Evolution of Landscape Data Management – Part II: What’s better with LMDB in SAP Solution Manager 7.1, SPS10?

Introduction

SAP Solution Manager 7.1 Landscape Management Database (LMDB) was introduced to improve landscape data management. In SPS10, which is now
available, LMDB offers features, which improve landscape data management with by unification, simplification, automation, and functional enhancements.

News in LMDB of SAP Solution Manager 7.1 SPS10

Unification

One of the most prominent changes is to remove transaction SMSY as an editor for landscape data.

• Technical systems
• Product systems
• Technical scenarios
• Logical components

Figure 1 shows that all landscape entities are handled in the LMDB and the LMDB as single-source-of-truth for maintenance, monitoring, and ChaRM:

Figure 1: Steps and tools in landscape data management in the application life-cycle. You see that the LMDB is now covering all landscape data. (Click the picture to display a bigger version.)

To give the complete picture: SMSY is shown but in brackets because of the following:

• The Transport Management System (TMS) still uses some SMSY functions
• If you’re using custom attributes (“other attributes” in SMSY), please note the following:
  • If you were using those attributes in SMSY you can find them under the name „Custom Attributes“ in the LMDB. A migration of the data from SMSY to LMDB is available in transaction SOLMAN_SETUP.
  • If you changed the customizing to add your own attributes in SMSY, this customizing is used for LMDB too. You can change the customizing in the same place as before. There is no need for a migration of customizing.
• Logical components are stored in a SMSY compatible way, nevertheless they are maintained using a new UI that is well integrated in the other LMDB UIs. So SMSY is no longer visible to end users here. For more information, also see SAP Note 1905236

So there is only LMDB left as an editor of landscape data sharing the model with the SLD.

Figure 2 shows landscape data entities available via the LMDB Start Screen – transaction LMDB:

Figure 2: LMDB Start Screen – Overview tab, offering functional updates and tabs of landscape entities.

Simplification

Handling of landscape data was also improved:

• Transaction SOLMAN_SETUP > Managed System Configuration now in step 1 gathers the setup of all landscape entities needed to maintain and monitor a technical system (of course for a full setup of the managed system all other steps in the guided procedure are needed). See figure 3.
• LMDB Product System Editor now simplifies the product system creation in case not all product instances are registered automatically – a Search “for
  more proposals” brings a short list of product instances based on software component information from the system. For this, the SAP Support Portal is
  connected to calculate this list, instead of letting you choose from all product instances of a product version. See figure 4.

Figure 3 shows the UI of SOLMAN_SETUP > Managed System Configuration:

Figure 3: You see transaction SOLMAN_SETUP > Managed System Configuration, step 1 – Product system assignment, diagnostics relevance flag setting, and logical component assignment in one step.(Click the picture to display a bigger version.)

Figure 4 shows the LMDB Product System Editor > Search “for more proposals”:

Figure 4: for a product system EC9 EHP5 for SAP ERP 6.0 a technical system of AS Java running parts of the ERP is assigned. Product instances have been registered for the SAP NetWeaver only, but missing product instances are found by the Search “for more proposals”. The verification will be used after that as usual. (Click the picture to display a bigger version.)

Note that you’ll find these features in a system demo.

Automation

Several steps are no longer needed to be done manually, reducing effort and reducing errors:

• Diagnostics relevance flag setting: Some product instances needed to be flagged for monitoring of a technical system, but flagging too many cost performance – figure 3 shows where to trigger the automated setting, finding the optimal configuration (you can manually change it if needed for special
  reasons).
• Product systems’ meta data in LMDB will automatically show the new product version after an update or upgrade. So once a product system has been created and verified as okay, it automatically updates its setting in case the technical system is updated/upgraded. No manual reconfiguration of the product system is required.

Added Functions

LMDB now offers some additional information and functions that allow you to more efficiently manage your IT landscape:

• LMDB Status information 
• Dashboard and Reporting
• Business partner assignment
• Additional properties for technical systems: System role, lifecycle status, short text, priority
  The properties can be used in LMDB reporting for example to filter technical systems based on the content (See figure 8.)

Figure 5 shows the LMDB Start Screen – transaction LMDB: Here, you have access to the LMDB Status, SAP Solution Manager Administration Workcenter, Landscape Reporting, and Dashboard functions:

Figure 5: Here you see links to the information on LMDB and IT landscape. The status of the LMDB is green. Landscape Dashboard is chosen – for its UI and content.

Figure 6 shows an example of an dashboard:

Figure 6: The Landscape Dashboard showing landscape entities and numbers and the changes during a time frame.

Some of the entities are to be handled with respect to business partner information. Business partner information is defined in transaction BP, which is available in SAP Solution Manager. If such information is available, it can be assigned to the technical system in the LMDB and is available then for consuming applications.

Figure 7 shows an example on reporting on technical systems:

Figure 7: Reporting on technical systems in the LMDB – example SAP HANA Database. (Click the picture to display a bigger version.)

Figure 8 shows two business partners assigned to technical system EC9:

Figure 8: Tab Business Partners of the Technical System Editor of the LMDB. You also see the installed product version of the technical system.

Summary

LMDB in SPS10 of SAP Solution Manager 7.1 offers a lot of new features and functions helping you better manage your IT landscape and  get an up-to-date and correct landscape description as a basis for reliable maintenance and monitoring of your system landscape.

Additional Information

• System demo of the improvements in Managed System Confiruration – product system creation, diagnostic relevance flag, and logical components assignment
• To see previous steps in the evolution of landscape data management, see Evolution of Landscape Data Management – What’s better with LMDB?
• You’ll find the blog series and links to tools and application dealing with them on a dedicated page called Landscape Descriptions at the SCN.
• LMDB specifically in found there under Landscape Management Database (LMDB)