SAP Cloud ALM

The idea of application lifecycle management

Complex structures require multifunctional IT tools. In the context of SAP R/3 and ECC 6.0, SolMan (SAP Solution Manager) represented the gold standard. SolMan is the comprehensive solution—the swiss army knife—for the CCoE manager (formerly CCC, Customer Competence Center, currently CCoE, Customer Center of Expertise).

The advent of cloud computing has brought about significant changes in the way tasks are performed, introducing new challenges and prompting SAP to expand its reach by acquiring and integrating IT companies. In the future, SAP will offer a cloud-based ALM solution to manage the lifecycle of SAP's ERP components. It will be a suite of coordinated functional modules. Currently, it is still a disparate collection of IT tools, concepts, and ideas.

SAP currently offers a comprehensive solution that integrates the capabilities of Signavio, LeanIX, and WalkMe, extending to automated testing within the Cloud ALM framework. While it is a promising concept, it has not yet evolved into a comprehensive platform for managing hybrid and cloud environments. SAP partners have already begun developing alternative concepts and applications, which has the effect of removing cloud ALM’s unique selling point.

Testing, testing, testing in an SAP infrastructure

The SAP customer's basis team has always been responsible for testing and checking the ERP system for consistency and correctness. Previously, new releases were implemented every few years, with a longer testing window scheduled around Christmas or Easter.

The advent of cloud computing has transformed the landscape. In the current environment, where new updates, release changes, and maintenance jobs occur on a monthly basis, it is imperative for SAP customers to adapt their test strategies to align with this pace of change. Cloud ALM has a dedicated automated testing function that is synchronized with ERP updates.

Opinions on automated testing in the context of SAP Cloud ALM vary widely in the SAP community. Some assert that automated testing is not a viable option in a complex SAP ERP landscape, while others maintain that the majority of testing issues have been successfully addressed. The reality is likely to be somewhere in between, and AI will undoubtedly have an impact on the testing tool market once again.

The ALM platform vs. specialization

The ideal Cloud ALM platform would offer a consolidated user interface and orchestrated data management. Although the IT functions of the SAP acquisitions Signavio, LeanIX, and WalkMe are integrated into SAP's ALM suite, they continue to lack seamless integration with each other. The Enterprise Architect from LeanIX has limited knowledge of the process mining from Signavio. WalkMe, the most recent acquisition, is still defining its role.

This creates opportunities for third-party providers, as some SAP partners have developed their own solutions for managing an ERP cloud infrastructure. The topic of ALM has gained traction within the SAP community, but there is still room for improvement in SAP Cloud ALM.