SAP’s Application Link Enabling (ALE) is an integrated toolset for distributing data between SAP systems as well as between SAP and non-SAP systems. ALE offers a wide range of tools for performing data conversions between systems, each with its own advantages and limitations. This article outlines these data conversion tools — their capabilities, relative merits, and how to use them — and provides a structured approach for selecting the right tool, or combination of tools, for your own implementation, so that you can plan and build more cost-effective, more easily maintainable ALE interfaces.
Arthur Wirthensohn
Arthur Wirthensohn is a senior consultant at EDS Switzerland and a member of EDS’s international Technical Leadership Network. He has worked both as a project manager and product manager in the ERP and IT integration business for many years, mainly in the retail, consumer products, manufacturing, and trade industries. Currently, he works as a project manager for SAP integration and consolidation projects.
You may contact the author at arthur.wirthensohn@eds.com.
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