SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities SP04 was recently released: what’s inside
On 15th of March 2015 we released new SP04 of SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities and Public Sector. Components UMCERP01, UMCCRM01, UMCUI501 SP04 are available for download on service marketplace. As you probably noticed, the name of the application has changed to include Public Sector. From SP04 Public Sector specific OData service model (separate from Utilities one) was shipped which is reusing same foundation and same architectural approach.
We added some new features in addition to the ones that we had in SP03:
- Switch between multiple business partners linked to one single online account (SU01)
- View and update preferred language by customer
- View status and details of quotations and future contracts
- Submit meter readings without logging in (anonymously)
- Submit one-time payment without logging in (anonymously)
- Attach a file when sending a message to the Utility company
- Possibility to trigger a workflow for follow-up on customer requests
- View consumption of smart meters
- View forecasted consumption of smart meters
- Download consumption data of smart meters
We also implemented a support of co-browsing which offers a possibility to a call center agent to view the same data as online customer sees it while facing difficulties with online services.
As well, we incorporated some feedback from our customer and partners, and now we offer business-user friendly configuration options for our OData entities to reduce BAdI implementation efforts grouped in one customizing activity in IMG called ‘Maintain Business Settings for Business Processes’.
Finally, there is also a new customizing activity which allows replacing error messages returned by OData entities with more end-user friendly ones.
Note that in SP04 we only delivered bug fixes for template web application for desktop UI. The only UI application that was updated according to new OData entities is our responsive UI application which we shipped in SP03.
Please stay tuned for SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities and Public Sector demo apps that will be available soon on Google Play and Apple App stores. More communication to follow.
As of SP04, this is a feature set of the application (CRM and ERP IS-U combined):
IS-U only:
Let’s take a look at screenshots of certain features from new SP04:
1) Preferred language by customer
2) View status and details of quotations and future contracts
3) Submit anonymous meter reading
4) View consumption of smart meters (as well as forecasted consumption)
5) Anonymous one-time payment
6) Attach a file when sending a message to the Utility company
7) Co-browsing agent panel
8) Mantain settings for business processes customizing
9) Map messages to user friendly ones
That’s it for now!
Best Regards, Yevgen
Hi Yevgen,
By any chance do you know if SP04 comes together with a new sample UI5 application that would allow us to showcase MCF for IS-U standalone scenario? Because I know a few customers that would be interested in the solution, but do not have any SAP CRM system up and running... and the administration guide of MCF says the sample application cannot work without CRM (so it's going to take too much time for us to build a prototype from scratch if no sample app is delivered out of the box).
Thanks!
Nick.
Hi Nicolas, thanks for the questions. I answered somewhat in an OSS ticket which you opened. No, in SP04 we don't deliver IS-U only UI5 application. It is hard for us to deliver different versions of apps for different scenarios.
However, UMCUI5 desktop and UMCUI5_MOBILE can be adapted to be used for IS-U only scenario. Several partners/customers did that already. Also, Public sector colleagues released their ERP-only UI app and OData foundation reusing our UI apps. I do plan to write a blog on how to achieve that with step-by-step, stay tuned for that (2-3 weeks from now). But in couple of words, you need to replace in UI apps constant which refers to CRM_UTILITIES_UMC with ERP_UTILITIES_UMC, and then replace or remove views which work with CRM only processes (contract management, marketing permissions, and so on). For user management as well, you need to enable it for IS-U scenario. Necessary services are there. I believe basic setup for ISU only scenario can be achieved with several hours.
Best Regards, Yevgen
Hi Yevgen,
Thank you very much for the feedback! And indeed, I just saw your answer to my customer incident: when I opened it I didn't expect you would be the one to answer, and I thought it would help other people to know that IS-U only scenario cannot be up and running out of the box (even if our SAP sales rep. says otherwise ;-). That's why I decided to comment on your blog post.
And as far as I understand, basically we have only two main scenarios that are described in all SAP slideware: IS-U only or CRM & IS-U (even in your slides above we can see those two). I just find it a little confusing that nowhere can we find a sentence explicitely stating IS-U standalone is not ready to go out of the box... Plus: I guess if it was only a matter of hours to get this working, you would provide a sample application for IS-U standalone scenario as well.
Anyway, thanks a lot for the confirmation. I'm looking forward to your next blog post!
Cheers,
Nick.
Hi Nicolas, all necessary OData services for IS-U only scenario are there. UI apps require adaptation to run IS-U only. One of the reason we didn't do it is maintenance of different code lines of the same app for different scenarios.
Best Regards, Yevgen
Hi Yevgen,
I understand your point... nevertheless if you do not provide any UI to connect to your OData services I'm wondering how you tested the application, and made sure it actually works (I'm sorry but I come from the SAP CRM world and you would be amazed by the number of oss notes we need to install to even start using the application).
