Preface

17

Objective of This Book

17

Target Audience

18

Structure of the Book

19

Acknowledgements

22

1 Introduction to Enterprise Automation

25

1.1 What Is Enterprise Automation?

26

1.2 Why Enterprise Automation Is Needed and How It Has Evolved

27

1.3 How SAP Accelerates Enterprise Automation

29

1.3.1 SAP Integration Suite

30

1.3.2 SAP Signavio

32

1.3.3 SAP Build Process Automation

33

1.3.4 Use Case Examples

34

1.4 Summary

37

2 SAP Business Technology Platform

39

2.1 Introduction

39

2.2 Architecture

41

2.2.1 Application Development

42

2.2.2 Automation

43

2.2.3 Integration

44

2.2.4 Data and Analytics

45

2.2.5 Artificial Intelligence

47

2.3 SAP Build

49

2.3.1 Overview

49

2.3.2 Apps and Extensions

51

2.3.3 Digital Workspaces

53

2.4 Summary

54

3 Overview of SAP Build Process Automation

57

3.1 Introduction

57

3.2 Architecture

60

3.3 Applications

62

3.3.1 Lobby

62

3.3.2 Store

64

3.3.3 Monitoring

67

3.3.4 Control Tower

68

3.3.5 Connectors

72

3.3.6 Inbox

76

3.4 Artifact Definitions

78

3.4.1 Business Process Projects

78

3.4.2 Data Types

80

3.4.3 Processes

82

3.4.4 Decisions

85

3.4.5 Forms

87

3.4.6 Automations

92

3.4.7 Actions

95

3.5 Lifecycle Phases

96

3.6 Summary

98

4 Creating a Business Process Project

99

4.1 What Is a Business Process Project?

99

4.2 Create a Project

100

4.2.1 Create a Project with a Process Artifact

101

4.2.2 Create a Project with a Decision Artifact

102

4.2.3 Create a Project with an Automation Artifact

103

4.2.4 Create a Project with a Process Visibility Artifact

104

4.3 Components of the Business Process Project Overview Page

104

4.3.1 Header

104

4.3.2 Settings

105

4.3.3 Artifacts

107

4.3.4 Triggers

109

4.3.5 Dependencies

109

4.3.6 Design Console and Test Console

109

4.4 Summary

110

5 The Process and Its Artifacts

111

5.1 Benefits of Low-Code Designer Tools

111

5.2 Process Editor

112

5.3 Processes and Artifacts

113

5.3.1 Processes

113

5.3.2 Triggers

118

5.3.3 Artifacts and Activities

122

5.3.4 Configurations

131

5.4 Events

135

5.4.1 Enabling Event-Driven Architecture

135

5.4.2 Types of Events

135

5.5 Branches

143

5.5.1 Conditional Branch

143

5.5.2 Parallel Branch

145

5.6 Mappings

147

5.7 Forms

148

5.7.1 Need for Forms

148

5.7.2 Form Builder

149

5.7.3 Types of Forms

151

5.7.4 Form Configuration in Processes

155

5.8 Variant Templates

161

5.9 Other Activities

165

5.9.1 Mail

165

5.9.2 Subprocesses

167

5.9.3 Script Tasks

168

5.10 Summary

171

6 Action Artifacts

173

6.1 What Is an Action, and How Does It Differ from an Application Programming Interface?

173

6.2 Connectivity Options

174

6.2.1 Live Application Programming Interface

175

6.2.2 Application Programming Interface Specification

178

6.3 Create, Configure, and Test Action Projects

180

6.3.1 Terminology

180

6.3.2 Create and Configure an Action Project

181

6.3.3 Test Action Project

190

6.4 Release and Publish Actions

191

6.5 Connecting to External Systems using Actions

192

6.6 Summary

195

7 Automation Artifacts

197

7.1 Automation Editor

198

7.1.1 Overview

198

7.1.2 Using the Automation Editor

201

7.1.3 Testing and Debugging from the Automation Editor

204

7.2 Screens: Piloting Applications

206

7.2.1 Using the Application Editor to Capture and Declare Applications

207

7.2.2 Web-Based Applications

229

7.2.3 Full Client Applications

233

7.3 Activities: Making Use of Software Development Kits

