Object Name Prefixes

I have seen a lot of places use prefixes or suffixes before objects such as or dt_ or _mt. I have never really been a fan of these prefixes and suffixes, and apparently neither is the above linked naming convention guide. The reason being is that they are unnecessary. It would be difficult to confuse a message type with a data type in a real interface scenario, even if troubleshooting an unknown broken object. Plus it makes message mapping unnecessarily confusing and long since it’s not clear whether to add the prefix, i.e. MT_one_to_MT_two. Good descriptive names are usually all that you need e.g. DEBMAS_to_Customer. The only possible exception to a no-suffix-or-prefix-policy is the service interface, as sometimes it is useful to know which direction and type a service interface is. An argument for a prefix or a suffix to describe a service interface would be to assist in understanding the flow from an SAP perspective in the event that someone who didn’t develop the interface had to come behind and troubleshoot. A argument against would be the fact that it looks silly if you use it for a web service, because you have a name that doesn’t mean anything to a third party user (note operation mappings are told to omit the prefix of direction and mode in the SAP guide).

One interesting thing that I noticed in my investigation of PI 7.1 EHP1 is that it appears that naming conventions on PI can be validated. If the object names do not conform to a naming convention a message will appear. Ter perform this check in the ESR go to menu Tools>Component Check.

Select “Governance” and “Interface Name Checks”:

If the service interface does not end with (In/Out)(SYNC/ASY) the interface check will show as an error (does not impact interface processing). I created 2 interfaces: one good and one bad to show this error.

My suspicion is that SAP will put more in place to force consistent naming standards depending on the service interface pattern in future releases.

Using a software component and Namespace for each “side” of an interface

All objects of an interface should not be grouped in a single namespace. They should to be split among the Software Component Versions of the systems being interfaced. Otherwise when you go to configure, you will not be able to see your operational mapping (OM) in the dropdown box without having to select all in the dropdown menu. A general rule of thumb is: if it’s not easy to configure, odds are you have probably done something wrong. Another reason why an object might not appear in the dropdown menu (for example for an operations mapping on an interface mapping) would be if the installed checkbox is not clicked on the SLD. When done correctly, most interfaces should be able to be configured quickly and intuitively in the integration directory (ID) without the need to select from all SWCV from dropdown menus on the integration builder.

Whatever naming convention you choose to use for the ESR, the important thing to remember is that adhering to the standard makes production support and troubleshooting faster and easier.

• How will I ever match the inbound interface parameter “Tom” with “TOM”, or “tom”?
• How will I ever match the inbound interface parameter “Smith” with “SMITH” or “smith”?
• The ABAP WHERE clause is not case-INsensitive.
• There could be hundreds of customers named Tom Smith.
• KNA1-NAME1 and KNA1-NAME2 are not indexed fields.
• And no, we are not storing any portion of either first or last name in an existing indexed field like SORTL.
• There are well over one million customers in the database.
• We have already decided to use PI for all interfaces.
• I will have to buy the BASIS team a case of beer to get them to agree to create indices on the fields KNA1-NAME1 and KNA1-NAME2 in a table with over one million records.

I arrived at the conclusion that I need a case-insensitive database query, along with database indices created for the fields KNA1-NAME1 and KNA1-NAME2.

But, what is a case-insensitive WHERE clause?  A little research and help from colleagues revealed that many had gone before me, and this was nothing new.  To implement a case-insensitive WHERE clause in ABAP, you simply needed to use the native SQL UPPER() construct. The database system that is being used is Microsoft SQL Server, but the UPPER() function and its syntax is similar across different database platforms. This seemed like an easy nut to crack. But, as I soon found out, I actually had a lot to learn.

Take 1

The examples I found were very explicit, showing actual code snippets.  Using my research examples as a template, I built what was to be my first attempt at using native SQL in a ZTEST ABAP program:

exec sql.
  select kunnr name1 name2
    from kna1
    into table i_cust
    where upper(name1) like :l_name1
      and upper(name2) like :l_name2
endexec.

Well, as a native SQL rookie, I was stopped dead in my tracks.  Native SQL does not allow a select into a table – you can only select into a work area.

Take 2

In my ZTEST ABAP program, I changed the code to SELECT into a work area and append the work area to an internal table in a subroutine:

exec sql performing append_cust.
  select kunnr, name1, name2
    from kna1
    into :wa_cust
    where upper(name1) like :l_name1
      and upper(name2) like :l_name2
endexec.

form append_cust.
  append wa_cust to i_cust.
endform.

