Solution Manager DefinitionThe SAP Solution Manager is the central application management platformthat customers can run in their solution landscape to help them efficientlyimplement, operate, monitor, and support their SAP solutions.SAP Solution Manager is thus used for both Implementation and OperationalFunctions.The SAP Solution Manager provides tools, content, and a gateway to SAPthat helps to:Optimize the management of your SAP solutionEnsure reliability of your SAP solutionEnsure efficient operationsEase implementation and upgradesContinuously adapt and improve your solution

Customer's System LandscapeThe SAP Solution Manager is aseparate, complete Web ApplicationServer installation that is connected toall systems in your solution landscape.These various systems are calledsatellite systems.In this way, SAP Solution Manager actsas the central system of your solutionlandscape, allowing businessprocesses to be implemented, tested,and even monitored in an integratedmanner, thus avoiding duplication ofeffort and information and streamliningyour activities.

Increasingly Complex SystemsIn the last few years, the IT world ofSAP customers has grown much morecomplex. Instead of one single SAPR/3 system, there are now extensivesystem landscapes distributed over theentire globe involving differentsolutions. Thus, it has become muchmore complicated to manage all of thecomponents of the various solutions.The management process has alsobecome more complicated for SAPitself. For example, over the lastseveral years, SAP has consolidatedseparate information sources andservices into the SAP ServiceMarketplace (service.sap.com). Byhaving a solution management systemat every customer site, SAP can offer avirtually seamless link from customersystems to the service marketplace,

helping to reduce the time for support,notes access, and so on.

Why Solution Manager?Audio TranscriptThere are several reasons to implement SAP Solution Manager. First, SAP Solution Manager enables the customerto have a faster implementation of SAP solutions and helps optimize operations once implementation is complete.Second, implementing SAP Solution Manager gives the customer access to all available implementation and upgradecontent.Third, customers have easy access to all support services that are relevant to operations, maintenance, andimprovement activities. This leads to faster issue resolution through close collaboration with Active Global Support.Faster implementation and more efficient operation of solutionsAll available implementation and upgrade content is includedOptimal access to all support servicesOptimal support of all operations, maintenance and improvementactivitiesFaster issue resolution through collaboration with Active Global Support

Solution Manager Usage ScenariosAudio TranscriptThere are many scenarios in which SAP Solution Manager can be used. Each scenario occurs in one of the three lifecycle phases, implementation, operations, and optimization. This is also known as the cycle of continuousimprovement.There are six common scenarios for Solution Manager. They are:Implement SAP SolutionsMonitor SAP SolutionsManage the Service DeskLink to SAP ServicesManage Change RequestsUpgrade SAP Solutions

Benefits of SAP Solution Manager: 1Audio TranscriptSolution Manager provides many benefits for the customer. One of the benefits is more reliable IT solutions. WithSAP Solution Manager, companies can minimize risk during implementation and operation. They can avoidinconsistencies in heterogeneous environments by performing cross-component consistency checks. With the SAPSolution Manager Service Desk, customers can resolve issues quickly. The result is better IT service and less downtime.The tools and content provided by SAP Solution Manager make implementation and change management projectsmore efficient. Companies can reduce the cost of process design, technical setup, business setup, support andoperations, testing, and knowledge transfer. Centralized project handling, blueprinting, configuration, and testingensure consistency and avoid redundancies, which reduces the cost of implementation projects in multi-componentenvironments.SAP Solution Manager provides a framework for consistent solution documentation and preserves documents forlater use, which reduces the costs of upgrades or continuous improvement projects.Benefits of SAP Solution ManagerMore reliable IT solutions

Minimize risk during implementationAvoid inconsistenciesResolve issues quickly resulting in less down timeMore efficient implementation and change management projectsReduced cost of implementation and continuous improvementReduce cost of process design technical setup, business setup,support and operations, testing, and knowledge transferCentralized project handling blueprinting, configuration, andtestingReduces the costs of upgrades or continuous improvementprojects.

