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Introduction

As of ST-A/PI 01S SP1, SAP provides a framework that allows fast and easy shipping of key figures for Business Process Monitoring and Business Process Analytics. Key figures are shipped as table content and are interpreted by a generic data collector in ST-A/PI. They are guaranteed read-only, cannot affect business processes, provide inherent security and have traceability in place against spying

The online collector framework allows you to make use of the lastest key figures without the need to install a new ST-A/PI add-on.

Delivery of Key Figures via Online Collector Framework

SAP develops key figures (including definition of the key figure, definition of the detail list, description texts etc.) and their assigned data collection coding as part of the oniline collector framework. For security reasons, there are limitations on the ABAP statements that are allowed to be used in the data collection coding (e.g. to ensure READ only access and to prevent unauthorized access to data).

The definition of the key figure and the data collection coding are converted into table entries. These table entries can be donwloaded via the online collector framework in a customers managed system. Digital content verification assures the content is from SAP.

In ST-A/PI on the managed system, a generic collector (triggered from BPMon or Business Process Analytics) runs and interpets the tables entries to execute the desired data collection. Technically, the coding of the online collector it is never passed to the ABAP runtime. It is parsed and processed statement-wise by the generic collector in ST-A/PI to assure READ-only.

At the customer, online collectors are NOT ABAP. They are table content in ST-A/PI.

Advantages:
The Online collectors:

  • stay out of ABAP respository
  • stay out of upgrades
  • stay out of transport system

The online collectors are interpreted by a generic collector in ST-A/PI. They are guranteed read-only. They

  • cannot affect business processes
  • provide inherent security, like secure shell
  • provide tracibility and authorization concept against spying.

Duration of the development of key figures depends on their complexity. Both generic key figures and customer specific key figures are shipped via the online collector framework. 

How to make use of the Key Figures available via the Online Collector Framework

First of all you have to ensure that ST-A/PI is installed with the following release or higher: 

ST-A/PI 01S SP01

The Online Collector framework is available as of basis 7.0 on the managed system. Full coding scope is available as of basis 7.3.

Afterwards you have to allow the download of online key figures in each managed system. To do so, call transaction ST13 on the managed system and execute tool TBI_REPORTS_ONLINE_MONITORS_ADMI.

On the next step check that the digital signature verification for the online content is activated.

If it is not the case you should activate digital content verification or ask the customer to do it. For this, run the ABAP Report RTCCTOOL as super user. Then from the menu choose Goto->Digital signatures, press "Activate". It can happens that the managed system do not have access to SAPNet via RFC destination. It is not a problem for the digital content activation, just choose the popup "Use outdated/delivered recommendations".

You need to do it only once in each managed system.

Afterwards, in the following screen choose to update automatically to always receive the latest content and corrections

If necessary you can always trigger the Update Manually by pressing button "Update Manually". Early Watch authorization for your user would be enough.

Sometimes the customer do not open the connection from the managed system to SAPNet. If this is the case you still have the option to have manual or periodic update for the online data collector content. For this you need to check with the customer that there is at least a Solution Manager system not necessary productive one which has the connection to SAPNet. It is usaully the case as the customer needs the way to download at least SAP Notes. Now your task is to enable the rerouting of the taffic from the managed system to SAPNet via this connected Solution Manager system.

Instruction:

  1. First check that the Solution Manager really has access to SAPNet. Fro this execute already known for you ABAP report  RTCCTOOL locally in SolMan. Check that no RFC error popup is comming. 

  2. Logon to managed system with a user that has authorization to create RFC destinations. Your user will need the authorization object 'S_RFC_ADM'  'ACTVT' field '01' plus full SE16 authorization 'S_TABU_DIS' plus   'DICBERCLS' field '*'  'ACTVT' field '03' ). 

  3. Create the RFC destination in the manged system to SolMan. Keep in mind that the user in the RFC destination from the Managed system to the SolMan needs S_RFC authorization for the function group /SSF/INTRFC ( usually it is already available) and it should have the authorization to do the subsequent RFC call to SAPNet. 

  4. Run report /SSA/NXS from SE38 in the managed system and

    1. Choose radio button "Option: If you with to route the RFC to SAPNet R/3 via your SAP Solution Manager, then enter the settings here and press F8"

    2. Specify the RFC destination to SolMan.
    3. Set the flag "Set Routing Active"
    4. Execute the report 

Rerouting configuration needs to be done only once in each managed system.

How to configure Monitoring Objects for Key Figures in Online Collector Framework

Key Figures in the Online Collector Framework are configured like any other monitoring objects in Business Process Monitoring and Business Process Analytics. After you have executed the download of the monitors to the managed system, you need to load the monitors from the managed system into SAP Solution Manager again (so that Solutions Manager knows about the newly available functions). Afterwards, you can configure, generate and activate the key figures like any other key figure.

On the managed system, you can locally execute the key figures via transaction ST13 -> TBI_REPORTS_ONLINE.

Logging and Tracing Options

In ST13 → TBI_REPORTS_ONLINE_MONITORS_ADMIN, you can see two kinds of logs:

  1. Update Log
    This will show you when the online content was last updated, who the executing user was and how many monitoring objects/key figures were added or changed.

    Via forward navigation, you can display the technoical IDs of the changed monitoring objects.

    Additionally, you can display errors that were encoutered during the content update.
  2. Execution Log
    In the execution log you can see when the data collection for a specific key figure was last executed. Different versions of the coding are visible, so you can see when version 1 of the coding was last executed and when version 2 of the coding was last executed. You can also see the last execution of coding shuch as executing an action in the detail info list.

     

 

Examples for Key Figures already shipped via Online Collector Framework

The following generic key figures (available to all customers) are already shipped via the Online Collector Framework:

Insurance (Financial Services – Policy Management):

  • Overdue Tasks
  • Overdue scheduled dates

Dealer Business Management

  • DBM Orders created
  • Unchanged DBM Orders

... 

FAQ

  • Question:
    Is it possible to ship customer specific key figures via this framework (e.g. key figures access z-tables)?
    • Answer:
      Yes. This was already practiced a couple of times. By including the customer number with a key figure definition only systems belonging to this customer number can download the respective key figures. However, also standard key figures are shipped with this framework.
  • Question:
    Can key figures be product specific? Or will CRM key figures also be downloaded into ERP systems?
    • Answer:
      Each key figure has implementation conditions. This way, it is ensured that e.g. ERP key figures are only donwloaded to ERP systems. Additionally, there can be dependencies on the release of a system.
  • Question:
    Can also Analytics key figures be shipped via this framework? Or is it only available for monitoring key figures? 
    • Answer:
      Analytics and monitoring key figures use the same framework. So depending on the definition of a key figure in the online framework, it can be available for BPMon and BPAnalytics or exclusively be available for either BPMon or Analytics.
  • Question:
    Is the online collector framework only available for Solution Manager 7.2, or can it also be used for Solution Manager 7.1?
    • Answer:
      Both Solution Manager 7.1 and 7.2 can call key figures in the online collector framework. The only important thing is that the ST-A/PI on the managed system is on the correct version and SP level. The version of SAP Solution Manager does not play a role as the key figures in the online collector framework are called from SAP Solution Manager via the same initial coding as the on-premise key figures.
  • Question:
    How will the look and feel differ for an Online Monitor from an on-premise monitor?
    • Answer:
      The look and feel does not differ at all. The only way to tell whether a monitor is on the online framework will be via the technical ID of the monitor.

 

 

 

 

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