I really thought that this would work.  But, I was getting a syntax error from native SQL – the table name was not being recognized.  A little more research revealed that, in some cases, only UPPER CASE is valid for table names and field names.  OK.  I can handle that.

Take 3

I changed the native SQL statement to all UPPER CASE in my ZTEST ABAP program:

EXEC SQL PERFORMING APPEND_CUST.
  SELECT KUNNR, NAME1, NAME2
    FROM KNA1
    INTO :WA_CUST
    WHERE UPPER(NAME1) LIKE :L_NAME1
      AND UPPER(NAME2) LIKE :L_NAME2
ENDEXEC.

form append_cust.
  append wa_cust to i_cust.
endform.

This appearedto work just fine…  Except, I noticed that too many records were being returned.  A little more analysis showed that I was getting records from ALL clients, not just my logon client.

Take 4

Again, in my ZTEST ABAP program, specify the client:

EXEC SQL PERFORMING APPEND_CUST.
  SELECT KUNNR, NAME1, NAME2
    FROM KNA1
    INTO :WA_CUST
    WHERE UPPER(NAME1) LIKE :L_NAME1
      AND UPPER(NAME2) LIKE :L_NAME2
      AND MANDT = :L_MANDT
ENDEXEC.

form append_cust.
  append wa_cust to i_cust.
endform.

Now I was getting the results that I wanted!!!!  So, I pasted this ZTEST ABAP code into the ABAP proxy.

A syntax check of the code immediately rejected the use of subroutines – they are not allowed in OO ABAP. I suppose I should have known that.  The error message indicated that I needed to use a cursor instead of the subroutine.  So, I started cursing – a lot!!!

Take 5 (The Final Version)

Here is the final version of the code which works for OO ABAP, and, hence, the ABAP proxy:

EXEC SQL.
  OPEN CUSTCURSOR FOR
    SELECT KUNNR, NAME1, NAME2
      FROM KNA1
      WHERE UPPER(NAME1) LIKE :L_NAME1
        AND UPPER(NAME2) LIKE :L_NAME2
        AND MANDT = :L_MANDT
ENDEXEC.

DO.
  EXEC SQL.
    FETCH NEXT CUSTCURSOR INTO :WA_CUST
  ENDEXEC.

  IF SY-SUBRC NE 0.
    EXIT.
  ELSE.
    APPEND WA_CUST TO I_CUST.
  ENDIF.
ENDDO.

EXEC SQL.
  CLOSE CUSTCURSOR
ENDEXEC.

Well, I finally got it right after five tries.  As mentioned before, I found many explicit code examples, but none were for OO ABAP with a database  requiring UPPER CASE be used, so that the table and field names would be recognized in the native SQL SELECT statement.

I learned something new about SAP.  I hope that I never stop learning.  I also hope that this blog might save someone a bit of distress in trying to work through a similar situation.  Now, I just need to figure out what kind of beer to buy the BASIS team to get those indexes created…

Part One – The Integration Directory (for PI 7.1 or greater)

I decided to start with the Integration Builder because it’s the easier component with which to bring everything into alignment (versus the ESR). Most of the time there are only two things to name: the scenario and the communication channel.  Unfortunately, it is still incredibly easy for objects to become disorganized.

Configuration Scenarios

The whole purpose of a configuration scenario is for organization. An interface will run whether it is in a scenario or not, however troubleshooting is much more difficult when objects are not properly organized. It is important to use a naming convention that addresses the business purpose of the interface and is specific to the flow of the interface (to help with troubleshooting issues and make flows easily traceable).  To accomplish all of these requirements, DataXstream recommends a naming convention that includes the specification number which originated the development request and a route number. The route number is used in interface diagrams and documentation and assists production support with identifying objects in the event that a business scenario involves multiple destinations.  We also recommend including a statement to describe the flow for the route, as well as the description of what the interface does. Some examples of a naming convention we might use would be:

0001.001_ECC_to_Partner1_TransactionalDataDistribution 0001.002_ECC_to_Partner2_TransacationalDataDistribution 0002.001_Partner3_to_ECC_SomeInboundInterface 0003.001_Partner4_to_Partner5_SomeNonSAPInterface

The other thing of note is that all objects should exist in a scenario, even if in a test_DONOTTRANSPORTTOPRODUCTION_prototype_interfacedescription scenario. Proper organization makes it a lot easier to identify, modify, turn on and off, and troubleshoot interfaces. Fully configured interfaces running in objects view take more time to understand and are more time consuming to fix.

