AS4 market communication

The change in market communication can be triggered in the ‘AS4 Market Communication’ specialist application of the proTECTr interface. In this case, a change request (PathSwitch request) is sent to the selected market partner, who must respond with a confirmation (confirmSwitch request). Only when the communication relationship with the relevant market role is displayed as ESTABLISHED has the other party confirmed the change in market communication.

With SAP S/4HANA Utilities in the procilon AS4 Cloud

AS4P – The adapter for AS4 communication between the SAP MaCo Cloud and the procilon AS4 Cloud

With the switch to AS4 for market communication, SAP IS-U customers are already asking how AS4 communication can work under S/4HANA Utilities in conjunction with the SAP MaCo Cloud.

To this end, the partnership between cronos and procilon offers ‘AS4P’, an adapter for connecting the leading AS4 cloud service and the SAP MaCo Cloud.

State-of-the-Art
The AS4P Connector is the solution for standardised connection of the SAP MaCo Cloud to procilon's AS4 platform. cronos and procilon thus offer a state-of-the-art alternative to the standard SAP solution. Users who already implement AS4 with procilon can simply continue to use the platform.

Operation
AS4P is operated as standard in the procilon AS4 Cloud. You do not need to set up your own infrastructure and have a single point of contact for all aspects of your AS4 communication solution.

Implementation
The AS4P Connector is initially taken into account in connection with the setup of AS4 communication under S/4HANA Utilities. Even when switching from R3 to S/4, AS4P can be easily integrated for the transition using preconfigured templates.

You too can rely on the unique combination of procilon's decades of experience in EVU market communication and cronos' proven SAP IS-U expertise. No need to change your AS4 platform – no compromises.

Generally, several statuses are distinguished:

• REQUESTED - The exchange request has been sent but not yet confirmed by the other party
• CONFIRMATION_WAITING - An exchange request has been received for the managed market role. This exchange request must now be confirmed.
• ESTABLISHED – The switch to AS4 communication has been confirmed
• PAUSED – AS4 communication has been paused.

Sie benötigen eine Liste, welche AS4-Beziehungen eingerichtet werden sollen. Diese Liste können Sie in der Fachanwendung "AS4-Marktkommunikation" hochladen, Wechselanfragen werden dann automatisch durch unseren AS4 Cloud Service versandt. Zusätzlich können Sie konfigurieren, dass Wechselanfragen anderer Marktrollen automatisiert mittels confirmSwitch-Request beantwortet werden.

Pausing a 1:1 AS4 connection offers you a fallback solution to the last active transmission channel (e-mail or AS2) during the transition phase until 1 April 2024.

This means that, for example in the event of technical problems, no more messages will be accepted via AS4 for the paused connection(s). The respective market partners must be actively informed of the pause so that they can take similar measures on their side.

As of 1 April 2024, pausing will no longer be legally permitted; suspension of AS4 communication will only be possible in agreed exceptions and will be at your own discretion.

As of 1 April 2024, the obligation to send AS4 information in PARTIN will be abolished. However, you can still obtain the necessary information directly from the proTECTr AS4 platform:

• Find your market role under ‘Managed market partners’.
• Use the info button to switch to the detailed view of the role.
• In the ‘Certificates’ menu item on the right-hand side, you will find all the information that needs to be entered in PARTIN.

Yes, in addition to a positive NRR (which signals that the message sent has been received correctly by the communication partner), there is also a negative NRR.

Three certificates are issued. These include:

• a certificate for authentication vis-à-vis other market participants
• a certificate for encrypted data exchange
• a certificate for data signature

The following information is provided:

• Interface descriptions in OpenAPI format
• Programming examples in Java and Python
• Information on onboarding in the staging environment

Integrators can also open messages (issues) in the environment.

In the context of AS4 market communication, which is characterised by security, reliability and interoperability, the following processes in particular play an important role:

• GPKE: The business processes for supplying customers with electricity (GPKE) regulate the exchange of data for supplying end customers with electricity in Germany. It covers everything from supplier change notifications and consumption billing to contract termination.

• MPES: The market processes for generating market locations (MPES) deal with data exchange related to generating market locations, i.e. energy generation sites. This includes communication regarding registration, data transmission for billing purposes and the transmission of measurement data for generation plants.

• WiM: The change processes in metering (WiM) regulate the change of metering point operator and the associated data transfers required to ensure a seamless transition.

• MaBiS: The market rules for electricity balancing group settlement (MaBiS) refer to the processes necessary for managing and settling balancing groups in the electricity market. These include the transmission of load profiles, forecasts and settlement data between the balancing group managers and the transmission system operators.

• FPM: The schedule management process (FPM) coordinates the delivery and exchange of energy between market participants to ensure optimal grid stability and energy supply. This includes timely and accurate planning and adjustment of energy flows in line with grid demand and capacity.

The use of the AS4 protocol enables secure and standardised communication between the systems of the participating electricity and gas market partners, which supports the efficient and error-free handling of these complex processes.

AS2 and AS4 are both communication protocols used in the business world for secure and reliable data exchange, but they differ in a few key ways:

• Protocol generation: AS2 is older and was developed specifically for exchanging EDI messages over the Internet. AS4 is a newer development that builds on AS2 and offers additional functionalities.

• Standardisation and areas of application: AS4 is a standard developed by OASIS (Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) and supports EDI as well as other data formats. It is specifically designed for use in larger and more complex networks with higher requirements for interoperability and security.

• Features: AS4 communication offers enhanced features such as built-in support for web services, more comprehensive security features including encryption and digital signatures, and more efficient and reliable message delivery through acknowledgements and error handling.

• Applications: While AS2 is mainly used in traditional B2B environments, AS4 is used in a wide range of industries due to its advanced capabilities, including the gas and electricity market in the energy sector, where data security and cross-system communication requirements are extremely high.

In short, AS4 can be seen as an extension and improvement of AS2, specifically designed to meet modern requirements for security, scalability and interoperability in diverse and dynamic network environments.

AS4 market communication centres on two main components: the source system from which the message or data packet is sent, and the target system that receives the message or data packet.

The Messaging Service Handler (MSH) is responsible for transferring messages and data between systems. It checks whether the message or data packet is correctly formatted and whether it contains the correct sender and recipient information. If everything is correct, the message or data packet is sent to the destination system.

Encrypted connections and digital signatures are used during transmission to ensure that the data sent is not altered while in transit and that only authorised sources send and receive data.

AS4 specification for market communication

The fundamentals can be found in the cryptographic specifications of BSI TR 03116-3, as well as in the use of the BSI's smart metering PKI. For the transmission path itself, the AS4 protocol must be specified in accordance with the BDEW AS4 profile. In addition, when establishing TLS connections, the extensions according to IETF RFC 6060 and IETF RFC 8449 must be observed. For certificates and PKI, the specifications of the Certificate Policy (CP) of the BSI's Smart Metering PKI (SM-PKI) must be complied with; this also applies to sub-CA instances within the meaning of the CP.

AS4 arose from the need to establish secure and reliable communication protocols for the exchange of business data in various industries – particularly in the energy sector, where data transmission is of great importance for ensuring the efficiency and integrity of the energy market. It was developed and standardised by OASIS (Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards). The AS4 protocol is also part of the ebMS (ebXML Messaging Services) 3.0 specification and is based on other proven protocols such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol).

From 1 October 2024, in addition to GPKE, MPES, WiM and MaBiS, timetable management in Germany must also be converted to AS4. From 1 December 2024, email may only be used for emergency communication. This leaves market participants two months to switch their communications from email to AS4.