Introduction

In modern times of industrial espionage, leaked information and blackmailing, it is essential to deal with the security of SAP Systems.

Centralized and summarized presentation of current configuration parameters becomes more and more necessary to gain an ideal overview of the security status of IT landscapes. This is what so-called “Dashboards” can do.

Recent survey results¹ of the German-speaking SAP user group “DSAG” showed that the majority of respondents do not use a central SAP Security Dashboard.

On this topic there is a lot of information in different places. This blog post aims to give a summarized step by step guide on how to use Solution Manager “Configuration Validation” and “Dashboard Builder”² to implement custom fiori-based Security Dashboards.

As a simple example, the following profile parameters for password minimum requirements³ are used:

 

Contents

This blog post is structured into the following parts:

1. Where can I find Solution Manager Dashboard Builder?
2. Create a new Dashboard
   1. Create Category
   2. Create Dashboard
   3. Create Group
3. Create a Configuration Validation Report
   1. Create Target System
      1. Create Target System from selected Source System
      2. Adjust Configuration Items in the Configuration Store
   2. Create Comparison List
   3. Run Validation Report
4. Display Configuration Validation Report results in the Dashboard
   1. Create Dashboard Tiles
      1. Choose the Configuration Validation Target System
      2. Choose the Configuration Validation Comparison List
      3. Further configuration
   2. Create Drill-Down view
   3. View the Dashboard
   4. Detailed Dashboard Tiles configuration parameters
5. Extended Concept(s)
6. Appendix
   1. Useful Configuration Stores for Security Reporting

 

Step 1: Where can I find Solution Manager Dashboard Builder?

Dashboard Builder is accessible in the Fiori Launchpad tile “Configuration Analytics and Dashboards”, which is hidden in the standard view.

You can enable the tile by personalizing the Home Page:

 

Step 2: Create a new Dashboard

Individual Dashboards in “Dashboard Builder” are structured in Categories. Each Dashboard consists of Groups and Tiles:

 

2.1: Create Category

 

 

2.2: Create Dashboard

 

 

2.3: Create Group

 

Before the Group can be filled with tiles, it is necessary to create a Report in Configuration Validation. Its results are then displayed in the dashboard.

 

Step 3: Create a Configuration Validation Report

In the Solution Manager Launchpad, the tile “Configuration Validation” can be found in the “Root Cause Analysis” Group:

Configuration Validation compares the configuration of SAP systems in a system comparison list with a predefined state of a target system:

 

3.1: Create Target System

 

A target system is created from an existing source system. This includes various Configuration Stores with individual Configuration Items.

The parameters mentioned in the example are Configuration Items in the Configuration Store “ABAP_INSTANCE_PAHI” (Store for profile parameters).

 

3.1.1: Create Target System from selected Source System

 

 

3.1.2: Adjust Configuration Items in the Configuration Store

 

 

3.2: Create Comparison List

 

 

3.3: Run Validation Report

 

 

Step 4: Display Configuration Validation Report results in the Dashboard

Back in Solution Manager Dashboard Builder, the tiles can now be created.

 

4.1: Create Dashboard Tiles

 

 

4.1.1: Choose the Configuration Validation Target System “TST”

(as created in “3.1: Create Target System“)

 

4.1.2: Choose the Configuration Validation Comparison List “ALL ABAP”

(as created in “3.2: Create Comparison List“)

 

4.1.3: Further configuration

 

4.4: Create Drill-Down view

 

 

4.3: View the Dashboard

 

 

4.4: Detailed Dashboard Tiles configuration parameters

 

Tile: Password Requirements

Drill-Down View

Tile: Minimum password length

The remaining tiles

• Number of lowercase letters
• Number of uppercase letters
• Number of digits
• Number of letters
• Number of special characters

are identical. Only Filter 4 “Configuration Item” needs to be adjusted.

 

Extended concept(s):

For a clearer presentation, it is a good idea to create multiple dashboards. For example, a central SAP Security Dashboard could be structured as follows:

• General System Overview⁴
• SAP Security Baseline⁵ ⁶
• Company-specific Security Projects (e.g. high-priority topics from the SAP Security Patch Day)
  

 

Appendix

Useful Configuration Stores for Security Reporting

 

 

Sources and related content

¹ DSAG-Umfrage zur IT-Sicherheit im SAP-Umfeld: https://www.dsag.de/externe-news/dsag-umfrage-zur-it-sicherheit-im-sap-umfeld

² SAP Solution Manager 7.2 – Dashboard Builder: https://blogs.sap.com/2017/02/28/sap-solution-manager-7.2-dashboard-builder/

³ Securing SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP Systems against password attacks: https://blogs.sap.com/2018/02/14/securing-sap-netweaver-as-abap-systems-against-password-attacks/

⁴ How to realize a Solution Manager LMDB System Overview in Dashboard Builder: https://blogs.sap.com/2018/04/24/how-to-realize-a-solution-manager-lmdb-system-overview-in-dashboard-builder/

⁵ Security Baseline Template & Security Notes Webinar: https://support.sap.com/en/offerings-programs/support-services/security-optimization-services-portfolio.html

⁶ 2253549 – The SAP Security Baseline Template: https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2253549

ConfVal_Home – Technical Operations – SCN Wiki: https://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/TechOps/ConfVal_Home