How SAP AMI WOrks

Advanced Metering Infrastructure

 
An advanced metering infrastructure is a communication network consisting of measurement devices and
systems. An infrastructure of this nature is characterized by intensive interaction between the different market
participants. These market participants can occupy different roles in the market. They exchange information
according to these roles. The related information and data exchange processes virtually take place in real time.
Companies in the energy industry, associations, and government organizations choose an advanced metering
infrastructure with the aim of increasing efficiency and optimizing grid usage as a result of improved evaluation
options on the consumer side.
You can use SAP Utilities as a customer information and billing system together with other SAP applications as
part of an advanced metering infrastructure. The SAP system can communicate with other systems and
exchange data.
The following diagram illustrates how the SAP applications are integrated in an advanced metering infrastructure.

AMI System Landscape

The AMI system landscape illustrated is subdivided into three large areas:
On the left hand side, the AMI systems, on the right hand side, the SAP system as a back-office system, and in
the middle, the MDUS system as an interface between the two.
The AMI systems on the left hand side include devices with advanced metering capabilities, advanced metering
systems (AMS), and other devices and systems, such as data concentrators. Advanced metering systems
measure, gather, and analyze energy consumption data from AMI devices and transmit commands and data to
these devices.
MDUS in the middle stands for Meter Data Unification & Synchronization and describes systems that unite the
interfaces between different advanced metering systems and synchronize the data and processes in these
systems with those in the back-office systems.
You can use the SAP system on the right hand side to run the usual back-office processes, as well as processes
and functions specific to an advanced metering infrastructure. Communication between the SAP applications and
the MDUS system takes place using enterprise services.
Processes can only run fully if all the devices and systems in the advanced metering infrastructure meet the
technical requirements and support the required capabilities. For this reason, the SAP Utilities processes are only
possible if the required capabilities are supported both by the advanced metering system and by the device.

 Example
The advanced metering system supports the Remote Disconnection capability but the device does not.
This means the remote disconnection process cannot take place.

Integration
The AMI capabilities in the SAP system are based on existing functions in the following areas:
 Device Management
 Meter Reading
 Contract Billing
 Customer Service
The remaining documentation focuses on the capabilities and processes that are specific to an advanced
metering infrastructure, or that are processed differently in this context than is the case in an infrastructure that is
not based on advanced metering technology. For this reason, the descriptions contain a number of references to
the documentation for the above areas.

More Information
For more information about enterprise services (English language), see SAP Library at SAP for Utilities
Enterprise Services Documentation and   help.sap.com/ecc   SAP ERP 6.0   Enterprise Services
Documentation