Communication Channels

Communication channels should describe the purpose, type, and direction of communication. However a lot of people include unnecessary components in the communication channel. For example, since there are usually only two objects with names in the IB, it is not necessary to prefix a communication channel with cc_ as it is unlikely to ever be confused for a scenario. A lot of people also include the communication component in the name of the communication channel, but that also seems redundant, since only communication channels exist under communication components. Some things that are valuable in looking at communication channel naming convention are knowing a brief description of the process it involves, a direction of the communication channel, and the type of adapter being used. Some examples of naming conventions we might use are:

Logistics Company

• PO_file_sender

Database System

• materialSqlXml_jdbc_receiver

ECC system

• IDoc_receiver

As you can see, it is possible to keep the name descriptive and helpful without making the name overly verbose when it comes to communication channels.

The order in which the naming components are ordered depend as much on personal preference as anything else.  For example, let’s examine a sender file channel that pertains to purchase order data.  Some of the naming convention options are:

• Sender_File_PO: groups all sender and receiver channels together, then groups by adapter type
• File_Sender_PO: groups communication channels by adapter type, then by sender and receiver
• PO_File_Sender: groups by logical interface payload, then adapter type

Other Things To Watch Out For

• Configure the unnecessary- We all know that no sender agreement or channel is needed for certain communication methods like iDoc or SOAP to the IE, but if you can, add them to the scenario anyways. It makes it easier for a new developer (think of someone new to production support) to understand what’s happening with an interface, when they can see a consistent flow of the interface sender agreement to receiver agreement on all interfaces in a landscape. I know from working with working with soap, it’s kind of nice being able to grab the wsdl from the sender agreement, even though that component is technically optional.

• Don’t force an interface to work- If you are configuring a determination or agreement and are not seeing what you expect from the drop down menu, it may be because you haven’t properly defined the SLD or IR. Don’t be lazy and select the interface from all namespaces or SWCVs just to make the interface work; go back and figure out why its not dropping down on the drop down box and correct it.

Establishing and adhering to a well thought-out and consistent naming convention can save you a lot of time during the support of your SAP PI interfaces.  In Part II of this blog, I will discuss naming conventions in SAP PI’s Enterprise Service Repository (ESR).

Please note that I was unable to find the wizard for setting it the Services registry in PI 7.1 EPH1, which means I did it manually.

Make sure everything is correct in the Services Registry Management

Go to the NWA (http://host:port/nwa).

Go to SOA Management> Technical Configuration>Services Registry Management. In theory, there is nothing to do here, however I did specify the discovery URL api parameter as the hostname of the server (no port). If you have changed some settings, on the maintenance tab you can click reinitialize, which should reset any changes you have made back to the initial state.

Configure the ServicesRegistrySiPort

Go to SOA Management> Application and Scenario Communication> Single Service Administration

Click the Consumer Proxies tab.

Search for “ServicesRegistrySi”.

Click on the result and click the Configuration Tab and click on ServicesRegistrySiPort.

The service endpoint name should be ServicesRegistrySiPort.  Don’t change it.

Click security.

You have to give it an http authentication. If you don’t give the authentication, you will eventually have problems like not being able to publish to the SR, even though you may be able to access the registry.

Click on the user ID/ password, click details, and input your http authentication parameters.

Configure the third party UDDI (Only if not using SAP’s UDDI)

If you are using a non-sap UDDI, you will need to go to NWA>Destination Template Management and create a UDDI_DESTINATION and a CLASSIFICATION_DESTINATION to point to the respective urls of your uddi. Don’t forget to click security and select User ID/Password Authentication for both destinations. Otherwise, you will get a 401 not authorized error when you try to access the services registry–similar to if you mistyped your password at ServicesRegistrySiPort.

Security

Make sure that your user has  UDDI_TierN and SERVICES_REGISTRY_READ_WRITE authorizations or you will get a 401 not authorized error.  Of course. in your system you should use a technical user instead of your userid as which I did for the purposes of this blog.

Please note, I did run into an issue where it suddenly stopped working a day everything was configured. All I can say is Gremlins. I switched the user to a technical user with the authorization listed above on the ServicesRegistrySiPort as well as on the destination templates and I haven’t had a problem since.

