SAP Community - SAP Service Cloud

Release Navigator for SAP Customer Experience What’s New in Q1 2024

2024-02-13T15:46:07.606000+01:00

The Readiness@Scale team is excited to share that the Q1 updates to the release navigator for SAP Customer Experience will be implemented on February 16, 2024. This update will include the most recent content available and incorporate enhanced user-experience (UX) elements based on your valuable recommendations.

As a team, we spent a significant amount of time aligning the overall user experience across each release navigator and focused on creating an even more unified look starting with a more modern approach to the My Home page.

Welcome: Important messages from the Readiness@Scale team will be found within this tile.
NEW! Release Calendar: Stay informed of the latest release dates that may impact your systems.
Re-designed! Product Enablement: Register for online enablement sessions, onside events, learnings & value maps brought to you by SAP Experts.
Product Release Resources: Utilize the available release resources from your products to maximize your time efficiency during the release.
About the Release Navigator: Enable yourself on the latest updates, access the Translation Feature, and explore the release navigators for SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, SAP Supply Chain Management solutions, and Spend Management & Business Network by SAP Enterprise Support.
Help Us Improve: Have any suggestions or feedback? Use the survey tile to submit any new ideas.

Major enhancements to the release navigator for SAP Customer Experience include a back arrow in SAP Commerce Cloud Documentation pages, a consolidated Customer Data Cloud Solutions product page for easier access, a Release Calendar that was highly requested, and a footer added to some of the tiles. On top of these UX improvements, you will notice content changes within some of the product pages.

Let's have a closer look at the newly added functionalities that have been developed exclusively for the release navigator for SAP CX as part of the upcoming Q1 update.

A navigation back arrow was added for SAP Commerce Cloud Documentation pages that allows users to return to the main SAP Commerce Cloud product page. To go back directly to the Home page, you can simply click the Home button on the Shell Bar.

Figure 3: Back Arrow on SAP Commerce Cloud Documentation pageThe next change you will notice is the consolidation of the SAP Customer Data Cloud and Data Platform pages. From now on, you can find release content for both products on a single product page called SAP Customer Data Solutions.

Figure 3: SAP Customer Data Solutions pageAnother highly requested feature that has been mentioned above is the Release Calendar on My Home page, which includes all announced release dates across SAP Customer Experience solutions. The dates will be updated.

Figure 4: Release Calendar tile on My Home pageWe added a footer to some of the tiles on product pages. This enhancement helps you quickly identify the source of the content at first glance.

Figure 5: An example of tiles with a footerExplore the refreshed release navigator soon (February 16, 2024) by clicking on the button below:

With this update, we have incorporated several enhancements to improve the user experience of the release navigator. Starting after Q1, the release navigator for SAP Customer Experience will be integrating UX innovations once per year, in August along with the release content, as opposed to every quarter. For each release in February, May, and November only release content will be updated. Here you can find the innovation & content update plans for 2024.

Disclaimer: These are only informational dates that could change. The Readiness@Scale team has the final decision over any UX modifications.

The release navigator for SAP Customer Experience is now only two clicks away from Support.SAP.com!

1. Go to the new Release Ready page
2. Click on the SAP Customer Experience link

You can also access the release navigator for SAP Customer Experience via the SAP Enterprise Support Value Maps like before.

Follow the Readiness@Scale community tag, and Malgorzata Konopelska to stay up to date with the latest blog posts. If you have any feedback or specific requests regarding the release navigator, we would be more than happy to hear from you. We appreciate all feedback and value your input. In order to collect both positive reactions and constructive feedback, we have created a survey.

Readiness@Scale
SAP Enterprise Support

Step Into the Future with the SAP Sales Cloud and SAP Service Cloud Modernization Webcast Series

2024-02-14T15:01:40.353000+01:00

Step into the future with our SAP Sales Cloud and SAP Service Cloud Modernization Webcast Series, offering an exciting journey towards the cutting-edge Version 2.

