SAP Solution Manager 7.1 usage rights: Standard Support vs Enterprise Support
There is a lot of confusion around what is or isn’t allowed for customers depending on their SAP support contract. This blog post provides relevant information on the foundations of the usage rights of the support contract and has been created to provide more insight to consultants, customers and local SAP offices.
Official SAP information
The official source of SAP is on SAP Service Marketplace: https://service.sap.com/solutionmanager . You can find the official page by clicking the usage right option in the left menu.
Picture 1.0 official SAP source
These sources along with this blog post can help you to get a better understanding of the usage rights of SAP Solution Manager. The blog post does not provide additional information in terms of the need for additional license fees when you use scenarios for non-SAP components or components that were not purchased through SAP’s purchase list. The official documentation covers this content to a large enough extent.
SAP Standard Support limitations
Picture 1.1 functional baseline for SAP Standard Support contracts
Customers on SAP standard support are limited to use SAP Solution Manager 7.1 functionality which existed in SAP Solution Manager 7.0 EHP1.
Also note that SAP Standard Support customers receive continuous improvements for the functional baseline, incl. Error correction and functions supporting the SAP product strategy.
You can see these scenarios outlined on picture 1.1.
The idea behind this is that customers, who were on Standard Support back then and were allowed to use this functionality, should not be forced to pay for using the same functionality now.
Custom Development Management Cockpit (CDMC), Business Process Change Analyzer (BPCA) and Quality Gate Management (QGM) are not allowed for customers on Standard Support. These scenarios existed when Solution Manager 7.0 EHP1 was around but were already part of Enterprise Support.
The official content also talks about reactive and proactive but those statements create more confusion than anything else as some scenarios which are considered reactive can be used in a proactive way.
The current official documentation doesn’t have all the new Solution Manager scenarios listed. The bottom-line is that new scenarios and new functionality which were introduced in Solution Manager 7.1 and onwards are not to be used by Standard Support customers. This means that any relatively new scenario like Data Volume Management (DVM) falls under Enterprise Support.
Usage dashboard
SAP will release a usage dashboard for SAP Solution Manager which will provide the following:
- This dashboard provides information on the SAP Solution Manager capabilities and processes that are in use in a customer system, as well as the type of maintenance contract required to use these capabilities.
- The dashboard is delivered in the Dashboard Framework, and the customer can activate it from here, to display the Solution Manager usage data. You can select the data by the year-to-date, or based on a particular calendar month.
- A color coding is used for the type of maintenance contract involved
In my opinion this dashboard can help out to a large extent to avoid confusing around what is or is not allowed depending on the support contract of the SAP customer.
SAP support license cost rising
Picture 1.2 Customer Remaining on Enterprise Support, reference: http://www.zdnet.com/sap-standard-support-price-rise-why-now-7000010838/
As outlined in a recent blog post: “SAP Standard Support price rise: why now? “ by Dennis Howlett on ZDNET, the price of SAP Standard Support keeps rising. This means the price moves closer and closer to the price of SAP Enterprise Support. In the end, it looks like SAP is trying to get rid of the Standard Support option altogether.
The question remains though if this maintenance fee rise is a good move from SAP and not a move that will cause them harm in the long run as a number of customers, according to the article on ZDNET, 69 of the Fortune 500, have already moved away from SAP support altogether and have chosen for third-party support for their SAP software.
It’s very likely however that a large portion of SAP’s customer base will not choose third-party support over SAP support. Depending on the increase in cost and the possible reduction of costs by leveraging Solution Manager 7.1, it might make more sense for those customers who are still on SAP Standard Support to move to SAP Enterprise Support.
Significant cost savings are possible by leveraging SAP Solution Manager but it has to be managed in a sensible and constructive way.
Hello Tom,
do you have any information about the usage of new Monitoring and Alerting Infrastructure (MAI) for customers with standard vs. enterprise support?
Is the usage of MAI for customers with standard support free of charge?
Hello Alex
MAI is only allowed for Enterprise Support contract customers.
Standard Support contract customers can continue to use the old way of monitoring - CCMS based.
Best regards
Tom
Hello Tom,
many thanks!
Does it also apply in case of service provider where several customers with standard and enterprise support are integrated into Solution manager system of this service provider?
The managed systems with standard support have to be monitored with CCMS approach and customers with enterprise support can be monitored with MAI?
Hi Alex
The slides are sometimes confusing as the "only for SAP components" is part of the answer to what is allowed but there is a big "AND". Only scenarios (and even there, there are a few exceptions) that existed on SolMan 7.0 EHP1 are allowed to be used by standard support contract customers. MAI is a new (scenario) that was developed for SolMan 7.1 thus it should not be used by standard support contract customers.
I don't know if the same rules apply if Solution Manager is used in a service provider way as the license for Solution Manager is then on the side of the hosting party and they then provide services to the customer at a certain cost I assume.
A good question towards SAP though. If SAP doesn't answer directly to the blog post, I will ask them this particular question and place the reply in the comments here.
Best regards
Tom
Hello Tom,
do you have any further information about the usage rights in case of service provider?
Also it is not very clear about (BW)-reporting options for standard vs. enterprise support customers.
Which reporting options (besides EWA and SLR) can be used by standard customers within Solution Manager 7.1? (e.g. IT Performance Reporting).
It would be easier to say customers with standard support can only use all the monitoring and reporting functions from workcenter "System Monitoring".
Those customers cannot use workcenter "Technical Monitoring".
Hello,
usage rights for service providers are defined in the support agreement for Value Added Reseller.
