SAP S4 HANA Public cloud is a cloud offering from SAP which works on pay as per usage (or subscription basis). An SAP consultant must have some basic idea about the features, limitations and benefits of SAP S4 HANA Public cloud otherwise consultant will get a jerk while working on a Public cloud project. In this blog post i have put all the information related to public cloud in the form of bullet points so that you will remember them easily and handle the project with expertise.
Top features of SAP S4 HANA Public cloud
Top features of SAP Public Cloud
- You can get a look and feel of SAP S4HANA public cloud trial version here. This trial version is valid for 15 days afterwards, it can be extended on request to SAP.
- SAP Public cloud is subscription based product it means that company will pay the fee to SAP based on usage and features they require.
- Due to this subscription based pricing model SAP Public cloud is used in SME industry (Small and medium-sized enterprize). Pricing of SAP On-Premise and Private Cloud is high due to which SMEs canot afford them so Public cloud is the answer for such industries.
- SAP Public cloud is released twice a year by SAP. In every six months. (This can be an interview question)
- First Release Feb of every year
- Second release Aug of every year
- The name of each release indicates the release Year and month. For example:
- 2402 Release means 2024 February release.
- 2408 release means 2024 August release.
- All the new innovations (such as New fiori apps) are first released and deployed in HANA Public cloud. Later on it is adapted in On-premise and Private cloud.
- Unlike on-premise and private cloud, in Public cloud there is no SPRO to do the configuration.
- We can do configuration in Implementation Activity Fiori tile. (<- Interview question).
- Implementation Activity is a new tool that us used to do configuration in Public Cloud.
- When you lauch the Implementation Activity the configuration nodes on screen are different from SPRO configuration nodes. SAP is continuously improvising the configuration in Implementation Activity. But you cannot compare the flexibility with SPRO in on-premise.
- There is less flexibility in Implementation Activity because it is based on Multiple tenancy model.
- Multiple tenancy refers to the architecture where multiple customers share the same instance of the software application, with each customer’s data being logically separated and isolated from others.
- This example will give more clarity on above point. For example: In a hostel multiple people live in the same building and share the common facilities. But each person will have its own separate room where he/she can put his luggage, furniture and other useful stuff etc.
- There is no GUI screen in Public cloud. We have only Fiori applications or tiles, so no need to remember tcodes.
- In on-premise and private cloud we can lanuch Fiori from SAP GUI screen using tcode – /UI2/FLP but here we have Fiori only which can be access by using a url provided by BTP consultant.
- The database is own and managed by SAP. This results into low cost of this product.
- There is no SE11 and SE16N.
- If you want to build a report then use the FIori app View Browser where you will get lott of CDS views. By joining the available CDS views you can build custom reports.
- To add any logic or business rule in the report you will require help from Fiori Consultant.
- But there is no SE38 where an ABAP programmer will write the code.
- Generally Public Cloud Implementation projects are executed in a two system landscape. Two systems landscapes ensure a faster implementation. There will be only Quality and production systems. We do not have Developmen server.
- But three system landscape is also possible in Public cloud projects.
- Initially at the begining of a project we get a starter system (earlier we called it Sandbox). The starter system is provided by SAP with all master data and configurations.
- The business proceses are renamed as scope ids. Each business process is called as scope id and it has a unique id. For example:
- Reactive maintenance scope id -> 4HH
- Maintenance resource scheduling -> 43R
- SAP provides with readymade test scripts and process flowcharts for each scope id.
- Starter system is used to create client demos for each scope ID and it is being used in Fit-to standard workshops.
- You can see the entire public cloud methodology in SAP Roadmapviewer. Choose “No. Access anonymously “.
- SAP provides accelerators for each phase of the project. These accelerators help to create various project documents (or deliverables) at a faster pace. The way an accelerator helps to speed up your vehicle an SAP accelerator helps to speed up the project deliverables. For example:We can get a readymade cutover document with all cutover tasks predefined, configuration tracker etc.
