ITSM & ChaRM – Reminder / Escalation emails using Date Management (Dates and Durations) Part 1

In few of my previous projects, I have come across the requirement to send an Automatic Reminder or Escalation email. This email has to be sent automatically when the allowed time limit exceeds. There are Standard Reminder/ Escalation email Actions available under the Service Request management for SLA escalations. However, for General Reminders/Escalations on delays in Processing, etc., there is No Standard functionality currently available in Solution Manager – ITSM & ChaRM. I hope this blog would help to handle such requirements.

I have used a sample requirement for the context of this Blog. It goes like this -- When an Incident has been forwarded, the requirement is to send a Reminder/escalation email after a specific wait time if the Status is still unchanged.

Below are the Steps to do this:

Update the applicable Date profile with the Custom date types, date rules, and duration.

The Custom duration is for saving the Maximum allowed time before the email could be sent.

The below date types are for calculating the Clock Start Time and the Time it exceeds the allowed wait period.

The Custom date rule is to calculate the maximum allowed/ wait time. In this example, it is for calculating ZFWD_LMT_MAX.

The XML code for the date rule is updated as below.

***If you want to use a different set of Date rules for your situation then you can refer the Blog written by Deepa Madyalkarin the CRM space Creation of Date rule using XML rules. - CRM - SCN Wiki

Assign the new Custom date types, date rules and durations to the applicable Date profile.

The Duration can be assigned with a Default value (here I have assigned it as 24 hours) if the maximum Time limit is Fixed.

In order to maintain the duration as a variable value and make it available for edit in the CRM UI of the document check the ***Part 3 blog***.

ITSM & ChaRM – Reminder / Escalation emails using Date Management (Dates and Durations) Part 3

The Settings related to SLA Escalation can be used for updating the duration.

The Current Date and time is assigned to the date type ZFWD_LIMIT when the status is changed to ‘Forwarded’. The below setting will do that. Then based on the date rule and the duration (Z_FWDDURA) the ZFWD_LMT_MAX will be calculated for the trigger point for the escalation or reminder email.

***The Configuration related to the PPF Action and conditions for the Escalation or Reminder email are explained in Part 2 blog***

ITSM & ChaRM – Reminder / Escalation emails using Date Management (Dates and Durations) Part 2

ITSM & ChaRM – Reminder / Escalation emails using Date Management (Dates and Durations) Part 2

This is the continuation to the Part 1 blog -- ITSM & ChaRM – Reminder / Escalation emails using Date Management (Dates and Durations) Part 1

In this part the PPF action for the Email is configured for the below sample requirement discussed in Blog 1.

This is the sample requirement in context of Part 1 blog --

When an Incident has been forwarded, the requirement is to send a Reminder/escalation email after a specific wait time if the Status is still unchanged.

Below are the Steps:

Action Definition:

Here I have used the Smartforms mail option. If you want to use other email options like HTML mail forms check the blog from  Dolores Correa.

Incident Management and Change Request Manageme... | SCN

Conditions:

The Action for the email will be scheduled when the Status “Forwarded” is set. Below is the schedule action for that.

The Email should be ready to be sent when the status is still in “Forwarded” and when the Current date & time is higher than the Maximum time limit.

The custom date type parameters for the condition can be identified under the Deadlines set.

I have also set the Time of Processing for the action as “Processing using Selection report”.

The background job scheduled using Transaction CRMC_ACTION_JOB will handle the execution of the email action. This Job would process the Actions for the Incidents, which currently meets the Start conditions.

***I have also written Part 3 blog. If you are interested in displaying the Wait time Duration as an editable field in the Web UI configuration for the relevant document type then you can refer it.***

ITSM & ChaRM – Reminder / Escalation emails using Date Management (Dates and Durations) Part 3

ITSM & ChaRM – Reminder / Escalation emails using Date Management (Dates and Durations) Part 3

This is the continuation to the Part 1 and Part 2 blogs.

ITSM & ChaRM – Reminder / Escalation emails using Date Management (Dates and Durations) Part 1

ITSM & ChaRM – Reminder / Escalation emails using Date Management (Dates and Durations) Part 2

In this part, the Custom Duration field is made available in the Web UI configuration for the relevant document type.

The sample requirement discussed in Blog 1 and 2 is again used for Part 3.This is the sample requirement in context of Part 1/2 of the Blog –

When an Incident has been forwarded, the requirement is to send a Reminder/escalation email after a specific wait time if the Status is still unchanged.

Below are the Steps:

SPRO Configuration to enable the linking of the custom duration to the BTDateSET

Custom Enhancement has to be created for the Standard component (In my Case it is Incident) AIC_INCIDENT_H. This has to be done before proceeding with the required settings for the Custom Context nodes.

**Refer the Blog by Harshit Kumar for completing the above step**

How To Enhance a Web UI Component in SAP CRM - CRM - SCN Wiki

Click Continue till reaching ‘Create Links to Custom Controller’ and then

The BOL relation as shown in the above screenshot is available only if it has been maintained in the SPRO as shown earlier in this document.

The Superclass in the Context node’s Implementation class is changed to CL_CRM_UIU_BT_DATE_CN to handle dates.

Delete the Check for the errors (Remove the extra Base_Entity_Name attribute from the class) and activate.

Log off and Logon to see the Attribute ‘Date’ available under the new custom node.

**The Blog from Chand Shaik is used as the base reference for the next few steps**

Adding Date profile's Date type Fields as Context Attribute to the UI component

The below steps were done different from that of the blog to match to the DURATION specific requirement.

In the ‘ON_NEW_FOCUS’ method the replacement code was updated as below to refer the Z_FWDDURA duration created in SPRO date profile.

TIP : ***For Date, it is T and for duration, it is D for lv_category. The LV_date_type is the Date type or the Duration id defined in the Date Profile***

The GETTER and SETTER methods were activated for all the attributes below Date attribute (This may not be required- Did this as trial and error for getting troubleshooting ‘Not Bound’ text in the value of the field in the Web UI).

The Web UI configuration now will have the Custom node ZFWDDURA.

<---------------End of the blog--------------->

Hi All,

I am happy and excited to right my first ever blog on this community. I have taken so much from this great community while resolving many issues reading many wonderful blogs. Its time to return back something to help others. I am writing about an experience, which can be described as metric explosion as per CA.

How it started ?

Few days back our network team came up with information that network utilization between two servers (one was hosting MII application and other was hosting wily EM) is very very high and resulting into packet loss. Same day we got some alert for high memory utilization for MII application.

What was the Error?

While checking the Wily Introscope Agent logs (location /usr/sap/<SID>/SMD<XX>/SMDAgent/temp/IntroscopeAgent.<SID>_<Instance>_server<x>), I found below exception

[IntroscopeAgent] IntervalHeartbeat.execute threw executing: Remove Metric Data

java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException: 5047

    at com.wily.util.adt.CanonicalObjectPoolWithKey.removeCanonicalObjectWrapperInternal(CanonicalObjectPoolWithKey.java:357)

    at com.wily.introscope.agent.recording.MetricRecordingAdministrator.removeMetricFromThreadLocalCache(MetricRecordingAdministrator.java:1194)

    at com.wily.introscope.agent.recording.MetricRecordingAdministrator.removeMetricData(MetricRecordingAdministrator.java:1090)

    at com.wily.introscope.agent.recording.RemoveMetricDataWatcher.ITimestampedRunnable_execute(RemoveMetricDataWatcher.java:81)

    at com.wily.util.heartbeat.IntervalHeartbeat$BehaviorNode.execute(IntervalHeartbeat.java:944)

    at com.wily.util.heartbeat.IntervalHeartbeat.executeNextBehaviorAndCalculateSleepTime(IntervalHeartbeat.java:489)

    at com.wily.util.heartbeat.IntervalHeartbeat.access$300(IntervalHeartbeat.java:28)

    at com.wily.util.heartbeat.IntervalHeartbeat$HeartbeatRunnable.run(IntervalHeartbeat.java:665)

    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:761)

I noticed that before this exception , number of current live metrics were in range of 1000-14000, but after the exception number of live metrics started to grow up and reached above one million. (in the same file you can search for logs like below)

11/09/15 02:19:03 PM GMT [INFO] [IntroscopeAgent] Number of current, live metrics=1012

12/11/15 03:02:28 PM GMT [INFO] [IntroscopeAgent] Number of current, live metrics=1035158.

It was clear to me that this issue is causing high memory and network utilization.

On the below mentioned link (From CA support), I was able to find more information about interface mentioned in the exception and what is a metric explosion:

https://support.ca.com/cadocs/0/CA%20Application%20Performance%20Management%209%206-ENU/Bookshelf_Files/HTML/APM--NET%20Agent%20Implementation%20Guide/index.htm?toc.htm?1479622.html?intcmp=searchresultclick&resultnum=1993

How it was fixed?

To fixed the problem we restarted the sap java application and it resolved high network and memory utilization.

As of now I am not aware of the aware of the permanent solution but I am working on the same. I know there is a memory leak issue with ISAgent version 9.1.0.X but we were using ISAgent 8 when this issue occurred. Will update my blog when I will be having a permanent resolution for the same.

Thanks and Regards

Sachin Gupta

Hi to all,

during SUM deployment of SP01 of Solution Manage 7.2 I run in to problem where SUM process stopped in the process EHP_INCLUSION in the log file SPDA_EHP_INCLUSION.LOG you can find following line:

"2WETN607 The import of Prepackages is not allowed in this system"SAPK-74014INSAPGWFND""SAP_GWFND""740"Solman "

What you should do is following :

start the report RSSETPACKAGEDEPLOYMENT and put the following

for the Software component SAP_GWFND  :

- instead of T put P in the Maintenance  Type

I hope this was helpful!

