Technology Blogs by Members
Explore a vibrant mix of technical expertise, industry insights, and tech buzz in member blogs covering SAP products, technology, and events. Get in the mix!
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
former_member182411
Active Participant

.

***************  the call recording is here ***************

Invitation for SAP System Architects, Development Architects, Application Architects

and Basis Architects and everybody who is interested, to join the next #SAPSysArchs

call:


    Subject:                      Introduction and Overview SAP HANA Cloud Platform 


    Date:                            Wednesday 20th April - 20:30 CET                             


    Meeting Url:                https://sap.emea.pgiconnect.com/C5236419


    Conference Code;      Participant Passcode: 329 122 3879


    Local Dial-in Numbers are here

The call will cover the following topics:


What is SAP HCP?

1.description of what SAP HCP components (introductory level for beginners)

2.Placement in the overall architecture of S/4HANA (big picture)

3.SAP HCP is the frontend server of S/4HANA in the future?

Why should SAP customers consider SAP HANA Cloud Platform?

1.Extension framework for (not only) S/4HANA

2.Innovative solutions like YaaS, IoT, SAP CRM for Digital are running on HCP

3.Cloud integration packages on HCI (HANA Cloud Integration)

How do customers get connected to SAP HCP?

1.Cloud connector

2.MPLS

3.Maybe on-prem edition? Customer Private Cloud

1.How to prepare your SAP Landscape for Cloud Integration

2.Is SAP planning a harmonious approach to Cloud integration across HCPlatform, HCPortal, Hybris, SuccessFactors etc

What does it mean for Operations & Monitoring?

1.How mature is the operations process for SAP HCP for customers?

2.Is there a change mgmt like there is on ABAP?

3.How does the role of Basis guys change? And what knowledge should they aquire?

4.How does SAP see the DevOps?

Following the evolving format of the #SAPSysArchs calls, the call will walk through the

"Call-Deck", which will be appended below in this blog.

The goal of the call as usual is to learn from peers through open common discussion and

solution sharing on contempary SAP system architecture challenges. Therefore, as ever

the aim is discussion rather than lecture.

Looking forward to all feedback and attendance.

Let's have some fun and fully understand how subject of SAP HANA Cloud Platform.

About #SAPSysArchs

Together we are all #SAPSysArchs, everybody in the SAP Business who is involved in SAP

System Architecture decisions.

A global peer group enabling sharing of discussions, questions, philosophies, throughts and

experiences.

#SAPSysArchs face many challenges including pressure of having to be the subject matter

expert, the final internal technical authority, and without always having access to support.

Where is the documentation, there is not enough architecture documentation around SCN

or SMP, we're lucky if a Master Guide gives some architectural insight.

Architect's don't blog, why ? Often blogging architecture solutions, philosophies, ideas, could

risk sharing company's secrets combined with pride of not wishing to be publicly challenged.

What to do ? #SAPSysArchs creates a peer group where on a monthly basis peers can have

an open discussion on a contempary subject, and compare thoughts.

Less a lecture and more a discussion, there are mountains of documentation on SCN, SMP,

TechEd, the #SAPSysArchs calls are primarily an opportunity for open peer discussion, where

attendees bring their challenges and throughts.

Real challenges faced by real people at real companies, rather than PowerPoint Presentations.

Good architectural design and decisions bring many benefits including:

  • creating competitive advantage by
  • enabling End User productivity, enabling End Users to be productive and keeping them productive
  • reducing time and costs

Every company is different, running at different speeds with different budgetary and business

pressures.

What is the best architectural decision for one company, may not for a variety of reasons be the

best architectural decision for another.

However, enabling #SAPSysArchs to share and compare in peer discussions will benefit all.

The New SCN SAP NetWeaver Architecture Category - An Introduction

The "Call-Deck"

SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud vs. SAP HANA Cloud Platform

  • SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud (SAP HEC, or just HEC) is a "Private Cloud offering" by SAP
  • customers could move their SAP systems from their own data center (on-premise) to the SAP HEC operated one (on-demand)
  • SAP calls this "Private managed and dedicated cloud", which means the server's instance is just for exactly one customer (like it is when the customer installs it on-premise)

  • SAP HANA Cloud Platform is a "Platform as a Service (PaaS)" offering by SAP
  • hosted on SAP Cloud (assumption: SAP HEC, @SAP: is the assumption true?)
  • it delivers capabilities for development and operations of innovative applications
  • it is no replacement of existing SAP installations but a complementary environment to them (building extensions)

One possible scenario could be that a customer runs his SAP Netweaver AS ABAP installations on SAP HEC and has a VPN connection (using SAP Cloud Connector, more about this later) to SAP HCP in order to extend ABAP applications.

What is SAP HANA Cloud Platform all about?

