When I started my new job last year, I inherited the task to set-up the Collaboration Room for the already existing Learning Solution in the Enterprise Portal. And there it began: my search for an instruction or step-by-step guide to implement it. The whole area of Collaboration is a little bit outdated. The state-of-the-art way is Jam. Nevertheless: we wanted the Collaboration Rooms.
I will give you an introduction of how to set-up a simple scenario, so you do not have to go through all the documents and search for resources as I did.
Simple Collaboration Room means:
- Create a room at a training
- Up-/Download files
- Send e-mails to learners
See also the document, where processes are described here:
http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-70184
And if you have customized everything as below and want to get rid of the entries in the collaboration Launchpad - check this short and very helpful reference:
1st Step: Set-up the Basics
Prerequisite: Make sure you have activated SAP Learning Solution!
IMG -> Training and Event Management -> SAP Learning Solution -> Activate/Deactivate SAP Learning Solution (as a hint: Events are called Trainings in SAP Learning Solution)
Use the up-to-date installation guide for setting up the basics together with your SAP basis team:
https://websmp105.sap-ag.de/~sapidb/011000358700000580232009E/CIG_EL_ERP604_v16.pdf (please contact me, if the link is not valid any more).
Maintain table V_LSO_CUSTEPRFC e.g. like this:
Hint: the system alias, rfc-destination, password and user for communication should have the same naming in all of your portals and erps, as this table is transported later on.
You have set-up the connection to the Enterprise Portal.
If you have later an error message like this - check if password for your communications user is really correct! It's always this password.
2nd Step: Make the Collaboration Room available on your training
IMG -> Training and Event Management -> SAP Learning Solution -> Training Management -> Basic Settings ->Object Type Modeling Enhancement -> Infotype
Infotype 5045 -> Infotypes per Object Type --> Add infotype 5045 to object E
IMG -> Training and Event Management -> SAP Learning Solution -> Training Management -> Basic Settings ->Dialog Control-> Current Settings -> Maintain Personnel Actions
Action ELSO Create Course --> Add infotype 5045
Now you have a Collaboration Room available at your trainings, e.g. in transaction LSO_PSV2.
3rd Step: Add some roles to your Enterprise Portal user
Prerequisite: you have authorizations in the Enterprise Portal to add roles (user management) and do some customizing there. Otherwise ask the team that does user management.
Initially add the content manager and system admin roles:
You may now maintain the Collaboration Content in an extra service.
For testing purposes add these two roles to your user (or any trainings admin):
For a learner only the 1st role is necessary. For a trainings admin you need both roles. I highly recommend to copy them in your namespace (e.g. ZMYCOMPANY), as we will adjust these roles later.
This is what you should have in the end as services (plus employee and manager self service and whatever you have in your company):
User administration is only necessary for the steps here and was not added, it was a prerequisite. I recommend you get all the other roles, because there are small steps in all of them necessary for the set-up. The service "Collaboration" is necessary for end-users as learners and training admins and for your testing.
4th Step: Check the Settings in the Enterprise Portal
Just check, if everything is there:
Activate the complete grouping of Collaboration Services
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw74/helpdata/en/4c/16962d37360da0e10000000a42189e/content.htm
Specifying the Portal URL
System Admin -> Collaboration -> RoomBackendProperties
Should look like this. If you cannot access your rooms later from the backend, check, if the address here is maintained correctly.
Also check, if available: Content Admin -> KM Content -> structure for rooms (should be already there):
5th Step: Create a Room Profile
Hint: for all systems that you use, the room profile name should be the same, as the SAP ERP customizing, that is transported, refers to this name.
Content Admin -> Collaboration Content -> Room Template Administration
Use SAP_Team_Room_2 as Template and duplicate
Enter a name and description. Enter room type restricted.
Remove the TeamLead Role
Save.
Add all member pages to Admin role.
Save.
6th Step: Adjust Learner Role
As I mentioned before - copy the learner and training admin role into you own name space - as you have probably done it with all your customer-specific content before.