To update the runtime cache (called CPA Cache), enter the following URL in your web browser http://<host>:5<sys#>00/CPACache/refresh?mode=full. XI will do the rest of the work for you. After the CPA cache is refreshed, the new RFC meta data reflects the newly added fields.

These other CPA Cache URLs may also be helpful:

CPA Cache Monitoring: http://<host>:5<sys#>00/CPACache
Delta CPA Cache Refresh: http://<host>:5<sys#>00/CPACache/refresh?mode=delta
Full CPA Cache Refresh: http://<host>:5<sys#>00/CPACache/refresh?mode=full

Cross Reference To SAP Sales Area From External Customer Number – SAP EDSDC Table

If you have ever converted an external file into a SAP Sales Document IDOC (ex: ORDERS05) you may have hard coded the E1EDK14 segments of the IDOC which specify Sales Area and order type for the SAP Sales Document.  However, these segments are not required if you populate the E1EDKA1-LIFNR segment of the IDOC with the External Customer Number and populate the EDSDC table with the Sales Area and Order Type for the customer.  Your SAP system contains a standard utility that converts the External Customer Number to the Sales Area values and Order Type value contained in this table.

Sales Area Cross Reference From IDOCs ORDERS05 and DELFOR02

This utility is available in the standard SAP package to convert External Customer Number to SAP Sales Area when processing inbound IDOCs (ex: ORDERS05, DELFOR02) from non-SAP systems.  It eliminates the need to add E1EDK14 segments to the IDOC as it populates the Sales Organization, Distribution Channel, Division, and Sales Document Type using the entries in the EDSDC table which is populated using transaction VOE2.  In order for this process to work, you must have the Customers External number populated in the E1EDKA1-LIFNR field of the IDOC where E1EDKA1-PARVW is ‘AG’ and the EDPAR Customer Conversion table set up to convert the Customer External number to the SAP Customer number.  See my blog ‘SAP EDPAR Table – External Customer Number cross reference to SAP Customer Number’ for instructions on the External Customer Conversion.  By properly doing this, the standard SAP function module will use the EDSDC table to convert the External Customer Number to the SAP Sales Area and Document Type.  The following instructions will explain how to populate the inbound IDOC and the EDSDC table.

On the Inbound IDOC do not create any E1EDK14 segments.  The use of the EDSDC table will populate the Sales Area and Document Type of the Sales document and therefore no E1EDK14 segments are required.  Populate the E1EDKA1 segment for the Sold-To party where the PARVW field is ‘AG’ and the LIFNR field is the External Customer Number (Note: the EDPAR table must be populated to convert this External Customer Number to the SAP Sold-To number).

Use transaction VOE2 to populate the EDSDC table.  Enter the SAP Sold-To Customer number in the Customer field and your Customer’s External Sold-To number in the Vendor number field.  You will then populate the SOrg, DChl, and Dv fields on VOE2 with the Sales Area information(Sales Organization, Distribution Channel, and Division) related to your SAP Customer number.  Finally, you will enter the Sales Document Type(ex: OR = Standard Order) in the SaTy field.  These values will be used as the Sales Area and Document Type on the SAP Sales Document once the IDOC is processed.

So eliminate hard coding multiple E1EDK14 segments in the inbound IDOC, just use the Standard SAP Utility designed to populated the Sales Area and Order Type of your Sales Documents.  Populate the EDSDC table using the VOE2 transaction and send the External Customer Number in the E1EDKA1-LIFNR field of the IDOC.

Have you ever had a project where you are converting a customer file into an SAP Sales Document IDOC (ex: ORDERS05) and the customer file contains their Internal Customer Number?  So you need to determine what the SAP Customer Number will be on the IDOC.  If you are not familiar with the SAP interface process you may hardcode the SAP Customer Number or create external tables in your third party mapping software to accomplish this conversion process.  However, this involves customer specific logic or updating the tables with your SAP Customer Numbers and having a process to maintain this table as new SAP Customer Numbers are created.  There is a much easier way to perform this conversion with no additional coding as it is a standard SAP utility.

