API-FIRST ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE FOR SAP DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Successful enterprise digital transformation is becoming more and more about integration between core business systems, cloud platforms, applications, and outside organizations. This study aims to define an API-first enterprise architecture in the context of integration between SAP S/4HANA, SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and external enterprise systems. A design-oriented, literature-based approach was followed for the synthesis of the research, technical standards, security guidance, and SAP documentation within reference period parameters. This proposed architecture also includes contract-first design, API management, security, lifecycle governance, monitoring, version control – with API governance assumed to be the fundamental boundary for integration. Based on the analysis, it has been found that API-first architecture offers the advantages of decreasing system coupling, enhancing interface reusability, establishing interoperability, and exerting a stronger control over enterprise contract. But in order to be implemented successfully, organizations need additional elements like versioning, API retirement, monitoring, authentication and authorization, and ownership. The study adds to the available information an integrated reference architecture which correlates the API design principles with SAP specific integration requirements and enterprise governance. The findings indicate that API-first can be a good fit for a SAP digital transformation that treats APIs as a governed, repeatable, and reusable enterprise capability as opposed to a technical endpoint.