If you are not a VAR partner of SAP, you must consider that you should run a SAP Solution Manager for each customer .
If you would like to discuss this topic further in detail, you should contact SAP Partner Management directly.
Regards
David Birkenbach
SAP Solution Management
Hello David,
many thanks!
Are there any benefits for service provider/VAR for usage of E2E MAI/Technical Monitoring?
There are contradictorily statements about the E2E MAI in connection with standard/enterprise support and usage for SAP components.
It would be easier to update this information on https://websmp204.sap-ag.de/solman-baseline --> usage rights
Thank you!
New informations MAI for standard support customers:
http://service.sap.com/usage-rights -> NEW: SAP Solution Manager Usage Rights Update - For SAP Enterprise Support Customers
Regards
Julia
Hi Julia
Thanks for the update!
Best regards
Tom
Hello Julia, hello Tom, hello all!
I have heared this presentaton and habe still one vital question:
Can standard customers as of now use the new MAI or even in case if they want to switch to Enterprise Support?
If Yes, can they also use MAI for Monitoring of SAP- and none-SAP landscapes?
Hi Alex
Standard support customers can use the new MAI regardless of wanting to switch in the future or not.
Standard support customers are only allowed to monitoring SAP landscapes.
Best regards
Tom
Hi Manfred
Did you remove your comment or was it removed through moderation?
Best regards
Tom
Hi Tom,
i removed my comment because i found the explaining was not good enough.
SAP deliver a chart from year 2011 with cabilities in SM 7.0. And a presentation with Dr. Matthias Melich to understand the future options of SM7.1 in a very abstract stepwise model (steps are not described). That's all (enough?). None of my customers understood clearly this different usage rights.
Anyway it's such a simple way to create a clear comparison chart beetwen different support contracts and capatilities.
I've read a SAP contract from 2013 "SAP Basic Support and SAP Enterprise Solution Manager. And SAP Enterprise Support ind SAP Enterprise Solution Manager." This declarations are not build for easy understand.
I like the Solution Manager 7.1 but not the strategy to make Enterprise Support Customers."The baselines of support models are the same, so a change is eassier. And about the stepwise model the function (and the price?) is in future nearly the same. (As a fact, I know there are differences like HP Quality Gate, BPCA, MAI and other capatilities)
The Soltution Manager has yet to prove its position as a strong central administration and monitoring solution. There are good alternatives on the market.
I think SAP should rethink its strategy for the Solution Manager 7.1
PS: Tom, thanks for very quick response.
This prompted me to post again revised the article. Maybe he causes so that clear messages are created for the licenses and user rights of Solution Manager 7.1.
"Thank you in advance SAP."
Manfred
Hi Manfred
Thanks for rephrasing and putting a comment on again.
It could have been easy if the SAP Solution Manager system would automatically enforce the rules but unfortunately that's not the case. I agree with you that the "rules" are unclear. Even if you know MAI is supported now for Basic support contract customers, how far can you go with that, is the next question which is unanswered from a SAP point of view.
SAP should (in my opinion) sit down with SAP Solution Manager experts with in-depth scenario knowledge to draw out a chart that really reflects what can or cannot be used and ideally, be able to enforce this automatically in the system.
Best regards
Tom
Hi Tom,
I agree 100%
So we wait for the SAP chart:
" Actual facts of the Solution Manager 7.0 and 7.1 usage rights 2014"
have a nice day...Manfred
Hi Tom,
SAP had done his work very well. You will find a lot of information about the Solution Manager 7.1 usage rights at
https://support.sap.com/support-programs-services/solution-manager/usage-rghts.html
https://websmp108.sap-ag.de/solmanpulsecheck
http://www.dsag.de/fileadmin/media/Leitfaeden/Leitfaden_SolMan-Flash-Book/files/assets/basic-html/page9.html
A few frank words
The information and guides for Solution Manager 7.1 are always better and more detailed. I am assuming that SAP now the introduction of the Solutution Manager 7.1 really serious and support. I think it was recognized how important this solution for any business.
Strategically, it should be considered whether the Solution Manager 7.1, is to be treated as a central tool at all like a standard license module in my opinion. Sometimes a waiver of licenses or contracts represent different support is an appropriate marketing tool for the outstanding position of a company. The acceptance of the customer's satisfaction and determine its further innovation and the choice of partner. Solutions in SM area are also available from other software manufacturers.
But I know of no single solution on the market as comprehensive tools and applications combined. The Solution Manager 7.1 is working to achieve a special position. And the speed of development and expansion in the releases is incredible. I like that.
Of course, there are also still a lot that is not yet running around. But who dares such a big leap from Solution Manager 7.0 to 7.1, having to edit many construction sites.
All in all, I find the way the SAP has been correctly and am happy here. Let's look at further development. I'm very excited.
I am a SolMan
Hi Tom,
Can you confirm whether customers who are not paying SAP maintenance can use Solution Manager functionality such as CTS+ etc as if they were a Standard Support customer ? I would expect that they wouldn't be able to use any of the functionality that requires access to SAP servers (like SNOTE and Early Watch).
thanks
Hi Martin
No idea to be honest. I haven't come across customers here who don't pay maintenance and have SAP Solution Manager in place.
Best regards
Tom
Hi Martin, I will answer about your request.
I hope I have understood you correctly. You speak of a license without SAP maintenance contract. Which version is still current?
Without SAP support contract and without S-User (with download access) of functions exactly the last serviced license and the last SP installed will comply. SNOTE obtains its information from SAP SAP Marketplace (S-user is required).
Best regards
Manfred