How the SolMan supports S/4 Hana migrations.

We all know and appreciate SolMan as the key software for the administration of SAP enterprise applications. Did you know, however, that Solution Manager 7.2, when used properly, is also an efficient tool for supporting migration to S/4 Hana? Companies that will be tackling this project over the next few years - almost half according to a DSAG survey - would be well advised to take another close look at the functionalities and possibilities of SolMan beforehand. After all, when cleverly used, SolMan accompanies the S/4 migration throughout the entire lifecycle of the software before, during, and after the migration project.

The focus is on ALM

At the heart of this lies application lifecycle management (ALM) which is the sum of all methods and tools for managing SAP solution landscapes - from planning to operation to decommissioning. Critical building blocks in this context are documentation, testing, and audit-compliant tracking of all changes to the particular SAP solution. Unfortunately, many companies only use the basic functionalities of SolMan, for instance technical monitoring, and leave many application scenarios unused. For these, however, it pays to tackle additional installation and configuration work in advance of the migration and, if necessary, to enlist the support of external service providers. Finally, it is the combination of the numerous tools, functions, and content through which SolMan, as an ALM suite, opens up a wide range of possibilities in the introduction of S/4. Companies with an appropriately configured SolMan will, for example, be able to integrate the stages of the S/4 project directly into the familiar SAP activate phases which are: discover, prepare, explore, realize, deploy, and run.

Companies that have chosen SolMan as their central ALM tool right from the start benefit during the transition from project to operational phase: Thanks to SolMan's sophisticated monitoring functionalities optimized for S/4, they can respond quickly to problems and initiate appropriate measures. The tried and tested incident and problem management is seamlessly integrated and allows users, for example, to create incidents with automatic context information directly at the problem point in the S/4 system.

But there is another compelling reason to include SolMan in your SAP migration right from the start: It's the solutions included in the standard delivery, which companies can install as needed. These include the FocusedBuild add-on, which offers preconfigured solutions along the entire project path. These tools for project management, for documenting business processes or for test management save time, avoid costs for in-house developments and thus enable a rapid project start.

The optimal tool

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 thus offers many useful functions for use as a comprehensive application lifecycle management platform in an on-premises system landscape. In the course of an S/4 migration or implementation, SolMan is the optimal tool for preparing, implementing and later operating the solution. The decisive advantages over other products are the high degree of integration and the free license. This leaves your company more time for your core business and you will be able to concentrate on what is really important - your business transformation to S/4Hana.

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