Hello everyone! I wanted to take a few moments to update this blog with some new information regarding some updates to our current curriculum; including, the addition of several NEW classes which you may find beneficial. I have indicated updates with a NEW CLASS. I hope you find the update useful.
Understanding the Solution Manager (Solman) Course curriculum can be a little bit of a challenge. When considering which courses to take it is important to understand Solution Manager as an Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Platform. What this means for a prospective student is that Solman has multiple sets of functionality designed to facilitate certain activities related to the application lifecycle. On the one hand, Solman has a set of Implementation Tools that assist companies with their Implementation projects. Implementation encompasses the first half of the implementation lifecycle, i.e. from the ASAP project phases Project Preparation, Business Blueprint, Realization to Go Live.
On the other hand, Solman also has a wide range of tools designed for post go live “Operations”. As an ALM tool, Solman provides a host of tools and processes designed to support the ongoing operation of a solution throughout its lifecycle. These include the Service Desk, Change Request Management, Technical Systems Monitoring, Root Cause Analysis, etc. To complicate matters further some of the tools that support Ops may also be relevant for support of activities on the Implementation side. Below is an overview of several SAP courses on both sides of your Application Lifecycle to aid you in selecting the most appropriate course for your needs. This blog is not intended to be a complete reference, and does not discuss every training course available, but rather is designed to help you get started with your Solman education. Based on my over 7 years experience delivering the Solman curriculum the most sought after training courses are the ones that cover Implementation Tools, Configuration and Setup, Change Management and Technical Administration and Monitoring. Below is a short survival guide based on our most popular courses in these areas.
Solution Implementation Focus:
The ASAP Implementation Methodology forms the core foundation for implementing an SAP Solution. The course SMI210 Solution Manger Implementation Methodology Overview is a 1 day overview of the ASAP methodology, examining at a high level the Phases of an Implementation project and SAP’s approach to implementing an SAP Solution. Each phase of the ASAP Methodology is discussed with an eye towards grounding participants in the SAP recommended method for approaching an implementation project. This overview is an essential element for maximizing your training experience in the implementation tools course SMI310.
NEW CLASS: ASA380 ASAP 8.0 Methodology for Implementation is a 3 day deep dive into the updated ASAP Implementation Methodology and is intended to provide:
• An overview description of the work stream in ASAP Methodology, it’s purpose and main deliverables
• A more detailed description of the work stream deliverables per phase and related integration points
• Additional information and links related to the work stream content
NEW CLASS: ACT100 SAP Activate Methodology represents a 2 day class for SAP S/4HANA and provides an overview of the SAP Activate framework and the provides guidance concerning implementation practices for various scenarios such as:
• Implementing Cloud Solutions
• Implementing on Premise Solutions
• Outlines the Activate Methodology and discusses how it differs from the standard ASAP Implementation Methodology
NEW CLASS: ACT200 Agile Project Delivery is a 2 day class where participants learn about the SAP Activate methodology for implementation techniques including Agile and Lean Implementation concepts.
The SMI310 Implementation Projects with SAP Solution Manager Course is the main implementation tools overview course and provides students with a broad understanding how SAP envisions the use of Solman for customer implementation projects. In this course, we discuss how to build projects and use them to document the core Business Scenarios, Business Processes, Business Process Steps down to the object level. The concept of Solution documentation is essential to a well-defined Solution Manager strategy for supporting not only Implementation activities, but also Operations post Go Live. The SMI310 courses focus is on Business Blueprint, Realization, the Integrated Test Workbench functionality as well as integrated tools such as the Business Process Change analyzer and the Solution Documentation Assistant. Students build project and experience how the functional team will use Solution Manager to manage and configure functionality in the Development environment while fully documenting the solution in Solman.
Testing and the management of your overall test strategy are key to the success of any project. The course E2E220 Test Management Overview is a 3 day course which provides students with additional training on the Solman Integrated Test Workbench, as well as discussions of some of the expanded capabilities centered around the Test Automation Framework, integration with HP Quality Center and IBM Rational, SAP TAO (Test Acceleration and Optimization) and other tools such as SAP Test Data Migration Server and the Business Process Change Analyzer.
Solution Operations Focus:
From an Operations perspective, the SAP Training Courses are divided into two main categories—the “How to Configure” classes, designated with the SM prefix and the “How to Use” classes, designated with the E2E prefix.
The course E2E040 Run SAP End to End Solution Operations us off with a 3 day overview of the Run SAP Methodology. Run SAP provides a project oriented approach to developing best practice support concepts centered on critical aspects of operations such as Change Management, Custom Code Management, Incident Management, Root Cause Analysis, Job Scheduling Management, etc. Using the SAP Standards for Solution Operations Run SAP provides the framework for developing a lifecycle oriented approach to managing these critical aspects of operations.
SM100 Solution Manager Operations and Configuration is a 5 day overview course covering the initial setup and configuration of your Solman system from a technical perspective, as well as an overview of some of the main operational oriented functionality of the tool. We start in SM100 with a detailed discussion of setting up Solman and using the Solman_Setup guided procedure for system configuration and incorporating managed systems. Along the way, we discuss the technical installation and architecture of Solman and focus on the basis setup of the tool.
Once students have a good grasp of how to incorporate managed systems into Solman, we focus on how key features and functions of Solman support Solution Operations. Included are overviews of Solution and Service Level Reporting, Technical and System Monitoring, Early Watch Alerts and Reporting for ABAP and JAVA, Solution Manager Diagnostics, System Maintenance including Maintenance Optimizer, Maintenance Certificates, Job Scheduling Management, Service Desk and Issue and Task Management. Obviously, it is not possible to learn EVERYTHING about Solman Operations in one 5 day SM100 course; however, the participants gain a good foundational understanding of what these tools are and how they are intended to be used in order to support Solution Operations.
Many of the topics introduced in SM100 are critical for successful Solution Operations such that specific 3 and 5 day classes are devoted to their further understanding. Additional “How to Configure” courses as well as the related “How to Use” courses focus on specialized topics. For example, E2E100 E2E Root Cause Analysis focuses on how to use Solution Manager Diagnostics for End to End (E2E) Change Analysis, Workload Analysis, Trace Analysis, Change Diagnostics, etc. E2E120 Technical Monitoring in Solution Manager 7.1 focuses on how to configure and use the new Technical Monitoring Infrastructure introduced in version 7.1.
NEW CLASS: SM250 IT Service Management Configuration is an updated course offering that replaces the previous SM200 IT Service Management course. The new course is a 4 day class that focuses on the standard IT Service Management Processes offered by SAP Solution Manager (f.k.a. Service Desk) and provides guidance on how to customize the standard delivered processes according to the customer’s needs.
NEW CLASS: SM255 Change Request Management - Configuration is an updated course offering that replaces a portion of the previous SM200 class with regards to CHARM. The new class is a 5 day course with a specific focus on the various elements of the SAP Solution Manager Change Request Management solution and the support standards. It includes configuration of the SAP standard delivered ChaRm scenario as well as discussions on how to customize the Change Request Management process according to a customer’s specific needs.
The related course E2E200 Change Control Management is one of my favorite classes. It provides students with the basics of how to use the technologies for Change Management incorporated into Solman including Change and Transport System, Incident Management, Charm Lite, Quality Gate Management, Change Request Management, CDMC and more.
Obviously, I have not covered EVERY course offered by SAP related to SAP Solution Manager, but I hope I have provided a quick reference to aid students in focusing on the right areas for their needs and job responsibilities.
Finding the right course isn’t always easy but SAP Education is always here to help. Visit http://training.sap.com today for more information and as always, best of luck on your projects.