We are delighted to present this webcast series, guiding you through the transformative evolution of SAP Sales Cloud and SAP Service Cloud. This initiative provides a unique opportunity to understand the technology shift and discover how SAP, alongside its partner community, can support you on this transformation journey.

Each session comes packed with invaluable information, practical guidance, and when applicable, demos from seasoned SAP Sales Cloud and SAP Service Cloud Experts.

  Why attend this series:

SAP Expert Guidance: Our sessions will be hosted by different experts from SAP, offering you the unique opportunity to learn shaping the future of your SAP Sales and Service Cloud solution.
Strategizing and Planning: Explore and learn how to formulate successful transition and modernization strategies. We will guide you through the critical considerations to ensure a seamless journey.
Tools and Services: Understand SAP's product tools for transition and the available services, discussing readiness aspects and exploring phased approaches.
Deep Tech Dive: In this series, we ensure everyone is on the same page, ensuring greater flexibility and scalability while developing and extending in a side-by-side approach with SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). Unlock the full potential of SAP BTP, leading to enhanced experiences for your business.
Flexible Learning: Tailored to your preferences, attend live sessions, or opt for on-demand learning, adding flexibility to your schedule.

We have designed this series to provide a comprehensive overview, from the basics of initiating your modernization journey to successfully implementing the transition. This is just the beginning, and we will gauge customer feedback to shape upcoming series, ensuring relevance and value.

 Don’t miss the opportunity to prepare your operations, strategies, and mindset for the future!

 Book your spot for the SAP Sales and Service Cloud Modernization Webcast Series and take the first step towards empowering your transition journey today!

 To attend the series and ask questions from the Q&A panel, click the session links to register (or for the replays)!

Webcast 1: SAP Sales and Service Cloud Modernization: Introduction to the Webcast Series

Date:  5th of March @ 4pm CET
Target Audience: All SAP Sales and Service Cloud customers
Speakers: Sophie Crepin (Global Adoption Office for ‘Sales and Service Cloud’) and John Heald (Global Vice President Customer Experience)

 Webcast 2: How to Prepare for a Transition to SAP Sales and Service Cloud Version 2

Date: 14th of March @ 4pm CET
Target Audience: All SAP Sales and Service Cloud customers
Speakers: Sahar Mir Abedini Pohl (Director SAP CX Services MEE) and Johannes Engelke (Sales and Service Cloud Product Management)

Webcast 3: Introduction to Side-By-Side Customization for SAP Sales and Service Cloud (with SAP BTP)

Date: 26th of March @ 4pm CET
 Target Audience: All SAP Sales and Service Cloud customers
Speaker: Johannes Engelke (Sales and Service Cloud Product Management)

Webcast 4: Side-by-side customization in SAP Sales and Service Cloud (V1) with SAP BTP

Date: 18th of April @ 4pm CET
Target Audience: All ‘SAP Cloud for Customer’ customers
Speakers: Johannes Engelke (Sales and Service Cloud Product Management)

Webcast 5: How to manage Change Project in SAP Sales and Service Cloud Version2

Date: 7th of May @ 4pm CET
Target Audience: All SAP Sales and Service Cloud customers
Speaker: Adithya Uday (Sales and Service Cloud Product Management)

Webcast 6: Guidance on Analytics in SAP Sales and Service Cloud Version 2

(new) Date: 25th of June @ 4pm CET
Target Audience: All SAP Sales and Service Cloud customers
Speakers: Sandeep Kumar Arya (Sales and Service Cloud Product Management) and Vinita Sinha (SAP CX Value Adviser)

*Registration links coming soon*

Webcast 7: How to orchestrate a Version 1 to Version 2 phased transition

Date: 4th of June @ 4pm CET
Target Audience: All ‘SAP Cloud for Customer’ customers
Speaker: Srirekha Yengoti Banoor (Sales and Service Cloud Product Management)

Webcast 8: How to deal with the PDI’s in the transition to SAP Sales and Service Version 2

