Using RBDP in SAP Solution Manager 7.1 and can I use it in 7.2?

[KF11]

Hello-

I am a current user of SAP Solution Manager 7.1.

   I am looking into using Reverse Business Process Documentation (RBPD) at my work. I have looked in depth at your available documentation but am looking specifically for the following information:

What are the benefits to using RBPD verses to just use file shares and manually updating the information?

   Also, with the release of SAP Solution Manager 7.2, will RBPD be available as it is now? (i.e.: will the same steps be taken to produce the same results, or will the release of SAP Solution Manager 7.2 mean a new tool/module? and thus having to learn a whole new process to reverse engineer information?)

   I have read online through the SAP wiki and user help forum that similar functions to reverse engineering documents will be available
with SAP Solution Manager 7.2 however RBPD as it is currently used will not be available with SAP Solution Manager 7.2. My concern is this- with SAP Solution Manager 7.2 coming within the next year, if our team decides to start using RBPD, how much will we have to transition to start using SAP Solution Manager 7.2 equivalent (if any)?

Thank you for answering these questions-

  K-GWL

[TomCenens · Accepted solution]

Hi

http://support.sap.com/content/dam/library/SAP%20Support%20Portal/support-programs-services/solution...

RBPD is an "old" scenario really so unless you mean something else by it I wouldn't recommend it.

The recommendation right now is to generate your business process structure based on a SAP report that is delivered through SAP note 2061626 (see above link for best practice documentation on how to prepare for SAP Solution Manager 7.2).

Best regards

Tom

[KF11 · Accepted solution]

Thank you Tom, that link is a big help.

If we were to use RBPD at this time, are you able to verify/clarify the following?

-To start using RBPD an XML file is downloaded from the SAP Marketplace. This file only needs to be downloaded once to the SAP environment for all projects to use RBPD

(the XML file (the Solution Documentation Assistant for RBPD) is the SAP benchmark which the project is analyzed against. It will rearrange the business steps into a standardized order.

-In order to use RBPD, a project with documentation must be created

     - Once the project is created, RBPD is run by going into the SOLMAN work centre, under solution documentation assistant and new instances of RBPD can be run

-running the analysis will create technical documentation (the business process repository) but does not generate word/ppt etc. documents but a 'documentation project' instead which contains the technical details and existing documents from the project.

-this documentation project contains information that can be used when creating a new project.

I am also wondering than, what is the difference between copying a project in project administration versus using RBPD on a project and than using the results to create a new project?

Your help is appreciated!

[prakhar_saxena · Accepted solution]

Hello Kelsey,

you can check below blog for steps to use RBPD

Let me know if you need more help

Thanks

Prakhar

[TomCenens · Accepted solution]

Hi Kelsey

RBPD will build the structure based on a standard "pre-defined" business process structure based on the system (product) usage type ~ for example ERP x.y SAP knows which business processes are in use there.

I would highly recommend not to use this though, it's obsolete, it's not capturing everything etc.

Best regards

Tom

[KF11 · Accepted solution]

Hi Tom-

What is the function in SolMan 7.2 which will replace RBPD?

Thank you

[TomCenens · Accepted solution]

Hi Kelsey

You can find details in the SAP Solution Manager roadmap:

https://service.sap.com/roadmaps

Product and solutions roadmap

Database and technology (left menu)

Scroll down in the right pane until you see "SAP Solution Manager"

Business Process Documentation is getting a complete overhaul

See slide 22:

Processes are validated and optimized continuously based on real usage

That's based on statistics + a report that runs ~ so it will look a lot like that report in SAP note 2061626 in terms of getting started. The report looks at the system usage ST03 + UPL potentially  (UPL statistics are something I would recommend to implement already) and determines the business processes in use based on that.

You can already use this report today, it will generate a business process structure for you which is compatible to move to SAP Solution Manager 7.2 (given you don't start adding attribute values of attributes that might not move to SAP Solution Manager 7.2 for example).

