Best Practice Implementation and

Configuration

Applies to:
Best practice as general and specific to Baseline for GCC.

Summary
This document describes about the plan and implementation for Best practice in general.

Author: Arun Narayanan

Company: SAP Global Delivery
Created on: 01 December 2009

Author Bio
The author is a consultant in the Tech Practice with over 13 years of experience of which 9 years of
SAP Technology Platform. He is involved in large Implementation in multiple SAP Solution area
.This document is the result of author’s experience in SAP Implementation using Best practice.

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 Best Practice Implementation and Configuration

Table of Contents

1. Introduction:........................................................................................................................................... 3
2. What is Best Practice?........................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 SAP Best practice Into a Live system..................................................................................................... 4
3. Pre-requisites for a Best practice Installation......................................................................................... 5
3.1 Best practice Tools................................................................................................................................. 6
4. Best practice Implementation................................................................................................................. 7
Implementation Phase:..................................................................................................................................... 7
5 Best practice FAQ’s.................................................................................................................................. 11
6. Reference:........................................................................................................................................... 12
Copyright........................................................................................................................................................ 13

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 Best Practice Implementation and Configuration

1. Introduction:

This document is intended for consultants and system administrators to familiarize the SAP
Best practice solutions and the various Best practice types available. The document also
explains the Best Practice pre-requisites and the functionality as of BP- ERP05 v7. Best
practice base line for GCC (AE 603V7) is considered as the base for the document.

2. What is Best Practice?

SAP Best practice are packages providing pre-configured business process and project
accelerators to streamline customer implementation. The configuration/customizing are tailored
to support end to end business process for generic or specific industry and market needs. The Best
practices are based on building block /scope methodology which provides additional functionality
for the specific business needs.

The Best practice functionalities are made based on business need of customers and partners
based on their experience. By using best practice there are significant benefit in saving cost as well
as time.

Another advantage of Best practice is that complete documentation and pre-

configuration are included in every Best practice package.

The content includes

a. Documentation:
Scenario Overviews
Business process documentation
Quick guide information
Configuration guide and

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 Best Practice Implementation and Configuration

Training material

b. Pre-configuration:
Pre-configuration settings
Sample master data
Configuration documentation
Automation tool
User roles
There are around 75 Best practice package solutions available, these are scattered
across different core areas. The core areas are broadly classified as
a. Country Baseline version (e.g.:- India, Australia, GCC, US ..)
b. Industries (e.g.:- Automotive, Chemicals, Retail, Utilities...)
c. Cross Industries (e.g.:- Baseline Package, CRM, HCM...)
d. Components specific (e.g.:- SAP ERP, SAP CRM, SAP Netweaver...)
Other key benefit is that transfer and generation of master data is accelerated and
facilitated by the use of automated procedure known as eCATT, this allows to modify and import
the customer specific master data in SAP system.

2.1 SAP Best practice Into a Live system

Before Implementing Best practice in to a live system always go through the key topics
into consideration.
1. Whether the Scope is identified?
2. Whether the scenarios for activating are identified?
3. Have the training team got identified?
4. Whether the Business flow clearly understood?
Once topics are clearly understood and which is fitting for the customer environment
an appropriate package can be identified for the Project.

The Best practice Usage steps can be categorized as

1. Review and Download

2. Install
3. Activate
4. Refine
5. Adapt and Enhance

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 Best Practice Implementation and Configuration

Building block concept in Best practice: In Best practice a tool called Building blocks is used.
The benefit of building block is such that which are re-usable businesses processes oriented pre-
configured units which simply have to assemble to obtain the desired configuration. The building
blocks will vary in size and content typically some building blocks cover a small range of very
specific scenarios where as for instance building block for financial accounting contains complex
scenarios which fall in layer zero of the configuration.

3. Pre-requisites for a Best practice Installation

The major pre-requisite for a Best practice installation and configuration are a set of
Key documentations this documents explain the step by step scenario for the installation.
The documents can be categorized as

1. Scenario overview : Provides graphical overview of scenario this is a power point

presentation

2. Scenario building block description: This describes the content of a scenario or

building block. The document can be an html document.

3. Building block configuration guide: This generally explains the manual

configuration involved in the installation and activation. This explains the activity
sequence in logical order which will be a word document.