Date: 18th of June @ 4pm CET
Target Audience: All ‘SAP Cloud for Customer’ customers
Speakers: Stefan Kiefer, Srirekha Yengoti Banoor and Adithya Uday (Sales and Service Cloud Product Management)

SAP Sales Cloud and SAP Service Cloud version 2 - Client Certificate authentication (Outbound)

2024-02-15T10:10:58.491000+01:00

Steps:

You have a client certificate signed by one of the CAs supported by the load balancer. More information on the supported CAs: Load Balancer Root Certificates Supported by SAP.
Upload the key pair to communication system in SAP Sales Cloud and Service Cloud Version 2.
Configure Client Certificate-Based Authentication in the Service Instance in SAP Cloud Platform Cockpit.

Let's cover the steps in more detail

Step 1 : Prepare Key-Pair in PKCS#12 (.p12) File format

Note: SAP Sales Cloud and Service Cloud Version 2 only supports .p12 not .pfx for now.

For this post I am using openssl to generate the key pair and the PKCS#12 file.

This is optional and you are free to use any other tool as preferred

First let's generate a key and certificate signing request

openssl genrsa -out an150224.key 2048
openssl req -new -key an150224.key -out an150224.csr

Next step is to get the certificate signed by one of the CAs supported by the SAP load balancer

Once you have the CA signed certificate, export the certificate and private key to .p12 (PKCS12) file format. Note : The certificate file should have whole certificate chain (including Intermediate certificate authorities in order)

openssl pkcs12 -export -out an150224.p12 -inkey an150224.key -in an150224certchain.cer

If needed, verify the content of .p12

openssl pkcs12 -info -nodes -in an150224.p12

Step 2: Upload the key pair to communication system inSAP Sales Cloud and Service Cloud Version 2

Upload the .p12 file to the communcation system under Outbound as shown below

Step 3 - Configure Client Certificate-Based Authentication in the Service Instance in SAP Cloud Platform Cockpit

Create a service key under Process Integration Runtime service for plan integration-flow. Use key type as external certificate.

Note : Only client certificate in PEM format should be maintained under the External Certificate. CA certificates are not needed. More details on defining service keys in the Cloud Foundry environment can be found in the SAP online documentation at Creating Service Instance and Service Key for Inbound Authentication.

You are all set. Now messages coming from SAP Sales Cloud and Service Cloud V2 using the connector service will use mTLS (Client Cert) for authentication with SAP Cloud Integration.

You can also test it from curl if needed using the key and certificate chain.

curl -v --key an150224.key https://<CPI Runtime URL>/http/test/helloworld --cert an150224certchain.cer

Hint:

If you are getting 401 error, make sure the .p12 file has whole certificate chain including the private key.

That's all for this post. Happy Learning!!!

SAP Inside Track 2024 – Bangalore – February 17 !!My experience as a Speaker

2024-02-29T08:49:57.611000+01:00

The weekend started off wonderfully with a meaningful morning session at SAP Inside Track (SIT) Bangalore, where over 1,400 participants, including SAP customers and partners, came together. SIT is more than just an event; it's a community-driven initiative that brings us together as collaborative partners in the pursuit of knowledge, innovation, and the advancement of our collective wisdom. With discussions centering around key topics like business AI, ERP modernization, and sustainability driving digital transformation, it's crucial that we actively learn from each other's experiences to stay ahead.

I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to the SAP community for their enthusiastic response to SIT, and I'm incredibly grateful to @maheshkumar.palavalli for cultivating such a vibrant SAP community in India!

