The document outlines 10 tips from Solution Manager that can save time and money when managing SAP systems. Each tip is described in 1-2 sentences and includes estimated time savings and links for more information. Implementing these tips through features in Solution Manager like maintenance certificates, landscape reporting, alerts and monitoring can help proactively manage systems, avoid potential issues, and save several hours per week of administrative tasks.

2. Solution Manager Top 10 tips for saving time and money Tony de Thomasis NetWeaver Infrastructure Architect Australia Post

3. In this presentation I demonstrate the top 10 Solution Manager features to save you time and money. Each tip will be supported by an SDN weblog, links and YouTube video. Introduction & Overview

4. 1 - Maintenance Certificates 2 - Landscape Reporting 3 - Early Watch Alert Reporting 4 - Central System Administration 5 - Service Level Reports 6 - Open service connections centrally 7 - Check and apply HotNews 8 - CCMS alerts 9 – Portal Activity Data Collector 10 – IT Performance Reporting What I’ll Cover

5. Tip #1 - Maintenance Certificates Pre-requisites Set up SDCCN 10 minutes per satellite systems Getting there Change management work centre  License Management SDCCN  Task  Create  Get licence data (satellite systems) Savings Around 1 hour per satellite system every ninety days No drama during SPAM/SAINT More help http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/17491 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp4odxzaMZk

6. Tip #2 – Landscape Reporting Pre-requisites Set up SMSY and SLD first 30 minutes one time setup per Solution Getting there SMSY  Utilities  Analyses (table view) DSWP  Operations  System Monitoring (graphic view) Savings Around 1 hour per week maintaining Spreadsheet and PowerPoint More accurate and timely landscape details More help http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/17589 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM94P8BPnEQ

7. Tip #3 – Early Watch Alert Reporting Pre-requisites Set up solutions using DSWP One hour one time custom setup in SDCCN per satellite system Getting there Change management work centre  License Management DSWP  Operations  Solution Monitoring  Early Watch Alert Savings Proactively avoid known problems and potential outages Proactively monitor disk, CPU and poor user behaviour More help http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/17717 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1C3EJHuLCA

8. Tip #4 – Central System Administration Pre-requisites Set up Solutions in DSWP first 2 hours one time custom setup Checks per Solution Getting there DSWP  Operations  System Monitoring  Display open tasks Savings Around 1 hour per satellite system every day Allows task delegation to Junior Support staff Audit trail helps to promote motivation with your SI Partner More help http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/17824 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i1Ou69Mxxk

9. Tip #5 – Service Level Reports Pre-requisites Set up SMSY and SLD connections first 2 hours one time setup for a custom SL Report per solution Getting there DSWP  Operations  Solutions Monitoring  SL Reporting Savings Identify bad transactions, users and virtualization candidates Save memory, CPU and disk space Create proactive management reports instead of ad-hoc More help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqstyvaXtCE

10. Tip #6 – Open Service Connections Pre-requisites Set up SMSY and SLD connections first 10 minutes configuration per satellite system Getting there DSWP  Solutions Landscape  Service Connections Savings 10 minutes each time you maintain SMP connections Allows task delegation to Junior Support staff More help http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/18201 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUWxI5pxSOU

11. Tip #7 – Check and Apply SAP HotNews Pre-requisites Set up Solutions in DSWP 30 minutes one time setup per Solution Getting there Change Management Work Centre  Hot News Savings Proactively avoid known problems and potential problems Several hours per week looking for the right note More help http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/18094 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AerLcrCrmLk

12. Tip #8 – Automatic CCMS Alerts Pre-requisites Establish and enable a link to your chosen Service Desk solution 2-4 hours setup custom problems and thresholds one time per system Getting there RZ21  Technical Infrastructure  Configure Central System  Assign Central Auto-reactions DSWP  Operations  System Monitoring  Display Alerts Savings Proactively avoid known problems and potential problems More help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJrIxkcuxmw

13. Tip #9 – Portal Activity Data Collector Pre-requisites 1 hour per ADC Node configuration on Portal and reboot 1 hour setup for the Solution Manager extractor framework Getting there RCA Work Centre  End to end Analysis  Workload Analysis Savings Proactively monitor disk Portal User, iView and Page statistics More help http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/ 17167 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMD43Y6BuC0

14. Tip #10 – IT Performance Reporting Pre-requisites Install and configure BI usage type in Solution Manager Getting there System Monitoring Work-Centre  Proactive Monitoring  IT Performance Reporting Savings Use these reports to address poor performance Generate on demand reports or periodic mail out to i-Phone Saves 2-3 hours weekly generating various management reports More help http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/17910 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igxR0aQLVg8

15. Key Points to Take Home Prioritise your Solution Manager functionality Deploy your features and advertise your savings Use savings to fund subsequent features

16. Bonus Slide # 1 Other features you may not have considered Redwood Central Processing Scheduler (CPS) Printing Assistant Landscape 10 minutes per satellite systems Central System User Administration Technical documentation (SOLAR01) Test Data Migration Services (TDMS) Testing Optimisation Administration Wily Introscope BMC AppSight KNOA User Experience Management.

17. Bonus Slide # 2 Set yourself up for success Prioritise features according to your pain points Learn to advertise and ask for more funding Get your best resource to own Solution Manager Ensure you use proper hardware Have an SLD strategy Have at least 2 Solution Manager instances Share your learning http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/17974

18. Questions How to contact me… Follow me at: www.twitter.com/c821311