4. Development Master list: This provides comprehensive, transparent and

structured information of all configurations this document will be in excel format.

5. Business process procedure: End-user documentation providing detailed

application focused description of business process this document will be of a
document type.

6. Addonins : This is a PDF document contains the essential technical configuration

required for the installation and configuration

The Installation DVD/CD carries all these documents. The consultant has to carefully
through these guides before starting activation.

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 Best Practice Implementation and Configuration

3.1 Best practice Tools

There are different tools or techniques used for the Best practice installation and
configuration.

Installation Assistant: Using the best practice installation assistant we can install the
Best practice base line package easily. There are options for selecting and
implementing selected Best practice scenarios.

Personalization Assistant: Based on Personalization we can install selected Best

practice scenario which is normally guided by step by step scenario which are easy to
understand.

eCATT procedure: which is an automated testing tool that allows to create automated
functional test cases for majority of the applications, it works by
making a recording of an application which we can modify if required with different
set of values.
eCATT procedure enables us to create and execute functional tests of business
process within Best practice. The test produces a log which can be analyzed in detail
if required.

Maintaining Master data: With eCATT we can maintain master data in the client,
before maintaining the master data the project has to decide whether to
maintain/create the master date for the specific project or master data delivered by
Best practice.

Business Configuration Set: Business Configuration (BC) set is a package of

customizing settings that are used to accelerate the installation process of the
building blocks and scenarios delivered with SAP Best practice.

Before activating BC set always compare the values existing in Customizing tables,
It is also required to activate the language that are to be used when we activate the BC
sets in Best practice implementation process.
The activation of BC sets for language can be done using transaction “SCPR20”.

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 Best Practice Implementation and Configuration

4. Best practice Implementation

This document concentrates mainly on the Best practice implementation for Baseline
GCC version. The currently available Base line version is V5 600 which is having the
features for:

a. Entry level scope option with pre-scenarios can be pre selected.

b. Enhanced scope of Pre-defined scenarios
c. Master data descriptions
d. Pre defined SAP smart forms
e. Barcode printing features
f. New tool for Installation i.e. SAP Solution Builder

Implementation Phase:

Best practice Implementation phase for GCC can be categorized as

a. Plan
b. Pre-requisites and Development system setup
c. Implementation and activation of Best practice

a. Plan:
The plan consists of, preparing the plan ,understanding the scenario to be
implemented and arranging the Best practice package to be implemented.
Prepare the software (Download the Baseline for BP GCC from Service market place
and BP text files from the link www.service.sap.com/bestpractices ) extract the text
files for GCC the content name for Text file same as that of Media name in SWDC to a
common folder.
SAP Best Practices solution scope file (*.xml file): For the installation of the SAP
Best Practices Baseline Package using the SAP Best Practices Solution Builder, you
need the scope file. This scope file is attached to the note 1366041
(510*****_SCOPE_BL_GCC_V1603_603V*.zip).
Download this file, unzip it and use the extracted file as outlined in the SAP Best
Practices Baseline Package Quick Guide.

Typical Space requirement for the complete activation for Base line Package for
GCC consists approximately (BP GCC only requires 50-60 GB). Also ensure
configuration is (complete /partial)

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b. Pre-requisites and Development system setup:

 Pre-requisite for Best practice Baseline for GCC

Pre-requisites for Best Practice Baseline GCC for ERP
 EHP3 is a pre-requisite (Currently EHP4 is not supported for GCC BP)
 Has to maintain the same support package level as of GCC BP Guide (not
higher/below)
 Import Best practice add-on installation to the system
 Add-ons are BP-ERP05 603V7 and BP-INSTASS 603V7 (or latest release)
 Pre-requisite for BP-ERP05 and BP-INSTASS 603V7 are (SAPKNA12 and
SAP APPL 603 SP1) (ref: SAP note 1358778 and 1331447)
 SAP notes need to be implemented for BP_INSTASS 603V7 add-on
 Development Environment Setup for Best practice
 Create a Client and perform client copy from 000 (SAP-CUST) and 001
(SAP_USER)
 Import the correction instruction for BP-ERP05 V7 as per sap note 1358778
 Enable the scope functionality as of note 133144
(Maintain client setting as DEV/CUST in Productive client BP can’t be activated, Set
SAP GUI, Import hot fix for BP-INSTASS)

Also certain profile parameters also has to activated before starting the activation of
Solution Builder, the key parameters are
1. login/accept_ss02_ticket > 1
2. login/crate_ss02_ticket > 2.