There are videos posted / information available to prepare the move of your business process documentation to SAP Solution Manager 7.2 ~ check the videos on Solution Manager space on SCN or on YouTube on SAP Solution Manager 7.2 by Matthias Melich for example.

Best regards

Tom

[prakhar_saxena · Accepted solution]

Hi Kelsey,

In my opinion(may be it differs with others) can you really wait for almost 1 year to decide what to do on Solution Documentation?

therefore, you have 3 options in solution manager 7.1 and you need to decide as per current requirements

• based upon RBPD
• upon SEA
• upon the blueprint generator REPORT as mentioned already

further the decision should be aligned to 7.2 but not restricted to it.

a good whitepaper which can help on this

https://support.sap.com/content/dam/library/SAP%20Support%20Portal/support-programs-services/solutio...

As you know Roadmaps are bound to change and even there are disclaimer's for this so you don't know what will happen tomorrow perfectly as of today.

Therefore, I would recommend you need to choose from the available options aligned your solman usage in future and also based upon next version.

hope this helps

Thanks

Prakhar

[KF11 · Accepted solution]

Thank you both- your patience while I wrap my head around this is truly appreciated! A) Tom, I understand you are correct with RBPD no longer being recommended - but do you know where I can find anything that officially says this? I see on the SAP SolMan wiki for solution documentation and implementation page there is a note about RBPD being out of date as you have said, but is this an official statement? http://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/SM/SAP+Solution+Manager+WIKI+-+Solution+Documentation+and+Imple... B) Will the Business Process Change Analyzer be affected with the upgrade? (i.e.: will this feature still be available or will there be changes to it?) C) Lastly, we plan on using SAP SolMan 7.1 until we upgrade (so we are not waiting a year as Prakhar mentioned). Right now the system is set up with only a few projects. Since we are just starting, what is best practice to make sure we capture all our scenarios/processes/steps and documents correctly? Should we capture this information using RBPD or the blueprint generator report? And what is the difference? I.e.: is one more comprehensive than the other or do they do the same thing? I am sorry if I am asking the same questions- you're help has been really great. I am very new at this and even while reading through the SAP website/documents I am still confused! 🙂 Thank you! Kelsey

[TomCenens · Accepted solution]

Hi Kelsey

A)

Yes that's an official statement since it's the SAP resource who was working on RBPD who put it there.

B)

Foreseen improvements:

Test management  New application for test management aligned with new solution documentation  New UI for the Business Process Change Analyzer  Scope and Effort Analyzer works with the Maintenance Planner  Test analytics enhancements

So yes BPCA will still be around.

C)

To be clear @Prakhar I'm not saying you should wait, at all. I'm suggesting you use the report because the result that comes out of the report will be compatible to move into the new structure in SAP Solution Manager 7.2.

RBPD is obsolete and the report is most recent, recommended option by SAP. You can see this in videos on moving to SAP Solution Manager 7.2 which are released from SAP Solution Manager product management of SAP.

The report is more accurate and more simple so definitely best choice ~ especially since the report generates a structure that can be moved to SAP Solution Manager 7.2 when you upgrade later on (before the end of 2017 since support ends for SAP Solution Manager 7.1 at that point in time).

Best regards

Tom

[prakhar_saxena · Accepted solution]

Hi Tom,

I agree and this is why I have given the latest recommendation from SAP where a proper approach is given to identify the potential solution documentation project etc for 7.2 version

RBPD gives an entirely different output then component based approach and if you have seen that or implemented you will know there are different people having different view with this output

https://support.sap.com/content/dam/library/SAP%20Support%20Portal/support-programs-services/solutio...

so a proper design needs to be taken but aligned to business requirement for now and what is coming in future version

Thanks

Prakhar

[KF11 · Accepted solution]

Hi Tom and Prakhar-

A main reason I had looked into RBPD was that it helps make sure the documents (i.e.: test plans) are always up to date and they do not degrade as the project ages.