Sindhu

The event commenced as scheduled with an enthralling keynote address by Sindhu Gangadharan. Her presentation was truly captivating, and the audience was deeply engaged throughout. Some of the key highlights from her keynote included:

Check out our agenda here: https://sitblrwebsite.vercel.app/

Business Technology Platform (BTP): A discussion on how BTP is transforming businesses by providing a comprehensive platform for innovation and digital transformation.
Generation AI (Gen AI): Insights into the impact of AI on the next generation and how businesses can leverage this trend for growth.
Sustainability with Green Ledger: A focus on the importance of sustainability in business operations and how technologies like Green Ledger are aiding in this effort.
SAP Business AI: An overview of how SAP is leveraging AI to enhance business processes and decision-making.
SAP + Microsoft Collaboration on AI: Collaboration between SAP and Microsoft in the field of AI, highlighting the benefits and innovations stemming from this partnership.
SAP + Google for Open Data AI: How SAP and Google are collaborating to harness the power of open data for AI-driven insights and innovations.
Modernizing ERP: A discussion on the modernization of ERP systems and how businesses can benefit from adopting these advancements.

After the keynote, my session was the first session in track 2, focusing on procode and lowcode. The session covered Side-by-Side Extensibility with SAP Build Apps, encompassing E2E Service, including Customer Service, Field Service, and Backoffice.

Side-by-Side Extensibility with SAP Build Apps E2E Service covering Customer Service, Field Service & Backoffice

Utilizing SAP Build Apps, we have designed an application with a guided steps approach to seamlessly integrate with both S/4HANA Cloud and FSM.

Recognizing the importance of time in addressing customer concerns, especially for Service Agents engaged in high-touch interactions, we structured the app as a guided flow. Agents can easily select equipment, add relevant spare parts/services, and create Service Orders in S/4HANA Cloud. Furthermore, upon Service Order creation, the app offers the functionality to directly schedule an appointment in FSM.

The Appointment Scheduling feature is facilitated by leveraging FSM's standard slot finding API, providing real-time visibility into technician availability. Additionally, we have enhanced the Agent's user experience by incorporating a Map view for simplified technician selection. This app is seamlessly embedded as a mashup within the Agent Desktop and Case UI.

Demonstrating the potential for integrating the SAP S/4HANA Service Order and FSM (Field Service Management) appointment offerings through Appgyver within SAP Intelligent Service Cloud V2 can be articulated as follows:

GAP has been identified: A functional disparity exists in SAP Intelligent Service Cloud V2, S4/HANA, and FSM, wherein agents face limitations in scheduling appointments on behalf of customers. This results in a standard product gap between V2, S4/HANA Cloud, and FSM. To bridge this gap, Appgyver is utilized to create custom applications, enabling agents to effortlessly initiate service orders and FSM appointments for customers through their interface.

Closed the loop: By leveraging the capabilities of Appgyver, seamless integration between SAP S4 Service Order and FSM appointment features is achievable within the SAP Intelligent Service Cloud V2 ecosystem. Appgyver, a low-code application development platform, serves as a powerful bridge, facilitating the connection between these essential service management components.

In the integration process, Appgyver acts as the orchestrator, synchronizing data and actions between SAP S4 Service Order and FSM appointment functionalities. This ensures a unified and streamlined experience for service personnel, enabling them to seamlessly transition from service order creation in SAP S/4HANA to scheduling and managing appointments through FSM, all within the SAP Intelligent Service Cloud V2 environment.

Equipment Retrieval: Retrieves equipment information from the S4Hana system.
Service & Parts Management: Allows the addition of various service components such as services, non-stocked spare parts, and stocked spare parts. For stocked items, a purchase requisition will be generated in SAP S/4HANA.
Service Order Creation: Generates a comprehensive service order incorporating the selected service and parts. This service order is then released to the Field Service Management (FSM) system.
Appointment Scheduling: Empowers agents to schedule appointments efficiently using the Map view functionality, ensuring optimal matches for appointments based on location and other relevant criteria.

In conclusion, the integration of S4 Service Order and FSM appointment offerings via Appgyver within SAP Intelligent Service Cloud V2 demonstrates a strategic approach to enhancing service management capabilities, offering a unified and efficient solution for businesses aiming to optimize their field service operations.

