Module in this article: iFlow Docs
After Deploy in SAP CPI: Deploy Watcher, Package Documents, Landscape and Value Mapping in Excel
See when an iFlow is Started or why it failed, pick the Cloud or Edge runtime, run new design checks, document a whole package with its landscape, export Value Mappings to Excel and switch off any tool.
Pressing Deploy in SAP Cloud Integration (SAP CPI) starts a wait: switch to Monitor, find the iFlow, refresh until it says Started or Error, then work out what the error means. And when an interface is finished, someone still asks for the document, the landscape picture and the Value Mapping in a spreadsheet.
Kitegra now covers that part of the work next to the SAP Integration Suite designer: a deploy watcher with a test call, a runtime picker for tenants with Edge Integration Cell, new design checks, a package document with a landscape diagram and documentation readiness, a Value Mapping sheet in Excel, and plain-word explanations of Groovy scripts. Each tool can be switched off on its own. This article goes through them.
Deploy watcher: Started or Error, without leaving the iFlow
Press Deploy in the designer as usual and confirm SAP's dialog. A Deployment notice appears with "Deploying…" and the time elapsed, and you keep working. Kitegra asks SAP for the state after three seconds, then less and less often, at most every 20 seconds. When SAP answers, the notice turns into:
- Started, with the deployed version. If the iFlow has an HTTP endpoint, Send a test call opens the HTTP Runner with the request ready, and Show the latest message opens the Messages panel fresh.
- Error, with SAP's error text and, when it is a known case, what it usually means: another deployed iFlow already uses the sender address, a script does not compile, an externalized parameter has no value, or SAP could not build the iFlow. Open deployed content in SAP takes you to the details.
- Still deploying after ten minutes, with a pointer to the deployed content in SAP.
If you cancel SAP's Deploy dialog, nothing is watched. The watcher only reads the deployment state; the deploying is SAP's, started by your own click. Following a message through the iFlow afterwards is described in tracing a message step by step, and the call itself in testing an HTTPS iFlow with a service key.
Runtime picker: Cloud or Edge
A tenant with Edge Integration Cell runs iFlows on more than one runtime. On such a tenant only, the Kitegra box shows Runtime: Cloud (or the Edge runtime's name). Choose the runtime there, and the Message Monitor reads this iFlow's messages and sets its log level on that runtime. The picker also shows whether, and which version, is deployed on each. Tenants with one runtime never see it.
New design checks in the iFlow Inspector
The iFlow review checklist gained five checks, with a new Documentation category:
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Receiver without an address (error) | The iFlow deploys, but every call to this receiver fails at runtime. |
| HTTPS sender with a default address (warning) | An empty, / or placeholder address such as /test says nothing to callers, and two iFlows can clash on it. |
| HTTPS sender expects a CSRF token (info) | Every caller must fetch an X-CSRF-Token first, or its POST gets a 403. |
| Receiver address written into the iFlow (info) | Moving between DEV, QA and PROD means editing the iFlow; Externalize Parameters fixes it in one step. |
| Participant keeps its default name (info, Documentation) | "Sender" and "Receiver" also show in monitoring, so nobody can tell which system is meant. |
Like the other checks, they count toward the score and can be turned off one by one. Viewing them is free; exporting the report is part of Pro. Externalize Parameters and the other new Helper tools are described in Externalize Parameters, step copy and Hub import.
A document for the whole package
Next to Document this iFlow, the Kitegra menu now has Package document. It reads every iFlow of the open iFlow's package one by one ("Reading iFlow 2 of 5…"), and you can stop it and open what was read so far. iFlows that could not be read are listed. The document opens in a new tab, in Word, PDF or HTML, or filled into your own Word template, like the technical design document of one iFlow. It holds the package's version, vendor, tags and number of iFlows, then each iFlow, and two new parts:
- Landscape: a diagram with the senders on the left, the package's iFlows in the middle and the receivers on the right. Participants with the same name become one box, and each line carries its adapter types.
- Documentation readiness: what a reader needs, checked one by one: the package's description and tags, a description for each iFlow, participants renamed from Sender and Receiver, and receiver addresses externalized. It shows how many checks passed and what is missing, so you can fill the gaps before handing over.
Value Mapping in Excel
On the iFlow Docs page, under Value Mappings, upload a Value Mapping ZIP (download it from its package in SAP) or its value_mapping.xml. Kitegra lists the values and writes an Excel workbook with one sheet per agency and identifier pair: source agency, identifier and value, then target agency, identifier and value. The file is read in your browser; nothing is read from SAP and nothing is sent anywhere. The Message Mapping sheet works the same way for mappings.
Scripts explained in plain words
Explain scripts in the Kitegra menu lists every Groovy script step of the iFlow. For each, it shows the author's summary comment, the functions it defines, what it reads (body, headers, exchange properties, attachments), what it sets and changes, its main logic (parsing or building XML or JSON, loops, decisions, HTTP calls, dates), the SAP APIs it uses, such as Security Material, Value Mapping or Partner Directory, and notes and risks. Click a step's name to select it on the diagram. The explanation is worked out from the script's text in your browser; the script is never sent anywhere.
Switch off any tool you do not use
The options page now has a Tools section with a switch for every tool, folded under its module: from the XPath check, Arrange, Security Material, Externalize, step copy and Hub import in the Helper, through Messages, the runtime picker, the log viewer and the deploy watcher, iFlow info, the Inspector and Search, Documents and Scripts explained, to Notes, Snippets, Compare, Convert, Generate and the HTTP Runner in the Toolbox. A switched-off tool disappears from the designer and the popup at once; your data stays, and Turn all on brings everything back. To switch a whole module off, use Modules on the same page; see the options page.
The deploy watcher, the runtime picker, Scripts explained and viewing the design checks are free. The package document, the landscape and the Value Mapping sheet belong to iFlow Docs, with a few uses on Free and Starter. While Kitegra launches, every tool is open to everyone signed in. Compare the plans.
Try it in your next iFlow
Read what Kitegra adds around the SAP Integration Suite designer, or the new tools for writing iFlows.
Frequently asked questions
Does Kitegra deploy my iFlow?
No. You press Deploy in SAP; the deploy watcher only reads the deployment state and tells you when it is Started or failed.
How do I document a whole SAP CPI package?
Open any iFlow of the package and choose Package document in the Kitegra menu. It reads each iFlow and opens one document with the landscape diagram and documentation readiness, in Word, PDF or HTML.
Can I export a Value Mapping to Excel?
Yes. Download the Value Mapping ZIP from its package in SAP and upload it on the iFlow Docs page. You get one sheet per agency and identifier pair; the file never leaves your browser.
Why don't I see the runtime picker?
It appears only on tenants with more than one runtime, such as Cloud plus Edge Integration Cell.
If I switch a tool off, is my data deleted?
No. The tool disappears from the designer and the popup, and its data stays. Turn it back on in the Tools section of the options page.