Is this also accomplished by BPCA or SEA or the blueprint generator? I'm wondering, if RBPD is no longer relevant, what tool would I use to make sure my documents are always up to date?

Thanks!

[TomCenens · Accepted solution]

Hi Kelsey

You can use SODOCA (Solution Documentation Assistant) to check if your documentation contains everything that is in use.

Kind regards

Tom

[prakhar_saxena · Accepted solution]

Hello Kelsey,

thank you for sharing more information.

In your case, you need to create multiple analysis project and analysis and then compare them to understand the difference incase you don't have just one project or so using Solution Documentation Assistant.

reason being is RBPD is used for Initial documentation and what you need is to understand the current gravity or usage of all the processes live in production.

you can refer below blog and documentation

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_sm71_sp12/helpdata/en/88/d7e609f68948bf8b417cd9521820cc/content.htm

hope this helps further

Thanks

Prakhar

[KF11 · Accepted solution]

Thank you again-

I understand RBPD to be an extension of SoDocA- if RBPD is no longer used, do I just use SoDocA to analyze a current project and if I want, I can copy this analysis to use as the basis for a second project and modify the second project going forward?

-how does SoDocA help with standardizing documents? Thanks!

[prakhar_saxena · Accepted solution]

Hello Kelsey,

As I have mentioned you need to create 2(of diff) analsysis project based upon 2(of diff) solman project as a source. for e.g.

Secondly create 2 analysis based upon these 2 analysis projects which you can compare and understand the current situation

check below

Solution Documentation Assistant Work Center - SAP Solution Manager - SAP Library

assuming you have these 2 projects have different structure like Order to cash scenario in one solman project and procure to pay in another solman project and some common set of processes in both projects etc depending upon the scenario. analysis generated can provide a meaningful result in this case while comparision from overall solution perpspective.

Therefore when you compare using analysis to understand based upon the real life usage and can update the structure and then you can decide next steps.

In addition you can create some check rules of your own in rule database etc assigned to your project

Assigning Check Steps to a Check Item - SAP Solution Manager - SAP Library

this will add/refine your project much better based upon the usage.

I hope this helps you further.

Thanks

Prakhar

[KF11 · Accepted solution]

Thank you to you both for all the help. Honestly!

What I understand from all this is that SDA is still used to analyze process usage (I can analyze it against the blueprint or specific projects correct?) and if I find a project is missing something after running the analysis I can manually add it to that project

And in regards to RBPD- that is no longer relevant and if I want to copy the same project to use it for a 'phase 2' for example, I would use the Template Management/Global Roll-Out function correct?

Since RBPD standardized documents against the RBPD content from SAP Service Marketplace, if RBPD is not run, is there any other way to standardize the system?

[heiko_hecht · Accepted solution]

Hello Kelsey,

I wouldn't say, that RBPD is no longer relevant. It is still an option to create your business blueprint in SolMan 7.1. SAP/IBIS stopped updating RBPD about 2 years ago and RBPD will not be available in SolMan 7.2. RBPD is an improved version of SAP's BPR content + additional SQL checks, e.g. RBPD not only takes a look at transaction usage but also checks table entries etc. to determine process usage.

What options you use to create your business blueprint is your decision. It really depends on where you are currently at and what you are most focused on, e.g. if you need a structure very fast for regression testing, Blueprint Generation might be an option, if you want end to end processes the technical ACH structure generated with Blueprint Generation might not be the best option.

SAP will support the migration of the Business Blueprint from 7.1 to 7.2, e.g. you could still build your business blueprint in 7.1 with RBPD and then migrate it to 7.2. A lot of SAP customers will have to do that once 7.2 is out. SAP also articulate at TechEd this week that you don't have to wait for 7.2 to start your blueprint efforts.

SAP had a session around Business Blueprint at TechEd 2014, I gave one at Sapphire 2015 and there will be one in November at the Managing your SAP project event in Las Vegas

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Take a look at the options and select what's best for you/your company! There have been very good customer presentations around RBPD at TechEd this week.

Good luck & Kind Regards,

Heiko