ARIS for SAP Solutions will still support SAP Solution Manager 7.1. You can configure the 7.1 version as well as the 7.2 version.
SAP Solution Manager 7.2 has a new concept and introduces new elements. This page gives an overview on how this new concept affects the data handling in ARIS. The main differences between SAP Solution Manager 7.1 and SAP Solution Manager 7.2 from an ARIS point of view are:
Branches
Projects, template projects and implementation projects no longer exist. The former project content is now called branch. In ARIS the project root node is replaced by the branch root node.
A branch is the entity that ARIS synchronizes with SAP Solution Manager. In the solution configuration you specify the SAP solution and the branch to synchronize with:
A branch represents a version of the SAP solution and contains its processes, libraries and systems. Per SAP default, there is always a production and a maintenance branch, but as many additional branches as required can be defined as well. When setting up a new solution, both the production and the maintenance branch are empty. The starting point for creating a new solution documentation is the maintenance branch. The solution will be available in production after it has been released from the maintenance branch in SAP Solution Manager.
Please note that you can use concurrent branches, for example, a development branch for customizing and/or one for upgrading to the newest release. If you create such a development branch from your production branch, it will contain the complete solution documentation from the production branch. Once the development or upgrade and testing are completed, changes will be available in production after they have been released from the development branch in SAP Solution Manager. You can synchronize your solution documentation with both branches. In ARIS each branch is independent from the other, that is, you can synchronize several branches of a solution into one as well as multiple ARIS databases, of course.
SAP Best Practice of branches consists of the following branches and their hierarchical structure:
The branch structure in SAP Solution Manager 7.2 looks like this example:
Logical component group
SAP Solution Manager 7.2 introduces the concept of Logical Component Group. This makes the management of logical components easier and avoids redundancy of documentation. Hence, much fewer logical components are the result. The hierarchical structure is as follows: SAP Solution > Logical Component Group > Logical Components. Logical components are detailed by the corresponding branch, for example, technical systems, roles, versions etc.
The PSL is one of several libraries that are introduced with SAP Solution Manager 7.2.
The PSL contains process steps (PSL items) and attached documents, test cases etc. Each business process step used in a branch must refer to a PSL item. Other business process steps can reference the same PSL step. In ARIS, the PSL is downloaded into the PSL folder of each branch. A relation is created for each business process step and its corresponding PSL step.
Reuse of PSL steps in business processes
Base process steps can be defined as PSL steps. They have individual names and descriptions, assigned executables, related roles and specific documentation. These PSL steps can be reused in other processes. A best practice is to use a standardized process framework to structure the PSL.
Example
In process A you are going to use the PSL step as defined. So you just reference this PSL step from the PSL to the business process step. In process B the business process step is slightly different. For example, an additional role and a document are required. Hence, at your business process step you add the new role, change the description and add a new document. It is still based on the PSL step, but has different roles and documents assigned. When selecting the business process step you will see the properties of the base PSL step together with the properties of the business process step. When creating SAP functions, you can define the master object to be used.
In Solution Manager 7.1 projects, you might have connected several transactions to one process step. SAP best practice for Solution Manager 7.2 recommends the use of a one-to-one connection between PSL steps and executables.
Flexible process structure
In SAP Solution Manager 7.1, the process structure is fixed on a 3-level hierarchy: Scenarios > Business Processes > Process Steps. With SAP Solution Manager 7.2, there can be as many levels as required by placing scenarios in an arbitrary nested structure of folders.
However, the three levels are still present, and will be the core of the documentation. You will simply be able to add as many levels as needed on top of them.
Folders can be used to structure scenarios as well as the Process steps library (PSL). Below the Business process structure, folders can only have scenarios or folders as subordinate elements. Superior elements can either be a folder or a root node. The same rules apply for the PSL. But since scenarios or processes are not available in the PSL, Process steps folders can only have process step originals as subordinate elements.
In ARIS, folders are handled like all other SAP structure elements branch, scenario, process and process step. The hierarchical order is created by models and SAP functions with distinct SAP model types and SAP function types. For folder items, the new Folder and Process steps folder SAP function types and SAP model types are to be used.
Hierarchy |
Model type |
Subordinate |
Superior |
---|---|---|---|
Branch |
Project |
Folder Process steps folder(PSL) |
- |
Folder |
Folder |
Folder Scenario |
Folder |
Scenario |
Scenario |
Process |
Folder |
Process |
Process |
Process step |
Scenario |
Process step |
Process step |
- |
Process |
Process steps folder (PSL) |
- |
Process step original (PSL)
|
Process steps folder (PSL)
|
Process step original (PSL) |
- |
- |
Process steps folder (PSL) |
In SAP Solution Manager 7.1, the sequence is available on each hierarchical level. In SAP Solution Manager 7.2, folders and PSL come into play. For both kinds it makes no sense to order the items in a distinct sequence. Folders, PSL steps and scenarios are sorted in alphabetical order instead. The sequence can only be maintained for processes and process steps.