Conclusion

SAP Inside Track Bengaluru was more than just an event; it was a confluence of shared knowledge and networking, fostering collaborative learning by bringing together the SAP Community. I had a great time being part of the organizing and content team, which enabled me to learn a lot and, of course, network. Looking forward to the upcoming SAP Inside Tracks in India!

sit

Create Custom Key Metrics with Kyma Serverless Functions in Sales and Service Cloud Version 2

2024-02-29T11:20:43.245000+01:00

Introduction

SAP Sales and Service Cloud Version 2 provides KPI Cards inside Account Details, which are called "Key Metrics". Key Metrics provide quick information about the transactional documents of the account displayed.

Standard Key Metrics

Besides SAP Delivered KPI Cards, you have the option to create your own Key Metrics by fetching the data from outside, into SAP's pre-delivered templates. In this example we will be using Kyma Serverless Functions and API Rules to create our own Customer Key Metrics. The example will cover both Sales and Service Cloud Version 2 configuration and the Kyma Configuration.

Before we start, I'd like to express that Custom Key Metrics can work with any language, as long as you can parse and return JSON a payload. You may have an analytics application on your hand, you may have Integration Suite knowledge and they would work just as well. The reason I went with Kyma is because it handles all the DevOps for you, automatically scales and provides secure ways of exposing your functions.

Prerequisites

Before we have can start our example, please make sure that you are fulfilling the prerequisites below.

Sales and Service Cloud Version 2 Tenant
Kyma Environment Enabled in SAP BTP - You can create a Kyma Enviroment in a trial account as a test case.
Basic Javascript/Python knowledge - as a matter of fact, I did not code the function myself, but prompted it via Gemini AI, with few modifications, it was ready to go!
Review the SAP Documentation on how to create the Custom Key Metrics

Creating the Custom Key Metric

In our example we will create a custom key metric that will show how many leads are created from which sources for this account. Picture below shows the final result in an account page.

Technical Flow in a Nutshell

To explain how the Custom Key Metrics works:

SAP Provides KPI Templates such as Bar Chart, Pie Chart or Indicator.
The templates are bound to a specific JSON Object (see SAP Documentation).
When you enter the account, an HTTP POST Request is sent to the endpoint that you have configured.
The script/iFlow/Application behind the endpoint is receiving the POST Request, doing its magic, and fills out the payload mentioned above.
System renders the payload that you have returned as a Key Metric.

//Example Pie chart JSON Object that needs to be returned in the payload
{
    "total": "{calculated results}",
    "data": [
        {
            "name": "{description}",
            "y": "{calculated result}"
        },
        {
            "name": "{description}",
            "y": "{calculated result}"
        }
//and so on...
    ]
}

Configuration On Kyma

Before going to Sales and Service Cloud Version 2, first we need to create our function and endpoint on Kyma, as we need to provide this information in the System.

Open your Kyma Environment, go to your desired namespace.

Create Your Function

Go to Workloads -> Functions -> + Create Function

Give a name to your function.
Select Javascript (you also have the option to use Python)
Select the latest Node.js Runtime
Do not modify the source code - we will do it later.
In the dependencies section, enter the values shown in picture. This will enable those libraries in your function.

Note: In our example "lodash" library is not used and does not need to be added. But in general, it is a useful library for object manipulation.

Click on Create

We now have a serverless function available. The next step is to add some environment variables to make this function easily maintainable across different namespaces (like dev-test-prod) without changing the source code.

We are going to add the following environment variables for our example:

Sales and Service Cloud Version 2 URL (Custom Variable)
Sales and Service Cloud Version 2 API Username (Secret Variable)
Sales and Service Cloud Version 2 API Password (Secret Variable)

Create Secret Variables

Secrets provide a secure and easy way to access your credentials in Kyma Environment. You can declare them as variables in your code and manage them centrally, without modifying your source code.

In Kyma, go to Configuration -> Secrets -> Create Secret

Give a name for your secret - it is just an internal name; you can generate a random one.
Select Opaque as type.
In Data section, add two keys as "username" and "password".
The values should be the credentials of a valid API user from your SSCv2 system. I'd recommend a technical user. If you don't have one yet, go to Creating Communication System section in our blog.
Click Create.