235

7.3.1 Adding a Software Development Kit

236

7.3.2 Simple Operations

237

7.3.3 Custom Script

242

7.3.4 Web Service Calls

243

7.3.5 Piloting Microsoft Office Products

244

7.3.6 Microsoft Excel Activities

246

7.3.7 Microsoft Outlook Activities

253

7.3.8 Leveraging Cloud-Based Microsoft Office-Like Applications

261

7.3.9 Microsoft 365

262

7.3.10 Google Applications

263

7.3.11 Document Processing with Artificial Intelligence: Document Information Extraction and PDF

266

7.4 Controls: Complex Automation Flows and Error Handling

269

7.4.1 Conditions

270

7.4.2 Screen Switch

272

7.4.3 Loops

273

7.4.4 Error Handling

278

7.4.5 Alerts

281

7.5 Data: Creating and Managing Data Types

282

7.6 Automations, Actions, and Processes: Using Existing Artifacts

284

7.7 Desktop Agent

285

7.7.1 Desktop Agent User Interface

285

7.7.2 Modes of Desktop Agent

287

7.7.3 Trace Collector

289

7.8 Environments

290

7.8.1 Overview

291

7.8.2 Environment Variables

293

7.8.3 Deployment Isolation with Environments

294

7.9 Summary

295

8 Decision Artifacts

297

8.1 Selecting the Correct Decision Solution for SAP Scenarios

298

8.1.1 SAP Business Rules Management

298

8.1.2 Business Rule Framework Plus in ABAP

299

8.1.3 SAP HANA Rules Framework

300

8.1.4 Business Rules and Decisions in the Cloud

300

8.1.5 Transition to SAP Build Process Automation

303

8.2 Types of Decision Deployment

308

8.2.1 Cloud

309

8.2.2 SAP HANA

311

8.2.3 ABAP

312

8.3 Decision Models

312

8.3.1 Decision

312

8.3.2 Vocabulary

313

8.3.3 Rules

314

8.3.4 Rule Expression Language

322

8.3.5 Decision Diagram

328

8.4 Working with Decisions

329

8.4.1 Creating Decision Artifacts

329

8.4.2 Creating Inputs and Outputs

331

8.4.3 Creating Rule Artifacts

333

8.4.4 Best Practices for Modeling Decision Tables and Text Rules

349

8.4.5 Best Practices for Consuming Decisions from a Process

351

8.5 Summary

354

9 Business Project Lifecycle Management

355

9.1 Lifecycle Phases of a Business Process Project

355

9.1.1 Create and Configure

355

9.1.2 Release and Deploy

366

9.1.3 Execute and Process Tasks

376

9.2 Technical Monitoring

380

9.2.1 Monitoring Processes and Workflows

381

9.2.2 Monitoring Automations

382

9.2.3 Monitoring Events

384

9.2.4 Monitoring Visibility Scenarios

386

9.3 Business Monitoring

387

9.4 Summary

390

10 Executing Processes, Automations, and Decisions

391

10.1 Understanding Runtime Environments

391

10.1.1 Overview of Environments

392

10.1.2 Deployment Behavior in Public and Shared Environments

394

10.1.3 Project Lifecycle with Environments

394

10.1.4 Configurations within an Environment

397

10.2 SAP Build Process Automation Application Programming Interfaces

398

10.2.1 Prerequisites to Access the Application Programming Interfaces

399

10.2.2 Understanding SAP Build Process Automation Application Programming Interfaces

401

10.2.3 Using SAP Build Process Automation Application Programming Interfaces

408

10.3 Running a Process, an Automation, and a Decision

412

10.3.1 Starting a Process and Automation as a Developer or Administrator

413

10.3.2 Event-Based Triggers

414

10.3.3 Application Programming Interface Triggers

415

10.3.4 Scheduled Triggers

418

10.3.5 Form Triggers

419

10.3.6 Execute from Another Artifact

419

10.4 Summary

420

11 Monitoring

421

11.1 Benefits of Monitoring

421

11.2 Types of Monitoring

422

11.2.1 Business or Functional Monitoring