This setting is global for all users!

1. Enter Workcenter "customizing mode"

Add "&sap-config-mode=X" to the end of the workcenter-URL:

Example:

ags_workcenter?sap-client=100&sap-language=DE&sap-config-mode=X

or

ags_workcenter?sap-config-mode=X

2. Right-click on one of the workcenter tab and select "Settings for current Configuration":

3. Click on "Tabstrip Control"

4. Click on "Re-Sort"

5. Define the order of the tabs using the buttons "Up" and "Down"

Changing the configuration of the Metrics and Alerts in the template and activating the changed settings can be done from front end applications like System Monitoring and Alert Inbox.  This functionality is provided from front end applications to reduce the number of steps in changing the configuration of Metrics and Alerts and to make the configuration change process fast and simple.

Note:The functionality mentioned in this blog is specific to Solution Manager 7.2 release. Also please note that when the document is viewed in the PDF format, Red rating icons are shown in dark blue and Yellow rating icons are shown in light blue.

Procedure for changing the Configuration from Alert Inbox

Settings that can be changed for an Alert from Alert Inbox

Following data can be changed for an alert from Alert Inbox.

• Alert Active/Inactive status
• Notification variant data
• Incident variant data
• Third part Component variant data
• Auto Reaction variant data
• Alert Active/Inactive status

Settings that can be changed for a metric from Alert Inbox

• Metric Active/Inactive status
• Threshold Type – It can be changed to Info only
• Threshold Values

Scenario 1 – Custom template has been assigned to the managed object and an alert related to the managed object is available in Alert Inbox.

       1.     Navigate to Alert Inbox on “System & Application Monitoring” work center.

       2.     Select a record on System Alerts/Database Alerts/Host Alerts query and click “Change Configuration” button.

       3.     The following pop up appears when a custom template has been assigned to the managed object.

Following data can be changed for an alert from Alert Inbox.

• Alert Active/Inactive status
• Notification variant data
• Incident variant data
• Third part Component variant data
• Auto Reaction variant data

Each wok mode is shown as a tab in which the selected alert is active. User can make the changes at the work mode level also.

Options “Apply changes to template <template name>” and “Apply changes on the managed object only” will be displayed on the pop up.

When a Custom template is assigned to the managed object, then user will have the option to change the settings at the managed object level or at the template level.

4.     Make necessary changes and select the option “Apply changes on the managed object only” and click on “Apply Changes” button.

The changes made are applied only at the managed object level.

5.     Select another record on System Alerts/Database Alerts/Host Alerts query where a custom template has been assigned to its managed object and there are no managed object specific settings and click “Change Configuration” button.

6.     Select the option “Apply changes to template <template name>” and click on Apply changes button.

The alert settings will be changed at the template level and the change is reflected for all the managed objects on which this template has been applied. The list of managed objects using the this template can be found on clicking the link “Show affected managed objects” next to the option “Apply changes to template <template name>”

Clicking on the “Close” button without performing any action on the pop up cancels the operation. Functionality is same as mentioned above while changing the configuration of alert from Alert Group details page.

Scenario 2 – SAP template has been assigned to the managed object and an alert related to the managed object is available in Alert Inbox.

                            The following pop up appears when a SAP template has been assigned to the managed object and the user had selected an alert in Alert Inbox and clicked on “Change Configuration” button.

User will have the option to change the settings only at the managed object level. Make the changes and click on “Apply Changes” button.

If managed object specific settings are maintained for the managed object already and if user wants to make further settings for the alert, then user will have the option to change the settings only at the managed object level.

            Functionality is same as mentioned above while changing the configuration of alert from Alert Group details page.

Scenario 3 – Custom template has been assigned to the managed object and the user would like to change the configuration of the metric from Alert Inbox.

On the Alert details table select a metric and click on “Change Configuration” button.

The following pop up appears when a custom template has been assigned to the managed object. All the Active work modes for the metric will be shown as separate tabs.

User will have the option to change the settings at the managed object level or at the template level.

Options “Apply changes to template <template name>” and “Apply changes on the managed object only” will be displayed on the pop up.

If the option “Apply changes to the template” is selected, the metric settings will be changed at the template level and the change is reflected for all the managed objects on which this template has been applied. The list of managed objects using the this template can be found on clicking the link “Show Managed objects where the changes take effect” next to the option “Apply changes to template <template name>”

If the option “Apply changes only on the managed object” is selected, changes made will be applicable only for the managed object.

Scenario 4 –SAP template has been assigned to the managed object and the user would like to change the configuration of the metric from Alert Inbox.

1.     If a SAP template is assigned to the managed object, then user will have the option to change the settings only at the managed object. Following pop up will be displayed, and the user should click on the “Apply Changes” button after making the specific settings on the pop up. The changes made for the metric will be at the managed object level.

2. If managed object specific settings are maintained for the metric then user will have the option to change the settings only at the managed object only. Following pop up will be displayed and the user should click on the “Apply Changes” button after changing the settings on the pop up.

Make necessary changes and click on “Apply Changes” button. The changes made are applied only at the managed object level.

3. Clicking on the “Close” button without performing any action on the pop up cancels the operation.

Procedure for changing the Configuration from System Monitoring

Settings that can be changed for a metric from System Monitoring

• Metric Active/Inactive status
• Threshold Type – It can be changed to Info only
• Threshold Values

Scenario 1 – Custom template has been assigned to the managed object and the user would like to change the configuration of the metric from System Monitoring.

1.     Navigate to System Monitoring application on “System & Application Monitoring” work center.

2.     System Monitoring application is launched.

3.       Click on any tile shown on “Status Overview” panel and navigate to System View.

4.       Click on any Category icon on the tile related to the system and navigate to “System Hierarchy” view.

5.       Hover on a metric in the “Event and Metric” view.

6.       Click on “Change Configuration” link.

The following pop up appears when a custom template has been assigned to the managed object and no managed object specific settings exist for the metric.

• All the Active work modes for the metric will be shown as separate tabs.
• User will have the option to change the settings at the managed object level or at the template level.

Options “Apply changes to template <template name>” and “Apply changes on the managed object only” will be displayed on the pop up.

If the option “Apply changes to the template” is selected, the metric settings will be changed at the template level and the change is reflected for all the managed objects on which this template has been applied. The list of managed objects using the this template can be found on clicking the link “Show Managed objects where the changes take effect” next to the option “Apply changes to template <template name>”

If the option “Apply changes only on the managed object” is selected, changes made will be applicable only for the managed object.

Scenario 2– SAP template has been assigned to the managed object and the user would like to change the configuration of the metric from System Monitoring.

• User will have the option to change the settings only at the managed object. Following pop up will be displayed, and the user should click on the “Apply Changes” button after making the specific settings on the pop up. The changes made for the metric will be at the managed object level.

• If managed object specific settings are maintained for the metric already then user will have the option to change the settings only at the managed object only. Following pop up will be displayed and the user should click on the “Apply Changes” button after changing the settings on the pop up.

Make necessary changes and click on “Apply Changes” button. The changes made are applied only at the managed object level.

Clicking on the “Close” button without performing any action on the pop up cancels the operation.

AS ABAP SLD registration process:

You should perform ABAP SLD registration by executing transaction RZ70.

in case you have problem with SLD_UC registration  (DETAIL: TP SLD_UC not registered!!!!) please consult this link (read comment from vijendar reddy  )!!

AS Java SLD registration process:

The properly configure this service, the following must be done.

Use the Destinations Service to:

1. Set up the registration by creating a destination called "SLD_DataSupplier" of type HTTP. Enter the following configuration settings. (Note: The specified user must have the user role "SAP_SLD_DATA_SUPPLIER" or higher on the target SLD Server.)

• Appropriate URL (http://<host>:<port>)
• Authentication should be set to BASIC
• Appropriate User Name and Password
• 
  

2. Set up the AS Java access to the SLD by creating a destination called "SLD_Client" of type HTTP.

Enter the same configuration settings as in the SLD_DataSupplier destination.

(Note: The specified user must have user role "SAP_SLD_GUEST" or higher. Aditional write access permissions may be required by certain applications. Refer to the corresponding application documentation for SLD access requirements.)

Now you can start registration of yours AS Java in the SLD by executing following action:

pls execute red box button

At the ned go tyou SLD and check is there your AS JAVA and AS ABAP present/registered !!

Happy registering! 

BM

With SAP Solution Manager 7.1 support package 14 another puzzle piece has been added towards a complete "Business Process Improvement Suite" as I would call it. While we provided Business Process Analytics as the root cause analysis tool in 2010 (meanwhile also available in an ad-hoc version and as native iPad app) and added a dashboard layer on top in 2011, we now shipped a new SAPUI5 application called "Dependency Diagrams".

As we ship such a vast KPI content out-of-the-box with close to 1.000 KPIs, customers can easily lose the overview on what is measured and tracked in what way and for what purpose. With the help of the Dependency Diagrams you can build kind of KPI trees where you bring the different KPIs into some logical, hierarchical order. You can visualize the dependency chains of KPIs and get the "picture" updated with your live data.

When you access the application you can select one diagram that must have been defined beforehand, e.g. looking at a diagram about the typical financial business KPI "Days Sales Outstanding (DSO).