You now have a secret that you can use in any function that you create.

Adding Environment Variables to Your Function

Go back to your function, click on edit and on the environment variable section, add the following values as shown below.

YAML:

  env:
    - name: CNS_SECRET
      valueFrom:
        secretKeyRef:
          key: password
          name: cns-key-insights-user
    - name: CNS_USERNAME
      valueFrom:
        secretKeyRef:
          key: username
          name: cns-key-insights-user
    - name: CNS_URL
      value: https://YOURCNSTENANT/sap/c4c/api/v1

Now we can fetch these environment variables in our code:

//environment variables
const cnsSecret = process.env.CNS_SECRET;
const cnsUsername = process.env.CNS_USERNAME;
const cnsUrl = process.env.CNS_URL;

Creating an API Rule

With API Rules, we can create an endpoint for our functions - or our services in general. We are able to define different paths, routed to different functions with different security options for each path.

Go to Discovery and Network -> API Rules -> Create API Rule

Give a name for your API Rule - it is just an internal name; you can generate a random one.
Leave the Service empty, unless you want to assign a single rule to a single function. We will be assigning the service on the path level.
For the host, give a meaningful name for your function. This will be the main link that you will configure in communication settings.
Go to Rules section.

Define a meaningful path name, this will be the path that you will define in Custom Key Metric Settings.
In the Access Strategies, you can secure your API Path. "Allow" means anyone can access the link and should only be used for development purposes. In our example we will be using JWT. If you are using IAS, you can provide the information below.
For method, we only need POST.

YAML:

    - accessStrategies:
        - config:
            jwks_urls:
              - https://youriastenant.accounts.ondemand.com/oauth2/certs
            trusted_issuers:
              - https://youriastenant.accounts.ondemand.com
          handler: jwt
      methods:
        - POST

In the Service (under the Access Strategy), select your function.

Modify the Function

Now that we have everything ready, we can finalize our function. Go back to the function you have created.

Click edit and add the source code below:

const axios = require('axios');

// Load environment variables
const cnsSecret = process.env.CNS_SECRET;
const cnsUsername = process.env.CNS_USERNAME;
const cnsUrl = process.env.CNS_URL;

module.exports = {
  main: async function (event, context) {
    try {
      console.log('Event Received:', JSON.stringify(event.data));

      // Extract businessPartnerId from event data
      const businessPartnerId = event.data.businessPartnerId;

      // Define parameters object
      const params = {
        '$filter': `account.id eq '${businessPartnerId}'`,
        '$select': 'name,id,sourceDescription'
      };

      // Perform GET request with basic authentication and parameters
      const leadResponse = await axios.get(`${cnsUrl}/lead-service/leads`, {
        auth: {
          username: cnsUsername,
          password: cnsSecret,
        },
        params,
      });

      // Extract leads data
      const leads = leadResponse.data.value;
      console.log("Fetched Leads: "+JSON.stringify(leads))

      // Calculate total count of leads
      const total = leads.length;
      console.log("Count of Leads: "+JSON.stringify(total))

      // Group leads by sourceDescription and count occurrences
      const groupedData = leads.reduce((acc, lead) => {
        const name = lead.sourceDescription;
        acc[name] = (acc[name] || 0) + 1;
        return acc;
      }, {});

      console.log("groupedData: "+JSON.stringify(groupedData));

      // Convert object to array with name and count
      const data = Object.entries(groupedData).map(([name, count]) => ({ name, y: count }));

      // Construct response payload
      const payload = {
        total,
        data,
      };
      console.log(JSON.stringify(payload));
      return payload;
    } catch (error) {
      console.error(error);
      return { error: error.message };
    }
  },
};

As mentioned earlier, this code has been generated by AI, and slightly modified by hand. As long as you give a strong prompt, AI can handle these simple scripts really well.