Benefits of Solution Manager: 2Audio TranscriptAnother benefit of SAP Solution Manager is faster return on investment. SAP Solution Manager acceleratesimplementation and continuous improvement. It provides implementation accelerators and a library of preconfiguredbusiness processes as a starting point for projects. This means that companies don't need to begin from scratch, andcan benefit from SAP’s business process experience. Content and services available through SAP Solution Manager– such as implementation road maps, best-practice documents, and SAP solution management services, – speedlearning and accelerate projects.Using Solution Manager can also reduce the cost of operation by providing a central point of control for multicomponentenvironments. In heterogeneous environments, SAP Solution Manager facilitates technical andapplication integration.Finally, Solution Manager gives the customer more leverage from their IT investments. SAP Solution Manager andintegrates with IT landscapes that include both SAP and non-SAP applications. Companies can use it to reduce theirtotal cost of ownership without making major changes to their IT environments.More Benefits of SAP Solution ManagerFaster return on investment (ROI)Accelerates implementation and continuous improvementAvailability of implementation road maps, best-practicedocuments, and SAP solution

management services speedlearning and accelerate project

Reduced cost of operationProvides central point of control for multi-componentenvironments.Facilitates technical and application integration.More leverage from IT investmentsIntegrates with IT landscapes that include both SAP and non-SAPApplications

ASAP Methodology DefinedThe AcceleratedSAP (ASAP) methodology is a proven, repeatable, and successful approach to implement SAPsolutions across multiple industries and customer environments. This methodology evolved from a time in the mid-1990swhen SAP realized that customers needed a better approach to SAP R/3 implementations.ASAP was first introduced as a PC-based tool set called ValueSAP, which eventually included the Implementation,Global, and Upgrade roadmaps. The ASAP methodology is now fully integrated into SAP Solution Manager andAcceleratedSAP roadmaps provide content, tools, and expertise from thousands of successful implementations.SAP is continually improving these roadmaps with enriched content based on experience gained in implementingsolutions.

Standard ASAP RoadmapsAudio TranscriptASAP roadmaps outline the activities involved in implementing, upgrading, or enhancing SAP solutions. Eachroadmap has a set of deliverables, accelerators, role descriptions and additional guides. The five standard roadmapsare listed on this screen.The Implementation Roadmap for SAP Solutions provide the methodological framework for the project teamduring the implementation of an SAP solution.The Solution Management Roadmap provides a methodology for the implementation of the technicalinfrastructure and its operation.The Global Template Roadmap describes how to organize and run a project where a corporate template isdeveloped.The Upgrade Roadmap is designed to help you carry out the customizing activities required for an upgrade.There are also other roadmaps, such as the Enterprise Portal and Exchange Infrastructure roadmaps, but we donot go into detail on these here..

To learn more about the each roadmap, move your pointer over the name of the item you want to learn more about.ASAP roadmaps outline the activities involved in implementing, upgrading, or enhancing SAP solutions. Theseroadmaps are enriched with set of deliverables, accelerators, role descriptions, and additional guides. The five standardroadmaps are listed below. To learn more about the functions of each, move your pointer over the name of the item youwant to learn more about.Implementation RoadmapSolution Management RoadmapGlobal Template RoadmapUpgrade RoadmapOther Roadmaps

Five Phases of the Implementation RoadmapAudio TranscriptThe implementation roadmap consists of five phases. The first phase is Project Preparation. This is the initial planningfor the customers' SAP project. The activities include general project management requirements, an issuesmanagement plan, an organizational change management plan, and the establishment of other policies andprocedures for running the project.

This phase must be completed before the next phase begins. The next phase, the business blueprint phase,comprises activities for aligning the customers’ business and technical requirements to the SAP standard software.Just as a blueprint of a house is a plan by which an architect conveys the building requirements to the contractor, sothe business blueprint in ASAP becomes the plan for the eventual configuration of a customers’ SAP softwaresolution. This phase concludes with the approval of a business blueprint document.The realization phase comprises the building and testing of the solution as prescribed by the business blueprintdocument. Activities in this phase include customizing in the Implementation Guide of the associated developmentsystems. The realization phase also includes software enhancements, special progamming, building and executingtest plans, and finally, signing-off the configured system.During the final preparation phase many crucial tasks remain, such as acceptance testing of the production systemhardware, the completion of end-user training, and plans for transfer to the production system.The final phase is Go Live and Support. During this phase, items such as service level agreements and help-deskprocedures are established and tested. The conclusion of this phase is the hand-over to the operations andmonitoring staff.

