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SAP Solution Manager: Functions, Structure and Challenges

Key Takeaways

⇨ SAP Solution Manager (SolMan) is a comprehensive platform designed for application lifecycle management (ALM)

⇨ SolMan provides centralized management and monitoring of SAP environments, offering features such as application operations, business process operations, data volume management.

⇨ While SolMan offers extensive functionality, its complexity can pose challenges in terms of administration, training, and resource requirements.

Do you want to manage your software environment effectively over the entire lifecycle and would like functional as well as intelligent support for your IT infrastructure? Then SAP Solution Manager (SolMan) is a free platform that can help you administer your SAP enterprise applications. Here you will learn what the SolMan does, what features it offers, but also what challenges come with using the SolMan.

Do you want to manage your software environment effectively over the entire lifecycle and would like functional as well as intelligent support for your IT infrastructure? Then SAP Solution Manager (SolMan) is a free platform that can help you administer your SAP enterprise applications. Here you will learn what the SolMan does, what features it offers, but also what challenges come with using the SolMan.

What is SAP Solution Manager (SolMan)?

SAP Solution Manager, also called SAP SolMan or just SolMan, is an intelligent platform for application lifecycle management software (ALM) . ALM, in turn, consists of tools and processes that help manage the lifecycle of a software product – from development to product design to product retirement.

Basically, SolMan is a collection of tools and services that help manage and monitor SAP environments. Solution Manager is already integrated as a toolset in all SAP systems and is free of charge for license holders.

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The platform is used as a central management tool that supports companies in the digitization and automation of business processes.

SAP Solution Manager is an important tool, especially when it comes to automating processes. But that’s not all: As a “single source of the truth,” Solution Manager helps to create transparency and reduce administrative effort by mapping the applications in an SAP infrastructure in a centralized manner.

This possibility always exists, regardless of whether the IT solution is in the data center, hybrid or in the cloud.

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The latest version of SAP Solution Manager is version 7.2, which can be used to implement, maintain, operate and take over all, even non-SAP, IT solutions of a company. Version 7.2 provides functions to extend and improve system landscape management, such as the following:

• A new as well as intuitive user interface that supports web-based interfaces and management dashboards. It enables platform-independent operation of Solution Manager with role-based access to functional areas.
• A revision of the solution documentation that fully integrates the system to SAP test management.
• In the IT Service Management (ITSM) section, there is a completely updated interface.
• The Maintenance Optimizer (MOPZ) was also completely revised in the process of the changeover and replaced by its successor, Maintenance Planner, in order to optimize change management.
• Ensures the increase in productivity through the availability of IT tools and resources.
• The latest version of the SolMan supports the use of the SAP HANA database and can be used under SAP S/4HANA via SAP Cloud Platform: The integration of cloud-based and classic on-premise solutions thus enables the seamless management of hybrid software environments.

From 2020, SAP additionally introduced SAP Cloud ALM as SaaS. It has been completely redeveloped with a focus on cloud products and implementation methods. Whether it makes sense to switch to SAP Cloud ALM depends on your system landscape. It is not absolutely necessary.

SAP Solution Manager can be deployed in the cloud and with the cloud. SAP Cloud ALM relies much more on standardization than on individuality like SAP Solution Manager. However, this makes SAP Solution Manager more complex and time-consuming to administer.

Structure and functions of the SAP Solution Manager

Solution Manager is modular, so you can flexibly adapt it to the individual needs of your company. In this way, the Solution Manager has access to all important technical information in order to to ensure smooth operation of the systems and guarantee agile lifecycle management.

SAP Solution Manager thus provides everything needed to ensure efficient management of the system. In the following we list the most important modules and their function:

Application Operations

Application Operations includes functions that simplify system, integration and user monitoring for the control, analysis and management of SAP solutions.

Business Process Operations

With the help of the Business Process Operations module, companies can always keep track of all aspects of the core business process, such as costs In addition, this allows you to ensure that all processes are in line with internal priorities.

Data Volume Management (DVM)

Data Volume Management checks and controls the data volume of the entire SAP system landscape.

Custom Code Management

Custom Code Management provides a central component for all functions to monitor and manage the entire development cycle of code generation.

Change and Request Management

SAP Solution Manager enables companies to customize changes in their SAP landscape using “Change and Request Management”.

Changes in the SAP landscape can be made very easily with REALTECH SmartChange. SmartChange is a flexible tool that can be operated without much effort, is cost-effective and can be integrated into various systems.

IT Service Management (ITSM)

IT service management (ITSM for short) is the provision of IT as a service – for employees and customers. This includes all processes and activities related to the planning, compilation, delivery and support of IT services.

As an alternative, REALTECH has developed SmartITSM, which supports you in efficient IT service management. Or even our SmartChange allows you to integrate SAP transports directly into your ITSM tool. This enables transparent end-to-end processes and saves you the detour via Solution Manager.

Landscape Management

Landscape Management describes processes in the IT landscape that run across multiple tools and enables efficient planning of all changes within an SAP system landscape that are necessary for smooth operations.

Optimize your landscape management with CMDB integration for Solution Manager. The CMDB collects scattered data in a central location, including data that is not usually stored in SAP. Information about the entire infrastructure (SAP and non-SAP) is made easily accessible.

Process Management

Process Management” centrally maps all business processes and their documentation.

Project Management

Solution Manager is integrated with the project management functions of SAP Portfolio and Project Management (SAP PPM). This allows you, for example, to easily manage project times, resources and the status of processes and developments .

Test Management

The “Test Management” module supports you in performing tests of new developments and checks their environments and conditions. The function covers all test phases, from planning and execution to the creation of test reports.

Cross Topics

Here you will find information on overarching topics in Solution Manager such as Content Activation, SAP Solution Manager Setup, SAP Engagement and Service Delivery, Analytics and more.

Diagnostics & Monitoring

SAP Solution Manager Diagnostics is part of SAP’s own “Standards for Solution Operations” and is the central analysis and monitoring tool for identifying problems and performing cross-system analyses in the SAP landscape.

SAP Solution Manager: Challenges

Due to its extensive range of functions, the SolMan is very complex and not so easy to administer. The introduction alone is time-consuming and cost-intensive. Moreover, Operation requires high staffing levels and corresponding expertise, which is hard to come by in the current times.

Due to the proprietary architecture and the lack of standardized interfaces, complete integration is difficult and involves additional effort.

The upcoming end of maintenance is another considerable challenge. Companies need to find alternative solutions to compensate for the loss of the current solution. The SolMan alternative SAP Cloud ALM is not an adequate solution, as it does not offer the same range of functions as Solution Manager.

Conclusion: SAP Solution Manager and REALTECH Software

The functions and application areas of SAP Solution Manager are diverse, but also very complex. The complexity requires thorough training and knowledge of the tool to use it effectively. However, many companies do not need all the functions included in SolMan. To keep efforts low, they use specialized third-party tools that focus on single disciplines.

REALTECH also offers solutions that replace individual Solution Manager features. In our product portfolio you will find a lean and easy-to-administer software for change management, as well as the ITSM solution SmartITSM, which serves all your needs around IT service management, including SAP integration.

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