SAP Basis is the technical foundation of the SAP system, which includes the operating system, database, network, and software components that enable the SAP applications to run smoothly and efficiently. SAP Basis also provides tools for monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing the system performance and security.
But SAP Basis is not only a technical role. It also involves coordinating and collaborating with the development team, the business users, and the external partners to ensure that the system meets the functional and non-functional requirements of the project. In this article, we will explore some of the key aspects of SAP Basis as a development coordinator in a complex on-premise system landscape, and provide some concise, pragmatic tips and best practices for managing the development lifecycle.
Development Environment
The development environment is where the developers create and test their code, using various tools such as ABAP Workbench, Eclipse, or SAP Web IDE. The development environment consists of one or more development systems, which are connected to a central transport system (CTS) that manages the transport of objects between systems.
The development environment should be isolated from the production environment, to avoid any interference or impact on the live system. The development environment should also be synchronized with the production environment, to ensure that the code is compatible and consistent with the latest version of the software.
- Use a consistent naming convention for development systems, such as DEV1, DEV2, etc.
- Use separate clients for different types of development, such as customizing, programming, or testing.
- Use logical system names to identify the systems in the transport routes, such as DEV1_100, QAS1_200, etc.
- Use transport groups to group together systems that share the same software components and versions.
- Use transport layers to organize the transport objects according to their functional or technical categories, such as ZCUSTOM, ZABAP, etc.
- Use transport requests to bundle together related transport objects that belong to a specific change or project.
- Use transport targets to define the destination systems for each transport request.
- Use transport logs to track and document the status and history of each transport request.
Development Process
The development process is where the developers implement and deliver their code, following a predefined methodology and standards. The development process consists of several phases, such as analysis, design, coding, testing, documentation, and deployment.
The development process should be aligned with the business requirements and expectations, to ensure that the code meets the quality and functionality criteria. The development process should also be agile and flexible, to accommodate changes and feedback from the stakeholders.
- Use a project management tool to plan and monitor the development activities, such as Microsoft Project or Jira.
- Use a version control tool to store and manage the source code, such as Git or SVN.
- Use a code review tool to inspect and improve the code quality, such as SonarQube or Code Inspector.
- Use a testing tool to verify and validate the code functionality, such as SAP Solution Manager or Selenium.
- Use a documentation tool to create and maintain the technical documentation, such as SAP Help Portal or Confluence.
- Use a deployment tool to automate and streamline the transport of objects between systems, such as CTS+ or ChaRM.
Development Challenges
The development challenges are where the developers encounter and overcome various issues and difficulties during their work. The development challenges can be technical or non-technical in nature, such as performance problems, bugs, conflicts, dependencies, or communication gaps.
The development challenges should be identified and resolved as soon as possible, to avoid any delays or disruptions in the delivery. The development challenges should also be communicated and escalated appropriately, to ensure that they are handled by the right people with the right skills and authority.
- Use a debugging tool to analyze and fix errors in the code, such as ABAP Debugger or Eclipse Debugger.
- Use a performance analysis tool to measure and optimize the system resource consumption, such as ST05 or ST12.
- Use a conflict resolution tool to detect and resolve inconsistencies between objects in different systems or clients, such as SPDD or SPAU.
- Use a dependency analysis tool to identify and manage dependencies between objects in different software components or versions, such as SE80 or SE95.
- Use a communication tool to exchange information and feedback with other developers or stakeholders, such as Slack or Teams.
Development Coordination
The development coordination is where the developers work together and coordinate their efforts with other teams and parties involved in the project. The development coordination can involve various aspects, such as roles and responsibilities, workflows and processes, standards and guidelines, tools and technologies, or governance and compliance.
The development coordination should be effective and efficient, to ensure that the project is delivered on time and within budget. The development coordination should also be transparent and collaborative, to foster trust and alignment among the stakeholders.
- Use a role definition tool to clarify and assign the roles and responsibilities of each developer and team member, such as RACI or RAPID.
- Use a workflow management tool to define and execute the workflows and processes for each development phase and activity, such as BPMN or SAP Workflow.
- Use a standardization tool to establish and enforce the standards and guidelines for coding, testing, documentation, and deployment, such as ABAP Style Guide or SAP Best Practices.
- Use a collaboration tool to share and access the tools and technologies used by different developers and teams, such as SAP Cloud Platform or SAP NetWeaver.
- Use a governance tool to monitor and control the compliance of the development activities with the project scope, quality, risk, and change management, such as SAP Activate or SAP Solution Manager.
Development Benefits
The development benefits are where the developers reap the rewards of their hard work and deliver value to the business and the users. The development benefits can be measured and evaluated in various ways, such as customer satisfaction, user adoption, system performance, business outcomes, or return on investment.
The development benefits should be maximized and sustained, to ensure that the system delivers the expected results and meets the changing needs of the business and the users. The development benefits should also be communicated and celebrated, to acknowledge the achievements and contributions of the developers and the teams.
Some of the best practices for enhancing and maintaining development benefits are:
- Use a feedback tool to collect and analyze the feedback from the customers and the users, such as SAP Customer Influence or SAP User Experience Management.
- Use a training tool to provide and support the training and education of the users, such as SAP Enable Now or SAP Learning Hub.
- Use a performance monitoring tool to monitor and improve the system performance and availability, such as SAP EarlyWatch Alert or SAP Focused Run.
- Use a business intelligence tool to track and report the business outcomes and key performance indicators, such as SAP Analytics Cloud or SAP BusinessObjects.
- Use a value management tool to calculate and demonstrate the return on investment and value realization, such as SAP Value Lifecycle Manager or SAP Value Finder.
Conclusion
SAP Basis is a vital role that ensures the smooth and efficient operation of the SAP system. But SAP Basis is also a strategic role that coordinates and collaborates with various stakeholders to deliver high-quality and high-value solutions. By following some of the best practices outlined in this article, SAP Basis developers can become more effective and efficient development coordinators, who can manage and execute complex projects in a complex system landscape.
Text: Microsoft Bing Chat with ChatGPT
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