The ASAPImplementation Roadmapprovides a workbreakdown structure thatcan be used to plan andtrack the underlyingactivities and tasks of theimplementation; however,it is not meant to becharacterized as a projectmanagement tool. In fact,there are links toMicrosoft Project from theroadmap, allowing aproject manager todownload the entirestructure into an MSProject plan.Each phase of theroadmap provides a list of list of general project management activities, such as project team status, scope management,training plan management and so on

Elements of the Implementation RoadmapAudio Transcript

This screen describes the various elements of the Implementation Roadmap. These elements are the roadmapstructure, the viewing area and the attachment area.As the graphic illustrates, the Roadmap Structure is located on the left-hand side of the screen and gives the projecta list of items that outlines what to do and when to do it.The viewing/text area, on the upper right side of the screen, displays procedural guides, prerequisite information,and deliverables of the highlighted structure items.Finally, the attachments area on the lower right-side of the screen displays various items, such as accelarators,issues, supplemental documentation, and project team members responsible for the tasks listed in the roadmapstructure.The main elements of theImplementation Roadmap are:Roadmap structureViewing/text areaAttachments areaThe roadmap structure gives theproject team a list of what to do andwhen to do it. This appears on the leftsideof the screen displayed. Theroadmap structure can be filtered byroles so that each team member canfocus only on those items requiringtheir attention.The viewing/text area, on the upperright-side of the screen, displaysprocedural guides, prerequisiteinformation, and deliverables of thehighlighted structure items on the leftsideof the screen.The attachments area on the lowerright-side of the screen displays variousitems, such as accelerators, issues,and supplemental documentation. Inthis area you can also carry-out varioustasks, such as assigning project teammembers and tracking the status of thehighlighted item in the roadmapstructure.

Features of the Business BlueprintThere are several features of a Business Blueprint transaction. We will focuson the following features:Blueprint structureBusiness scenariosBusiness process groupsAssociated itemsBlueprint documentEach feature has a direct impact on the other. Let's take a closer look atthese features and how they relate.

Business Blueprint FeaturesAudio TranscriptThe Business Blueprint Structure is displayed on the left side of the screen. This structure is developed in thebusiness process workshops. All requirements are recorded and associated with a structure item. The content used to

establish the structure is found in the Business Process Repository.The business structure displayed on this screen is based on Business Scenarios. The business scenarios aredefined first. Then, supporting business process groups are chosen from the Business Process Repository, basedon those scenarios.On the right side of the screen, associated items are available to support the line-items in the structure on the left.Additional features, such as project documentation, transaction assignments and graphical flow of processes are alsoavailable.Once the blueprint structure is finalized, the blueprint document can be generated and becomes the “master plan”for the realization phase of the project.The Business Blueprint structure isdisplayed on the left side of the screen.This structure is developed through thebusiness process workshops; allrequirements gathered are recordedand associated with a structure item.The content used to establish thestructure is found in the BusinessProcess Repository (BPR).The business structure displayed onthis screen is based on a businessscenario. The business scenarios arefirst defined, and then supportingbusiness process groups are chosenfrom the BPR based on thosescenarios.These decisions are based upon theactivities outlined in the BusinessBlueprint phase of the ImplementationRoadmap, where workshops areorganized with the purpose of definingthe business process needs of theproject.On the right side of the screen,associated items are available tosupport the line items in the structureon the left. Additional features such asproject documentation, transactionassignments, and graphical flow ofprocesses are also available.Once the blueprint structure is finalized,the blueprint document can be

generated and becomes the "masterplan" for the realization phase of theproject.

Components of the Configuration TransactionThe purpose of the Configuration transaction is to use the Business Blueprint structure to configure IMG objects in yourdevelopment system. Here is a list of the most commonly used components available in the Configuration transaction:Project documentationTransaction assignmentsConfiguration of IMG objectsDevelopment itemsTest casesGraphicsTraining materials

Functions of ConfigurationUsing the blueprint documentgenerated in the Business Blueprintphase, the project team will go into theConfiguration transaction in the SAPSolution Manager to customize theattached development system.Customization is the configuration ofthe Implementation Guide (IMG)objects in the target system. Theblueprint structure is replicated in theconfiguration screen. The associateditems on the right side of the screenprovide a place for documentation,administration, tracking, IMG objects tobe configured, test cases, and teammembers assigned.

Configuration Testing Features: 1Testing is one of most importantcomponents of Configuration. A crucialpart of the Realization phase is theability to test the functionality of thesolution as you build it. Integrated intoSolution Manager is the TestWorkbench, which includes the testorganizer, automated testing tools, and

interfaces to third-party testing tools.The figure depicts the integration of thetesting tools provided by the SAPSolution Manager.