After selecting the diagram you get to see the root level (here Days Sales Outstanding itself) and the dependent level 1 KPIs. In our example all five level 1 KPIs are collected via Business Process Analytics, i.e. why you see an Analyze-hyperlink which allows a direct forward navigation into Business Process Analytics. The backend data from your SAP BusinessSuite or SAP S/4 HANA system can be shown as count of documents/items (e.g. 241 deliveries or 310 SD invoices) or as one accumulated monetary value (e.g. 2,7 million Euro or 311,3 million USD).

The tiles that you see could be

• populated by Business Process Analytics data
• populated by Business Process Monitoring data
• populated via query from a connected SAP BW system
• not populated with any data and just used for modeling/visualizing

Below SD Orders not billed and Open customer items we see a '+' icon, so we can further expand the tree in those areas.

As we know that the majority of billing documents is created via billing run, we put another KPI below the SD Orders not billed. This additional KPI looks specifically at all error messages that were raised during billing due runs. One of the most typical error messages is the problem of incomplete sales order items and hence you can further expand to see Missing fields in SD documents.

So with the help of this application you can

• Bring business BW reporting and operational Business Process Analytics data for root cause analysis together in one view
• Structure your KPIs in meaningful dependency diagrams, so that every manager and subject matter experts understands the leverage that one low level KPI might have on any (business) KPI on top, like DSO.
• Set threshold values so that the numbers in the tiles get a green, amber or red rating
• Decide if you put your focus on document numbers or monetary values (and which target currency)
• Use the forward navigation to get from this overview into the actual root cause analysis with Business Process Analytics.

This application can be used on any device and any screen resolution, because of the SAPUI5 user interface.

Configuration

There are no diagram templates shipped with this application. Instead you have to model everything yourself. The configuration has some similarities to the configuration of Business Process Operations dashboards in SAP Solution Manager. So you have to create Analytical Key Figure Instances (AKFIs) first, where you define which data should be displayed from which source and define potential thresholds. Then you model the respective Dependency Diagram / KPI Hierarchy and bring the AKFIs into some logical order.

There is always just on root. After this you always just specify which AKFI is child of which other AKFI (identified by technical name not description). You can always have more than one child for every parent tile. Based on these parent/child relationships the application calculates the hierarchy level automatically and arranges the tiles from top to bottom.

So if yo have Business Process Analytics already up and running in your SAP Solution Manager 7.1 with support package 14, then you should be only a few clicks away from creating your own Dependency Diagram and show it to your management in order to get the budget for your desired business process improvement activities.

Further reading

You can find all necessary information about Business Process Analytics in this document. More information on Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions about Business Process Monitoring and Business Process Analytics are answered under http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Monitoring and

http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Analytics respectively.

The following blogs (in chronological order) provide further details about Business Process Analytics and Business Process Monitoring functionalities within the SAP Solution Manager.

• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager – ALE / IDoc Monitoring
• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager – qRFC Monitoring
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Manufacturing
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Procure to Pay
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Order to Cash
• Typical Use Cases for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager
• New key figure catalog for Business Process Monitoring available
• Why SAP offers different tools for Business Process Monitoring &amp; Business Process Optimization
• Create your own auto-reaction messages in Business Process Monitoring via BAdI exit
• Protect your SAP ERP investment &amp; improve your core business processes
• Create your own customer-specific key figure for Business Process Monitoring within 5 minutes
• Best Practice: BW Process Chain monitoring with SAP Solution Manager - Part 1
• New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially for CRM Marketing
• New functionality "Business Process Analytics" - how to improve your business processes
• New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially Lead Time measurements
• Traditional Business KPI approach vs Business Process Monitoring
• Systematic errors vs real exceptions or improving efficiency vs effectiveness
• Before you get started with SAP HANA...you should also consider cleaning-up your backend system first
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for CRM Sales
• Business Process Operations dashboards - ALL AT A GLANCE
• Customer testimonials on Business Process Analytics
• Customer Exit: Create your own key figure for BPMon AND Business Process Analytics
• Heads-up: Setup environment of BPMon & Analytics changes with SolMan 7.1 SP5
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics, especially for working capital improvement
• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager - BPMon Alert Reporting Analysis
• New Business Process Analytics features with SAP SolMan 7.1 SP5
• New Business Process Analytics - The filter sequence makes the difference
• New key figures: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during delivery due processing
• New key figure: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during billing due processing
• Enhanced key figures: Analyzing/monitoring SD invoices not transferred to FI
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in CRM Sales or Service documents, Business Activities or Tasks
• New keyfigures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions from APO planning runs
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics - new exception and automation rate key figures for ERP plus new content for FSCM, APO and CRM
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions during Period End Closing
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in Controlling (CO-PC)
• Enhanced key figures: Bridging the organizational gap between SD and FI-AR
• Business Process Analytics: Types of key figures and their respective use cases
• Business Process Analytics: Types of functions and their respective features & purposes
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics - new content for Travel & Expense Management, Banking and Utilities
• SAP Business Process Analytics" available for download in Apple's App Store
• Discrete manufacturing: Mapping BP Analytics key figures to system status
• New key figures for BPMon & Analytics - new content for vendor invoice processing (e.g. Shared Service Center scenarios) and new delta throughput for Order to Cash
• Business Process Analytics: ad-hoc and real time with or without SAP HANA
• New landing page for "Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions"
• New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 1
• New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 2

In 2011 the Business Process Operations dashboards were introduced. Those dashboards are especially used to track progress during business process improvement activities. As those dashboards also used by senior management in order to understand where progress is achieved and where it is not it is always a challenge to provide the right level of granularity. Many large companies who are operating all around the globe and where the organization is split into different markets, regions or business units asked how this can be reflected in our dashboards?! The special challenge is typically the fact that the markets or regions are not directly reflected as such in the respective SAP system, i.e. no company code, sales organization or plant represents a specific market or region. Instead a market comprises several different company codes, sales organizations or plants.

Since SAP Solution Manager support package 12, this challenge is solved by so called virtual characteristics. With the help of of those virtual characteristics you are now able to build dashboards that provide a global overview about all your markets, e.g. as shown in the dashboard below the data is split between the 4 markets America, Asia, Europe & Japan. Additionally you see one column comprising possible company codes that are not (yet) assigned to any market.

If you configured some additional parent child relationships between your panels, then a forward navigation is possible. So if you click on the cell for "Open and overdue FI-AR items" in America, then you get to see which company codes are part of the market.

So how can you get your markets, regions shown in your dashboards?

Getting virtual characteristics into a dashboard

If you access your setup environment for Business Process Operations dashboards, then you have to assign the respective virtual characteristic on Analytical Key Figure Instance (AKFI) level to a Category or Drilldown dimension.

Now if you look into your SAP Solution Manager you will not see any such virtual characteristic immediately. You have to create those first, before they can be used.

Defining new virtual characteristics

If you want to create and define virtual characteristics according to your needs, then please access the BPO reporting infrastructure from within the Business Process Operations work center. As of support package 12 you should find there one tab strip Virtual Characteristics which will help you with some kind guided procedure. As the data access to the generic Infocube/Twincubes in Business Process Analytics and BPO dashboards happens technically via so called Semantic IDs, you have to create such new Semantic IDs first. The semantic ID defines as an example whether the value '0001' in parameter 1 is representing plant '0001' or company code '0001' or sales organization '0001'. For our dashboard shown above we defined some new semantic ID 'ZVIRT_MARKET'.

In a 2nd step we defined a new virtual characteristic ZVIRT_CHARSTIC_MARKET (the one that we assigned to an AKFI as seen above) and assigned to it the newly created semantic ID.

In the 3rd step we defined for our new virtual characteristic that the 'concrete values' for our markets are America, Asia, Europe & Japan. Those are the 4 markets displayed on the dashboard at the beginning of this blog.

In the 4th and final step we defined for every possible virtual characteristic value which "real values" from the SAP system are comprised, e.g. our market Europe consists of the company codes 3001 to 9999, DK01, FR01 and IT01. In case of sales key figures you would need to define another mapping for Europe which uses semantic ID ERP_VKORG in order to also map which sales organizations belong to market Europe.

After this mapping definition and assignment of new virtual characteristics to your respective AKFIs used in the dashboard, you can lean back and enjoy your new dashboards which automatically split your data according to the newly defined markets, regions, business units etc.

Further reading

You can find all necessary information about Business Process Analytics in this document. More information on Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions about Business Process Monitoring and Business Process Analytics are answered under http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Monitoring and

http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Analytics respectively.

The following blogs (in chronological order) provide further details about Business Process Analytics and Business Process Monitoring functionalities within the SAP Solution Manager.

• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager – ALE / IDoc Monitoring
• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager – qRFC Monitoring
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Manufacturing
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Procure to Pay
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Order to Cash
• Typical Use Cases for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager
• New key figure catalog for Business Process Monitoring available
• Why SAP offers different tools for Business Process Monitoring &amp; Business Process Optimization
• Create your own auto-reaction messages in Business Process Monitoring via BAdI exit
• Protect your SAP ERP investment &amp; improve your core business processes
• Create your own customer-specific key figure for Business Process Monitoring within 5 minutes
• Best Practice: BW Process Chain monitoring with SAP Solution Manager - Part 1
• New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially for CRM Marketing
• New functionality "Business Process Analytics" - how to improve your business processes
• New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially Lead Time measurements
• Traditional Business KPI approach vs Business Process Monitoring
• Systematic errors vs real exceptions or improving efficiency vs effectiveness
• Before you get started with SAP HANA...you should also consider cleaning-up your backend system first
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for CRM Sales
• Business Process Operations dashboards - ALL AT A GLANCE
• Customer testimonials on Business Process Analytics
• Customer Exit: Create your own key figure for BPMon AND Business Process Analytics
• Heads-up: Setup environment of BPMon & Analytics changes with SolMan 7.1 SP5
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics, especially for working capital improvement
• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager - BPMon Alert Reporting Analysis
• New Business Process Analytics features with SAP SolMan 7.1 SP5
• New Business Process Analytics - The filter sequence makes the difference
• New key figures: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during delivery due processing
• New key figure: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during billing due processing
• Enhanced key figures: Analyzing/monitoring SD invoices not transferred to FI
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in CRM Sales or Service documents, Business Activities or Tasks
• New keyfigures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions from APO planning runs
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics - new exception and automation rate key figures for ERP plus new content for FSCM, APO and CRM
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions during Period End Closing
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in Controlling (CO-PC)
• Enhanced key figures: Bridging the organizational gap between SD and FI-AR
• Business Process Analytics: Types of key figures and their respective use cases
• Business Process Analytics: Types of functions and their respective features & purposes
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics - new content for Travel & Expense Management, Banking and Utilities
• SAP Business Process Analytics" available for download in Apple's App Store
• Discrete manufacturing: Mapping BP Analytics key figures to system status
• New key figures for BPMon & Analytics - new content for vendor invoice processing (e.g. Shared Service Center scenarios) and new delta throughput for Order to Cash
• Business Process Analytics: ad-hoc and real time with or without SAP HANA
• New landing page for "Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions"
• New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 1
• New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 2
• New with 7.1 SP14: Dependency Diagrams (KPI trees)

Hello all, this is Evan Stoddard, one of the Product Managers for SAP Solution Manager.

SAP Solution Manager Product Management is pleased to announce that SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SPS01 on Linux/SAP HANA was released to customers and partners via the SAP Cloud Appliance Library (SAP CAL) today. This is the first time we have used SAP CAL for the SAP Solution Manager, and also the first time we have done this in the middle of a SAP Solution Manager Ramp-up.

The scope of this system is to provide customers and partners an environment where they can upload solution documentation from their own 7.1 systems to the 7.2 system in SAP CAL, and then perform and evaluation the content activation process to make their documentation visible in the new 7.2 solution documentation UI.

By using SAP CAL, it's possible to create a system in under 1 hour from a standard solution, and then log on an perform the upload and activation process. The system can be restored over and over from backup via the cloud infrastructure, so that the one-time activation process can be easily repeated.

See the official announcement in the SAP CAL SCN community here:

http://scn.sap.com/community/cloud-appliance-library/blog/2016/01/18/sap-solution-manager-72-coming-soon-to-sap-cal#

Direct link to PDF presentation and training materials here:

https://mdocs.sap.com/mcm/public/v1/open?shr=8TrKpRTPmeQQoLTQ6DPGis95h09G4RmwOjGqXt9yUF4

In recent years we got again and again asked by customers whether it would be possible to track how intensive Business Process Analytics and Business Process Operations Dashboards  are used by the user community to which it was rolled-out. As of SAP Solution Manager 7.1 support package 14, this kind of usage analysis is available. This functionality will allow you to track, that you did not just activate another SAP Solution Manager functionality, but that this functionality is really used operationally.

If you access the Maintain BPO Reporting Infrastructure section from within your Business Process Operations work center, then you see a new tab strip Usage Analysis.

First you get an overview about the number of times that Business Process Analytics / Business Process Operations Dashboards got executed within a given time frame.

Then you get to see the top 5 users that executed the respective application most often.

After this you get detailed sections per application. In those sections you can also see which key figures were executed when.

Then comes a section where you can see which key figures have been executed most/least often (no matter if the key figure was accessed via Analytics or Dashboard(s). You can also run an optional analysis if key figures exist where the data collection was activated, but where the collected data was never consumed so far.

The last section allows to check for a historic trend for a single selected key figure.

Further reading

You can find all necessary information about Business Process Analytics in this document. More information on Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions about Business Process Monitoring and Business Process Analytics are answered under http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Monitoring and

http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Analytics respectively.

The following blogs (in chronological order) provide further details about Business Process Analytics and Business Process Monitoring functionalities within the SAP Solution Manager.

• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager – ALE / IDoc Monitoring
• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager – qRFC Monitoring
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Manufacturing
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Procure to Pay
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Order to Cash
• Typical Use Cases for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager
• New key figure catalog for Business Process Monitoring available
• Why SAP offers different tools for Business Process Monitoring &amp; Business Process Optimization
• Create your own auto-reaction messages in Business Process Monitoring via BAdI exit
• Protect your SAP ERP investment &amp; improve your core business processes
• Create your own customer-specific key figure for Business Process Monitoring within 5 minutes
• Best Practice: BW Process Chain monitoring with SAP Solution Manager - Part 1
• New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially for CRM Marketing
• New functionality "Business Process Analytics" - how to improve your business processes
• New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially Lead Time measurements
• Traditional Business KPI approach vs Business Process Monitoring
• Systematic errors vs real exceptions or improving efficiency vs effectiveness
• Before you get started with SAP HANA...you should also consider cleaning-up your backend system first
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for CRM Sales
• Business Process Operations dashboards - ALL AT A GLANCE
• Customer testimonials on Business Process Analytics
• Customer Exit: Create your own key figure for BPMon AND Business Process Analytics
• Heads-up: Setup environment of BPMon & Analytics changes with SolMan 7.1 SP5
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics, especially for working capital improvement
• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager - BPMon Alert Reporting Analysis
• New Business Process Analytics features with SAP SolMan 7.1 SP5
• New Business Process Analytics - The filter sequence makes the difference
• New key figures: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during delivery due processing
• New key figure: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during billing due processing
• Enhanced key figures: Analyzing/monitoring SD invoices not transferred to FI
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in CRM Sales or Service documents, Business Activities or Tasks
• New keyfigures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions from APO planning runs
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics - new exception and automation rate key figures for ERP plus new content for FSCM, APO and CRM
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions during Period End Closing
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in Controlling (CO-PC)
• Enhanced key figures: Bridging the organizational gap between SD and FI-AR
• Business Process Analytics: Types of key figures and their respective use cases
• Business Process Analytics: Types of functions and their respective features & purposes
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics - new content for Travel & Expense Management, Banking and Utilities
• SAP Business Process Analytics" available for download in Apple's App Store
• Discrete manufacturing: Mapping BP Analytics key figures to system status
• New key figures for BPMon & Analytics - new content for vendor invoice processing (e.g. Shared Service Center scenarios) and new delta throughput for Order to Cash
• Business Process Analytics: ad-hoc and real time with or without SAP HANA
• New landing page for "Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions"
• New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 1
• New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 2
• New with 7.1 SP14: Dependency Diagrams (KPI trees)
• Virtual characteristics in Business Process Operations dashboards

Solution Manager 7.2 is already in Ramp-Up.

I watched the video of the chearful team of Solution Manager 7.2.

As System Administrators we willl also be installing and configuring Solution Manager 7.2 from now on.

So I decided to install it on premise.

Cloud version of Solution Manager 7.2 is also available on SAP Cloud Appliance Library https://cal.sap.com/

(SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SPS01 on SAP HANA for Content Activation Evaluation of a Customer's Own Documentation)

I am going to try to write some series of blogs on Solution Manager 7.2 in terms of System Administration.

They will be about installations, configurations, changes and managed system configurations.

Below you can find the installation specific part of this series of blogs.

Preperation Steps

• Since Solution Manager 7.2 is in Ramp-Up yet you need to apply for this. You can find detailed info about Ramp-Up in links Demystifying SAP's Ramp-Up process and SAP Ramp-Up
• Prepare a system for installation. If possible find a system that you could install SM 7.2 on HANA DB. Unfortunately I did not have chance to use HANA DB. I installed my system on SQL Server 2012. My system is a virtual system with 4 vCPU and 32 GB of RAM and enough disks.
• Download DVDs

• Obtain Master Guide and Installation Guides
• Read SAP Notes about Solution Manager 7.2
• Preperatory Steps on the system
  • Turn Off UAC
  • Turn off Automatic Updates
  • Turn off Windows Firewall
  • Turn off IE ESC
  • Timezone Settings
  • Regional Settings
  • Configure Hostname
  • Configure Page File Size
  • Configure DEP
  • Configure Folder Options
  • Configure Start Menu
  • Configure Command Prompt
  • Activate Telnet Client
  • Install Notepad++

After preperation steps I followed the Implementation sequence from Master Guide in below order.

Master Guide

For information on the installation of SAP Solution Manager go to link SYSTEM PROVISIONING - SAP SOLUTION MANAGER 7.2 SPS 01 BASED ON SAP NETWEAVER 7.4 ABAP +JAVA (from master Guide: see service.sap.com/instguides --> SAP ComponentsSAP Solution ManagerRelease 7.2 --> InstallationSystem Provisioning for SAP Solution Manager 7.2)

From PAM page you can go below links about Solution Manager 7.2

SAP Road Map

Product Homepage

Master Guide

Installation / Upgrade Guide

SAP Help Portal

Release Notes

Release Restrictions Note

Additional Release Information

SAP Community Network

Installation and Configuration

The installation of SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SP01 needs to be run in the following way:

1. Instal DB Software (Microsoft SQL Server 2012)

Installed DB Software Microsoft SQL Server 2012 SP1 and then updated to SP2.  (Upgrade to and Installation of SQL Server 2012 in an SAP Environment)

2. Install the SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SP01 ABAP system with SWPM and the resulting stack.xml.

