Implementation Methodologies for SAP Installations

In this chapter, I will begin by identifying various implementation methodologies and how each relates to SAP component or technology layer installations. I will then walk through installing common underlying or integration products, such as SAP’s Web Application Server and Internet Transaction Server, and then move into detailed mySAP.com installations. The chapter concludes by outlining the tasks and activities required to elevate a vanilla installation to a state ready for business process configuration.

SAP’s first real implementation methodology was ASAP, or Accelerated SAP, launched in 1997. The tools and methods introduced were primarily template-based, but were a big improvement over the “one-off” approaches leveraged for implementations until that time. In terms of actual product installation support, however, ASAP was pretty weak; its accelerators focused almost exclusively on functional configuration and other tasks associated with what SAP AG termed Realization. Only in one of the work packages associated with ASAP’s Blueprinting phase was installation briefly mentioned. During this time, customers turned to SAP technology partners and tools outside of ASAP (like SAP’s SAPNET resource) to fill in the holes in the “installation gap.” SAP technology partners in particular spent much of their time creating custom technology stack checklists and recipes, leveraging SAP’s R/3 product documentation as a basic starting point.

ValueSAP and the Global ASAP Roadmap

With the advent of SAP Basis release 4.6C in 2000, Global ASAP was introduced under the ValueSAP framework, which was divided into the three core phases of an SAP product’s life cycle. The middle phase, Implementation, was front-ended by Discovery and Evaluation and backed up by ongoing Operations and Continuous Improvement. It was here in the Implementation phase that more attention was given to SAP installation processes. ValueSAP’s tagline of “reducing time to benefit” fit well with the still-new mySAP.com initiative, too, as more and more global implementations sought to leverage best practices and installation approaches to speed up implementations.

With regard to implementation support, the Implementation Assistant and Roadmap, backed up by a Q&A database and the SAP IMG, served as the primary tools for enabling faster mySAP solution installations.

Included in these tools were SAP’s published best practices and approaches to implementation, and something called the “SAP Reference Model,” which identified processes and roles that supported the delivery of mySAP solutions. Global ASAP was still largely template-based when it came to installation methodologies, though, updated and enabled to support global SAP implementations (compared to the original ASAP methodology and its smaller scope). Still, attention to the following issues helped to speed up the pre-installation tasks necessary before actual SAP product installations could commence:

• Implementation strategy

• Global system topology

• Organizational change management

• Global business process standardization

• Development of Global Elements, such as documentation templates, standard IMG structures and settings, master data formats and documents, and so on

Proper attention to these issues allowed systems to be rolled in more of a “cookie cutter” fashion, based on global reusable templates. By doing so, consistent implementation standards and lower related costs were realized, and the overall quality of the implementation increased.

Additional new or improved tools were also introduced during this time frame, and also helped to save time in installation and post-installation processes. For example, the much-improved Transport Management System (TMS) replaced the less-capable Change and Transport system, and SAP’s Computer Aided Test Tool finally facilitated load testing as well as functional testing. Site preparation got more attention, too, especially with regard to providing training to the teams tasked with designing and installing the mySAP system. Building a standard site-specific training curriculum was promoted, and the idea of developing repeatable local implementation processes finally took hold at the SAP Basis level. Comprehensive installation and master implementation guides were developed. All of this attention to speeding up an implementation and therefore rapidly achieving ROI set the stage for the next wave of implementation support to take hold of SAP—the SAP Solution Manager.

SAP Solution Manager for Implementation

According to SAP AG, by the end of June 2003, ValueSAP/ASAP training will no longer be available. With the ability to order ValueSAP CD-based content already a thing of the past, and SAP Solution Manager (SSM) training related to implementation ramping up throughout the first half of 2003, the writing on the wall is clear—SSM will be the key service and support enabler going forward (along with SAP Service Marketplace). SAP Solution Manager is touted as both the implementation and operations platform for mySAP solutions. The former is the topic of discussion here, and I cover the latter in Chapter 14. In terms of implementation, it is the technical implementation aspects that we are actually most interested in; functional and operations-enabling aspects are extremely valuable but do us little good when it comes to the actual installation of mySAP.com components. Key benefits of using SAP Solution Manager for Implementation include

• SSM acts as a central point of access and support for key implementation activities, and finally (!) includes an “Enhanced Solution Management Roadmap” targeting the Technical Implementation Team (SAP TSO, and its various technical consultants).

• SSM provides a process-driven approach to blueprinting, technical configuration, and testing. Combined with standard implementation scenarios, this streamlines everything from sizing through installation.

• SSM includes built-in project monitoring and reporting capabilities, and a central repository for storing project documentation and issues.

• SSM also identifies services and processes aligned to ensure both an uneventful Go-Live and excellent ongoing operations.

One way that SSM for Implementation delivers is through Ramp-Up Knowledge Transfer (RKT). With RKT, initial competence in delivering a mySAP solution is provided through Web-based and CD-based content. For instance, Solution Manager Learning Maps can be downloaded from http://service.sap.com/rkt-solman. And a formal SAP-sponsored training class, SMI310, is available as well, covering SSM’s implementation tools in detail. Another class, TSML10, even addresses Solution Manager infrastructure and installation. Other resources offered by the SAP Solution Manager for Implementation are directly accessible from SSM:

• The Enhanced Solution Management Roadmap and other Roadmaps describe how to organize and run your mySAP implementation project.

• A Business Process Repository outlines and describes your specific mySAP.com solution (this is part of the built-in monitoring and reporting capabilities).

• Integrated Business Content is available, offering scenario-based access to generic technical descriptions and collaborative Business Maps.

• Access and integrated use of customizing tools, along with best practices for implementing mySAP.com components, is available.

Both version 2.2 and 3.1 of SSM sit atop Web AS 6.20. Support for RKT and Implementation was introduced in SSM version 2.2 (the previous version 2.1 only supported Operations), but with release 3.1 of SSM, Implementation and Operations are finally wrapped up in one Web AS-enabled product. Given this, I look at SAP Solution Manager now as just another core product that must be maintained throughout a customer’s mySAP system landscape—a “development/testing” environment is recommended (for testing updates/enhancements and upgrades), along with a “production” system to be used by the SAP TSO to actually support implementation and operations processes. In terms of hardware needed to support this basic two-system landscape, though, requirements are minimal. SAP recommends a dual-processor server with 1GB of RAM and 50GB of disk space at minimum, and in my limited experience, this seems more than adequate.