Configuration Testing Features: 2Audio TranscriptLet's walk through the test workflow outlined on this screen. First, a project structure is created and test cases arecollected. In the second step, the collected test cases are assigned to different test packages in the project structure.Then, the test packages are given to the assigned testers the project. The test packages are executed and then thetest results are analyzed.The benefits of this systems are:Fast test preparation and executionA single point of access to the complete system landscapeCentral storage of testing material and test resultsand

Re-use of existing testing material

SAP Solution Manager During Productive OperationsAudio TranscriptOnce we have a live production system, Solution Manager takes on the role of a central system that integrates toolssuch as system monitoring, business process monitoring and the help desk.Solution Manager is a powerful tool because it is your gateway to SAP Support. Based on your solution configuration,Solution Manager automatically triggers recommendations for services such as remote consulting, self-services, andbest practice documents.We'll examine these features in more detail.Customer's "central system"Customer's Help DeskCustomer's link to SAP Servicesand Support

Solution MonitoringAudio TranscriptThe increasing number of IT solutions is a growing challenge for the administration team in a computer center. As aresult, computer center managers demand a monitoring method that is centralized (with all information in one tool),yet can be extended to cover new components.Instead of classic system monitoring of individual system components, we now talk about solution monitoring, whereentire business processes can be monitored across multiple components. This concept is realized through thefollowing three monitoring sections within the SAP Solution Manager: Business Process Monitoring, Central SystemMonitoring, and Service Level Management.The continually increasing number of IT solutions and components is a growing challenge for the administration team ina computer center. The number of components has increased from what was required with SAP R/3 (including SAP

instances, database, hardware, and operating system) to include an ever-growing range of technologies. As a result ofthis development, computer center managers demand a monitoring method that is centralized (with all information inone tool), yet can be extended to cover new components.Instead of classic system monitoring of individual system components, we now talk about Solution Monitoring, whereentire business processes can be monitored as a whole across multiple components. This concept is realized throughthe following three monitoring sections within the SAP Solution Manager:

1. Business Process Monitoring2. System Monitoring: Central System3. Service Level Management

Monitoring RecommendationsUse Service Level Management in the SAP Solution Manager to lay thefoundation for setting up the correct procedures for monitoring of your SAPsolution. The recommended technique is to define an explicit monitoringconcept for central system monitoring using the Computing CenterManagement System (CCMS) in conjunction with the SAP SolutionManager. This form of system monitoring, that starts with monitoring allbusiness-process-relevant system components, is known as the inside-outapproach. The complementary outside-in approach involves using tools fromthird-party manufacturers. To achieve comprehensive monitoring, SAP

recommends using both approaches simultaneously.

Service Desk FeaturesAudio TranscriptThe service desk offers a complete infrastructure for running a solution-wide support organization at your site.Features of the service desk include:

a Message handling processa Customer solution databaseSAP Notes ManagementSolution Manager DiagnosticsNow that we have talked about someof the features of solution monitoring,we will look at another component ofthe SAP Solution Manager: ServiceDesk. The service desk offers acomplete infrastructure for organizingand operating a solution-widesupport organization at your site.Features include:Message handling processCustomer solution databaseManaging SAP NotesSolution Manager diagnostics

Message Handling Process:- End user can create messages that automatically collect systems and context data. An interface for third-party messaging tool is also included.

Customer solution database:- Allows customer to build a history data base for future troubleshooting.

Managing SAP Notes:- Integrated notes search from the SAP service market place, as well as the ability to implement the notes via the SAP Notes Assistant.

Solution Manager Diagnostics:- Provides all functionality to centrally analyze and moniter a complete SAP.

Change Request ManagementAfter reviewing the features of the Service Desk, let's examine some of themore advanced features of SAP Solution Manager. Two commonly usedadvanced features are Change Request Management and Solution ManagerDiagnostics.Change Request Management, as part of the SAP Solution Manager,integrates service desk functionality for managing change requests. Theprocesses supported by Change Request Management include urgentcorrections for implementing fast and direct changes in the productiveenvironment, and maintenance cycle activities such as regular releases andimplementation, upgrade, or template projects.

Three Tiers of Change Request Management

End-to-End Root Cause Analysis and Solution Monitoring with SAP SolutionManager

Solution Manager DiagnosticsA key requirement for efficient and safesupport of IT solutions is the ability toperform root cause analysis with speed

and efficiency. Solution Managerdiagnostics provides all functionality tocentrally analyze and monitor acomplete SAP solution. It also reducesthe time needed to train a supportconsultant in root cause analysis.