SAP Insider Admin 2014 Solution Manager Jump Start Part 2 – Releases
This is part 2 of my notes from today’s Admin 2014 Solution Manager Jump Start with SAP’s John Krakowski
Part 1 is here SAP Insider Admin 2014 Solution Manager Jump Start – Part 1 – Key SAP Notes
SAP Mobile Solution Manager apps: You can learn about these at http://help.sap.com/solutionmanager71 then select http://help.sap.com/sm-mobileapps
- End user experience mobile apps
- Performance and availability
- Keep finger on pulse of remote locations
- It is a web dynpro? Yes
- Does it use Gateway? Yes, that is out of the boxs
SP10 has dashboard apps
Business Process Monitoring which is a “sister application” has over 300 indicators
Solution Manager has over 10K productive installations with 300 go lives every month
It is ITIL verified and the first one to have 15 processes verified
Figure 1: Source: SAP
Figure 1 shows the ICC which is looking at projects timelines
OCC helps IT administrators what is going on in business
MCC is premium engagement – Max Attention – direct access to Mission Control Center in Newtown Square. If you have requirements and see SAP standard functionality not met SAP looks at it. If can’t be done, what is planned. Goal is to reduce custom code and to help customers reduce custom code.
Figure 2: Source: SAP
John said “not one tool that does it all like SolMan” (Figure 2)
Wherever you start – have assurance that integration is guaranteed
How well can tools support the latest products available to you from SAP?
Are existing tools enabled to support HANA? Solution manager today can run and operate your HANA project
SolMan is keeping in step with latest products
Figure 3: Source: SAP
John wants everyone attending the Jump Start to publish a quote similar to the one in Figure 3.
He suggested focusing on a particular pain point
Take away from him was when you have a key issue/challenge – include Solution Manager as part of the conversation
Two Value Releases
Figure 4: Source: SAP
Nervous about custom mods and nervous when doing custom mods and hundreds of transports
Testing effort is huge and doing soup to nuts testing
Downtime windows are shrinking
White paper released (SMP logon req’d) this talks about how customers can accelerate and improve major releases and projects through business suite.
This 70+ page white paper should be used as a baseline to compare against you are managing areas and see how you align with what SAP recommends to customers. Something to compare against as opposed to calling in SAP or whoever you bring in
Core components
Figure 5: Source: SAP
Figure 5 shows the costs of managing changes based on some assumptions
Figure 6: Source: SAP
Regression testing, downgrades – if this is in DNA, SAP is offering tools to work a synchronized strategy
You define windows for a major releases and minor releases
Looking to build a schedule to align projects to. Today many are using spreadsheets / project is part of it
What are the tools to help you align?
Figure 7: Source: SAP
If doing SP’s then apply a technical enhancement package if available. This is a best practice.
How can from an IT point of view always consider applying the available enhancement packages to your system
SAP wants this to be a starting point to reduce your custom modifications
Figure 8: Source: SAP
Why? In terms of performance tuning, latest code line, especially related to HANA
SAP is developing a new code line for HANA
If have a HANA based system there is a separate SP for HANA based systems
Efficiencies are realized taking advantage of enhancement packages
To be continued…