Data Space Integration - Comprehensive Reference

Source: SAP BTP Integration Suite Documentation Documentation: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sap-btp-integration-suite/tree/main/docs/ISuite Last Updated: 2025-11-22

Overview
Core Concepts
Eclipse Dataspace Connector
Contract Negotiation
Asset Management
Data Transfer
Supported Data Spaces

Overview

Data Space Integration enables secure, sovereign data exchange between data space participants in a reliable and controlled manner.

Key Features

Sovereign data exchange between participants
Policy enforcement for data access control
Standardized protocols (IDS standard)
SAP and non-SAP application support
Harmonized monitoring and configuration

Benefits

Benefit	Description
Data Sovereignty	Control over data sharing policies
Interoperability	Standard-based exchange
Security	Encrypted, authenticated transfer
Compliance	Policy-enforced access
Auditability	Full transaction logging

Documentation: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sap-btp-integration-suite/blob/main/docs/ISuite/what-is-data-space-integration-4edeee5.md

Core Concepts

International Data Spaces (IDS)

IDS represents "a uniform standard for data sharing that can be applied in any professional and private areas" based on European Privacy Policy principles.

Data Space

A data space is "a virtual place that enables sovereign data governance, based on interoperable standardized components, among involved persons and companies."

Data spaces typically organize around:

Industries (automotive, manufacturing)
Topics (sustainability, supply chain)
Regions (European data spaces)

Participants

Role	Description
Provider	Offers data assets
Consumer	Requests data assets
Broker	Facilitates discovery (optional)
Clearing House	Logs transactions (optional)

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      Data Space                              │
│  ┌─────────────┐                      ┌─────────────┐       │
│  │   Provider  │  ←── Contract ───→   │  Consumer   │       │
│  │   (SAP IS)  │     Negotiation     │   (SAP IS)  │       │
│  │             │                      │             │       │
│  │  ┌───────┐  │                      │  ┌───────┐  │       │
│  │  │ Asset │  │ ════ Transfer ════▶ │  │ Asset │  │       │
│  │  └───────┘  │                      │  └───────┘  │       │
│  └─────────────┘                      └─────────────┘       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Documentation: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sap-btp-integration-suite/blob/main/docs/ISuite/concepts-in-data-space-integration-fcf96b2.md

Eclipse Dataspace Connector

Data Space Integration is built on Eclipse Dataspace Connector (EDC), an open-source framework.

EDC Capabilities

Capability	Description
Data Querying	Discover available assets
Data Exchange	Transfer data between participants
Policy Enforcement	Apply access policies
Monitoring	Track transfers and usage
Auditing	Log all transactions

EDC Components

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│     Eclipse Dataspace Connector     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐   │
│  │  Identity   │  │   Catalog   │   │
│  │  Service    │  │   Service   │   │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘   │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐   │
│  │  Transfer   │  │   Policy    │   │
│  │  Service    │  │   Engine    │   │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Contract Negotiation

Negotiation Process

1. Provider creates Asset + Policy → Contract Definition
                    ↓
2. Contract Offers generated from definitions
                    ↓
3. Consumer discovers offers in catalog
                    ↓
4. Consumer initiates negotiation
                    ↓
5. Negotiation iterations (accept/counter/reject)
                    ↓
6. Agreement finalized → Contract established

Contract Components

Component	Description
Asset	Data being shared
Policy	Access rules and constraints
Offer	Provider's terms
Agreement	Final accepted terms

Policy Types

Policy	Description
Access Policy	Who can access
Usage Policy	How data can be used
Contract Policy	Terms of agreement

Policy Examples

{
  "policy": {
    "permissions": [
      {
        "action": "USE",
        "constraints": [
          {
            "leftOperand": "PURPOSE",
            "operator": "EQ",
            "rightOperand": "ANALYTICS"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Asset Management

Asset Types

Type	Description
HTTP	REST API endpoints
S3	AWS S3 storage
Azure	Azure Blob storage
File	File-based transfer

Creating Assets

Define asset metadata
Configure data source
Set access policies
Publish to catalog

Asset Structure

{
  "asset": {
    "id": "asset-001",
    "properties": {
      "name": "Product Catalog",
      "description": "Product master data",
      "contentType": "application/json"
    }
  },
  "dataAddress": {
    "type": "HttpData",
    "baseUrl": "https://api.example.com/products"
  }
}

Documentation: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sap-btp-integration-suite/blob/main/docs/ISuite/consuming-data-space-assets-5c0cdb8.md

Data Transfer

Transfer Types

Type	Description
HTTP	REST-based transfer
S3	Object storage transfer
Azure Blob	Azure storage transfer

Transfer Process

Initiate transfer request
Authenticate with data space
Apply contract policies
Execute data transfer
Confirm completion

HTTP Asset Transfer

Consumer                  Provider
   │                         │
   │──── Transfer Request ──▶│
   │                         │
   │◀─── EDR (Endpoint) ─────│
   │                         │
   │──── GET /data ─────────▶│
   │     (with EDR token)    │
   │                         │
   │◀─── Data Response ──────│
   │                         │

EDR Management

Endpoint Data Reference (EDR) provides secure access to assets:

Time-limited tokens
Policy-enforced access
Automatic refresh

Documentation:

Supported Data Spaces

Currently Supported

Data Space	Industry	Description
Catena-X	Automotive	Automotive supply chain

Catena-X Overview

Catena-X is the automotive industry data space for:

Supply chain visibility
Quality management
Sustainability tracking
Circular economy

Catena-X Integration

┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Catena-X Network           │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │    SAP Integration Suite       │  │
│  │  ┌──────────────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │ Data Space Integration   │  │  │
│  │  │  - Asset Management      │  │  │
│  │  │  - Contract Negotiation  │  │  │
│  │  │  - Data Transfer         │  │  │
│  │  └──────────────────────────┘  │  │
│  └────────────────────────────────┘  │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

API Access

EDR Management APIs

Programmatic access to Data Space Integration:

Operation	Description
List offers	Browse available assets
Negotiate	Initiate contract negotiation
Get EDR	Obtain data reference
Transfer	Execute data transfer

API Example

# Get contract offers
GET /api/v1/catalog/offers

# Initiate negotiation
POST /api/v1/negotiations
{
  "offerId": "offer-123",
  "policy": {...}
}

# Get EDR for transfer
GET /api/v1/edr/{agreementId}

Documentation: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sap-btp-integration-suite/blob/main/docs/ISuite/using-apis-to-work-with-data-space-integration-411fd1e.md

Configuration

Prerequisites

Requirement	Description
BTP Subaccount	Cloud Foundry enabled
Data Space membership	Registered participant
Integration Suite	With Data Space entitlement

Setup Steps

Enable Data Space Integration capability
Configure data space connection
Register as participant
Set up identity provider
Create assets and policies

Monitoring

Track data space activities:

Contract negotiations
Active agreements
Data transfers
Policy violations

Best Practices

Policy Design

Be specific about permitted uses
Set time limits on agreements
Require purpose declarations
Log all access for audit

Asset Management

Document asset metadata thoroughly
Version assets appropriately
Test access before publishing
Monitor consumption patterns

Security

Use strong authentication
Encrypt data in transit
Audit all transactions
Review policies regularly

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue	Resolution
Negotiation failed	Check policy compatibility
Transfer timeout	Verify network connectivity
Access denied	Review contract terms
Invalid EDR	Request new EDR token

Documentation: https://github.com/SAP-docs/sap-btp-integration-suite/blob/main/docs/ISuite/troubleshooting-for-data-space-integration-166fa88.md

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