- Product is highly unstable. Many standard functionalities does not work in SAP Public Cloud, so you have to be in continuous touch with SAP to fix the issues.
- There are few scope ids which are not provided with standard SAP Public cloud. They are subscription based. You have to request to SAP for subscription based scope id.
- Payment of subscription based scope ids is based on usage.
- If your client wants to use any mobile application in SAP Public cloud then in BTP you will have to activate the mbile sevices and establish the connectivity with database. SAP BTP will generate the QR code to access the Quality and Production server. You need to scan the QR cod with the help of readymade mobile app and it will start working. Sometimes mobile app also gives some basic errors but it become stable in time. For example: SAP Maintaennce Assistant (SMA) mobile app. This app is availalbe in android store for checking purpose.
- Once quality server is provided the Starter system access is revoked.
- Organization structue in SAP S4HANA public cloud is once created and freezed then you cannot add new plan just like On-premise or private cloud. You need to make a call to SAP and SAP will open the organization structure for you and you can add the new plant. Why it is like that? Due to multiple tenancy. Multiple companies are using Public cloud and if you are making changes in organization structure then involve SAP. Same for new Purchase organization, Storage location etc.
- Planner group and purchase group can be added in Implementation Activity normally without any issue.
- There is Transport request created in public cloud on front end. This TR is just like a TR in On-premise. But yu can see the TR in a Fiori app: Export Customizing Transport. The system administrator moves the TR to Quality and Production system.
- If a project starts in January then in the month of February you will get the updated vesion of public cloud. But if go live is in September then one before go live you will have a new version available.
- If a new version is available in the middle of the project then you will habve to test all master data creation and scope id testing again because it is not necessasrt that everything works nomrally in the new release product of public cllud. Again i repeat SAP Public cloud is hihliy unstable product.
- You cannot create new notifiction type, no new order type, you cannot make anything mandatory on the master data screen such as equipment.
- You cannot create new material type. Material master is known as prodcut master.
- Be extra careful while making any commitment to yuor client in fit-to standard workshop because public cloud configuration does not work same as on-premise.
- In public cloud you can add new PM activity type or new material group but you cannot delete the existing PM activity type which is provided by SAP. While discussing with client consultant think that it will be possible to delete the existing PM activity type and they commit to client that we will remove the existing config and add new one. but later on they observe that deletion option is grey (disabled). The reason “Multiple tenancy”. It is public cloud. You cannot make change just like that.
- So many times consultant feels frustrated that whatever commitments he/she is making during fit-to standard workshop is not working. So first test everything in starter system then only make the committment to client.
- If SAP releases the new version of public cloud in the middle of implementation project then it is your duty to understand all the new features in Public cloud in your respective module and explain them to client and how client busines can be benefited by the new features. Make a powerpoint presentation and give a demo to client.
- In a support project if the release is done twice in a year then you will have to test all the standard SAP applications carefully again. An application which was working earlier is not necessarily work now. This is strange but true. So test everything in quality server.
- If everything is working fine in quality then it is not necessarily that it will work normally in production after every release. So be ready for lot of tickets in support project and you will have to be in regular touch with SAP.
- If you want to add new custom field in a transactino then use the Fiori app -> Custom Logic. The name of this app was changed, In this app we are calling BAPI and BADIs. ABAP consultant will understand.
- SAP PM module got a new name in public cloud. That is Asset Management.
- There is no refurbishment and calibration process available in Public cloud.
- New notifiction types are introduced in Public Cloud, Y1 and Y2. We do not have M1, M2 and M3 notification types.
- Y1: Reactivde maintenance
- Y2: Proactive Maintenance
- New order types are introduced such as YA01 and YA02 for Reactive and proactive maintenance respectively. PM01, PM02 and so on order types are not available in Asset Management (PM) module.
- Control PM01, PM02 and PM03 are not available in public cloud. Now we have YBM1 and YBM2. Only two control keys are used in Public cloud.