Continuous documentation of SAP solutions
SOLUTION DOCUMENTATION = complex documentation consisted of description of company processes and SAP systems settings
SOLUTION DOCUMENTATION = complex documentation consisted of description of company processes and SAP systems settings
A frequent search for documentation of implemented SAP solutions might be a big problem. Anyway, we have to face it as it is a reality of today´s world. Changes and modifications of SAP systems come so often that there is not much space for documentation update. In many cases, there is only central storage of outdated documentation which was prepared at the very first implementation (or at a bigger one). Many times, there is no documentation which reads about support of individual SAP modules to certain processes or procedural steps realized in certain SAP systems. In case of breakdown or error it is not easy to analyze quickly where the problem is. The paradox is that requirements for documentation are trivial. To have central data storage which is always update and relevant to current SAP system settings and currently used set of company processes.
In SAP, similar requirements are solved through online documentation of all landscape with help of SOLUTION DOCUMENTATION scenario in SAP SOLUTION DOCUMENTATION (SOLMAN).
A reasonably detailed, structural hierarchical model for documentation is used to help solving operational problems and meet requests on development. Its structures are contributed by various departments and the documentation keeps records on process, methodical, technical and technological levels. The documentation is update at any time as it is synchronized in the whole lifecycle of changes in applications. The structured documentation is equipped with description in files in different formats, e.g. MS Office. The integration to the external document storage is often a part of solution.
All documentation is organized in so called Solutions. In case of new implementation and with regards to common requests in the area of Solution preparation and SOLUTION DOCUMENTATION an obligatory methodology framework is prepared prior to the final implementation concept. It is very clear what is going to be solved in the final concept, how it is going to be solved, and what the extension of implementation is. The extension of Solution is a very important decision to be made before the preparatory work of final concept is initiated. The decision depends mainly on how complicated landscape we operate in.
Version SOLMAN 7.1 comes with a widely extended functionality of business process description and modeling utilizing standards BPMN ((Business Process Management Notation).
SOLUTION DOCUMENTATION ASSISTANT is SOLMAN tool for automated keeping of documentation on base of statistical and system information, the utilization of which is an efficient way of completing a primary documentation resp. repeated actualizations of a current documentation.
CUSTOM CODE LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT is an application which manages the lifecycle of custom developments and changes and which is one of the factors in SAP landscape which may influence dramatically total costs on application management and upgrade. In use it usually follows custom changes and new objects, and registers them centrally with help of SOLMAN tools. Version 7.1 comes with a complex management of custom development.
TBOM (Technical Bill of Material) is a list of SAP objects used within the framework of one transaction. SAP objects form the base for applications, object are contents of transports etc. The list of TBOM shall be used for further functionality of SOLMAN, e.g. BUSINESS PROCESS CHANGE ANALYZER, TEST MANAGEMENT etc.
Why to have SOLMAN documentation from MERIIS?