Hint: Go to the context menu of the role, choose copy, go to you customer folder (e.g. ZCOMPANY), click on it and again in the context menu, choose paste. Select create a copy (not delta link) and next and next and finish.
Content Administration -> Portal Content Management -> Portal Content -> Your Customer Folder ZCOMPANY
In this folder you see the two copied roles with the name Collaboration. Go to the context menue and choose properties and all. Search for the ID. As the naming of the roles is the same you need an ID to see the difference.
Choose role with ID Collaboration
Go to role with ID collaboration and eliminate all of the check marks in My Tasks, My Sessions.
No saving necessary. Just check, if settings remain.
Effect: your learners will have only access to the rooms and files and are not confused with tasks and sessions.
I recommend you put the adjusted roles in your namespace into a transport.
Depending on your authorization concept I also suggest you assign the portal roles to some suitable SAP ERP roles (like an employee self-service role for the learner and a trainings admin role for the trainings admin).
7th Step: Check the Settings for E-Mail Exchange and Set-up E-Mail via Microsoft Exchange
First check, if you have the valid system there. Then - and here I am sorry, not my task - ask your basis team to set this up for you. Below are some resources for your basis team.
Nevertheless I would like to mention this step, as in SAP Help the description here is not correct, as SAP Help for SAP Netweaver 7.4 recommends you create a system from PAR-file. This PAR-file is not available any more. But you can use the Exchange System that you find here:
System Admin - System Landscape -> Portal Content -> Content Provided by SAP -> Collaboration
You may modify this system (maybe in your own namespace) to your needs.
Here are some hints for your basis team:
Creating an e-mail transport:
https://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/36/eacfb72888e04eaf523f7236c0892f/content.htm
Groupware framework collaboration:
https://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/48/05c93e4af7664ee10000000a114084/frameset.htm
Installing the MSX-A components:
How to Integrate Microsoft Exchange Server into SAP Enterprise Portal:
Work in the Enterprise Portal is done now. Now customize in SAP HR ERP.
8th Step: Do your customizing in IMG
Be very accurate while doing the following steps. A lot of problems in the communication ERP to EP arise from small customizing problems.
You find all customizing steps in IMG here:
In 1st step we have already maintained the following settings:
- Configure Enterprise Portal
- Set Up RFC Destination
- Specify Communication Parameters
Now we maintain the remaining steps:
Edit Room Profiles
Create a new entry.
Hint: The number for Profile is given by default. Unfortunately it starts with zero. So you 1st create an entry, that you do not use, with default number zero. Then a second entry with 1. You will need an entry with number 1 later in customizing. Zero is not recognized. You may delete the zero entry later.
Fill in a title and choose the room profile (template) from 5th step.
Choose privacy type public.
Maintain categories with default_category.
It is not necessary to maintain Parameters.
Edit Role Profiles
Create two role profiles - one for the learner and one for the training admin. Maintain their names and add the room profile.
Attention: do it exactly the other way round as in the screenshots!
Role Prof 1 should be the Learner Profile
Role Prof 2 should be the Trainings Admin Profile
Why? The Profile with the lowest key is the default profile for learners, the profile with the highest key is the default profile for administrators. I did it wrong in the 1st step.
For the training admin role profile choose roles admin and member.
For the learner role profile choose role member.
Maintain Default Values
Here you set the values that are used by default, when you create a room from e.g. the SAP Trainingmenue LSO_PSV2. Check the F1 help, when choosing your settings. The most important entry is the standard room profile. Choose here your room profile with no. 1. Without this entry, you will not be able to create a room at your training.
Define Categories for Room Search
Also this step is absolutely necessary. Integration ERP to EP will not work w/o it.
Just maintain your default_category.
The last steps - BADI implementation - are, of course, not necessary for a simple scenario.
Finished. That was easy - right?
Just some last comments:
I will adjust this documentation, when I have knew knowledge or if I find errors.
As soon as I find the time, I will give you some insights, how the processes for learners and training admins look like, as this should be part of a good description.
There is much more to the collaboration rooms, then I have described here. Really - this is just the most simple scenario, and I am aware of this. I hope you enjoyed this overview and it will speed up your first implementation.
Look for updates.
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