Followed below Guide for installing ABAP part of the system.

Installation of SAP Systems Based on SAP NetWeaver 7.1 to 7.5 Using Software Provisioning Manager 1.0: MS SQL Server, Operating System: Windows, Technology: ABAP

Post Installation Steps for ABAP:

• Logon to System
• Perform the automated initial setup
• Install the SAP license
• Perform the consistency check
• Configure the Transport Management System
• You perform post-installation steps for the application server ABAP
  • Upload and set system profiles using transaction RZ10
  • Create logon and RFC server groups using transactions SMLG and RZ12
  • Create operation modes using transaction RZ04
  • Schedule standard jobs using transaction SM36
  • Configuration of SLD data supplier using transaction RZ70 (After installation of Java and configuration of SLD)
  • Perform load generation using transaction SGEN
• If required, you install additional languages and perform language transport
• SAP Kernel Release 7.40 and Higher: You perform IP Multicast Configuration
• You configure the user management
• You ensure user security
• If required, you perform the client copy
• SAP systems based on SAP NetWeaver 7.40 and higher only: If required, you change the keys for the secure storage
• You apply the latest kernel and Support Packages

You run Maintenance Planner instead of Maintenance Optimizer transaction using the link   Maintenance Planner for applying SP Stack 01. You can have detailed information about planner using Maintenance Tools: Maintenance Planner and Maintenance Optimizer

These are the screenshots from maintenance planner. You can download stack.xml file on download files tab of the application.

You get stack.xml file and download Support Packages

Before applying the stack you should check below notes and according to directions you need to apply some of them before, some of them during update and some of the others after SUM update.

I advise you to read the notes carefully because this can effect the update and later configurations.

2084104 - Central Note - Software Update Manager 1.0 SP14 [lmt_005]

1595736 - Solution Manager: Overview on Release Information Notes

2229953 - Solution Manager 7.2 SP Stack 01S0014395147: recommended corrections

1668882 - Note Assistant: Important notes for SAP_BASIS 730,731,740

2248091 - Change to reimplementation handling

2087917 - SAP Solution Manager 7.20 SP1 - Basic functions

2216794 - ABAP Download Service: Correction of Transformation

2166856 - API roles: Maintenance of organizational levels

2189071 - DGP: Improved clean up for waiting export entries

1472465 - SAP Solution Manager 7.1 and 7.2 - System Landscape Setup Guide

2154957 - Unified Rendering for SAP_UI 740

You download SUM also to update the ABAP system and run the tool. You can see some screenshots from the tool below.

You can see initial and target stack SP versions and levels in below report of SUM.

• You perform a full system backup

3. Install the SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SP01 Java system with SWPM from the Java DVD.

Followed below Guide for installing Java part of the system.

Installation of SAP Systems Based on SAP NetWeaver 7.1 to 7.5 Using Software Provisioning Manager 1.0: MS SQL Server, Operating System: Windows, Technology: Java

Post Installation Steps for Java:

• You check whether you can log on to the application server
• You provide access to the NetWeaver Administrator
• You install the SAP license
• You apply the latest kernel and Support Packages
  • You apply Kernel Patch
  • For Java components' patches apply the recommendations in note 2229953 - Solution Manager 7.2 SP Stack 01S0014395147: recommended corrections.

Java component patches shall be downloaded from the Support Portal at https://support.sap.com/swdc -> Software Download -> Support Packages and Patches -> Browse Our Download Catalog -> SAP Technology Components -> SAP Solution Manager -> SAP Solution Manager 7.2 -> Solution Manager JAVA Stack. After download, place the files corresponding to the below software component list, in a preferred folder in order to implement the patches. See the SUM guide for further details (see link above, 'Chapter: 7 Applying Single Component Updates and Patches Using a Manually Prepared Directory').

• J2EE ENGINE SERVERCORE 7.40 -> OS independent: Patch 20 (or higher) for J2EE ENGINE SERVERCORE 7.40 SP 11
• J2EE ENGINE LM-CORE 7.40 -> OS independent: Patch 5 (or higher) for J2EE ENGINE LM-CORE 7.40 SP 11
• J2EE ENGINE CORE TOOLS -> OS independent: Patch 1 (or higher) for J2EE ENGINE CORE TOOLS SP 11
• J2EE ENGINE APPLICATIONS -> OS independent: Patch 4 (or higher) for J2EE ENGINE APPLICATIONS SP 11
• J2EE ENGINE FRAMEWORK 7.40 -> OS independent: Patch 6 (or higher) for J2EE ENGINE FRAMEWORK 7.40 SP 11
• J2EE ENGINE FACADE 7.40 -> OS independent: Patch 1 (or higher) for J2EE ENGINE FACADE 7.40 SP 11
• LMNWABASICCOMP 7.40 -> OS independent: Patch 1 (or higher) for LMNWABASICCOMP 7.40 SP 11
• ENGINEAPI 7.40 -> OS independent: Patch 6 (or higher) for ENGINEAPI 7.40 SP 11
• LM NWA BASIC APPS 7.40 -> OS independent: Patch 4 (or higher) for LM NWA BASIC APPS 7.40 SP 11
• UME ADMINISTRATION 7.40 -> OS independent: Patch 6 (or higher) for UME ADMINISTRATION 7.40 SP 11
• LM CONFIGURATION WIZARD 7.40 -> OS independent: Patch 1 (or higher) for LM CONFIGURATION WIZARD 7.40 SP 11
• In case you do operate Introscope 9.5 (and not yet 9.7):
  WILY INTRO AGT 9.5 MIN J5VIASM -> OS independent: Patch 1 (or higher) for WILY INTRO AGT 9.5 MIN J5VIASM SP 06

Use SUM and apply the patches like below.

• You configure the user management
• You ensure user security
• You run automated configuration
  • SLD Configuration

Use http://<hostname>:<port>/sld/fun and enable SLD automatically.

• Update CR Content to the currnet using the Note 669669 - Update of SAP System Component Repository in SLD

• You perform a full system backup

And this is the end of the installation phases of Solution Manager 7.2.

I will continue on Configurations blog coming soon.

See you soon.

Problem:

There is no performance data returned or the page always refreshed after clicking 'Click here to load data from business warehouse ' in SAP Solution Manager: Work Center -> Root Cause Analysis -> End-to-End Analysis -> select your system -> Workload Analysis -> Overview.

At the same time, there are lots of warning Communication error, CPIC return code 020, SAP return code 456 shown in SM21.

Detailed information for this warning:

Then I search in SAP SMP and get SAP notes 1983164 - "Error found retrieving data" refreshing a report with parent members / 1032461 - MDX parser does not start, according to these notes, I test the RFC connection MDX PARSER but failed with the error below:

Cause:

The file librfc32.dll which is used for communication between ABAP and MDX parser does not exist in kernel directory nor environment variable PATH directory. (Our Environment: Windows Server 2008 R2, Solution Manager 7.1 SPS13, Kernel 7.21 EXT)

Solution:

Download the current version of librfc32.dll for you kernel and extract it to your kernel directory.

Support Packages and Patches

  -> Additional Components

    -> SAP Kernel

      -> SAP KERNEL <32/64-BIT >  ##### Download non-unicode version! ######

        -> SAP KERNEL xxx

          -> <your platform>

            -> #Database independent

Perform connection test MDX parser RFC again.

Check performance overview data, now I get it.

You will find the configuration details of Solution Manager 7.2 on this blog.

For Installation part go to: Solution Manager 7.2 - Installation and Configuration - I - Installations

Solution Manager 7.2 Configurations

I- CA Introscope Enterprise Manager Strategy

From Master Guide;

CA Introscope Enterprise Manager must be installed on the SAP Solution Manager host or on a separate host.

For more information, see service.sap.com/instguides --> Installation & Upgrade Guides --> SAP ComponentsSAP Solution ManagerRelease 7.2 --> 6 Additional Guides - Introscope --> Introscope Setup Guide 9.7.

Useful SAP Notes about Introscope Enterprise Manager

1565954 - Introscope 9 Release Notes

797147 - Introscope Installation for SAP Customers

2138309 - Introscope 9.7 Release Notes for changes and open issues

1579474 - Management Modules for Introscope delivered by SAP

Follow the Setup Guide for downloading and installing the Interescope Enterprise Manager current version 9.7.

Install java package, Modify installer.properties first and run the OS independent installer.

You can verify the successful installation checking the installation logs from wily log directories.

You should carry on the post installation steps like adapting java parameters, isntallaing sap modules etc.

After successfull installation you can reach the IEM webview or workstation using the urls like http://emhost:8081/webview or http://emhost:8081/workstation.

Or you can use Solution Manager Root Cause Analysis work_center.

Sample workstation screen;

Sample webview screen;

II- SOLMAN_SETUP - Mandatory Configurations

These notes should be read carefully and applied before configuring the system.

2236044 - SAP Solution Manager 7.2 Support Package 01: Dump in transaction SOLMAN_SETUP

2229953 - Solution Manager 7.2 SP Stack 01: recommended corrections

2154957 - Unified Rendering for SAP_UI 740

2212887 - Corrections for unified rendering up to SAP_UI 740/14 Ia

1411980 - Comments about the implementation of unified rendering corrections

There are 3 mandatory configuration scenarios; System Preperation, Infrastructure Preperation and Basic Configuration.

