Duet Connects Outlook and SAP

Duet implements a multitiered architecture consisting of three main components. A set of client-side extensions (labeled the Duet Office Add-on in the illustration) for Office applications (mainly Outlook in Duet 1.0) provide access to SAP data and processes. The add-on also caches client configuration information (for example, the Duet drop-down lists and menu items available to a user based on that user’s role) and provides a mechanism to queue requests for service from the SAP back-end. The queue enables users to work offline, storing client requests (such as Outlook appointments to be entered in SAP via Duet’s time-management feature) while the user is offline and submitting them to the back-end system when the user connects to the network.

A midtier server, called the Duet Server, stores and distributes client configuration data (for example, which Duet services are available to clients, based on user roles); formats and routes information contained in e-mail messages between the Office add-on, SAP back-end servers, and the Exchange Server (such as an employee’s request for time off); and handles Duet security (user authentication, for instance). The Duet server also provides a routing function for client calls, mapping client requests for service (e.g., a request to deliver a report stored in mySAP’s HCM module) to the physical SAP server providing that service.