[Update] The latest advancement in SAP Transport Automation is now driven by IT-Conductor ChAI.
Managing SAP transport requests requires significant effort to transfer code or configuration changes between systems. Transport requests in SAP are typically received by SAP Basis teams, who then process them for approval based on the change management process. Once approved, the requests are moved to different systems, and testing is performed. On top of all that, everyone affected by the changes must be notified so they can perform testing within the change window and resume operations on time. As a developer, it can be helpful to receive notifications once your transports have been successfully transferred to the target systems. This lets you quickly identify compatibility or configuration issues and take necessary action.
In our last webinar about SAP Transport Automation, we introduced the acronym READ to showcase how automation has simplified the management of SAP transports.
R - Request via SAP Change Request Web Form
E - Execute via Change Request Process Composer
A - Alerts/notifications automatically sent via e-mail
D - Dashboard that shows transport request submissions with requestor details, target SIDs, status, etc.
In this blog post, let's review them one by one to highlight how they simplify the process.
New to SAP Transports?
Read our case study about Leveraging SAP Transport Automation and understand how we've transformed the change management process of one of our customers from conceptualization to actual implementation.
Request via SAP Change Request Webform
The transport management process begins when a user submits a request using the SAP Change Request web form. All the relevant details regarding the transport request are collected in this stage.
Figure 1: SAP Change Request Web Form
The user who initiates the request can select the Source SID, choose the Target SID(s), and provide their SAP User ID. The requestor's SAP User ID will retrieve the user's email address by making an RFC call and saving it in SAP. The form can process single or batch requests.
After the requestor submits the transport request, a request is sent to IT-Conductor to create objects to store the submitted transport request(s).
Execute via Change Request Process Composer
The execution phase carries out requests from the source by moving them to one or more target systems. It involves a process design in the form of a Process Definition, as shown below, developed using the Process Composer — IT-Conductor’s native workflow orchestration feature.
Figure 2: Change Request Process Definition
The process begins by extracting information from the submitted request and verifying that it is from a valid user with a valid e-mail address.
Figure 3: Get User Details Activity Details
The Source SID and all the listed transports (customized or workbench) are also extracted upon form submission and will then be passed to an SAP function module to confirm if all transports are in a "Released" status.
Figure 4: Check Requests Released Activity Details
If any transports have a “Not Released” status, the entire transport submission process will be rejected. If all the transports pass the verification step, the process will proceed to retrieve information about the Target SID(s).
Figure 5: Transport Request Processing Activity Details
You can customize the options to modify the workflow according to your specific requirements and preferences regarding the execution of transports. Once the transport is enumerated, it is transferred into the system, and the import log is generated.
Figure 6: Transport Request Import Log
Note: For customizing transports, the requests must be imported in sequence. For workbench transports, the requests can be imported together, and their dependencies will be checked simultaneously.
Alerts/Notifications
The process definition also covers the automatic sending of e-mail alerts/notifications to the designated recipients who need to be informed of the changes being processed.
Figure 7: SAP Transport Check E-mail and Sending Alerts Mechanism
Figure 7 shows that only the “Notify User on Start” has turned GREEN. This suggests that the evaluations in “Get User Details” and “Check e-mail” have successfully met the criteria in both activities. See below for sample e-mail alerts/notifications.
Figure 8: Email Sent to the Requestor
Figure 9: E-mail Sent to the SAP Change Management Team
Dashboard
The dashboard displays all transport requests submitted, enabling SAP Basis teams to monitor the status of requests submitted by users.
They can be shown in various forms depending on how you desire the data to be presented at a glance. In Figure 10, for instance, Requests by Source System (24h), Requests by Target SID (24h), and Requests by User (24h) are represented in bar graphs; SAP Change Transport Requests are shown historically over time using a chart; Transport Requests Submissions are shown as a table.
Figure 11: Requests by Source System (Last 24h)
You can expand details by clicking the bar graphs, transport description, or any clickable data point. In Figure 11, you can see the list of requests by the selected Source SID with their corresponding Start and Completion Time, Requestor’s SAP User ID, and Statuses.
Figure 12: Requests by Target SID (Last 24h)
In Figure 12, the pop-up windows for each system list the transport requests by Target SID with their corresponding Work Queue, Start and Completion Time, and Statuses.
Start your SAP Transport Automation Journey with IT-Conductor
Processing transport requests can be complex and time-consuming for SAP Basis teams or anyone responsible for managing transport requests. An automated solution like what we have presented here can help reduce processing time, remove manual processing, lower risks, and increase compliance. Automation also helps reduce complexity by eliminating the need for manual implementation, system dependency with Solution Manager, and constant lifecycle management with SAP updates.
IT-Conductor provides a simple yet elegant orchestration solution to allow developers, change managers, Basis administrators, and compliance auditors easy access to request, transport, monitor, and get notified on any changes in your SAP environment.
