Building Next Generation Apps using DSAM - session at sitHH 2014
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Next-generation apps need new tools like BRFplus/DSM to automate decision making using flexible, configurable business rules. BRFplus/DSM allows rules to be changed and deployed without downtime, supports predictive features, and can push logic to HANA. It is important for ABAP developers as many SAP solutions now use BRFplus/DSM, and it offers rapid development of intelligent, understandable business logic. Separating rules from processes and not implementing rules through customizing ensures rules can adapt over time.
Building Next Generation Apps using DSAM - session at sitHH 2014
- 1. Building Next-Generation Apps with BRFplus/DSMwith BRFplus/DSM Tobias Trapp, AOK Systems GmbH Software Architect, SAP Mentor
- 2. Today‘s Challenge: ERP has to become Smarter What does is mean for ABAP development? We need new tools with outstanding product features evolution strategy for our applications in backend systems Why?
- 3. New Input Channels we have structured and semi- structured data coming from scanned documents mail mobile devices online portalsonline portals the challenge: poorly standardized data sometimes poor data quality semi-structured data is ambiguous
- 4. Need for Automation the problem: more data complex data the challenge: we need better andwe need better and automated decision making we have to able to adapt and optimize business processes quickly decision making should be standardized business people have to understand what ERP does
- 5. Next-Generation Apps have to be flexible and smart highly configurable business processes are automated and controlled by decision services transparent – easy to understand easy to change - business logic can be deployed and undeployed even into production without transport and downtime „time travelling“:„time travelling“: − activation of decision services in the future − past versions of decision services can be called using time stamps simulation possible: what will happen, if business rules are changed? rules can use predictive features business logic can be pushed down to HANA decision services can use HANA as central source of truth by accessing additional data
- 6. What is DSM? BRFplus is SAP‘s strategic business rule framework and now called DSM use case is implementation of automated decisions: − complex calculations, − validation, − complex checks like fraud detection, − process control− process control BRFplus/DSM was unstable in early NW releases – use NW 7.31 >= SAP 9 and NW 7.40 >= SP 5 to avoid implementation of OSS notes read blogs/tutorials/whitepapers on SCN – follow C. Ziegler, W. Schaper and J. Dart
- 7. Why is BRFplus/DSM important for ABAP Developers? some SAP applications heavily depend on BRFplus and for many new implementations only use of BRFplus is encouraged: − dynamic workflow in SAP MDG − rules in SAP Process Observer are usually written in BRFplus − industry solutions like Banking, Insurance…. − Tax & Revenue Management, Social Services, Application Incident− Tax & Revenue Management, Social Services, Application Incident Management, Tax & Revenue Management, CRM for Utilities…. − and more are going to come − legacy rule frameworks will become obsolete while DSM will be still improved if you want to keep your ABAP skills up to date you need at least basic BRFplus knowledge
- 8. What is the Problem with SAP Business Suite and Custom Development? changes have to applied since, f.e.: − process are optimized / organizational structure is changed − competitors change their strategy − legal requirements – compliance − fraudsters change their behavior requirements analysis plan change process measure effects − fraudsters change their behavior − target groups /customers change their behavior this takes too much time and effort with BRFplus/DSM you can do better: − tools for development of rules − agile development & test − deployment without transport − use rule traces/evaluation paths change code & customizing test the solution transport into production
- 9. Why is DSM outstanding? integrated into AS ABAP and the ABAP/Business Suite type system integration with other frameworks: workflow rules, BOPF… more & more SAP solutions are supporting BRFplus but you can also use it for custom development it is extremely fast due to code generation it is open:it is open: − use the API to generate rule sets – use XML import/export of rule sets − build your own expression types / formulas & call ABAP from BRFplus − extend DSM/BRFplus with BAdIs and application classes − you can integrate the WDA components in your UI − expose rule systems as RFC / web service − there are partner solutions on top of DSM for graphical rule modeling, compilation of rules to Java, C# and much more with DSM license additional HANA expressions, unit tests, debugger… many admin tools like transport analyzer with DSM license deployment without transport even into lower releases
- 10. A first look at BRFplus- Rapid Development of Business Logic the decision service on the right was built within two minutes using excel upload rule system can be created so that they are readable and understandable business experts can test the rules andbusiness experts can test the rules and even create test cases
- 11. Don‘t implement Business Rules using Customizing implementation of business rules with customizing can get very complex especially when logical expressions have to be modeled it is impossible to predict all future requirements like time dependency, randomization, date/time calculations and so on in the worst case you are developing an own rule framework having perhaps 5% of the feature set of BRFplusperhaps 5% of the feature set of BRFplus BRFplus/DSM has many additional features out of the box: − transportation is easier − you can switch on versioning and perform time travelling use customizing only for domain values and text tables use versioning after transport for BRFplus rule sets
- 12. Separate Business Rules from Business Processes otherwise specification and implementation will look like the diagram on the right the reasons is simple: − specifications usually cover everything and business expertseverything and business experts will introduce exceptions − business rules have a high change frequency the diagram should look more like the one on right side: a decision service controls the process
- 13. Use Case Process Automation – Working with semi-structured Data Use case: questionnaires containing information about accident for insurance claim processing. Following implementations have to be done: reading process identification of business partners and business objectsobjects syntactic checks classification of accident type which is not trivial because of ambiguity special rule sets for different accident types if those rule sets can’t complete the business case then can give the user or rule systems of claims processing further hints for process automation
- 14. And how to get started with BRFplus/DSM? excellent content on SCN and a very active BRFplus community ABAP developers can become BRFplus experts within short time In SAP standard applications you‘ll find many interesting architectural patters for rule driven applications and useful paradigms like BRFplus generation if you need high flexibility IMHO the real challenges are: IT is ready to implement decision management to make ERP smarter. But what about other departments? Perhaps they got accustomed to clumsy and heavy- weight ERP processes and are not prepared to short and agile innovation cycles? IT and business have to work hand in hand.