SAP Solution Manager provides various tools and methods for implementing and maintaining both SAP and customer solutions. The Solution Documentation
model is based on a hierarchical structure, which uses a solution as the single, central point of access for all Solution Documentation content.
Recommendation
As a starting point, familiarize yourself with the new terms and concepts related to process management in SAP Solution Manager. Even familiar terms already used in former releases may have different meaning in this release. See Basic Terms and Concepts.
You can configure the process management in SAP Solution Manager Configuration
(transaction SOLMAN_SETUP
) in the scenario Process Management
. Refer to the scenario documentation to learn more.
The Solution Documentation provides you, among others, with functional highlights in the following areas:
Usability
You use a modern browser-based user interface making the administration and documentation of SAP solutions simple, intuitive and business-focused, and you benefit from graphical process modeling.
Context-driven user interface
There are almost no buttons in the user interface to add new elements. Just use the right mouse button at the location where you want to add the new element. The context menu offers all the functions that are allowed at the selected location or element.
Implicit Save of user entries
You do not need to save your entries with a “Save” button. Every change of an element is saved automatically when you select another element. Optionally, or if you want to finish your work without selecting another element, you can save your work manually with the “Save” button.
Re-Use
You can organize reusable documentation for business process steps and other entities such as transactions, development objects, and configuration activities in libraries. Reduce your content management effort by working on reusable documentation elements only once for multiple use in different end to end business processes.
Integration
You can take advantage of the concept of Solution Documentation as a single source of truth for all content related to business processes. A solitary solution will support all application lifecycle phases from implementation through to operations. Do away with creating solutions altogether when they are not needed, for example for sole use of basic SAP services, such as EarlyWatch Alert.
Versioning
You can simplify maintenance, new development and upgrades by using the version concept – branches. With this concept, you are part of the quantum leap in SAP release management.
Big Solutions
You can handle solutions of all shapes and sizes with multi-level hierarchies without limitations on the size and hierarchical complexity.
Custom Extensions
You can add extra structure levels and your own attributes by taking advantage of the flexible, model-based architecture of Solution Manager 7.2 to systematically extend SAP standards.
The Solution Documentation model is based on a hierarchical structure, which uses a unified solution concept as the single, central point of access for all Solution Documentation content. The solution comprises the description of your system landscape as well as the documentation of your business processes, interfaces, technical objects and your custom developments.
Thus, the solution concept stands in the center of the Solution Documentation. It is the sum of a company’s system landscape, applications and processes. It acts as a container for versions of Solution Documentation, one of which is the production version. The terms systems landscape
, process
and version
have the following meaning:
System Landscape
Logical Component Groups are groups of Logical Components. Logical components point to actual technical systems.
Process
A process is a set of logically related activities and executes functions in systems to achieve a business goal.
Version
Each Solution Documentation version is a branch containing processes, libraries, and systems.
The following figure shows the graphical representation of a solution.
Graphical Representation of a Solution
You organize your Solution Documentation into the following different areas:
Libraries of reusable documentation for technical objects, such as development objects, executables, and configuration activities
Library of business process steps where you can reuse the documentation from the other libraries
Library of interfaces where you document the interfaces used by your end to end processes
End to End Business Processes where you model your scenarios and processes by reusing the process steps, interfaces, and technical objects from the libraries,
In detail, these areas of the Solution Documentation model provides the following features:
Developments and Executables Library
Component-oriented container of technical objects and their documentation, e.g. Web Dynpro applications, transactions, custom reports etc.
Technical objects can be reused in different process steps and end-to-end processes
Libraries can be partially automatically generated based on usage statistics and structured by the application component hierarchy (ACH)
Process Step and Interface Library
Function-oriented container of all process steps and their business-context independent documentation
Process steps can be reused in different end-to-end processes
Automated, on-demand generation of the library structure based on the ACH, which can be manually extended
Configuration Library
Function-oriented container of configuration activities, grouped into reusable units
Configuration units can be reused for repeated configuration tasks
End to End Processes
Business-oriented documentation of processes describing your end-to-end scenarios
Library elements, e.g. process steps, interfaces and technical objects, can simply be reused
The library concept enables you to re-use and to reference all the objects mentioned above whenever possible. This is the key to avoid redundant documentation.
Re-use and Referencing of Library Objects
You can start the Solution Documentation
via the SAP Solution Manager launchpad. You can also use transaction code SOLADM
for the Solution Administration
tool and transaction code SOLDOC
for the Solution Documentation
tool.
As of SAP Solution Manager 7.2, you manage your solutions using the Solution Documentation. To continue using your existing SAP Solution Manager projects, you need to activate your existing content in the Solution Documentation. You only need to activate ongoing projects and projects that you plan to use in the future. You can still display non-activated projects but you cannot edit them.
For all activation-related activities, there is a comprehensive Solution Documentation Content Activation Guide
that provides you with all activation-relevant information.
You can find the latest version of the Solution Documentation Content Activation Guide
at the following location: . Furthermore, you can use the following direct link: https://service.sap.com/~sapidb/012002523100011391702015E/ActivationGuide_SolMan72.pdf to access this guide.
If you do not want to use your existing SAP Solution Manager projects from former releases, you can skip the activation-related activities.