Mercator for R/3 Certified by SAP for R/3 Application Link Enabling (ALE)

TSI Technology Simplifies Integration of R/3 Systems With Third-Party and
Legacy Applications

Wilton, CT -- May 13, 1996 Mercator for R/3, new software technology from
TSI International for integrating SAP's R/3 with external applications,
has become the first translator product certified by SAP for Application
Link Enabling (ALE). ALE is SAP's strategic direction for integrating
loosely-coupled applications with R/3. Mercator for R/3 eliminates the
need to write custom programs for ALE data conversion tasks, substantially
reducing the time and cost of implementing distributed systems.

Mercator for R/3 features an innovative graphical mapping environment that
provides a cost-effective alternative to writing interface programs. R/3
customers and third-party software providers can use this environment to
create R/3 linkages that are easy to define and maintain. These linkages
are fully integrated with the R/3 messaging system for ALE. The Mercator
for R/3 execution environment supports all major SAP platforms. 

"TSI's technology is an important addition to the third-party toolset now
being created for ALE," remarked Heinz-Ulrich Roggenkemper, Director of
Development at SAP. "Mercator for R/3 provides a single environment for
managing interfaces to external systems, and translation and mapping
services to help automate the linkage process. We look forward to TSI's
participation as an SAP partner," stated Roggenkemper. 

Mapping between R/3 and external application formats is done through an
easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface. Graphical descriptions of R/3
formats, known as Intermediate Documents (IDocs), are created
automatically, simplifying the data mapping process. Data formats for
external systems are defined graphically through the Mercator for R/3 user
interface. Certain formats, such as COBOL copybooks and descriptions of
relational databases, can be converted to graphical form automatically. 

Connectivity to the ALE messaging environment is supported for both inbound
and outbound R/3 messages. Mercator for R/3 makes use of SAP's
asynchronous remote function calls to ensure effective and secure
communications between external systems and R/3. Detailed knowledge of
remote function calls is not required to create R/3 interfaces that are
reliable, efficient, and easy to maintain. 

Mercator for R/3 can also be used for data transformation projects outside
of ALE. These include legacy data conversion, creation of custom data
bridges, and implementation of EDI. The system supports mapping of
multiple data sources to multiple destinations in a single step, map
execution in real-time or batch mode, and the embedding of data
transformation within applications. 

Mercator for R/3 is based on TSI's Mercator technology, now in use in over
800 customer sites worldwide. Mercator operates on over 14 different
computing platforms including PC, UNIX, NT, midrange, and mainframe
systems. Customers include American Express, Henkel Chemical, CompuServe,
Hoechst, Discovery Networks, Home Savings of America, and Canadian
National Railroad. 

TSI International is a leading supplier of software for electronic commerce
and electronic data integration. TSI products include systems for EDI
translation and management, middleware for integrating electronic data
with computer applications, and pre-built desktop solutions for entire
trading communities. Today, TSI software is installed in over 10,000 sites
worldwide by companies conducting business electronically or integrating
external data with the core applications of their business. 

TSI International
45 Danbury Rd
Wilton, CT 06897
203-761-8600
http://www.tsisoft.com
 
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