Customer Conversion For IDOCS ORDERS05 and DELFOR02

This utility is available in the standard SAP package to convert External Customer Numbers to SAP Customer numbers (Sold-To, Ship-To, etc.) when processing inbound IDOCs (ex: ORDERS05, DELFOR02) from non-SAP systems.  When working with data that will be imported into SAP via IDOC format the data usually  contain your customers external sold-to and ship-to numbers and not the associated SAP customer numbers.    Therefore, you would need to convert this External Customer Number to  your internal SAP Customer Number.  Instead of creating cross-reference tables or conversion routines in your third-party translation software you can populate the E1EDKA1-LIFNR field of the inbound IDOC with the External Customer Number and use transaction VOE4 to populate the EDPAR table.  By properly doing this, the standard SAP function module will use the EDPAR table values to convert the External Customer Number to the SAP Customer number.  The following instructions will explain how to populate the inbound IDOC and the EDPAR table.

Configuration Of IDOC Segment E1EDKA1

On the inbound IDOC, the only fields you will need to populate on the E1EDKA1 segment is the PARVW(Partner Function) field and the LIFNR(Vendor Number at Customer Location) field.  In most cases you will have an E1EDKA1 segment for the Sold-To party and another E1EDKA1 segment for the Ship-To party.  For the Sold-To party you would enter ‘AG’ in the PARVW field and the External Sold-To Number in the LIFNR field.

For the Ship-To party you would enter ‘WE’ in the PARVW field and the External Ship-To Number in the LIFNR field.

Populating SAP EDPAR Table Via Transaction VOE4

Prior to processing an inbound IDOC you would use transaction VOE4 to populate the EDPAR table.  The SAP Sold-To number will always be entered in the Customer number field.  The Ext Function field will be populated depending on the External number.  If you are converting the Sold-To number you would enter ‘SP’ in the Ext Function field.  If you are converting the Ship-To number you would enter ‘SH’ in the Ext Function field.  The External Sold-To/Ship-To number would be entered in the External partner field.    Finally, you would enter the SAP Sold-To number or Ship-To number in the Int no. field.  This value will be used as the Sold-To/Ship-To on the SAP Sales Document once the IDOC is processed.

So if you ever need to convert External Customer Number to SAP Customer Numbers take advantage of the utilities that SAP supplies.  You can even incorporate the EDPAR table entry updates  into the SD Business Configuration processes so when a new customer number is created and it is designated as an EDI Customer, the personnel creating the new customer can also update the EDPAR table entries.

This blog is a recap of the liveblog of the keynote address of the SAP TechEd 09 conference.  To read in chronological order, start from the bottom and work your way up.

• Craig Stasila: 8:57 am on October 13, 2009

  If you missed anything, check back for the full blog posting at http://www.dataxstream.com/category/sap-consultants-blog/

• Craig Stasila: 8:55 am on October 13, 2009

  Well, that’s it. The keynote speeches are over. I hope you enjoyed following along with the DataXstream’s first foray into liveblogging. Make sure you check back tonight at 11pm EDT (8pm PDT) for our liveblog of the Demo Jam.

• Craig Stasila: 8:53 am on October 13, 2009

  Ray’s parting shot: Even life expectancy is growing exponentially.

• Craig Stasila: 8:52 am on October 13, 2009

  2029: An intimate merger $1,000 of computation = 1,000 times the human brain Reverse engineering of the brain complete Computers pass the Turing test!! Skynet goes online (OK, I made this one up)

• Craig Stasila: 8:48 am on October 13, 2009

  There are only about 800 million bytes in the entire genome and it can be compressed into about 50 million bytes. The brain is made up of about 25 million bytes of data.

• Craig Stasila: 8:45 am on October 13, 2009

  

  The brain is getting reverse-engineered.  Individual brain components (e.g. visual cortex, cerebellum, etc.) are getting reverse engineered by researchers.

• Craig Stasila: 8:44 am on October 13, 2009

  Ray is now on Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is all around us, but we’re too accustomed to it to notice it.

• Craig Stasila: 8:42 am on October 13, 2009

  They already had this technology in the 80s. I saw Innerspace (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093260/usercomments)

• Craig Stasila: 8:41 am on October 13, 2009

  Someday you will have millions or billions of nano-engineered devices coursing through your body keeping you healthy.

• Craig Stasila: 8:40 am on October 13, 2009

  Miniaturization is another exponential trend. “What used to fit in a building now fits in my pocket. What fits in my pocket now will fit inside a cell in a few years”

• Craig Stasila: 8:39 am on October 13, 2009

  Ray is now going over how the exponential growth in technology power is also mirrored by exponential decrease in price. RAM, processing power, human genome decoding, wireless devices. All adhere to the exponential growth curve.