Here are the detail steps for all these configuration scenarios.

1- System Preperation

Define the System's Role in the firts step.

There are manual and automatic activities to perform in Check Prerequisites Step. Each step  has its documentation. You can Display the documentation and follow the instructions carefully.

There is a navigation link also for the related transaction or web dynpro or related urls.

On Setup Connectionsto SAP step you have RFC Connectivity part for creating SAPOSS and SAP-OSS-LIST-O01.

And there is Support Hub Connectivity part for below functioanalities;

• Configure SOAP Runtime  : User SRT_ADMIN to configure SOAP according to the documentation.
• Register new S-User in SAP's PI System : You create a technical user on SMP according to the notes "2174416 - Technical User for Data Transfer with SAP Backbone System and 2174416 - Technical User for Data Transfer with SAP Backbone System"
• Specify Configuration parameters

There are automatic activities Configure SSL Store, Configure Consumer Proxies and Log. Port and Check Channel Configuration.

The help screen for this step explains us about the new  communication channel of SAP with below paragraph.

"SAP will introduce a new infrastructure and data communication channels, starting with SAP Solution Manager 7.2. This new framework builds the foundation for all future applications exchanging data between SAP Solution Manager and the SAP Support Portal in a secure, reliable, and controlled way. Existing applications will not be affected by this change and they will be migrated to the new platform gradually within the next few years without business disruption."

In Apply Recent Corrections step, you apply recent ABAP and Java corrections to your SAP Solution Manager system

In Maintain Technical Users step you create or update dialog users, technical users, or BW users, and assign roles to users, depending on the scenario.

In the last Complete step you can see overall configuration of system preperation steps. In need you can jump to the required step back.

2- Infrastructure Preperation

In this scenario you configure the infrastructure to run SAP Solution Manager. There are 8 steps to succeed the configuration of the scenario.

In the "1- Set Up Landscape Management" step you set up the synchronization of the system landscape directories (SLDs) and SAP Solution Manager, to keep the information about the system landscape up-to-date. Each substep screens can be seen below.

In substep SLD Connnections you create a new connection like below.

"2- Set Up Java Connectivity" step consists of Define HTTP Connectivity, Enable Connectivity and Diagnostics Agent Authentication substeps. You provide required field values accordingly and execute automatic configurations as seen below.

Solution Manager is using SAP BW for reporting purposes. You can use either the currnet client of Solution Manager or you can define another SAP BW system. In "3- Set Up SAP BW" step you firstly confirm the BW system, then create BW users and in the last substep you execute automatic acitivities.

You must have defined the logical system name for your BW client.

In "4- Define CA Interescope" Step you discover and define your Interescope Enterprise Manager. You must have installed Diagnostic Agent (DAA) Instance on your Solution Manager System. You can manage Interescope EM users in this step also.

In "5. Set up E-Mail Communication"  step you set up the infrastructure that enables SAP Solution Manager to send notifications using e-mail and text messaging (short message service, SMS).

Some scenarios in SAP Solution Manager needs CRM infrastructure. In "6- Configure CRM Basics" step you configure these infrastructure in manual and automatic steps.

In "7- Enable Gateway Services" you activate OData services in SAP Gateway for SAP UI5 applications and mobile applications. With this activation you can use SAP Fiori applications for Solution Manager services. For SAP Solution Manager, the SAP Gateway and SAP Solution Manager share the same system.

As a prerequisite the user who performs this step has a task in the customizing transport request. Activation of the services uses this task.

After selecting the required services you prepare activation and then with the help of the help text you Start Transaction and activate OData services.

And in the final "8 - Complete" step you see the statuses of all steps. If you have any red status steps you could go back and correct the configuration.

Now you can pass the Basic Configuration Scenarios.

3- Basic Configuration

There are five steps to fulfill in this scenario as you can see below picture. In the first "1- Configure Basic Functions" step you execute automatic configurations for creating logical ports, activating services, enabling Solution Manager applications.

In "2- Schedule Jobs" step many important Solution Manager Jobs are scheduled.

In "3- Configure Manually" step, you configure the following:

• Content update (SAP Solution Manager Content, service content)

• Connection from SAP to the SAP Solution Manager system

• Session housekeeping

In "4- Create Basic Dialog Users" step, you create or update dialog users for root cause analysis (SAPSUPPORT) and service delivery (SAPSERVICE).

This final "5- Complete" step provides an overview of the steps that have been performed in this scenario, including information about the users who made the changes, and the status of each step.

This is the end of Solution Manager 7.2 configurations.

Next topic will be about the changes from Solution Manager 7.1 to Solution Manager 7.2 in terms of System Administration.

Thanks for your interests.

Since December 7 2015 the latest ST-A/PI 01S plug-in is available for download. With this plug-in close to 100 new key figures have been shipped for Business Process Analytics and Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager and over 100 existing key figures were updated. This blog deals only with the new content. The updated content is summarized in a separate blog.The plug-in contains (besides others)

• New workflow related key figures for CRM sales and services
• New key figures checking configuration settings in FI-GL (line item update open item management)
• New key figures related to FI-AP clearing and the comparison with related MM invoice or vendor master data
• New key figures for contract accounting FI-CA (locked accounts and open items)
• New key figures regarding commitment items generated from purchasing documents
• New key figures for Dealer Business Management in the automotive area
• New billing, invoicing and bill print-out key figures for IS Utilities
• New key figures for inventory optimization regarding project, sales order and consignment stock
• New key figures for Physical Inventory Documents
• New purchase order key figures for goods as well as services purchases (service entry sheets)
• New MM contract key figures regarding different release information
• New key figures regarding purchasing information records
• New sales order item key figures (regarding billing, rescheduling, condition changes)
• New APO key figures regarding planning run exceptions and backorder processing (BOP)
• New leave request key figure
• New key figures for QM notifications

The complete list of new key figures can be accessed via the KPI catalog that you find at (S-user login required)

https://go.support.sap.com/kpicatalog

When you access the catalog, then you can filter in the New / Updated area on New. Additionally you might want to filter on Business Process Analytics to only see application specific key figure content.

You then get to see all the 95 new key figures in our area.

Of course you can set additional filters as described in the general blog about the KPI catalog,so that you can find key figures only for your area of interest.

Important remark: In order to better align the KPI catalog and the Business Process Analytics & Monitoring setup in SAP Solution Manager, the application areas used for filtering in the SAP Solution Manager got readjusted with ST-A/PI 01S. Hence the new application areas BPO* should be used for role authorizations in SAP Solution Manager and transaction ST13. If you apply the new ST-A/PI 01S on your managed system, then you might see twice as many application areas as filters in the Business Process Monitoring setup. This UI problem is solved with support package 14. For support package 12 or 13 you can implement SAP note 2109939 - Advance Corrections BPMon SM 7.1 ST710 delivered with SP14 to get this solved.

Further reading

You can find all necessary information about Business Process Analytics in this document. More information on Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions about Business Process Monitoring and Business Process Analytics are answered under http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Monitoring and

http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Analytics respectively.

The following blogs (in chronological order) provide further details about Business Process Analytics and Business Process Monitoring functionalities within the SAP Solution Manager.

• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager – ALE / IDoc Monitoring
• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager – qRFC Monitoring
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Manufacturing
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Procure to Pay
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Order to Cash
• Typical Use Cases for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager
• New key figure catalog for Business Process Monitoring available
• Why SAP offers different tools for Business Process Monitoring &amp; Business Process Optimization
• Create your own auto-reaction messages in Business Process Monitoring via BAdI exit
• Protect your SAP ERP investment &amp; improve your core business processes
• Create your own customer-specific key figure for Business Process Monitoring within 5 minutes
• Best Practice: BW Process Chain monitoring with SAP Solution Manager - Part 1
• New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially for CRM Marketing
• New functionality "Business Process Analytics" - how to improve your business processes
• New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially Lead Time measurements
• Traditional Business KPI approach vs Business Process Monitoring
• Systematic errors vs real exceptions or improving efficiency vs effectiveness
• Before you get started with SAP HANA...you should also consider cleaning-up your backend system first
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for CRM Sales
• Business Process Operations dashboards - ALL AT A GLANCE
• Customer testimonials on Business Process Analytics
• Customer Exit: Create your own key figure for BPMon AND Business Process Analytics
• Heads-up: Setup environment of BPMon & Analytics changes with SolMan 7.1 SP5
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics, especially for working capital improvement
• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager - BPMon Alert Reporting Analysis
• New Business Process Analytics features with SAP SolMan 7.1 SP5
• New Business Process Analytics - The filter sequence makes the difference
• New key figures: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during delivery due processing
• New key figure: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during billing due processing
• Enhanced key figures: Analyzing/monitoring SD invoices not transferred to FI
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in CRM Sales or Service documents, Business Activities or Tasks
• New keyfigures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions from APO planning runs
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics - new exception and automation rate key figures for ERP plus new content for FSCM, APO and CRM
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions during Period End Closing
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in Controlling (CO-PC)
• Enhanced key figures: Bridging the organizational gap between SD and FI-AR
• Business Process Analytics: Types of key figures and their respective use cases
• Business Process Analytics: Types of functions and their respective features & purposes
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics - new content for Travel & Expense Management, Banking and Utilities
• SAP Business Process Analytics" available for download in Apple's App Store
• Discrete manufacturing: Mapping BP Analytics key figures to system status
• New key figures for BPMon & Analytics - new content for vendor invoice processing (e.g. Shared Service Center scenarios) and new delta throughput for Order to Cash
• Business Process Analytics: ad-hoc and real time with or without SAP HANA
• New landing page for "Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions"
• New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 1
• New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 2
• New with 7.1 SP14: Dependency Diagrams (KPI trees)
• Virtual characteristics in Business Process Operations dashboards
• Usage Analysis for Business Process Analytics & Dashboards

As described in my previous blog about new key figure content, since December 7 2015 the new ST-A/PI 01S was released and hence close to 100 new key figures have been shipped for Business Process Analytics and Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, and over 100 existing key figures were updated. This blog will deal with new features of the KPI catalog and will summarize which key figure areas were updated. You can access the KPI catalog via

https://go.support.sap.com/kpicatalog

KPI ratings

If you go into the details of an KPI, then you have the chance to rate this specific KPI once with 1 to 5 stars. After you rated, it might take a short moment before your rating is also displayed on the KPI overview page due to some replication mechanism. As it is not yet possible to provide further comments with your rating, it would be good (in case of a low 1-3 star rating) if you send an email to bpimp@sap.com and provide your suggested enhancements. We are always interested in continuously improving our KPI content and with 01S we enhanced 110 of our existing KPIs.

