SAP ChaRM - Service Report CRM_SOCM_SERVICE_REPORT

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SAP ChaRM

Pre-requisites and usage of service report CRM_SOCM_SERVICE_REPORT

Author:	Markus Mueller
Version:	1.0 as of 09 Aug 2016
Valid for:	Solution Manager 7.1
LinkedIn	markus.mueller.conzsol

Contents

Pre-Requisite.

The Service Report.

Selection of Change Documents.

Processing Options.

Unconditional Withdrawal

Update Without Status Change.

In Processing Again.

Set Next Status Value.

List Output Only.

Use Cases.

Reset to “In Development” from a status where the document cannot be reset to “In Development” by actions.

Move all documents for a project simultaneously.

Timeout during setting of next status.

Mass update of documents.

Change Documents left behind.

Pre-Requisite

For some of the functionality (especially for “Set Next Status Value”, “Unconditional Withdrawal” and “In Processing Again” it is important that you maintain the Status Profile and sequence properly. If you are working with unmodified copies of Standard SAP transactions, then you can ignore this section, however if you added own status profiles, added a status value or removed one from SAP standard, then it might pay back to follow the pre-requisites to make sure that the report does what you want it to do.

Check the sequence in customizing activity SOCM_MAIN_001 (SPRO -> SAP Solution Manager -> Capabilities (Optional) -> Change Control Management -> Change Request Management Framework -> Make Settings for Change Transaction Types)

Within the customizing activity, select your change document type, then click on “Specify Status Attributes”. Make sure that you have sequenced your statuses (1) as you are using them in your actions. Often you will find sequence 1 behind manually added status values. You also need to verify that your status attribute for BASE (2) is set properly and for CANCX (3) are set. Both should only appear once. If you do not want your users to withdraw change documents you can achieve that by authorisation, for clean-up purposes you should always allow for a withdrawn status.   

The Service Report

To run the service report you have to either create your own Z-Transaction (for frequent usage) for program CRM_SOCM_SERVICE_REPORT or use transaction SA38 and execute the program:

The ChaRM administrator should have sufficient authorisation to run the report.
The report screen has 2 Sections, (1) for selection of change document and (2) for execution

Selection of Change Documents

I personally think that the report should only be used by a ChaRM administrator or IT-operator, but not by any other users. While the report gives you a lot of possibilities to select change documents I only ever use the “Status” section and the “Transaction No.” as selection criteria. Since the report is very powerful I find any other selection too risky. The report does not come back with a result list, from where you can pick which items you want to process, hence I would always recommend to do your selection from either the Web-UI searches, or from the reporting transaction /TMWFLOW/REPORTINGN (only up to Solution Manager 7.1, not discontinued from 7.2). This is for processing of multiple documents of course. For single documents you can always enter the document number directly.

Processing Options

Unconditional Withdrawal

The unconditional Withdrawal does exactly what you would expect it to do: It withdraws a change document and sets it to status “Withdrawn” or the custom status that you assign to CANCX. This option can be used for change documents that got corrupted and can no longer be processed either way. But it can also be used for change documents that could be withdrawn from the action profile.

Update Without Status Change

This will update the document and linked documents running the assigned PPF actions for the status. This option can be used if the actions didn’t run properly, or a predecessor document (e.g. Request for Change) wasn’t updated properly.

In Processing Again

This will set the document back into the initial state from a completed or withdrawn state if possible. The status of the document will be the status that is defined as “BAS – Starting point” in the status attributes.

Set Next Status Value

This option will move the change documents into the next status value as defined by the status attributes (see prerequisites). It will run all checks and actions in the background, however there are limitations around sending of emails as described by Dolores in her blog Change Request Management scenario: Usual questions and known errors .

List Output Only

This option can be used to run in test mode before execution (recommended).

Use Cases

Reset to “In Development” from a status where the document cannot be reset to “In Development” by actions.

A practical example would be that you disabled the possibility of re-setting a change document to status “In Development” from a certain point onwards in the change document process (e.g. if the document was imported into Pre-Production). However, in a specific case you need to re-set the status to “In Development”.
Step 1: Withdraw the document using the unconditional withdrawal
Step 2: Set the document to “In Development” using the “In Processing Again” option

Move all documents for a project simultaneously

You shift a project to phase “Test”. Within the project you have a large number of change documents that you now want to move to a status which allows you to import into the pre-production system. You do not want to move all change documents manually. In this case list all change documents for the project (in the right status) and then move them to the next status using the “Set Next Status Value” option.

Timeout during setting of next status

You are moving the status of a change document in the Web UI. During release of the transport of copies or during the import of the transports (Urgent Change) the Web-UI has a time out and the status is set back to the previous status because of the consistency checks. Especially if the release of the transport of copies takes too long in a large development you might end up in an endless loop using the Web-UI. In this case set the status using the “Set Next Status Value” option.

Mass update of documents

Despite your roles and responsibilities, the ChaRM users are not completing their change documents by setting them to status completed. In a regular clean up activity you want to move the status of all change documents affected. List the documents using reporting, then copy the document numbers into the service report. Now use option “Set Next Status Value”.

Change Documents left behind

You have an amount of change documents that are in any processing status. These documents are no longer needed and there is no open maintenance or project cycle for the change documents any more (e.g. project completed, the logical component has been decommissioned etc.). You can withdraw the change documents in a mass withdrawal. Please keep in mind that a reversal of the transports might still be required (or might be obsolete in case of a system refresh across the landscape).

Conclusion

The service report is a powerful tool that can help you fixing inconsistencies, mass update document status or withdraw unneeded or stuck documents. Before using the report make sure that your status schema is in place to avoid bad surprises (especially if you use a custom status schema).