How SolMan supports S/4 Hana migrations

We all know and appreciate SolMan as the central software for the administration of SAP enterprise applications. But did you know that Solution Manager 7.2, used correctly, is also an efficient tool to accompany the migration to S/4 Hana?

Those companies that will be tackling this project in the next few years - according to a survey by DSAG, almost half of them - would be well advised to take another close look at the functionalities and possibilities of SolMan beforehand. Because when cleverly used, SolMan accompanies the S/4 migration throughout the entire lifecycle of the software - before, during, and after the migration project.

ALM in focus

The focus here is on Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) as the sum of all methods and tools for managing SAP solution landscapes - from planning to operation to decommissioning. Central building blocks for this are documentation, testing, and audit-proof tracking of all changes to the respective SAP solution.

Unfortunately, many companies only use basic SolMan functionalities, such as technical monitoring, and leave many application scenarios unused. For these, it is worth tackling additional installation and configuration work in advance of the migration and, if necessary, enlisting the support of external service providers. Ultimately, it is the combination of the numerous tools, functions and content through which SolMan as an application lifecycle management (ALM) suite opens up a wide range of possibilities in the introduction of S/4.

For example, companies with an appropriately configured SolMan can integrate the S/4 project phases directly into the familiar SAP Activate phases Discover, Prepare, Explore, Realize, Deploy, and Run.
Those companies that have chosen SolMan as their central ALM tool from the outset also benefit during the transition from the project to the operational phase: Thanks to SolMan's sophisticated monitoring functionalities optimized for S/4, they can react quickly to problems and initiate appropriate measures. The proven incident and problem management is seamlessly integrated and allows users, for example, to create incidents with automatic context information directly at the problem location in the S/4 system.

But there is another weighty reason to include SolMan in the SAP migration from the very beginning: the solutions included in the standard delivery, which companies can additionally install as needed. These include the Focused Build 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 fast 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. As part 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 level of integration and the free license. This leaves your company more time for your core business and you can concentrate on what is really important - the business transformation to S/4 Hana.