SAP NetWeaver’s automation infrastructure is used for running large and periodical business processes asynchronously without a user interface with excellent performance. SAP NetWeaver offers a wide variety of scheduling options, including time-based, event-based, and calendar-based scheduling.

In addition to local job scheduling functionality (transactions SM36/SM37), SAP offers a  solution to help companies manage, monitor, and execute business-critical processes from a central location. The product is called SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood.

Co-developed with Redwood Software, it is the go-to solution for process scheduling, automation and process monitoring and allows customers and partners to manage SAP and non-SAP applications to improve operational efficiency, optimize resource utilization, and increase control over enterprise-wide processes. Minimizing the turnaround time for business critical transactions through optimized management of background processes will ensure that businesses can maximize the return on applications and hardware investments.

SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood centrally manages and orchestrates processes across multiple applications and organizations. It:

• is a real-time, time- and event-driven workload automation solution.
• provides seamless integration with SAP and non-SAP applications.
• provides seamless integration with the SAP systems management environment.
• aligns IT processes to business needs.

One of the most important new business scenarios with SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood is the Job Scheduling Management – SAP Process Scheduling adapter for SAP Solution Manager.

Read more about it under the provided link or check the Learning Map: Job Scheduling Management

Latest Version Available

SAP released the latest version of SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood 9.0 by Redwood in March 2015. You can download it from the Service Marketplace.

For information on CPS (Central Process Scheduling), the predecessor to SAP Business Process Automation, please see here.

Guides

Technical Overview and Related Documents

Versions and Functionality Overview 
This slide deck provides a short overview of the functionalities and the two different versions offered by SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood.

Customer presentation about SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood

This slide deck is a presentation outlining the key features and benefits of SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood.

Solution Brief about SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood

This solution brief describes the objectives, key functions, benefits and quick facts about the solution.

Functions in Detail about SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood

This document covers the main benefits and functions of the solution.

Job Scheduling with SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood 

Companies have long depended on job schedulers to run their background jobs – for batch processing, for example. Today, companies can expect even more from a job scheduler. To improve efficiency and free strategic resources, a job scheduler should go beyond handling routine tasks and support essential business processes.

SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood: Advanced Automation and Monitoring 
The SAP Business Process Automation application by Redwood extends the benefits of the SAP Solution Manager application management solution. By adding a robust automation infrastructure, the software enables the creation of a fully controlled processautomation environment across your application landscape.

Technical Brief – SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood: Integration with SAP Solution Manager 
In this technical brief we explore how integrating SAP Solution Manager with SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood can deliver even greater business benefits by enabling not only two- way communication between SAP and non-SAP environments but also sophisticated process automation that will increase productivity and overall  efficiency of the distributed business application environment.

SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood: (SAP Solution in Detail)

This Solution Brief describes how SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood lets you manage and operate critical business processes across both SAP and non-SAP software environments.

SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood: Frequently Asked Questions 
Through a series of FAQs, this document answers important questions about the business process automation and process automation software from SAP, made available through its partnership with Redwood Software.

SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood: Streamlining the Scheduling Process (Solution Brief) 
The powerful SAP Business Process Automation application by Redwood lets you manage and operate critical business processes across both SAP and non-SAP software environments. Centralized for convenience, it initiates the real-time, eventdriven scheduling and process automation functionality that produces rapid returns on your investment, lowers your total IT costs, and helps you adapt quickly to changing customer and market demands.

Efficient Tuning of SAP Systems with High Batch Workload

White Paper: Gaining control of documents for increased control of SAP Business Processes 
The VPSX® output management solution, provided by SAP software solution partners Levi, Ray & Shoup, is integrated with with SAP Business Process Automation.Such an integration provides faster error recovery, reduced administrative overhead,and improved service levels.Leveraging the bi-directional printing feedback capabilities of VPSX software, the combined solution creates an environment in which the VPSX software reports printing errors and other events to SAP Business Process Automation. SAP Business Process Automation can re-synchronize the business process queue to minimize the impact of errors, allocate the best alternate VPSX resource, and notify SAP Solution Manager.

Job Scheduling Management using SAP Solution Manager 7.0

You can manage, monitor & document your misson critical jobs using the Job Management Work Center of SAP Solution Manager. The SAP Solution Manager integrates to SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood for SAP NetWeaver 7.0 ,via SAP Process Scheduling Adaptor for SAP Solution Manager.The SAP Business Process Automation Scheduling Adaptor helps with faster implementation of high priority jobs, and improves service levels & business impact analysis. Click here to learn more about this new dimension of integration between SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood for SAP NetWeaver 7.0 and SAP’s Central Application Management Platform.

Local Job Scheduling and Central Scheduling using XBP

Local Scheduling

Local Scheduling is possible with the transactions for Job Definition and Job Selection, SM36 and SM37. Although the new and recommended tool for scheduling is SAP Business Process Automation by Redwood, these transactions remain active and still enable you to plan jobs locally if this meets your business needs. For local scheduling you may refer to the online-documentation Scheduling Background Jobs.

Central Scheduling over XBP

Other (external) job-scheduling solutions can still be used, as they use a standard interface called BC-XBP, which stands for eXternal interface for job Background Processing. XBP is available now in version XBP 3.0.

XBP 3.0 is an enhancement of XBP 2.0. This means that XBP 2.0 is a subset of XBP 3.0. Therefore, customers who use XBP 2.0 can install XBP 3.0 without any change of functionality in their current applications. XBP 3.0 will be available for SAP Basis releases 7.0 and higher. For the releases that are already on the market, XBP 3.0 will be delivered by Support Packages.

Please refer to the documentation Connecting External Job Management Systems to the SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP CCMS Job Scheduling System for a detailed description.The XBP 2.0 interface is an enhancement of XBP 1.0. This means that XBP 1.0 is a subset of XBP 2.0. Thus, customers who use XBP 1.0 can install XBP 2.0 without any change of functionality in their current applications.

 
Please refer to the documentation SAP XBP Interface Version 2.0 Main Features for a detailed description

Customer Success Stories

• Dow Chemical