SAP IS : Boost Your Productivity with SAP CPI Helper Extension for SAP BTP Integration Suite

 

If you're working with SAP BTP Integration Suite (IS)—especially with Cloud Integration (formerly CPI)—you probably know how powerful the web UI is, but also how tedious some repetitive tasks can become. That’s where the SAP CPI Helper browser extension comes in as a true game-changer for integration developers.

In this blog, we’ll explore what the SAP CPI Helper Extension is, why it’s useful, and how it can streamline your daily integration tasks.

What is the SAP CPI Helper Extension?

The SAP CPI Helper Extension is a free and open-source browser plugin (available for Chrome and Edge) designed to enhance the developer experience in SAP Cloud Integration. It overlays helpful features directly into the Cloud Integration web UI, offering shortcuts, UI improvements, and analysis tools that SAP doesn’t natively provide.

Originally created by the open-source SAP community, this tool is not officially supported by SAP, but it’s widely trusted and appreciated by thousands of CPI developers around the world.

Key Features

Here are some of the most helpful features that the extension brings:

🔍 Message Monitoring Enhancements

• Quickly filter messages by status (success, failed, processing).
• Jump directly to the message payload or error trace.
• Easy access to logs, message headers, and body content without endless clicking.

💡 Trace Viewer Enhancements

• Improved display of trace steps with clear visibility of headers and content.
• Navigate through flow steps more easily.
• Export message traces for documentation or debugging.

🚀 Runtime Performance Tools

• Compare runtimes for different integration flows.
• Analyze execution durations and identify performance bottlenecks.

🛠️ Design Time Utilities

• Add comments to flow steps.
• Visual enhancements to integration flow diagrams.
• Hover tips and UI tweaks that save time during development.

Why Should You Use It?

If you're spending hours inside the Integration Suite's Web UI, this extension can significantly improve your workflow:

• Save Time: Navigate message traces, logs, and iFlows faster.
• Debug Easier: View detailed runtime data without deep-diving into multiple screens.
• Improve Visibility: Get a better picture of how your flows are executing.
• Avoid Frustration: Reduce repetitive clicks and hard-to-find errors.

Some of the simple but useful features are there, like you can set your preferences at each environment level. For example, in my case I have set the theme different for each environments. 

Dev:

Test:

When working on a Specific iFlow, you can see all the runs at one place and have easy shortcuts available to see the log viewer, trace etc..

How to Install It

For Chrome:

1. Go to the Chrome Web Store.
2. Search for “SAP CPI Helper”.
3. Click “Add to Chrome”.

For Edge:

1. Go to the Edge Add-ons Store.
2. Search for “SAP CPI Helper”.
3. Click “Get” to install.

After installation, just open your SAP BTP Integration Suite tenant and the helper will automatically activate.

Important Note on Security

The extension is open-source and widely used, but it does interact with your tenant’s UI. Always ensure you install it from trusted sources. For corporate environments, consult with your IT/security team before installation.

You can also inspect the source code yourself on GitHub.

Final Thoughts

The SAP CPI Helper Extension is one of those tools that, once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you ever worked without it. Whether you’re debugging, testing, or just browsing through artifacts in SAP BTP Integration Suite, this browser extension will make your life easier.

If you're an integration developer looking to level up your productivity, give it a try!

Feel free to point out if anything is missing/wrong in this blog.