Technical prerequisites for an KPI

Another new feature is the Prerequisites tab. There you can see which software components are required on your managed SAP system (ERP, CRM, SRM, SCM, S/4HANA) in order to be able to execute the respective KPI (version).

KPI versions

All 110 KPIs that got updated with ST-A/PI 01S, now got a new 2nd version. The technical prerequisites that you see per default are always related to the latest available KPI version. If you click on the Versions tab, then you see all different versions available. You also see some short release notes on what has changed in the new version.

Typical changes are

• new selection parameters
• new output fields in the result list
• new group by fields for historic trending
• different program logic to make a key figure more specific/relevant for certain use cases

The version in bold font type, is the one that you are currently looking at. If you click on a different version, then you can also see the technical prerequisites for this older version.

Updated Business Process Analytics & Monitoring content

Main areas of key figure enhancements were the following

• Open & overdue vendor items got more header related BKPF fields and relevant vendor master data
• Open & overdue customer items got more header related BKPF fields
• Additional logic, input and output parameters for Payment runs per day
• Further output fields for bank statement key figures
• Open items FI-GLgot more header related BKPF fields
• Automation rates for vendor/customer payments got additional check for batch input processing
• Open dispute case key figures got value benchmarking activated based on disputed amount
• Open promise to pay case key figures got value benchmarking activated based on calculated open amount
• More input and output fields for Confirmation key figures
• New logic and additional output fields for Stock-level key figures for Inventory Optimization
• Planned order key figures with additional MRP list fields in result list
• Production / process orders key figures with many additional output fields
• New logic and renaming of Exceptions in incomplete purchase orders and Exceptions in MM invoices (status 'with errors')
• Additional calculation of invoice receipt quantity for Purchase order items w/o 'final invoice' indicator
• New output fields in many purchase requisition and Stock Transport Order key figures
• Additional logic and output fields for MM contract and MM scheduling agreement key figures on item level
• New output fields for SD invoices not posted to FI and Sales invoices with open FI-AR items
• Location type as new selection parameter for planned order and purchase requisition key figures in APO
• New general vendor/customer master data in Generic vendor/customer master check (CompCode level)
• "Category" as new selection and group by parameter in PM/CS order key figures

Further reading

You can find all necessary information about Business Process Analytics in this document. More information on Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions about Business Process Monitoring and Business Process Analytics are answered under http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Monitoring and

http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Analytics respectively.

The following blogs (in chronological order) provide further details about Business Process Analytics and Business Process Monitoring functionalities within the SAP Solution Manager.

• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager – ALE / IDoc Monitoring
• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager – qRFC Monitoring
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Manufacturing
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Procure to Pay
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Order to Cash
• Typical Use Cases for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager
• New key figure catalog for Business Process Monitoring available
• Why SAP offers different tools for Business Process Monitoring &amp; Business Process Optimization
• Create your own auto-reaction messages in Business Process Monitoring via BAdI exit
• Protect your SAP ERP investment &amp; improve your core business processes
• Create your own customer-specific key figure for Business Process Monitoring within 5 minutes
• Best Practice: BW Process Chain monitoring with SAP Solution Manager - Part 1
• New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially for CRM Marketing
• New functionality "Business Process Analytics" - how to improve your business processes
• New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially Lead Time measurements
• Traditional Business KPI approach vs Business Process Monitoring
• Systematic errors vs real exceptions or improving efficiency vs effectiveness
• Before you get started with SAP HANA...you should also consider cleaning-up your backend system first
• Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for CRM Sales
• Business Process Operations dashboards - ALL AT A GLANCE
• Customer testimonials on Business Process Analytics
• Customer Exit: Create your own key figure for BPMon AND Business Process Analytics
• Heads-up: Setup environment of BPMon & Analytics changes with SolMan 7.1 SP5
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics, especially for working capital improvement
• New Business Process Monitoring functionalities in SAP Solution Manager - BPMon Alert Reporting Analysis
• New Business Process Analytics features with SAP SolMan 7.1 SP5
• New Business Process Analytics - The filter sequence makes the difference
• New key figures: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during delivery due processing
• New key figure: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during billing due processing
• Enhanced key figures: Analyzing/monitoring SD invoices not transferred to FI
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in CRM Sales or Service documents, Business Activities or Tasks
• New keyfigures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions from APO planning runs
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics - new exception and automation rate key figures for ERP plus new content for FSCM, APO and CRM
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions during Period End Closing
• New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in Controlling (CO-PC)
• Enhanced key figures: Bridging the organizational gap between SD and FI-AR
• Business Process Analytics: Types of key figures and their respective use cases
• Business Process Analytics: Types of functions and their respective features & purposes
• New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics - new content for Travel & Expense Management, Banking and Utilities
• SAP Business Process Analytics" available for download in Apple's App Store
• Discrete manufacturing: Mapping BP Analytics key figures to system status
• New key figures for BPMon & Analytics - new content for vendor invoice processing (e.g. Shared Service Center scenarios) and new delta throughput for Order to Cash
• Business Process Analytics: ad-hoc and real time with or without SAP HANA
• New landing page for "Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions"
• New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 1
• New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 2
• New with 7.1 SP14: Dependency Diagrams (KPI trees)
• Virtual characteristics in Business Process Operations dashboards
• Usage Analysis for Business Process Analytics & Dashboards
• New key figures for BPMon & Analytics - new content for Inventory Optimization, commitment items & configuration checks

There are many changes from Solution Manager 7.1 to 7.2.  Of course you can see them on SAP Solution Manager 7.2 official pages.

I will mention about the changes when I met during installation, mandatory configurations and  managed system configurations of  Solution Manager 7.2 SP1. You will find some of the changes of Solution Manager 7.2  in terms of System Administration on this blog.

For Installation part go to      : Solution Manager 7.2 - Installation and Configuration - I - Installations

For configurations part go to : Solution Manager 7.2 - Installation and Configuration - II - Configurations

Here are the links for new futures of Solution Manager 7.2;

• SAP Product Road Map SAP Solution Manager Road Map Revision: 2016.02.01
• Changes and New Features in SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SPS 1

You can see the history of the changes in Solution Manager from 7.0 to 7.1 to 7.2 and between SP Stacks in link Release Information SAP Solution Manager

Here are changes that I see;

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 New User Interfaces

As everything goes to Fiori screens Solution Manager is enriched with Fiori. Improved Users experience, launchpad, UI5 dashboards instead of flash-based ones.

SAP Fiori launchpad will be used for role-based access to all relevant applications and Work Centers

Configuration Guide: SAP Fiori for SAP Solution Manager 7.2

The following figure shows the system landscape of an embedded deployment (There is also Central Hub Deployment)

Mandatory Configuration for Fiori Launchpad has the following steps. For details click on the guide link above, please.

• Activating Launchpad OData Services
• Activating Launchpad ICF Services
• Customizing the SAP Solution Manager Launchpad

Let me put some Fiori screens for Solution Manager 7.2.

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 adopts SAP HANA

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 can use SAP HANA

All customers with a valid SAP maintenance agreement can use SAP HANA as database for SAP Solution Manager. There is no additional SAP HANA licensing required

I wish I had chance to install my Solution Manager 7.2 also on HANA. Unfortunately I installed it on SQL Server. Let's wait for the future SM 7.2 installations. If you installed

No Dual Stack any more. They are single from SM 7.2 on.

As you could see in the above picture Solution Manager 7.1 is a dual stack (ABAP+Java) System. SAP Solution Manager 7.2 now consists of an ABAP system and a Java system and is no longer a dual-stack system.

I am not sure how much work is there but I wish I had an ABAP system only for Solution Manager 7.2.

In terms of System Administration there is a few processes running on Java system.  As far as I remember I used only the SLD functionality of the Java System.

Product Versions

I am taking this part from Tom Cenens's blog SAP Solution Manager 7.2 architecture and migration to SAP HANA since he has explained the product versions briefly and very clearly.

"SAP Solution Manager 7.1 will reach end of maintenance at 31/12/2017 due to the fact that the AS ABAP stack is running on an old SAP Netweaver version (7.0 EHP2) and the AS JAVA stack is using an old SAPJVM 4.1 version. Those old versions run out of maintenance so an upgrade is needed.

