Problem

What do you usually do when your solution deployed on the SAP Business Technology Platform goes sideways for some reason? How do you handle updates of your app and your database? How do you handle failure within the workloads of SAP provided services like SAP Integration Suite?

It is a complicated answer, I know. But we can summarize it with a couple of different options:

manually

You have a detailed wiki/git page with screenshots and the step-by-step procedure of how to handle complex DevOps scenarios. This way is time-consuming and has a ton of challenges.

with scripting

You might support а bunch of shell, python, or whatever scripts that automate those operations. And whenever something changes (versioning, changes int the services that you use, etc.) you adapt those scripts and continue.

with REST

You might have a bunch of Postman pre-defined REST API calls which you invoke (either manually on automatically). You maintain this content up-to-date and face similar challenges as with scripting.

All of these approaches are perfectly fine. What they lack is two things: 

1. A standard method of operation no matter if you are on Cloud Foundry and or Neo
2. Pre-defined content that you can use as-is or extend without having enormous contextual knowledge about Platform, scripting, or something else.

The challenges you have might include:

Solution

SAP Automation Pilot enables you to automatically solve all of the above by providing you with five distinct features: 

1. Pre-defined automation content, which we call commands, maintained and updated by us. We have organized it into catalogs that can handle different scenarios – like an update of your HANA database or restart of a full application stack. Or with simple operations like – executing a REST API or executing a script.
2. Powerful and highly-scalable execution engine which we have based on Kafka, allows you to run multiple commands in a scalable manner.
3. Ability to easily enrich the provided content with your own without any coding, all you need to know is how REST works.
4. Close integration with SAP Alert Notification service, which enables you to automate the reactions to your alerts fully.
5. Easy schedule and execute regular DevOps activities

Where does it work?

It works right next to the Platform, and it allows you to operate different regions no matter the location with a single instance of Automation Pilot. Currently, it works on US30 BTP landscape, and we plan availability in Europe and APJ regions. However, the US region can also handle your solution no matter the location.

What about a trial?

We are currently in the process of planning for a trial version of Automation Pilot, stay tuned.

How can I learn more?

First, start with checking out Automation Pilot’s help page – there you are going to find much useful information and the help contains GIFs where you can see exactly how to achieve something. 

In this blog post, we are going to reference multiple useful blog posts that we write for your convenience. Let’s start with: 

Automatic Alert Remmediation with Automation Pilot, Alert Notification and ServiceNow

Do you want a demo or have a question?

Just drop us an email to support.autopilot@groups.sap.com and we are going to arrange it.

When?

Automation Pilot general availability should happen at the beginning of August(note that delay is always possible) and it is already consumable via Cloud Cockpit for CPEA based accounts with beta features flag enabled.

Automation Pilot is CPEA service, we charge for blocks of 1000 API calls. The final price is going to be available immediately after the GA. We are also working on SAP Store integration for providing it to non-CPEA accounts.