  • First of all SAP HCP is a platform which offers
    • UI layer (SAP Fiori)
    • Application logic layer/Business Services
    • Database layer (persistency services, e.g. SAP HANA [in trial version v1.00.97], MAX DB, SAP HANA XS, SAP HANA Multitenant Database Containers (MDC), SAP ASE)
    • Several foundation services like
      • Integration (e.g. OData Provisioning)
      • Content Management Services (DMS)

  • By the time SAP has built a lot of complementary solutions as separated application servers:
    • SAP PI (Process Integration, former Exchange Infrastructure, now integrated in SAP Process Orchestration)
    • SAP BPM (Business Process Management, now included in SAP Process Orchestration)
    • SAP CE (Composition Environment, now in included in SAP Process Orchestration)
    • SAP EP (Enterprise Portal)
    • SAP MP (Mobile Platform 3.0)
    • SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe (on premise)
    • ... any more to mention?
  • For my understanding the SAP HCP is an attempt to collapse all these separate application servers into SAP HCP as "services"
    • SAP HCI (HANA Cloud Integration, is more or less the same as SAP Process Orchestration)
    • SAP HCPms (Mobile Services, same as SAP Mobile Platform 3.0 at least the same SDK :wink: )
  • One advantage could be that the customer doesn't have to take care about infrastructure setup, maintainance, gain speed (setting up infrastructure costs time) and thus save money on that items (assumption)
  • The core bullet points of SAP HCP are
    • Build new applications (mobile first approach possible)
    • Integrate everything (applications, users, sensors, processes)
    • Extend cloud applications (SAP Success Factors, SAP Hybris Cloud for Customer, SAP Ariba, Concur)
    • Extend on-premise applications (on-premise or private managed cloud AS ABAP applications, like ERP, CRM, SRM)
  • SAP HCP provides a runtime for SAP Hybris as a Service
    • this is the base of publishing Business Services (e.g. Billing, just an example) based on the Microservices approach
    • customers could provide their own Business Services and turn into software providers (ideally)

http://hcp.sap.com


"The box <Development>/<Operations> seems to address the DevOps approach (probably also because of the microservices approach). Does it mean, that organizations introducing SAP HANA Cloud Platform have to think about changing their team structure according to this?"

































How To Create HCPMS Apps With Non OData Backend | SCN

Development Environment

  • SAP WebIDE (available in both SAP HANA on-prem and SAP HCP)

How does SAP HCP fit to SAP's S/4HANA strategy?


  • SAP HCP is the extension platform for Lines of Business (LoB) solutions, like SuccessFactors and Ariba
  • SAP HCP enables the IT of two speeds (of called "2 phase IT") by leveraging development and operations of innovative applications (smaller than the ones from the stable core which is often referred to be the "deployment monolith")

Question 3: "If SAP HCP provides OData provisioning capabilities with SAP HANA Cloud Integration, could it be that we do not need the SAP Frontend Server (SAP Gateway Hub on premise) any more?"

































Why should SAP customers have a look at SAP HANA Cloud Platform?

  • strategy
  • make use of integration technology
  • extension frameworks
  • SAP and SAP partners develop extensions and sell them on https://www.sapappcenter.com/



How do SAP customers get connected to SAP HANA Cloud Platform?


  • Customers have to install the SAP HANA Cloud Connector
  • it provides a secure VPN-tunnel from the on-premise data center to SAP HCP
  • communication is initiated from on-premise installation (and not from outside)
  • to be used in "Private managed cloud environment" (SAP HEC, AWS or others) and on-premise scenarios
  • btw, combination of on-premise and on-demand services is called "hybrid landscapes/applications/scenarios"


Questions
Is the connection also possible via a MPLS connection? Or is the use of SAP HANA Cloud Connector a must?
Based on experiences the customers are often afraid of connecting to the outside world. What is being done in order to ensure a secure connection process and communication flow?
What about customers who aren't allowed to use cloud services from a legal perspective? Are there any alternatives?

What does it mean to operations?


Questions
What do customers have to consider before introduction of SAP HANA Cloud Platform into their landscape? Is there a roadmap or best practice?
How mature is the operations process for SAP HCP for customers?
s there a change mgmt like there is on ABAP? Are there any lifecycle management tools available on SAP HCP and how are they connected to SAP Solution Manager (on-premise)?
How does the role of Basis guys change? And what knowledge should they aquire?
How does SAP see the DevOps?
How is the change and transport management being handled, especially when on-premise artifacts have to get synchronized into production at the same time when SAP HCP artifacts are transported?
For a three tier landscape (development, test, production) do customers have to have three SAP HCP accounts or how is this being realized?
How does the System Landscape Directory customers already have for SAP SolMan, SAP PO and so on fit into this?
What has a customer to adapt from an organizational perspective in order to be able to deal with the fact that SAP updates SAP HCP in the cloud (not driven and managed by the customer)?

Links and references

LinkComment
SAP HANA Cloud Platform - Who is whoExcellent overview on key players and experts in the area of SAP HANA Cloud Platform
YaaS - SAP Hybris as a ServiceEntry point for Business Services Marketplace on Yaas.io (SAP HYbris as a Service)
SAP HANA Cloud Platform Essentials - Rui Nogueira and Sven KohlhaasLatest SAP HANA Cloud Platform openSAP course starting Tuesday, 10 May 2016
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroservicesEntry point for getting familiar with microservices
SAP Development ToolsLink to SAP Development Tools for Eclipse
How SAP Could Enable You and Me as Software Vendors with a "Backed by SAP" ProgramInteresting blog by thorsten.franz about "how we all could add applications to the SAP HCP ecosystem"
https://www.cloudfoundry.org/learn/features/Entry point for getting familiar with Cloud Foundry
Software &amp;raquo; OpenStack Open Source Cloud Computing SoftwareEntry point for learning about OpenStack, an operating system for cloud infrastructure
Capabilities | SAP HANA Cloud PlatformOverview about the capabilities offered by SAP HANA Cloud Platform
Overview | SAP HANA Cloud PlatformCentral entry point also for SAP HANA Cloud Platform trial
7 Comments
Labels in this area