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 will run on SAP Netweaver 7.40 (both AS ABAP and AS JAVA) and has the capability to run on AnyDB (Sybase ASE, Oracle, MS SQL, ...) or on SAP HANA. The CRM component goes from CRM 7.0 EHP1 to CRM 7.0 EHP3."

And also you could see the product versions of the Solution Manager 7.2 in above figure.

Scope and Effort Analyzer (SEA) enhanced by existing Maintenance Planner

There are some changes also in Maintenance Planner Tool that replaced the SAP Maintenance Optimizer.

I haven't used SEA but used Maintenance Planner. Although it was anounced before SM 7.2 I wanted to remind the tool here.

And here is the picture of a new maintenance plan for my Solution Manager 7.1 SPS1.

Here is the info about SEA from offical site Scope and Effort Analyzer.

With Scope and Effort Analyzer the impact of a software change event to an SAP system becomes transparent. A detailed result report will be generated and will show:

• Expected development and test effort for the planned maintenance event
• Impact to Custom Developments and Modifications and direct access to object lists
• Regression Test Effort for all affected processes and saving potential by using Test Scope Optimization
• Recommendation on test case creation and related effort

Changes in Configuration

In the link Configuration, part of SAP Library gives you an overview of the changes and new features in SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SPS 1 since SAP Solution Manager 7.1 SPS 14.

This information is provided as release notes, which give you an overview of new, enhanced, and deleted functions in SAP Solution Manager Configuration (transaction SOLMAN_SETUP).

You could click the link and see the change details of configuration steps. I took SMSY in detail and list of changes done in configuration below.

• Deactivation of Transaction SMSY

The Solution Manager Systems storage (transaction SMSY) is disabled in SAP Solution Manager 7.2. Most functions have been replaced by the landscape management database (transaction LMDB), since SAP Solution Manager 7.1, already.

When you enter transaction SMSY, you are redirected to transaction LMDB.

1679673 - LMDB System Landscape Product System: Comparison with SMSY

SMSY System Groups (Projects, Solutions, Logical Components)

For logical components, including system roles, see Managing Logical Components.

In transaction SOLADM, you can create and delete logical component groups and logical components of a solution.

Solutions and processes are now managed in Solution Documentation (transaction SLAN). For more information, see Solution Documentation.

SM_WORKCENTER -->  SAP Solution Manager Administration  --> Landscape  --> Logical Components

• SAP Solution Manager Configuration

• Mandatory Configuration

• Managed Systems Configuration

• Application Operations

Other useful blogs on new Futures

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 architecture and migration to SAP HANA by Tom Cenens

Whats new in SAP Solution Manager 7.2? by Mohammad Hanfi

Next blogs will be about Managed System Configurations.

Managed System Configuration of an ABAP, Java, BOBJ and HANA Systems.

Thanks for your interests.

Hi SDN, my company is going to migrate all SAP applications (ECC,SCM,BI,SLM) to a new provider and to new boxes. As a Solution Manager migration strategy they decided to install a new latest version SM and to migrate all needed object from old SM to the new one. My problem is that I maintained more then 1500 JobDocumentatios and now I don't know how to migrate them; manually is not feasible, so? JSM is defined in a solution, I tried to run /nsolution_transfer I obtain some xlm files with some generic definitions but it seems it is not the right way to proceed. All stuff I discovered in SDN point attention to SAP Note 1327024. I undertake some tests aimed to tranfer some JobDocu from my PRD SM to my DEV SM but is not so clear how to work. I've run RAGS_EJR_EXPORT_JODOC_XML and I'm able to produce an XML file, here it seems there are all information jobDocu related. But then I cannot understand how to import xml file content in DEV solution manager! It seems I have to run in DEP fm AGS_EJR_JSM_AUTOMATION, but how? whay I have to insert in IX_SCRIPT                      IV_SCRIPT_SCHEMA JOBDOC IT_INPUT        Is there someone that already had to export import JobDocus) Thanks Giovanni Lippolis

There are many changes from Solution Manager 7.1 to 7.2.  Of course you can see them on SAP Solution Manager 7.2 official pages.

I will mention about the changes when I met during installation, mandatory configurations and  managed system configurations of  Solution Manager 7.2 SP1. You will find some of the changes of Solution Manager 7.2  in terms of System Administration on this blog.

For Installation part go to      : Solution Manager 7.2 - Installation and Configuration - I - Installations

For configurations part go to : Solution Manager 7.2 - Installation and Configuration - II - Configurations

Here are the links for new futures of Solution Manager 7.2;

• SAP Product Road Map SAP Solution Manager Road Map Revision: 2016.02.01
• Changes and New Features in SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SPS 1

You can see the history of the changes in Solution Manager from 7.0 to 7.1 to 7.2 and between SP Stacks in link Release Information SAP Solution Manager

Here are changes that I see;

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 New User Interfaces

As everything goes to Fiori screens Solution Manager is enriched with Fiori. Improved Users experience, launchpad, UI5 dashboards instead of flash-based ones.

SAP Fiori launchpad will be used for role-based access to all relevant applications and Work Centers

Configuration Guide: SAP Fiori for SAP Solution Manager 7.2

The following figure shows the system landscape of an embedded deployment (There is also Central Hub Deployment)

Mandatory Configuration for Fiori Launchpad has the following steps. For details click on the guide link above, please.

• Activating Launchpad OData Services
• Activating Launchpad ICF Services
• Customizing the SAP Solution Manager Launchpad

Let me put some Fiori screens for Solution Manager 7.2.

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 adopts SAP HANA

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 can use SAP HANA

All customers with a valid SAP maintenance agreement can use SAP HANA as database for SAP Solution Manager. There is no additional SAP HANA licensing required

I wish I had chance to install my Solution Manager 7.2 also on HANA. Unfortunately I installed it on SQL Server. Let's wait for the future SM 7.2 installations. If you installed

No Dual Stack any more. They are single from SM 7.2 on.

As you could see in the above picture Solution Manager 7.1 is a dual stack (ABAP+Java) System. SAP Solution Manager 7.2 now consists of an ABAP system and a Java system and is no longer a dual-stack system.

I am not sure how much work is there but I wish I had an ABAP system only for Solution Manager 7.2.

In terms of System Administration there is a few processes running on Java system.  As far as I remember I used only the SLD functionality of the Java System.

Product Versions

I am taking this part from Tom Cenens's blog SAP Solution Manager 7.2 architecture and migration to SAP HANA since he has explained the product versions briefly and very clearly.

"SAP Solution Manager 7.1 will reach end of maintenance at 31/12/2017 due to the fact that the AS ABAP stack is running on an old SAP Netweaver version (7.0 EHP2) and the AS JAVA stack is using an old SAPJVM 4.1 version. Those old versions run out of maintenance so an upgrade is needed.

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 will run on SAP Netweaver 7.40 (both AS ABAP and AS JAVA) and has the capability to run on AnyDB (Sybase ASE, Oracle, MS SQL, ...) or on SAP HANA. The CRM component goes from CRM 7.0 EHP1 to CRM 7.0 EHP3."

And also you could see the product versions of the Solution Manager 7.2 in above figure.

Scope and Effort Analyzer (SEA) enhanced by existing Maintenance Planner

There are some changes also in Maintenance Planner Tool that replaced the SAP Maintenance Optimizer.

I haven't used SEA but used Maintenance Planner. Although it was anounced before SM 7.2 I wanted to remind the tool here.

And here is the picture of a new maintenance plan for my Solution Manager 7.1 SPS1.

Here is the info about SEA from offical site Scope and Effort Analyzer.

With Scope and Effort Analyzer the impact of a software change event to an SAP system becomes transparent. A detailed result report will be generated and will show:

• Expected development and test effort for the planned maintenance event
• Impact to Custom Developments and Modifications and direct access to object lists
• Regression Test Effort for all affected processes and saving potential by using Test Scope Optimization
• Recommendation on test case creation and related effort

Changes in Configuration

In the link Configuration, part of SAP Library gives you an overview of the changes and new features in SAP Solution Manager 7.2 SPS 1 since SAP Solution Manager 7.1 SPS 14.

This information is provided as release notes, which give you an overview of new, enhanced, and deleted functions in SAP Solution Manager Configuration (transaction SOLMAN_SETUP).

You could click the link and see the change details of configuration steps. I took SMSY in detail and list of changes done in configuration below.

• Deactivation of Transaction SMSY

The Solution Manager Systems storage (transaction SMSY) is disabled in SAP Solution Manager 7.2. Most functions have been replaced by the landscape management database (transaction LMDB), since SAP Solution Manager 7.1, already.

When you enter transaction SMSY, you are redirected to transaction LMDB.

1679673 - LMDB System Landscape Product System: Comparison with SMSY

SMSY System Groups (Projects, Solutions, Logical Components)

For logical components, including system roles, see Managing Logical Components.

In transaction SOLADM, you can create and delete logical component groups and logical components of a solution.

Solutions and processes are now managed in Solution Documentation (transaction SLAN). For more information, see Solution Documentation.

SM_WORKCENTER -->  SAP Solution Manager Administration  --> Landscape  --> Logical Components

• SAP Solution Manager Configuration

• Mandatory Configuration

• Managed Systems Configuration

• Application Operations

Other useful blogs on new Futures

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 architecture and migration to SAP HANA by Tom Cenens

Whats new in SAP Solution Manager 7.2? by Mohammad Hanfi

Next blogs will be about Managed System Configurations.

Managed System Configuration of an ABAP, Java, BOBJ and HANA Systems.

Thanks for your interests.