Introduction
Information on technical systems and product systems in the IT landscape and the software products they are running is vitally important for the landscape management. There are several ways to get an overview – choose the best for your purposes, based on your role and information needed.
Landscape Data by the Source of Information
Here I list tools you can use to get an overview of landscape data- there are different types of landscape data and different approaches to display them for different purposes explained in the following.
Landscape Data in the Big Picture
The overall process of landscape data handling comprises the following steps shown in figure 1:
Figure 1: Sources of landscape data and their connections.1) SAP’s Software Catalog is created in the PPMS and provided at the SAP Service Marketplace (SMP). 2) Software is installed on hardware, creating technical systems, which register in the System Landscape Directory (SLD) 3) Software Catalog data plus the CIM model version describing software entities is downloaded to the SLD in the customer’s landscape and handed-over to the Landscape Management Database (LMDB) together with technical systems’ data. 4) In the LMDB, product systems and technical scenarios are created for maintenance and monitoring. 5) Technical and product systems are uploaded to the Customer Profile at the SMP, where it is used for Early Watch Alert and the Landscape Planner, which graphically displays the technical and product system. 6a) Customers can create maintenance transactions for their landscape in Maintenance Optimizer (MOpz) or (6b) use Landscape Planner to create landscape plans, describing planned changes, which can be consumed by MOpz as a basis for maintenance transactions defining their target and scope.
System Landscape Directory (SLD)
In the System Landscape Directory, technical systems register. You can get details of all technical systems or filter by name, type, etc. All details available in the SLD, however, plus landscape data such as product instances, product system assignment, etc. are better presented in the LMDB of SAP Solution Manager. All manual editing apart from Business System Assignment and deletion of outdated system should be done in the Landscape Management Database (LMDB).
SAP Solution Manager 7.1 (SPS10)
Landscape Management Database (LMDB)
Landscape Management Database offers different overviews on landscape data in SPS10 of SAP Solution Manager 7.1.
- LMDB Start Screen (transaction LMDB) – figure 2a:
- Landscape data entities: Hosts, technical systems, product systems, logical components:
Figure 2a: LMDB Start Screen -- landscape entities in the LMDB. If you choose technical systems, product systems, or logical components, you’ll get a list of all available entities and can navigate to the details.
- Landscape data entities: Hosts, technical systems, product systems, logical components:
- You’ll also find the
- LMDB Status
- LMDB Administration
- Landscape Reporting:
Figure 2b: LMDB Landscape reporting in SAP Solution Manager 7.1, SPS10 – example “Hosts” (click to enlarge the picture).
- Landscape Dashboard:
Figure 2c: LMDB Dashboard – landscape entities and their numbers.
SAP Solution Manager Landscape
SAP Solution Manager Landscape of workcenter SAP Solution Manager Administration (transaction SM_WORKCENTER) enables you to set up
connections to technical systems and is a starting point to edit all landscape information in SAP Solution Manager:
Workcenter SAP Solution Manager Administration (linked on the LMDB Start Page😞
Figure 4a: SAP Solution Manager Administration Overview – choose Landscape (click to enlarge the picture).
Figure 4b: In Landscape, choose technical systems, for example (click to enlarge the picture).
Figure 4c: In Landscape, if you choose Product Systems, you’ll get a list of all available product systems including the verification status – see the 1st column… (click to enlarge the picture).
Managed System Configuration in SAP Solution Manager
SAP Solution Manager Managed System Configuration also shows a list of technical systems and technical scenarios but focusing on single systems, not the landscape overview.
Customer Profile and Landscape Planner
As shown in figure 1, Landscape Planner shows all data of technical and product systems uploaded by the the customer accessing it. The data can be used for planning changes in the landscape. Showing a graphical view of product systems including maintenance dependencies caused by reuse of systems (e.g. an SAP NetWeaver Portal), Landscape Planner is a very important tool to visualize your landscape – see figures 5a and 5b:
Figure 5a: Landscape Planner UI showing uploaded product systems of a demo customer profile – data can be filtered and systems
can be searched. Incorrect modelling of product systems is indicated by a red icon (click to enlarge the picture).
Figure 5b: Landscape Planner UI showing an SAP NetWeaver Portal (hub) reused by SAP ERP and SAP CRM (click to enlarge the picture).
Additional Information
You’ll find information on landscape data and links to tools and applications dealing with them on a dedicated page called Landscape Descriptions @ the SDN.
- SAP Managed Tags:
