ChaRM Overview

SAP Solution Manager’s Change

Request Management

Functionality

Creating Projects and Cycles

Overview

Utilizing ChaRM Transaction Types

Common Challenges and Solutions

Applying Advanced Topologies (Best Practices)

Wrap-up

SAP AG 2007, 3

E2E Change Deployment – Typical Questions

Is there ONE

place to

manage the

software

logistics ?

Did we record

automatically

application

changes ?

How to change

ABAP & Java

components

synchronous ?

Did we import

all changes

successfully ?

How to manage

heterogenous

development

environments

?

SAP AG 2007, 4

SAP E2E Standards for Solution Operation Cover All

Operations Processes

Available Information:

White Papers

Detailed technical description

Training

Certifications

Example: Process standards “Change Request Management”

and “Change Control Management”

Champs PMO Application

Mgmt

Technical

Operations

Monitor

Change

Request

Business

Change *

Implement

Change

Test

Change

Deploy

Change

Sign-Off

Change

* Business Changes = Request Adaptation or

Request Project

SAP AG 2007, 5

Story Line: Change Request Management

Effective application management is key for companies to stay

ahead of the competition

SAP’s scope of application management includes all types of

application changes:

Business process changes, implementation and upgrade projects

Periodic maintenance

Emergency corrections

Change Request Management strengthens the strategy of

SAP Solution Manager as SAP’s standard application

management platform which:

Ensures reliability

Reduces total cost of ownership and increases total solution value

Bridges the gap between business requirements and IT

administration

Helps meet audit/Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance requirements

SAP AG 2007, 6

SAP Solution Manager

The Three Tiers of Change Request Management

Management of all change requests

Change request categorization

Change documentation

Approval workflow

Status reporting

Complete change history

Change Admin

Customizing and development (Realization)

Test execution

Seamless integration into TMS

Transport scheduling

Transport tracking

Change LogisticsProject Management

Project planning and budgeting

Project documentation

Customizing and development (Specifications)

Test management

SAP AG 2007, 7

Change Request Management – Roles in a Nutshell

… categorizes, approves and monitors Change Requests.

… is the Steering Committee in the Change Management process.

… implements a change and hands over to the Tester.

… tests a change, sets status in the Change Document.

… takes care of software logistics.

… creates an Service Message or a Change Request directly.

Developer

Requestor

Tester

Change

Manager

IT Operator

Service Desk

Employee

Change

Advisory

Board

… handles the Service Message and creates a Change Request.


Overview


Common Challenges


Planned Outlook and Wrap-up

SAP AG 2007, 9

Release Management with Change Request Management

Release Management refers to packaging and coordinating changes into

releases for deployment

SAP Solution Manager projects can be extended by adding project

cycles, which control project phases

Project phases determine whether transport requests can be or cannot

be created, released, or imported

Project phases are visible in the blueprint and configuration

transactions

cProjects can be used to extend project management capabilities and to

manage multiple phase-specific projects

SAP AG 2007, 10

Solution Manager Can Manage Parallel Implementation and

Maintenance Projects

Development Test Production

…

Implementation Project Market Campaign

Implementation Reorg Finance

Maintenance Project Finance and Customer Relation

… Maintenance Cycles

… Urgent Corrections

SAP Solution Manager – Change Request Management

SAP AG 2007, 11

General Project Administration

General project administration functions:

Create projects

Change projects

Display projects

Delete projects

Transport projects

Access project templates

Transaction

SOLAR_PROJECT_ADMIN

SAP AG 2007, 12

SAP Solution Manager Projects and Project Cycles

SAP Solution Manager Project

Project CycleDevelopment phase

(without or with release) Test phaseGo-live

phaseEmergency

correction phase

cProject

SAP AG 2007, 13

Project Cycle

SAP AG 2007, 14

Using Cycle Task List General Functions

Cycle Task List

Source Systems

Target Systems

General Tasks

Track1 of Project

.

.

.

.

.

.Production Systems

.

.

.

Single Systems...

Post-Processing Systems

General Final Tasks

Track2 of Project

Task lists allow scheduling and

monitoring batch processing:

Daily imports

Parallel imports into multiple systems (ECC,

CRM, BW, …)

Monitor task logs

Insert additional tasks

Add notes and documents

Send mail

Change layout

Print task list

SAP AG 2007, 15

Task Lists

Central navigation to and

monitoring of the relevant systems

and functionality

SAP AG 2007, 16


Change Request Management – Cycle Management

Cycle

Transaction Change

Manager

DEV

QAS

PRD

Controlled transports


Project Cycle

Cycle

Task

List

SAP AG 2007, 17

Phase Shift in Change Request Management

SAP AG 2007, 18

Project buffer Project buffer

Consistent Regular Corrections in a Project Cycle

DEV QAS PRD

Legend:

Regular CorrectionsTest Transports

(Transport of Copies)

SAP AG 2007, 19

Project

created in

cProjects

SAP Solution

Manager

project


Project

cycle

transaction

cProjects

Project

cycle

task list

Release Management with Change Request Management

IMG

project

IMG

project

...

Physical

(development)

systems

CTS

project

CTS

project

CTS

project

Logical systems

(clients)

CTS

project

CTS

project

CTS

project

...

...

Transport

Request

SAP AG 2007, 20

Advantages of Release Deliveries and Parallel Projects

Advantages of Release Deliveries: Common regression testing for several projects at once

Changes in production only at certain points in times

No crossreference dependencies with other projects

Higher stability in production

Advantages of Parallel Projects: No wait times for release deliveries

Individual project duration of each project is possible

Faster realization by individual timing of each project


Overview




Wrap-up

SAP AG 2007, 22

Sample Change Transaction with Audit Trail in Change Request

Management

John Doe

John Doe

SAP AG 2007, 23

Change Document Text, Audit Trail – Part 1

SAP AG 2007, 24


SAP AG 2007, 25


SAP AG 2007, 26

Harmonizing Maintenance Activities

Urgent

Corrections

(independent of Maintenance Cycle)

Regular

Corrections

Maintenance CycleDevelopment

(without or with release) Test Go-LiveEmergency

Correction

cProject

Test

messages

(during integration test)

SAP Solution Manager Project (Maintenance Project)

Maintenance Cycle

Harmonization Harmonization Harmonization

SAP AG 2007, 27



Urgent

Corrections

(independent of Maintenance Cycle)

Regular

Corrections


cProject

Test

messages


Harmonization

Maintenance Cycle

Harmonization Harmonization

Development(with or

without release) Test Go-LiveEmergency

Correction

SAP AG 2007, 28



Urgent

Corrections

(independent of MC)

Regular

Corrections

cProject

Test

messages


Maintenance Cycle

Development


Correction


SAP AG 2007, 29


Change Request Management – Regular Correction

Change

Request

Service

Message

Developer

Requester

Tester

Change

Manager

DEV

IT Operator

QAS

PRD



Service

Desk

Employee

Change

Document

Feedback

Maintenance Cycle

SAP AG 2007, 30

Import buffer Import buffer

Consistent Regular Corrections in a Project Cycle

DEV QAS PRD

Legend:

Regular CorrectionsTest Transports

(Transport of Copies)

SAP AG 2007, 31



Urgent

Corrections

(independent of MC)

Regular

Corrections

cProject

Test

messages




Correction

SAP AG 2007, 32


Change Request Management – Urgent Correction

Change

Request

Service

Message

Developer

Requester

Tester

Change

Manager

DEV

IT Operator

QAS

PRD



Service

Desk

Employee

Change

Document Task

List

Feedback

Maintenance Cycle

SAP AG 2007, 33

Transport buffer Transport buffer

Consistency of Urgent Corrections and Maintenance

Activities

DEV QAS PRD

Legend:

Maintenance ActivitiesUrgent Correction

Consolidated Transport

Urgent corrections are propagated into other

systems at the end of phases in the

maintenance cycle, together with the normal

corrections by the transport method import

project all.

Urgent corrections are transported

individually, and thus have no

dependency on other corrections.

Urgent corrections are

imported by the import

subset transport method,

and stay in the transport

buffer after import.

