Providing Uniform Content Access 

This scenario variant makes it possible for organizations to develop, configure, and operate a knowledge-based, Web-like front end—SAP NetWeaver Portal—that gives users a single point of access to all types of enterprise information, including SAP applications, third-party applications, databases, data warehouses, desktop documents, and Web content and services.

Organizations can provide their employees, supply chain partners, customers, and other communities with immediate, secure, and role-based access to key information and applications across the extended enterprise. The consistent and unified display of information and applications in the portal allow users to identify and address business issues faster, more effectively, and at lower cost, resulting in measurable benefits and strategic advantages.

This topic summarizes the maintenance and administrative tasks required to implement this IT scenario variant to keep it running optimally. References to detailed documentation are also provided.

 

Getting Started

For basic information on using the portal, see the Portal section in Getting Started – Using SAP Software.

 

Technical System Landscape

For detailed information on the system architecture of the portal, see Technical System Landscape.

 

Tools

The portal provides a large number of tools needed to administer the portal environment. These tools are pre-assigned to the pre-configured administration roles shipped with the portal.

For general information about the pre-configured portal administration roles, see Administration Roles.

For detailed information on the tools available per administration role, see the following:

●      Workset: User Administration

●      Workset: Content Administration

●      Workset: System Administration

●      Workset: Delegated User Administration

 

Prerequisites

●      You have installed the following SAP NetWeaver usage types:

○       Application Server Java (AS-Java)

○       EP Core (EPC)

○       Developer Infrastructure (DI)

Usage type DI is required only if you intend to develop your own applications and content for the portal.

●      You have completed the initial configuration tasks after installing usage type EPC. See Initial Configuration Tasks.

 

Tasks

General administrative and maintenance tasks relevant to this scenario variant are covered in this guide under usage type EPC (EP Core) and EP (Enterprise Portal) → Portal.

In addition, administrative and maintain tasks that apply specifically to the Providing Uniform Content Access scenario variant are specified below. Some steps may need to be performed only once, while others on a more frequent basis either periodically or on demand.

Configuring the Portal

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       1.      Set up delegated administration by distributing the administrative tasks and content in the portal to dedicated administrators (see Delegated Administration):

                            a.      The system administrator assigns portal permission to the various preconfigured administrator roles. The system administrator may also assign permissions to initial content shipped with the portal. This content is located in the Portal Catalog. See Portal Permissions and Default Permissions.

                            b.      The user administrator performs initial role assignment by assigning various users in the organization to the preconfigured administrator roles. See Role Assignment.

       2.      The content administrator creates and configures default content templates, such as iView and page templates. These templates are to be used by other content developers and administrators when portal content is generated. See Content Administration, Creating an Object, and Creating a Template.

       3.      The system administrator configures the connections to back-end systems by creating systems in the portal’s System Landscape Editor. See System Landscape.

Creating Portal Content

...

       1.      Generate portal content:

                            a.      The system administrator imports ready-made business packages from Portal Content Portfolio on SAP Developer Network at http://sdn.sap.com (optional). See Business Package Administration and Transport of Portal Objects.

                            b.      Content developers develop custom-made content applications and deploy them in the portal (optional). See Running an Enterprise Portal in the SAP NetWeaver Developer's Guide.

                            c.      The content administrator creates iViews based on your own custom-made iView templates or those shipped with the portal. See Creating iViews.

       2.      The content administrator sets up content objects and role navigation structures:

                            a.      Adjust imported business packages (optional). See Editing iView Properties.

                            b.      Configure and test iViews in the portal.

                            c.      Create portal pages with assigned page layouts and iViews. See Creating a Portal Page and Adding Content to a Page.

                            d.      Create worksets and roles. See Creating and Changing Roles and Worksets.

                            e.      Configure navigation settings that affect the runtime display of content. See Navigation.

       3.      Content and system administrators define portal runtime display settings for users, including portal themes, framework pages, portal desktops, and display rules. See Portal Display.

Maintaining the Portal

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       1.      The system or content administrator assigns user permission settings to content and security zones. See Portal Permissions and Security Zones.

       2.      The user administrator assigns users and groups to roles. See Role Assignment and Assigning Roles to Users and Groups.

       3.      The user administrator sets user mapping assignments for business users. See User Mapping.

       4.      The system and user administrators manages users in the portal by approving or rejecting newly registered users, changing passwords, and adding, deleting, locking, or unlocking users. See Identity Management.

       5.      Portal administrators monitor content usage and activities of portal users using portal activity report iViews to obtain statistics about how many users are logged on at given time periods and which iViews and pages are accessed most frequently. See Portal Activity Report.

       6.      The system and content administrators adjust portal content to suit real-time usage patterns and resolves problems reported by users. See Troubleshooting. 

       7.      The system administrator monitors the portal, using advanced tools in the portal and Solution Manager, and makes adjustments as needed to ensure central and efficient monitoring of the portal. See Monitoring.