Connecting external SAP BW to SAP Solution Manager applications
In several previous blogs I already mentioned that you can bridge data silos and bring external SAP BW data into applications like Business Process Operations dashboards, Dependency Diagrams or Progress Management Board via BEx query. In Business Process Operations dashboards that means that you can report on SAP Solution Manager and SAP BW data in parallel. With the help of Dependency Diagrams you can easily visualize how operational, problem-oriented Business Process Analytics key figures can have an impact on your overarching Business KPIs (e.g. Days Sales Outstanding) which will be measured in SAP BW. The Progress Management Board allows then the progress tracking of Business Process Analytics key figures or SAP BW business KPIs.
This blog explains the steps you need to perform in order to see the external BW data in the above mentioned SAP Solution Manager applications. The description is basically taken from chapter 4.4 of the Best Practice document about Dependency Diagrams (~15 pages in total).
SAP BW Connector Setup
The first step is that you create once a corresponding connector instance, so that the SAP Solution Manager knows which SAP BW system should be connected and which RFC connection should be used.
As of SAP Solution Manager 7.1 SP14 you will find under BPO Reporting Structure the tab for the Data Source Manager. Under Connector you will find the BW Query Connector called BPO_BW_Query.
- Go to the Tab Data Source Manager
- Select the BPO_BW_Query Connector
- Click ‘add’ to configure a Connector Instance to your BW system.
- Maintain a Name and a Description for the Connector Instance
- Select the Read RFC Connection to your BW system and enter the system Name.
- Under Application you add the BPO Dashboards as Application by clicking on ‘Add’
- Create your Connector Instance
- Save it. If you reload the tab you should see two green lights under Status and Active
AKF Setup for BEx query
The next step is to maintain an Analytical Key Figure (AKF) that specifies which BEx query should be used for data retrieval from which Info Provider. This query needs to be defined in SAP BW obviously.
We are still in the same UI where we just created the connector instance and click on the button Maintain BW Query AKF.
- Click ‘Add’.
- Enter a technical name and a Description.
- Select the Connector Instance you created before.
- Use the F4 Help to find your BW Query. The Info Cube will be automatically selected if you add the Query.
- Use the F4 Help to select the key figure. This is basically the measurement coming from the Query (i.e. the amount of days in this example).
- Save.
The RFC User maintained in the Read RFC Connection to your SAP BW system for the BEx query needs the following authorizations:
Object |
Authorization Field |
S_RFC |
RFC_TYPE=FUGR |
RFC_NAME= RZX0 |
|
RFC_NAME=/SDF/E2EEM_COLLECTORS |
|
RFC_NAME=AGS_BPM_RI_CONN; |
|
RFC_NAME=SYST; |
|
RFC_NAME=SUNI; |
|
ACTVT=16 |
|
S_RFC |
RFC_TYPE=FUNC |
RFC_NAME=RSZ_X_COMPONENT_LIST_GET |
|
RFC_NAME=/SDF/E2EEM_GET_DATA |
|
ACTVT=16 |
|
/SDF/E2E |
ACTVT=03 |
S_SRT_ELOG |
ACTVT=03 |
S_SRT_PLOA |
WS_NAME=*;USR_ACCESS=1; |
ACTVT=03 |
|
AI_DIAGE2E |
ACTVT=03 |
Use the AKF in the respective SAP Solution Manager application
Now that you created you AKF for the respective BEx query it can be used like any other AKFI that you created previously based on Business Process Analytics. So you can go now into the Business Process Operations setup and assign the new BW AKF to some panel, or you can go into the Dependency Diagram setup and use the AKF as root or child tile, or you assign the AKF to your newly created Progress Management Board.
Further reading
You can find all necessary information about Business Process Analytics in this document. More information on Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions can be found here.
Frequently Asked Questions about Business Process Monitoring and Business Process Analytics are answered underhttp://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Monitoring and
http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/FAQ+Business+Process+Analytics respectively.
The following blogs (in chronological order) provide further details about Business Process Analytics and Business Process Monitoring functionalities within the SAP Solution Manager.
- Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Manufacturing
- Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Procure to Pay
- Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for Order to Cash
- Typical Use Cases for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager
- New key figure catalog for Business Process Monitoring available
- Why SAP offers different tools for Business Process Monitoring & Business Process Optimization
- Protect your SAP ERP investment & improve your core business processes
- Create your own customer-specific key figure for Business Process Monitoring within 5 minutes
- New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially for CRM Marketing
- New functionality “Business Process Analytics” – how to improve your business processes
- New key figures for Business Process Monitoring in SAP Solution Manager, especially Lead Time measurements
- Traditional Business KPI approach vs Business Process Monitoring
- Systematic errors vs real exceptions or improving efficiency vs effectiveness
- Before you get started with SAP HANA…you should also consider cleaning-up your backend system first
- Best Practice: Business Process Monitoring for CRM Sales
- Business Process Operations dashboards – ALL AT A GLANCE
- Business Process Operations dashboards – behind the scenes
- Customer testimonials on Business Process Analytics
- Customer Exit: Create your own key figure for BPMon AND Business Process Analytics
- Heads-up: Setup environment of BPMon & Analytics changes with SolMan 7.1 SP5
- New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics, especially for working capital improvement
- New Business Process Analytics features with SAP SolMan 7.1 SP5
- New Business Process Analytics – The filter sequence makes the difference
- New key figures: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during delivery due processing
- New key figure: Analyzing/Monitoring exceptions during billing due processing
- Enhanced key figures: Analyzing/monitoring SD invoices not transferred to FI
- New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in CRM Sales or Service documents, Business Activities or Tasks
- New keyfigures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions from APO planning runs
- New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics – new exception and automation rate key figures for ERP plus new content for FSCM, APO and CRM
- New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions during Period End Closing
- New key figures: Analyzing/monitoring exceptions in Controlling (CO-PC)
- Enhanced key figures: Bridging the organizational gap between SD and FI-AR
- Business Process Analytics: Types of key figures and their respective use cases
- Business Process Analytics: Types of functions and their respective features & purposes
- New key figures for BPMon & BP Analytics – new content for Travel & Expense Management, Banking and Utilities
- SAP Business Process Analytics” available for download in Apple’s App Store
- Discrete manufacturing: Mapping BP Analytics key figures to system status
- New key figures for BPMon & Analytics – new content for vendor invoice processing (e.g. Shared Service Center scenarios) and new delta throughput for Order to Cash
- Business Process Analytics: ad-hoc and real time with or without SAP HANA
- New landing page for “Business Process Improvement for SAP solutions”
- New KPI Catalog available in the cloud – Part 1
- New KPI Catalog available in the cloud – Part 2
- New with 7.1 SP14: Dependency Diagrams (KPI trees)
- Virtual characteristics in Business Process Operations dashboards
- Usage Analysis for Business Process Analytics & Dashboards
- New key figures for BPMon & Analytics – new content for Inventory Optimization, commitment items & configuration checks
- New features in KPI cloud catalog & updated Business Process Analytics content
- Best Practices: Creating Management Dashboards
- New key figures for BPMon & Analytics – new & enhanced content for FI, ERP operations & HCM
- Parent/child relationships in Business Process Operations dashboards
- New application Progress Management Board