423

11.2.2 Technical Monitoring

423

11.3 Business Monitoring

424

11.3.1 Overview of Business Monitoring in SAP Build Process Automation

425

11.3.2 Creating and Configuring the Visibility Scenario

426

11.3.3 Lifecycle of the Visibility Scenario

449

11.3.4 Tracking and Optimizing Processes

451

11.4 Technical Monitoring

458

11.4.1 Processes and Workflows

459

11.4.2 Automation

465

11.4.3 Visibility Scenario and Events

466

11.5 Summary

470

12 Governance

473

12.1 Establishing Governance in Business Processes

474

12.2 Business Process Access Management

475

12.3 Environments

478

12.3.1 Why Do Organizations Need Environments?

479

12.3.2 Types of Environments

480

12.3.3 What Do Environments Contain?

483

12.3.4 Creating and Using Environments

484

12.3.5 Allowed Destinations Mapped to an Environment

488

12.4 Transport Management

490

12.4.1 Transporting Business Projects

491

12.4.2 Stages of SAP Transport Management

496

12.5 Approval Flow for Controlling the Project Lifecycle

497

12.6 Maintaining Business Projects

502

12.7 Summary

503

13 Authentication, Authorization, and Audit Logging

507

13.1 Approach to Authentication and Authorization

507

13.2 Securely Connect to Cloud and On-Premise Systems

509

13.3 Audit Logs

510

13.4 Summary

514

14 Working with Store Content

515

14.1 What Is a Store?

515

14.1.1 SAP Business Accelerator Hub

516

14.1.2 Embedded Store

517

14.1.3 SAP Store

519

14.2 Types of Content

519

14.2.1 Format Type

519

14.2.2 Project Type

521

14.2.3 Catalog

522

14.2.4 Free or Paid

523

14.3 Discovering and Working with Content

524

14.3.1 How to Find the Right Content

525

14.3.2 How to Import and Use Content

529

14.3.3 Extending Content

532

14.4 Creating and Publishing Content to the Store

533

14.5 Summary

535

15 Extending Standard Processes

537

15.1 Standard SAP Processes and the Need for Process Extensions

538

15.1.1 Standard Business Processes

538

15.1.2 The Need for Process Extensions

540

15.1.3 Risks of Extensions

542

15.1.4 Benefits of Extensions

542

15.2 Different SAP Process Extension Possibilities

543

15.2.1 On-Stack Extensions

543

15.2.2 Side-by-Side Extensions

544

15.2.3 Invoice Approval Process Example

546

15.3 Using Process Variants

548

15.3.1 Process Variant Template

548

15.3.2 Capital Expenditure Approval Process Example

549

15.4 SAP S/4HANA Extensibility and Creating a Process Extension for SAP S/4HANA Cloud

559

15.5 Example Extension Scenarios

567

15.5.1 Support Employee Relocation with a Comprehensive Human Resources Experience

568

15.5.2 Build Specialized Workspaces and Processes for Bid Management

569

15.5.3 Create Dashboards for Company and Idea Management

569

15.6 Summary

571

16 Scaling Process Automation

573

16.1 SAP Task Center

574

16.1.1 Benefits of Using SAP Task Center

575

16.1.2 SAP Task Center Architecture

576

16.1.3 Installing SAP Task Center

577

16.1.4 Accessing Tasks

579

16.1.5 Using the SAP Task Center Application Programming Interface

587

16.2 Enabling Fusion Development for Professional and Citizen Developers

588

16.2.1 Professional Developers

588

16.2.2 Citizen Developers, Key Users, and Business Process Experts

589

16.2.3 Challenges of Traditional Approaches

589

16.2.4 Drive Interoperability and Accelerate Business Transformation

590

16.2.5 Examples for Fusion Development

591

16.2.6 Benefits of a Fusion Development Approach

593

16.3 Summary

593