Shortcuts and occurrence copies
Shortcuts have been replaced by the relation between PSL elements and database elements. In ARIS, occurrence copies of model objects, for example, of process steps, will no longer be offered. Now, references between objects will be in place. In ARIS, when copy-and-pasting an SAP-related object, such a master-variant relation will be created. Of course you are supported by a wizard.
Keywords
Keywords no longer exist. SAP now uses customer attributes instead.
Global attributes
Since projects, template projects and implementation projects no longer exist, global attributes are obsolete.
Customer attributes
Customer attributes with Undefined data type cannot be assigned to SAP attributes. Attribute values can be specified only for customer attributes of the Value or Multi-value data type.
Define order
The Define order functionality is not available for SAP solutions, since the SAP Solution Manager 7.2 does not provide sorting. Nevertheless, the standard ARIS behavior will remain the same:
Transactions
Transactions are now called executables.
All original executables are stored in the Executable Library. Executables are contained in executable folders. By placing executables in an arbitrary nested folder structure, there can be as many levels as required. In ARIS, Executable Library folders are represented by SAP functions of the Executables folder SAP function type. The same logical component group must be assigned to all subfolders of the Executable Library. You can download the Executable Library to ARIS.
In ARIS, executables are identified by the key deriving from the executable object, the type of the executable, and the related logical component group. The synchronization behaviour for executable folders is the same as for other structural elements. For example, you can move them or assign a slave symbol. If you have selected the Transfer Executable Library option, the library is transferred during SAP synchronization.
Make sure to have only one object definition representing an executable in a branch. You can create multiple occurrences of one definition, either in the Executable Library folder structure or in other database groups.
SAP Fiori® Apps are available in ARIS.
Global attributes
Global attributes are no longer supported.
Customer attributes
Customer attributes will still be downloaded from SAP® Solution Manager, but without data type and values. Some static attributes of the value type are available and can be assigned. Customer attributes with Undefined data type cannot be assigned to SAP attributes. Attribute values can be specified only for customer attributes of the Value or Multi-value data type. Before assigning customer attributes, you must maintain the data types. For attributes of the value data type, maintain the attribute values according to the settings in the SAP system. In ARIS, Value attributes can only have one specific value.
Multi-value datatype
In order to handle Multi-value attributes in ARIS, you must assign Customer attributes of the Multi-value data type to ARIS text attributes. In ARIS text attributes, you can specify multiple values as a comma separated list. The value pairs are listed as value key (such as RIGHT in capital letters without brackets) followed by the value of the key in brackets (Right). As best practice you are recommended to use the same strings for keys and values.
SAP added a new description attribute to each structure item.
Documentation
The different document types training, test, project and general are no longer supported. Instead of these types, the new Best practice documentation is introduced. Best practice documents have no document type and no document state. When documents are synchronized in ARIS, the Project document symbol will be used for all document types. ARIS can no longer determine whether the document is a test document or a training document.
The General document symbol will be used by default for best practice documents in ARIS.
There are some additional changes introduced with Solution Manager 7.2:
You can upload process models and process diagram variants as BPMN diagrams. Models are converted automatically to BPMN process diagrams. For BPMN diagrams available in ARIS, the layout of the ARIS diagrams is used. If ARIS models are converted, by default, the layout for generated BPMN diagrams is Horizontal and the System landscape is used as target diagram subtype. You can select other settings, if required.
Prerequisite
Procedure
The synchronization starts and the models are transferred to SAP Solution Manager.
Process diagram variants are transferred only if process variant models are assigned to the related SAP functions of the Process function type. For process variants, you can only use model types that can be assigned to a function multiple times. The assigned models must have the Process variant SAP model type. All entities contained in the process variants are reused in SAP Solution Manager.
You can transfer process diagram variants as BPMN diagrams.
Prerequisite
Procedure
The synchronization starts and the models are transferred to ARIS.
The process variant models are assigned to the related SAP functions of the Process function type. The assigned models have the Process variant SAP model type. SAP objects of the Free system type are not transferred. All entities contained in the process variants are reused in SAP Solution Manager.
If diagrams were transfered from ARIS before, an new Enterprise BPMN model is created in ARIS. The original ARIS model is maintained. Modifications must be made in the original model. The new Enterprise BPMN model is not relevant for SAP synchronization.