SAP Enable Now – Media objects

?In my previous article I talked about the differences between sharing the published view and the authoring preview. Your takeaway should be the basic understanding of the author and published links.

?In this article I will discuss media objects.?

What is a media object?

?In February 2019 SAP introduced feature pack 1902 for Enable Now which added numerous enhancements over the previous version 1811. One of the features introduced with that upgrade was called media objects. This feature was implemented to improve the handling and editing of multimedia objects including audio files, video files, images, Word documents and PDF files.

?These file formats can now be added with the standalone content type, Media Object in both Producer and Manager. In simple terms, uploading multimedia content into Enable Now as a media object adds a layer of properties to the content that are recognized by Enable Now. In essence, the media object appears as if it is native to the application.

?This enables you to name the object and choose its associated language. It also allows the media object to be displayed in the navigation tree with a media object ICON appropriate for the file format.

?These objects can be referenced in other content or displayed directly in the library. You can also upload them directly to Manager and manage them like any other object.

?One of the key benefits of the media object is they include their own standalone version history. They can also be moved within the content structure of Enable Now and all links to that object will be maintained.

Best practice recommendations

?Before we get into the details I want to start with an overview of the process. From within Enable Now Producer, 1) highlight the folder where the media object will be located, 2) select the option to create a new object, 3) navigate on your computer to where the source file is located, and 4) select the file to bring it into Enable Now. This sounds easy, but there is a best practice recommendation that you should follow.

?For all content that you plan to bring into Enable Now as a media object, you should begin by moving those files into a dedicated folder with a name that it easy to remember and associated with Media Objects. The reason for this is to be more efficient in locating these objects should they need to be edited and updated.

Dirk Manuel, the Enable Now Expert, does a masterful job demonstrating the entire process in his YouTube video – Displaying Media Objects in the Trainer. You can watch the first three minutes of his video to see how to create and refresh the media object. If you watch the entire seven and a half minutes, Dirk shows you some valuable troubleshooting on PDFs that will prove handy when you begin bringing PDFs into your Enable Now environment as media objects.

?If you are still with me, I will show you the steps to create and update your media objects.

Inserting the media object

?Begin by highlighting the folder you plan to place the media object into. Next, from the top toolbar select the “+” to open the Select New Objects pop up window and from the Objects tab, select the Media Objects ICON as shown in the image below.

?A new window will display prompting you to select the media file. Navigate as needed to the folder containing your desired file, click on the file to highlight it, and finally click the Open button to continue the process.

?Another window will display that will prompt you to name the media object, set the language, and save the image to the server. The default file name will be the same as the source file without the .PDF (or whatever) extension the file is currently saved under.

?You will note that the path to the source file is captured as well as the media type. The media type, in this example it is a PDF, will generate the appropriate ICON within Enable Now where it will be displayed to the immediate left of the object within the navigation tree structure. Once the edits to the media object properties are complete, click the Ok button to finish the process.

If the Save to Server checkbox is highlighted, you will see the following popup indicating the in-process replication to the server as shown here.

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?Looking to the right side of the screen you can see the Enable Now properties associated with the media object including the name, language, media type and original file location of the source file. Note that this source file is maintained outside of Enable Now and it can be edited using the original editing tool, for example Microsoft Word, without having to open Enable Now. It will be necessary to refresh the media object within Enable Now if you intend to update the version within your Enable Now environment. I will show you this process in the next section.

Updating the media object

?In the previous illustration, we uploaded a PDF file as a media object. That object inherited the PDF ICON as shown here.

?Based on the PDF scenario, the next steps would involve editing the PDF document in Word and saving the file. Once the edits are complete, you open Enable Now, navigate to the media object and refresh it within Enable Now to capture the changes.

?To perform the refresh, click on the toolbar ICON with the two connected arrows forming a square. The final step is to finish editing and save to the server.

Updating multiple media objects

?If you have multiple media objects to refresh you can highlight at the folder level that contains all of the media objects to be refreshed. The refresh steps are different at the folder level, and it is best to walk through them in their entirety.

?With the folder selected, click on the Tools menu, select Workarea Structure from the dropdown list and finally select the Update Externally Loaded Files from the fly-out menu.

Note the media object ICON still has the pencil over it indicating that it is still checked out to you. No one can edit the media object until you finish editing and save it to the server.

Summarizing media objects

Enable Now provides the ability to bring non-native content into the work environment as a media object allowing it to inherit key properties and assimilate into the Enable Now environment where it acts like a native component. Updates to the source content continues to be handled outside of the Enable Now environment. Updates can be managed individually or in mass at the folder level. Your takeaway should be the basic understanding of processes involved, and how the refresh of multiple media objects can be used to expedite your work in Enable Now.

What’s next?

?In my next article I talk about a unique problem you may encounter with PDFs uploaded as a media object. I will refer back to a video that was created by Dirk Manuel, the Enable Now Expert – Displaying Media Objects in the Trainer. You can pick up the process at the two minute forty-five second (2:45) mark in the video to see the solution.

If you like what I wrote please take the time to share it, as others may find it interesting, if not amusing. Let’s not be just consumers of information or share only the works of others. Your voice matters, and I’m sure you have good ideas that could help others. Try being a thought leader and not just a follower.

To those of you who take the time to read my efforts I sincerely thank you. I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you that this is a two-way conversation so put your comments in and let’s have a volley of ideas, so we all continue our intellectual growth.

And for those planning to implement SAP Enable Now or are struggling with an existing effort, I provide effective onsite assessments and training.

Mr. Gray is a seasoned business strategist experienced in SAP Enable Now implementation and training, PMO stand up, digital and business transformation, process development, and best practice guidance. He has developed industry-leading methods for SAP Enable Now readiness, staff modeling, project deployment, financial performance, team onboarding, and business readiness. Mr. Gray is a problem solver at heart and a sharer of knowledge by choice. He has authored more than one hundred thought provoking articles which are all available on LinkedIn.

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