• Craig Stasila: 8:38 am on October 13, 2009

  

  Ray thinks we’re due for a new paradigm shift away from flat integrated circuits.  He’s been talking to Intel about their development of 3D processors.  I’ve not heard of this before, but it sounds very cool.

• Craig Stasila: 8:34 am on October 13, 2009

  

• Craig Stasila: 8:32 am on October 13, 2009

  Some critics say that exponential growth can’t go on forever. Ray counters that by saying that there can be periods of relatively slow advancements, but over time, progress will catch up.

• Craig Stasila: 8:29 am on October 13, 2009

  You may think that he only picked events that matched his theory. But, now he’s showing another graph comparing his viewpoints with 15 others. There is a very high correlation.

• Craig Stasila: 8:27 am on October 13, 2009

  

  From life to now, this chart shows how life and technological advancements have followed a constant, exponential growth.  Both axes are logarithmic.  Very cool, indeed.

• Craig Stasila: 8:24 am on October 13, 2009

  

  As big as a washing machine.  Stevie Wonder bought one.  In 2002, it was still a desktop device.  Now, it is a cell-phone based app.

• Craig Stasila: 8:21 am on October 13, 2009

  It took 10 years to bet the first billion phones in the market. Now 2/3 of the world’s population has them!

• Craig Stasila: 8:20 am on October 13, 2009

  “The tools of disruptive change are in everybody’s hands”

• Craig Stasila: 8:20 am on October 13, 2009

  Technology is a democratizing force. Back in the day, you had to be a recording studio or movie studio to create content. Now a couple of hundred dollars can be used to create great content.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:18 am on October 13, 2009

    Back in the 70s, Ray projected that the two-thousand user ARPAnet would grow into a million user internet in the 90s. Umm. Yeah. I saw that coming, too!

  • Craig Stasila: 8:17 am on October 13, 2009

    Exponential growth even applies to solar energy. Solar energy may be a fringe player now, but Ray sees it growing.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:16 am on October 13, 2009

    This exponential growth is unaffected by any financial or other external pressures.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:15 am on October 13, 2009

    There are many underlaying properties of technology (MIPS, # of bits, # of genomes typed). Regardless of the property, technology follows a smooth exponential growth.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:13 am on October 13, 2009

    Not many pictures right now. Ray is just standing in one place and talking.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:12 am on October 13, 2009

    Only 10 years ago, people barely used search engines.  Now we can’t live without them.

    I’m always amazed how true genius can point out the obvious and make it sound profound.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:10 am on October 13, 2009

    Using the human genome project as an example of exponential growth in technology.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:09 am on October 13, 2009

    And progress is getting faster…

  • Craig Stasila: 8:09 am on October 13, 2009

    Your phone in your pocket is a thousand times more powerful and million times cheaper than a computer from 40 years ago. “What fit in a building 40 years ago, fits in your pocket today”

  • Craig Stasila: 8:08 am on October 13, 2009

    Ray thinks genes are software written in COBOL.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:08 am on October 13, 2009

    Oh Ray! Retalling the story of how Viagra was developed and discovered. Got a few chuckles from the crowd.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:06 am on October 13, 2009

    Ladies & Gentlemen, Ray Kurzweil

  • Craig Stasila: 8:06 am on October 13, 2009

    Vishal is done. Last parting shot: “Timeless Software”

  • Craig Stasila: 8:05 am on October 13, 2009

    

    Vishal’s only slide.  All the rest were just pretty pictures.  Notice the public clouds in the lower right.  SAP is looking to be able to be run on public clouds in the future.  Currently there are development and test systems on public clouds.  Getting production systems on public clouds is coming.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:03 am on October 13, 2009

    

  • Craig Stasila: 8:03 am on October 13, 2009

    “Change is the fundamental dimension in which we all live”

  • Craig Stasila: 8:02 am on October 13, 2009

    Cestbon “listens” for business content on your computer and links to it. You can hop straight from Cestbon to the data in SAP.