SAP AG 2007, 34

Differences Between Urgent and Normal Corrections

SAP AG 2007, 35



Urgent

Corrections

(independent of MC)

Regular

Corrections

cProject

Test

messages




Correction


SAP AG 2007, 36


Change Request Management – Test Message

Cycle

TransactionDeveloper

Tester

Change

Manager

DEV

QAS

PRD



Test

Message Cycle

Tasklist

Project Phases

SAP AG 2007, 37

Normal

Corrections

Harmonizing Project Activities

SAP Solution Manager Project (All Projects)

Administration Message

Harmonization

Project Cycle

Harmonization Harmonization

Development

without releaseDevelopment

with release

Go-LiveTest

cProject

Test

messages


SAP AG 2007, 38


Change Request Management – Administration Message

Change

Request

Service

Message Requester

Change

Manager

DEV

IT Operator

QAS

PRD

Service

Desk

Employee

Admin

MessageCycle

Tasklist

Feedback

Project Phases


Overview




Wrap-up

SAP AG 2007, 40

Typical Questions to Be Answered by ChaRM Reporting

Which change requests are in process/completed?

By status, type, next steps, maintenance window

How long do change requests take to be completed?

Per organization, user, type, step

Which transports belong to which change request and vice versa?

What is the current transport status (in which system)?

How many incidents triggered a change request?

Per organization, SAP component

How many change requests were rejected?

Per organization, user, type, by whom and why

How many corrections were withdrawn?

Per organization, user, type, by whom and why

SAP AG 2007, 41

Change Request Management Reporting: Access I

Three points of access: Transaction DSWP (solution-specific reporting)

Transaction SOLAR_EVAL (cross-solution reporting)

Transaction /TMWFLOW/REPORTING (cross-solution reporting)

SAP AG 2007, 42

Change Request Management Reporting: Access II

Transaction DSWP (solution-specific reporting)

Choose Execute.

SAP AG 2007, 43

Change Request Management Reporting: Access III

Transaction SOLAR_EVAL (cross-solution reporting)

Solution -> Change Management

SAP AG 2007, 44

Change Request Management Reporting: Access IV

Transaction /TMWFLOW/REPORTING (cross-solution reporting)

Final selection

screen

displayed from

all three points

of access

SAP AG 2007, 45

Change Request Management Reporting: Results Example

Results of previous queryHeader, project, task list, and transport data about the selected transaction is displayed

SAP AG 2007, 46

Change Tracking in SAP Solution Manager


Overview




Wrap-up

SAP AG 2007, 48


Transport Management Transition Approach 1

Cycle

Transaction

DEV

QAS

PRD



IT Operator

Project Cycle

Cycle

Task

List

SAP AG 2007, 49


Transition Extension: Change Document

Developer

Tester

DEV

IT Operator

QAS

PRD



Change

Document Task

List

Project Cycle

SAP AG 2007, 50


Transition Extension: Approval Process

Change

Request

Requester

Change

Manager

DEV

QAS

PRD

Change

Document Task

List

Project Cycle

Developer

Tester

IT Operator



SAP AG 2007, 51


Transition Extension: Service Desk

Change

Request

Service

Message

PRD

Service

Desk

Employee

Change

Document Task

List

Feedback

Project Cycle

Requester

Change

ManagerDeveloper

Tester

IT Operator

DEV

QAS




Overview




Wrap-up

SAP AG 2007, 53

SAP’s End-to-End (E2E) Solution Operations

SAP E2E Solution Operations

provides:

Know-how

Methods

Best practices

Tools

Training

SAP E2E Solution Operations is based on industry

best practices and lessons learned

SAP’s End-to-End Solution Operations

supports SAP customers in managing and

supporting their mission-critical operations

SAP AG 2007, 54

Tips for Those Getting Started with Solution Manger

Very detailed, well-prepared, free-of-charge documents (~80 documents

and SAP Tutor lessons): These can be found at

http://service.sap.com/rkt-solman

(requires login credentials to the SAP Service Marketplace)

SAP AG 2007, 55

Your Turn!

Q&A

Documents

ChaRM Overview