The enterprise switch functionality also need to activated (SFW5),the switch

functionality activated for the business functions (EA-FS, EA-PLM, EA-TRV and
/KYK/GEN_AIO_SIMPLIFCATION), ensure with the functional team for the other
enterprise switch functionality to be activated if additional customizing involved.

The best practice generally ships with the user specific roles which comes separately
In the form of sap notes (as attachment) , this user roles needs to be imported and
uploaded to the system

 Ensure that we are going to use best practice roles

 Download the BP roles from the above note as of the Material number and
version of

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 Best Practice Implementation and Configuration

 ERP add-on already installed.

 Copy the role files and upload to BP client
 Log on to the client where you are configuring the Best Practice and execute
transaction PFCG and use the option upload in BP Client

The pre-requisite notes as mentioned in best practice installation guide also has to
be implemented.

c. Implementation and activation of Best practice

In order to activate the Solution Builder for the Best practice activation we need to
import the Solution Builder XML file. Ensure that the right client for Best practice
activation is selected. The text file which contain the Best practice also need to be
uploaded in the same client.

The transaction “/n/smb/bbi” is used for activating the Best practice scenario. Import
the solution builder xml file using this transaction. Once the xml file got uploaded the
Best practice can get activated. We can adapt different activation
approach based on our requirement. The approach can be,

 Automated Activation : Used for an accelerated activation approach with

Complete package , in this case the records are created automatically by the
best practice tool with the help of eCATT
 Manual Activation : Based on configuration guide with the help of Functional
Consultant
 Automated Activation without Demo Data: Complete package activation
without Demo data (without Table entries) this scenario can be used for a
development client. The demerit is that the records has to be manually
created in implementation phase.

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 Best Practice Implementation and Configuration

The important activities which has to be taken into consideration during the activation
are the delta modifications which is happening along with Best practice activation.
The delta modifications get recorded in the form of a customizing request and
workbench request. This request holds important role in the Implementation project
since this records the key modifications/ functionalities which has to be available in the
Integration and Production landscapes.

The recommended way of using the SAP Best practices is to first install the scenarios
in a prototype environment and decide which scenarios suit your requirements. Then
the selected scenarios are installed in development environment. Before installing the
SAP Best Practice scenarios in the development environment, you can personalize the
organization structures (e.g. Company code, Plants, sales organizations etc.). While
installing in the development client, you can capture the configuration changes in
transports. These transports can be released to your Test and Production system. From
this point onwards it is a normal SAP implementation wherein you can modify or add
more configurations to meet your business requirements.

Therefore, the SAP Best practices ADD-ON is required on the prototype and
development environment. However, there is no harm in installing the SAP Best
practices ADD-ON on any system as it contains the technical objects like BC sets and
eCATTS (cross-client). They will not change the configuration tables till they are
activated in the SAP Best practices Solution Builder.

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 Best Practice Implementation and Configuration

5 Best practice FAQ’s

1. Whether multiple best practice can be installed on same client?

Yes multiple Best practice solutions can be installed on one client; this can be a
combination of either one base line package and one industry package.

It is not possible to activate Two Base line components in one client.

Ref: Message no: 0120061532 0002129487 2008 and 0120050409 0000021025 2009

2. Whether Best practice is Client Dependent or Client Independent?

Best practice is purely Client Dependent the functionality available in one client won’t
be available in another client

3. Is there any Best practice Content for Solution Manager?

SAP Best Practices Content for Solution Manager is no longer supported except the
few Best Practices please refer SAP note 1229397

4. Does Best practice Software involved any additional Cost?

No, Best practice is free of cost and which can be freely download from service market
place using the provided S-user id.

5. Whether Best practice can be imported by Client Copy?

Yes best practice can be imported using client copy tools, however ensure with best
practice support team regarding functioning of complete functionality.

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 Best Practice Implementation and Configuration

6. Reference:

1. www.service.sap.com/bestprcactices
2. CSS Support > Primary Support messages.
(SAP message : 0020079747 0000362826 2008 )

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