Enhancing SaaS Configuration and Automation with SAP Cloud ALM and AI-Powered Tools

Konfy

4 min read · Nov 12 2023

In today's digital landscape, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications have become a cornerstone for many businesses. These cloud-based solutions offer flexibility and scalability that traditional software can't match. However, managing these applications can be complex without the right tools in place. In this context, we will delve into how SAP Cloud ALM is extending its capabilities to centrally operate SaaS applications.

The Extended Capabilities of SAP Cloud ALM

SAP has been a leading provider of business technology solutions for years. One of their flagship offerings is the SAP Cloud Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), a cloud-based tool designed to streamline the implementation, operation, and service of various SAP applications such as SAP S/4HANA and SuccessFactors software.

Recently, there has been an expansion in the capabilities of this tool to include support for custom-built applications run on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), including those built in the BTP's Cloud Foundry environment. This extension was primarily driven by a gap identified by Janko Budzisch - Chief Product Owner for Operations Platforms at SAP - particularly concerning custom-built applications on top of BTP's open-source environments like Cloud Foundry.

To bridge this gap effectively while maintaining observability standards set by OpenTelemetry—an open-source standard—SAP introduced an OpenTelemetry-based approach with its Cloud ALM. This approach includes central tools to reduce the mean time to detect issues and local tools for debugging and fixing problems, thereby reducing the mean time to resolve.

New Capabilities of SAP Cloud ALM

The new capabilities introduced with SAP Cloud ALM aim at enabling observability based on central operations platforms. This doesn't imply replacing all local tools but focuses on unifying certain aspects across different products in SAP, including applications provided by BTP.

One such capability is alert management. With this feature, customers have a centralized place to access integrated monitoring with their existing IT service management processes. For instance, instead of generating tickets for every local tool separately when an event occurs, it's more efficient to do this centrally with SAP Cloud ALM.

Another significant capability is interfacing. With SAP Cloud ALM, raw data interfaces are exposed based on the OpenTelemetry standard using a centralized approach. This strategy prevents customers' target infrastructure from having to adapt to different application programming interfaces (APIs) if each tool were handled separately.

SAP Cloud ALM for SAP BTP Services

SAP Cloud ALM aims to provide end-to-end monitoring, which is one of the most interesting and known use cases. This includes integration and exception monitoring, safeguarding reliable data exchange via SAP Integration Suite. It collects data from all involved components—whether these are consumer or producer systems, or even integration components.

Another use case worth mentioning is job and automation monitoring. This provides transparency regarding the monitoring of automation created using SAP Build Process Automation. These processes need to be ensured that they are not interrupted and everything is working as expected.

Lastly, health monitoring checks the technical health of SAP BTP, such as for SAP BTP Neo environment, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, BTP Cloud Foundry environment, and Integration Suite. Several technical KPIs need to be monitored so customers can react appropriately.

Integrating Third-Party Tools with Operations Platform

SAP Cloud ALM is an open platform that exposes all data via APIs to third-party tools. Customers using third-party analysis capabilities or those wanting to work with their own data lake across all platforms can benefit from this feature. The OpenTelemetry-based approach allows exposure of data to third-party APMs on both outbound and inbound sides.

For customers who want to leverage SAP Cloud ALM for their applications built on top of BTP or connect SaaS applications from SAP built on BTP with it, there are two distinct use cases. The first involves using an instrumentation library based on OpenTelemetry for custom-built applications while the second involves connecting pre-configured and pre-instrumented SaaS services based on BTP directly with the tenant in a few simple steps.

Conclusion

In conclusion, managing SaaS applications effectively requires robust tools like the extended capabilities offered by SAP's Cloud Application Lifecycle Management (ALM). With its new features designed specifically for custom-built applications run on SAP BTP, businesses can now have a more streamlined and efficient way of managing their SaaS applications. The integration of third-party tools further enhances the versatility and adaptability of this platform, making it an indispensable tool for any business leveraging SaaS applications.