benefits of Connecting SCADA with SAP/ERP
• Prevent downtime
• Increase operational efficiency and transparency
• Make regulatory compliance easier
• Improve quality control and quality assurance
• Increase and accelerate data access
• A single source of truth for data
• Add important context to plant-floor data
• Send real-time data into ERP
• Retrieve and synchronize schedules, work orders,
and more

11. Obstacles to Connecting SCADA with SAP/ERP
• SCADA/OT is proprietary, ERP/IT is more
open and standards-based
• SCADA is real-time, ERP is transaction-based
• ERP is database-oriented, SCADA is not.
• Often requires configuration, scripting,
middleware, and specialized SAP/ERP
knowledge & skills

12. Connecting Data Through the Ignition Platform
Total System Integration

13. Connecting Data Through the Ignition Platform
Total System Integration

14. The Business Connector and Interface for SAP ERP
● The Sepasoft Business Connector and the Interface for
SAP ERP modules enable seamless integration
between various versions of SAP and Ignition-powered
manufacturing floors
● Fully integrated with the Ignition ecosystem
● Interface for SAP ERP module is certified by SAP Labs

15. What is the Business Connector?
It provides intuitive drag-and-drop
interfaces for:
● Developing business logic
● Transforming data
● Mapping data between Ignition
and other systems

16. Transforming Data with the Business Connector
● Intuitive mapper allows users to transform raw SAP output into
user’s desired structure

17. What is the Interface for SAP ERP Module?
● It enables the Business Connector to
establish a connection to an SAP
Server in a safe, secure and fully
certified manner
● Uses SAP’s Java Connector library to
communicate
● Features built-in Business Connector
charts that cover many standard use
cases

18. How does the Business Connector Work?
The Business Connector suite consists of up to three modules working in
tandem:
● Business Connector Module
○ Provides the sequencing engine and mapping functionality
● Interface for SAP ERP Module
○ Allows Business Connector to communicate with SAP systems
● Web Services Module
○ Allows Business Connector to communicate with ERP systems that
use REST or SOAP APIs

19. The Value of the Business Connector Module
• Business Connector
○ Built on standards (ISA-95, B2MML)
○ Low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
○ Intuitive Ignition integration
○ Seamless MES integration
• Interface for SAP ERP
○ Minimal configuration
○ SAP® Certified
○ Built-in templates

20. What versions of SAP are supported?
● Certified & Supported:
○ SAP ECC 6.0
● Supported:
○ SAP R/3 (3.1I and above)
○ SAP S/4HANA On Premise
○ SAP S/4HANA Cloud
■ Using Web Services
● Unsupported:
○ SAP BusinessOne currently
requires additional middleware.

21. Demo: Executing a Goods Receipt

22. Sepasoft Business Connector and Sepasoft MES
• The Business Connector Suite enables users to
retrieve MES data from SAP, including material
definitions, operational data, work orders,
schedules, and more.
• For example, users are able to retrieve Production
Orders and Process Orders and save them as
MES Work Orders and MES Schedules
• These can be distributed across all Gateways in
the user’s MES Enterprise

23. Demo: Download Process Orders from SAP

24. Using the Business Connector Suite as Middleware
• The Web Services module empowers users
to create REST and SOAP APIs from within
their own Ignition Gateway
• This capability, in tandem with the Business
Connector Suite and Interface for SAP ERP,
empowers users to securely provide ERP
data to other systems that may not be able to
communicate with SAP directly
APS
SS
LIMS
SOAP
SOAP
REST

25. Demo: SAP Middleware with the Web Services Module

26. Group Discussion Wrap-up
• How can Ignition and the Sepasoft Business Connector Suite help
more industrial organizations to get started or get further on the
path of OT-IT Convergence / Digital Transformation?

27. Group Discussion Wrap-up
• What can we look forward to from Sepasoft in terms of MES and
ERP connectivity solutions?

30. Sepasoft Training
Find Video Training Courses about Sepasoft Modules at:
www.sepasoft.com/learn