  • Craig Stasila: 8:01 am on October 13, 2009

    The presenter is British and doesn’t like the frenchies. Demoing Cestbon–An Outlook integration example.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:59 am on October 13, 2009

    Example #4: Ambient, Real-Time Systems

  • Craig Stasila: 7:59 am on October 13, 2009

    Six blade servers = 1 Nehalem processor.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:58 am on October 13, 2009

    Vishal is talking about optimization across all layers. This relates to hardware manufacturers (memory, processors, blade servers). Modularity is making optimization happen.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:57 am on October 13, 2009

    All the demos were very cool. As a geek, I would love to check out the technology involved in each one.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:57 am on October 13, 2009

    Excel integration now being demoed. The 166 million records can’t be loaded to Excel (for memory reasons). The solution allows the end-user to drill down and get the data from SAP as needed.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:55 am on October 13, 2009

    Business Objects Explorer being demoed. Crunching through 166 million records. The example is trying to be green by reducing paper and electricity.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:55 am on October 13, 2009

    

  • Craig Stasila: 7:53 am on October 13, 2009

    A Dilbert Example! Wow, the pop-culture touchpoints never end!

  • Craig Stasila: 7:52 am on October 13, 2009

    Example #3: Coherent Visualization of Massive Information. Looking at Coherent Modularization.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:50 am on October 13, 2009

    Containers need not only modularity, but also locality of design.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:49 am on October 13, 2009

    Now talking about SOA and its growth. Using it as a basis of modularity and coherence.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:49 am on October 13, 2009

    

    Too many tools on the stage… (ahem)

  • Craig Stasila: 7:47 am on October 13, 2009

    

  • Craig Stasila: 7:46 am on October 13, 2009

    Live tracking of tools being checked in and out of the tool crib.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:45 am on October 13, 2009

    Aircraft mechanics were using SAP, but equipment check-in check-out took too long via SAP GUI.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:43 am on October 13, 2009

    Example #2: Extending Information into Physical Systems. SAP runs on aircraft carriers. I hope they bring one in…

  • Craig Stasila: 7:42 am on October 13, 2009

    

    Google Wave and SAP!  So happy together.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:42 am on October 13, 2009

    Cutting edge technology BCE edition: Rosetta stone. Using the analogy to show that we need to be able to work with others

  • Craig Stasila: 7:38 am on October 13, 2009

    They’re pulling out all the stops!!! Google Wave! Google Wave isn’t complying with the demo. “Thank god that’s Google software and not SAP!” Big crowd laughs.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:37 am on October 13, 2009

    The example is now showing our good-ole familiar SAP GUI showing the timesheet approval process for the contractor timesheet application

  • Craig Stasila: 7:36 am on October 13, 2009

    Containers need to be extended. Either to SAP applications or to other Web 2.0 applications.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:35 am on October 13, 2009

    Another ooh-ahh moment! iPhone timesheet app.

• Craig Stasila: 7:34 am on October 13, 2009

  

  Content separated from applicatons

• Craig Stasila: 7:34 am on October 13, 2009

  Oh Snap!!! Cloud computing!! The example is running through a container. The backend is on Amazon S3

• Craig Stasila: 7:32 am on October 13, 2009

  Example uses managers, contractors, and purchasing department.

• Craig Stasila: 7:32 am on October 13, 2009

  Examples of design thinking, and separation of intent and optimization.

• Craig Stasila: 7:31 am on October 13, 2009

  An example of intent being separated from optimization: A painter does not need a scaffolding to paint a building, the scaffolding optimizes the process.

• Craig Stasila: 7:29 am on October 13, 2009

  

• Craig Stasila: 7:29 am on October 13, 2009

  Next, the intent needs to be separated from the optimization.

• Craig Stasila: 7:28 am on October 13, 2009

  Techies need to start with “design thinking”. Start with end-user in mind. “Start from the screen and work backwords”

• Craig Stasila: 7:27 am on October 13, 2009

  

• Craig Stasila: 7:25 am on October 13, 2009

  Content is independent of containers in long-lived systems

• Craig Stasila: 7:24 am on October 13, 2009

  Looking back at the IT industry, a new, major language emerges about every ten years. While Java will be around for a long time, we’re due for a new major language. SAP thinks that Ruby is the future. Ruby reached 1 million developers faster than any other programming language in history.

• Craig Stasila: 7:22 am on October 13, 2009

  Vishal is teasing Ray Kurzweil’s speach on how the rate of change is increasing. Moore’s law gets a shout out.

• Craig Stasila: 7:22 am on October 13, 2009

  There are hundreds of SAP customers that have been using the software for over 30 years. None have left SAP. Vishal is highlighting the change that the companies underwent and how SAP changed with their customers.

