This guide describes the most important steps for getting started with the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). From the initial planning to setting up the infrastructure to an executable app. This article serves as a rough guideline and refers to further articles in which details and specific instructions can be found.
The necessary departments that should be involved in these steps are also defined. You should inform the relevant people about these steps right at the start of a project so that capacities can be planned. It is important that these departments also take part in the appointments, as this is the only way …
… all persons with the appropriate authorizations are present, …
… all requirements from the perspective of the business department, IT, network, and SAP BTP can be considered, and …
… the knowledge can be built up and disseminated for later permanent, productive use.
The most important departments to be involved in the SAP BTP implementation
Department
Responsibilities
Base IT
Base IT manages and provides the basic infrastructure. The operation of databases and other systems such as on-premise SAP also runs via this department. User and rights management is also managed by this department.
Network IT
Network IT controls and manages proxies and the SAP Cloud Connector. This department is involved whenever internal networks need to be accessed from outside.
Departmental IT
Business IT is familiar with the individual business processes, sets up the apps within SAP BTP, manages them and installs updates for the apps. Business IT also uses the foundations provided by Basis and Network IT.
Business department
The business department specializes in business processes and uses the apps that will run in SAP BTP.
Step 1: Planning the Architecture and Infrastructure of SAP BTP
Required departments: base IT, departmental IT and business department
Before you can deploy an app or create the necessary infrastructure, you should plan its future use and scaling. With the SAP Business Technology Platform, there are many ways to design the infrastructure and architecture to optimize scalability and individual usage.
To begin with, it is important to define exactly what the current and future use will be in order to select an ideal architecture. The following two questions should be discussed together and written down as guidelines:
- How is the SAP Business Technology Platform currently used?
- How should the SAP Business Technology Platform be used in the future?
Tips and ideas can be found in the article What architectures are available in SAP BTP? described.
Both IT and the business department should be involved in this planning. The business side drives decisions about future usage, but these requirements need to be aligned with IT’s technical capabilities.
Step 2: Setting Up the Infrastructure
Required department: Base IT
After the basic infrastructure has been defined together with the business departments, the next step is to set it up in SAP BTP.
Instructions for this can be found in the following articles:
- Set up global account, subaccount, CloudFoundry and Spaces
- Setting up the SAP HANA database
- Share a HANA DB Between Spaces or Subaccounts
Step 3: Connecting SAP BTP with On-Premises Systems
Required departments: base IT and network IT
In almost all use cases, SAP BTP, which runs in a cloud provider’s data center such as Amazon, Google, or Microsoft, must be connected to on-premises systems. This includes not only on-premises SAP systems, but also proxies, AGV fleet managers, or IoT systems.
Instructions for this can be found in the following articles:
- Setting Up the SAP Cloud Connector
- Connecting BTP with On-Premises SAP Systems
- Connecting BTP with Fleet Managers
Step 4: Deploying a New App
Required departments: base IT and departmental IT
Once the infrastructure is in place, the first app can be deployed. The article Deploying an App in BTP provides step-by-step instructions.
During the initial deployment, templates for roles required for using the app are automatically created. This is why the app should be deployed first, and then user and role management should be carried out.
App deployment, particularly when updating apps in production, typically falls under departmental IT’s responsibility in most companies.
However, it is recommended to perform the first deployment together, as it can be done in different ways. During this collaborative deployment, best practices and company guidelines can be defined.
Step 5: User and Role Management for Apps
Required departments: base IT and departmental IT
When deploying an app, templates for roles are automatically created in the SAP Business Technology Platform.
From these templates, custom roles can be defined and assigned to users. It is recommended to set up automatic role assignment based on user groups in an external identity provider such as the SAP on-premise system or Microsoft Entra ID.
Step 6: Continuous Updates of Apps
Required department: departmental IT
During day-to-day operations, updates will need to be implemented on a regular basis. The process for this is identical to the initial deployment. To ensure this can be carried out smoothly and without major risks, the following questions about updates should be answered during the “Deploying a new app” step:
Who approves the updates?
Who is allowed to install the updates?
How should updates be installed?
Which updates can be installed on which subaccount and space?
When can an update be applied to other subaccounts and Spaces, e.g. productive subaccounts?
Where are the logs from the deployment stored?
What happens if there are errors when installing an update?
How quickly can I switch back to a previous version?
These are some of the most important questions that should be clarified before production use.
We at Flexus would be happy to support you in designing a complete guideline, best practices, and processes that are tailored exactly to your company’s needs.