Also I'm pretty sure we may face lots of issues with SAP Support because as soon as customer code is involved when reproducing an issue (even if it's just a test report to call a standard function module) SAP support often refuses to help (and we are asked to find a way to reproduce exactly the same problem using SAP standard code only). So I'm afraid I'll wait for your guide to be released before spending more time on IS-U standalone scenario 😉
Thanks for your understanding and keep posting very good content on SCN! I really appreciated reading your posts.
Cheers,
Nick.
Hi Nick, very interesting discussion indeed 🙂 . Well, we automated testing for OData services via a tool called SOAP UI SoapUI - The Home of Functional Testing. Otherwise, it would be a nightmare to do the tests manually since we have around 85 OData entities on ERP and 55 on CRM. I hope from maintenance perspective it will be smoother 🙂
Best Regards, Yevgen
Hi Yevgen,
Does MFU SP04 support simplified configuration of Utilities product and/or Product Finder & Configurator functionalities?
I could not find the relevant OData services on help.sap.com and configuration attributes are not mentioned anywhere.
Thanks!
Best regards,
Julien
Hi Julien, we don't have PFC odata services/UI shipped with MCF. For products and contract management MFC odata services are based on functionality available as part of CRM EHP0. I don't know if you know but in CRM EHP3 latest SPs there is a standalone odata service model supporting PFC which can be integrated.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards, Yevgen
Thanks for the answer Yevgen.
Indeed I did not know that OData services are delivered for the PFC in EHP3. I checked on one of the systems I have available but the PFC project is empty in transaction SEGW, probably because it is on SP02 which is pretty old now. I will try to find a relevant system.
Thanks again!
Here is the link to documentation on the data service:
PFC as an OData Service for Web-Based Scenarios - SAP Library
Hi,
The help pages for MCF for Utilities seem to have disappeared... All links starting at help.sap.com/umc seem to lead to MCF for Public Sector pages, which contains a lot less information...
For example, I can't seem to find a list of the OData services for utilities, only for public sector.
There's also no application help for utilities.
Can anyone provide me with this information, or with the correct links?
Thanks!
Hi Kevin, there was an outage on help documentation page. It is being currently restored.
Application help is already accessible by SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities and Public Sector - SAP Library. Full restoration will happen by Monday on SAP Multichannel Foundation for Utilities and Public Sector – SAP Help Portal Page.
Best Regards, Yevgen
Hi Yevgen,
The blog is very informative. we can process only one create request in current UMC and there is limitation to process batch request to with multiple create request.
Do we have option to call batch operation in SP04.
Thanks,
Mantu
Mantu, we always had batch operations in multichannel. Please take a look at admin guide chapters 6.5 and 6.6 on how to do them.
Yevgen
Dear Yevgen,
Thanks,your blogs give me some more clarity
Still I am little confused for User Management functionality . I got service in ECC and activated it also.But one query is that when User creation will done then exactly what will happen in SAP System?
New SAP UserID(USR02) created in sap database or New customer will be created in database?
Thanks
Surekha
Hi Surekha,
When the user will be created then the activation link (URL) mail is sent to customer's registered e-mail id for which cx has to click the activation link (URL) and that URL will redirect to the company's landing page where he/she has to enter the credentials. CHEERS 🙂
Hi Yevgen,
How is it possible to switch between multiple business partners linked to the same user. I maintained multiple business partners against one user in SU01, however i wasnt able to switch between them in the MCF web portal. Is this an available functionality in MCF SP04? Could you please guide me on provide me any link where i can find this information?
Thanks
Namrata
Hi,
Please read the updated mcfu document 1.5 carefully. You have to give all required roles and authorizations users which are creating in your business suite system (CRM system).
On the top of that the users which are been created in your backend system should of communication users type. 🙂
Regards
Narpreet Singh
Hello MCF Guru,
Can MCF 1.0 SP3 support HANA.
Thanks
Yes, UMCERP01 or UMCCRM01 add-ons can be installed on latest Business Suite on Hana systems.
Best Regards, Yevgen
Great, thank so much Yevgen!!
BTW, i would always try to install latest SP, at the moment the latest is SP05.
Awesome, thanks again!
Hi Yevgen,
Thank you for your great posts about MCF. They helped me a lot.
I have made configurations for both ISU-only and CRM system as Leading Leading scenarios to our test environments to discover it. I am able to see information corresponding to bussiness partnet Id on template applications. I have a question about "End Contract" or "End Contracts for a premise " features for CRM as Leading Scenario and ISU only scenario.
I couldn't see end contract feature in both scenarios' template applications (UMCUI5 and UMCUI5_MOBILE). Is there any processes to activate that feature to make it visible in applications. So which stesp should I take to activate "End Contract" feature.
Best Regards