• Craig Stasila: 7:20 am on October 13, 2009

  SAP has been around for 37 years. Have worked with over 85,000 customers, tens of thousands of partners, and tens of millions of users.

• Craig Stasila: 7:19 am on October 13, 2009

  Vishal isn’t going to be focusing on the technology. He’ll be focusing on… “change”. Do you sense a theme?

• Craig Stasila: 7:18 am on October 13, 2009

  Dr. Vishal Sikka, CTO SAP is now on the stage. He is the first of two keynote speakers.

• Craig Stasila: 7:18 am on October 13, 2009

  

  “Welcome to TechEd 2009. You are the star of the show”

• Craig Stasila: 7:16 am on October 13, 2009

  Zia is really pumping up “the community”. The SAP user community is almost 2 million strong now.

• Craig Stasila: 7:16 am on October 13, 2009

  “After the PowerPoints, it’s time for action” SAP wants the BPEs to make it happen! I already feel pumped. Let’s go out there an do this!!!! Oh wait, the Keynote hasn’t even started yet.

• Craig Stasila: 7:14 am on October 13, 2009

  

  • To enter a new market, business process have to change. SAP’s emphasis on Business Process Expert community will pay dividends.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:12 am on October 13, 2009

    Zia is giving an example using Dunder Mifflin as a “well-run company”. Perhaps he hasn’t seen The Office…

  • Craig Stasila: 7:11 am on October 13, 2009

    Zia is telling the conference attendees that we are the agents of change–A very person-centric focus.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:11 am on October 13, 2009

    

  • Craig Stasila: 7:10 am on October 13, 2009

    The world is changing. SAP is changing.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:09 am on October 13, 2009

    Change is constant. Michael Jackson gets a shout-out!

  • Craig Stasila: 7:09 am on October 13, 2009

    On the stage now: Zia Yusuf, Executive Vice President, Global Ecosystem & Partner Group, SAP

  • Craig Stasila: 7:08 am on October 13, 2009

    Inspirational Video: “Clarity is a necessity”.

    and

    SAP: “It’s time for a clear new world”

  • Craig Stasila: 7:06 am on October 13, 2009

    And away we go. Lights down. Check. Ominous Music. Check. Inspiring Opening Video. Check. Can you feel the excitement?

  • Craig Stasila: 7:05 am on October 13, 2009

    

    The crowd is filling in nicely.  Sorry guy-behind-me for accidentally flashing the camera in your face TWICE before I snapped one without the flash.

  • Craig Stasila: 7:03 am on October 13, 2009

    

    Uploaded from backup backup plan.  This is from my iPhone.  Doug, Adam, Tim say “hi”

  • Craig Stasila: 7:00 am on October 13, 2009

    Cell phones off, y’all!

  • Craig Stasila: 6:59 am on October 13, 2009

    

    Pictures will be slow, but here is a teaser

  • Craig Stasila: 6:57 am on October 13, 2009

    Five minutes to go. With me are Tim Cooper, Doug Foss, and our good friend Adam Blum from Grom & Associates

  • Craig Stasila: 6:55 am on October 13, 2009

    

    Here we go!

  • Craig Stasila: 6:49 am on October 13, 2009

    We had an awesome setup to capture pictures from the event, but it relied on the conference WiFi. We’re working on a backup solution now.

  • Craig Stasila: 6:48 am on October 13, 2009

    The conference public WiFi isn’t working. I have to be working on backup off of my Verizon Aircard, so posts may be a little slower.

  • Craig Stasila: 6:47 am on October 13, 2009

    First take from the keynote address. The welcoming music is horrible, but we’ll survive

  • Craig Stasila: 6:45 am on October 13, 2009

    Welcome to the DataXstream Liveblog of the SAP TechEd 09 Conference Keynote address

Head over to live.dataxstream.com on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 to get up to second updates from the show.  We will be getting our liveblog on starting at 8am PDT (that’s 11am for you right-coasters) for the general keynote session.  We’ll also be liveblogging from SAP TechEd 09 Demo Jam at 8pm PDT on Tuesday.  The Demo Jam promises to be a great time, so plan to join us online after you put the kiddies to bed!

This is our first foray into liveblogging.  Hopefully it will go off without too many technical glitches.  We hope you’ll enjoy following the events with us!