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AliBaba - ALP - CMD Integration

Alibaba Data Integration Flow​

I. Initial Requirements​

  1. Automated BE Generation: Completed January 17th for Alibaba customers.
  2. API Call Enablement: API calls enabled; ALP_ALB accepted as the system name and reference from ALP.
  3. Rule Set API: The Rule Set API, triggered client-side (UI), validates mandatory fields using regular expressions. No further development required.

II. Evolving Requirements​

  1. Delinking Ali ID and CMD Customer Code: CMD requires two-pronged implementation: an Ingest Service and a Publish Service (currently in progress). A temporary workaround involves manual database delinking and synchronization with ALP.
  2. 1:1 ID Mapping: Establish a one-to-one mapping between ali_id and CMD customer_code.
  3. Ali ID Updates: Enable Ali ID updates via an API to CMD.

Key CMD Requirements​

1. Rule Set API:​

  • Client-side (UI) validation of mandatory fields using regular expressions.

2. Validation API:​

  • Validates customer payload fields: phone number, address, tax information, reference number etc.

3. Match API:​

  • Identifies duplicate records in the SMDS CMD master data. Matching records are sent to CX for review, linking ali_id with the CMD customer_code via the Customer Update API. Non-duplicate data proceeds to the Create/Update API.

4. Create/Update API:​

  • Creates a new customer_code if no duplicates are found. Records are then routed to a Data Steward workflow for approval or rejection.

Areas Requiring Clarification​

  1. SLA/SLO Requirements: Define SLAs/SLOs between ALP and CMD (read/write services), and across the entire flow: ALP → CMD → S4MDG → ALP → CW1.
  2. Alibaba-ALP Agreements: Define SLI/SLO/SLA agreements between Alibaba and ALP.
  3. CX Turnaround Time: Clarify CX timelines for linking ali_id with existing customer records.
  4. Contact Onboarding Process Documentation: Process for contact onboarding with customer
  5. End-to-End Demonstration: Conduct a demonstration of the Alibaba → ALP → CMD flow to identify CMD dependencies.
  6. Exception Handling: Clarify CX-handled exceptions (as per the shared Standard Operating Procedure, SoP) and their acceptable turnaround times.

Future Activities (NFR/SLAs)​

  1. PostgreSQL Migration (March 1st, 2025): Upgrade from PostgreSQL 15 to 16. Ingest services will be unavailable for 2-4 hours. This is critical for ensuring SAP BI World continuity after the retirement of the PostgreSQL SingleServer.

Risks​

  1. End-to-End Flow Visibility: Ensure visibility across Alibaba, ALP, CMD, S4MDG, and CW1.
  2. Post-MVP Requirements: Account for potential post-MVP requirements not currently included in the CMD roadmap.
  3. Documentation Delays: Address potential delays in documenting changes due to time constraints.
  4. Limited UAT Time: The short UAT timeline (February 7th-9th) before go-live (February 15th) increases the risk of unresolved issues.
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