Here's my example prompt:

/*
I need you to write me a nodejs script, which will be used in Kyma environment, you can refer to https://github.com/kyma-project. I have the following config yaml, with some environment variables. I need you to save these environments variables as a constant in the code to be used. You may use axios and lodash libraries.

env:
    - name: CNS_SECRET
      valueFrom:
        secretKeyRef:
            name: cns-key-insights-user
            key: password
    - name: CNS_USERNAME
      valueFrom:
        secretKeyRef:
            name: cns-key-insights-user
            key: username
    - name: CNS_URL
      value: https://host/sap/c4c/api/v1
schemaVersion: v0

Code will be triggered via an HTTP Request Event. When the event gets triggered, log the event headers and data separately. 

example event data: {"businessPartnerId":"11edee65-fccb-955e-afdb-817c5e020a00","billingDocumentId":null,"top":0,"sortBy":null,"idType":null,"language":"en"}

Make a GET request to /lead-service/leads path. for URL, use the constant you have created for CNS_URL environment variable. 

Use the query parameter: $filter=account.id eq '{businessPartnerId from event}'

Count the total of records returned. Add it into "total" key of the payload. Count the sourceDescription, group the sourceDescription, add it into "data" array of the response payload. "name" should be the grouped sourceDescription, y should is the count of the grouped sourceDescription. 

Return the following payload in the end. 

{
    "total": "{count of leads}",
    "data": [
        {
            "name": "{sourceDescription1}",
            "y": "{count of sourceDescription1}"
        },
        {
            "name": "{sourceDescription2}",
            "y": "{count of sourceDescription2}"
        }
    ]
}
*\

Now that we have our code up and running, it is time to configure the Sales and Service Cloud Version 2 side.

Of course, always treat these codes cautiously as AI tends to make a lot of mistakes. Also, make sure to test different cases and modify your code accordingly to handle those cases.

Configuring Sales and Service Cloud Version 2 for Custom Key Metrics

Once you have everything ready on Kyma side, configuration on CNS side (Cloud Native Stack - a.k.a. Sales and Service Cloud Version 2) will come pretty easily.

Creating a Communication System

If you would like to use a specific user for Key Insights (which I'd recommend) you need to create a new Communication System.

Go to Settings -> Integration -> Communication Systems and click on plus (+) icon.

Inbound settings will create a technical user that you will use to fetch data from the APIs of your CNS Tenant. Set up a password and click on Save and Activate. Your technical user with the same name will be created in the background.

Click edit on your communication system and open the Outbound settings.

Outbound setting is where you fill in the receiver system's credentials and link.

Host Name: Add the link that you created in the Kyma API Rules. Do not add paths (/example/path).

Authentication Method: For the authentication, if you have followed the blog and used JWT, then use your IAS OAuth Client Credentials as shown above. To create your own IAS OAuth Keys, click here.

Creating Custom Key Metrics

Go to Settings -> Customer Insights -> Custom Key Metrics and click on plus (+) icon.

Key Metric Name: Administrative name of the key metric

Key Metric Title: The name that you will see in Accounts Key Metrics section.

Chart Type: Choose Pie, as we have used that payload type in the function.

API Path: Use the path that you have defined for your function in the API Rules.

Communication System: Select the system that you have created earlier.

Navigation URL: If you want to launch a specific link, you can place it here.

Click Save. Now you have configured your custom key metric!

Testing the Custom Key Metrics

To test your Key Metrics, go to any Accounts that have leads. On the Key Metrics section, custom key metrics will be on the last cards.

You can trace the network logs by searching "key-metrics".

In the Kyma logs, you can trace your function real time and see any errors that come up.

Conclusion

Now you have a functioning Key Metric at your service! Good thing is, first one is actually the most time consuming but for the future, you can re-use the first one as a template for the other key metrics that you can create.

Side-by-Side Extensibility with SAP Build Apps -E2E Service covering Customer Service, Field Service

2024-03-02T08:15:32.250000+01:00

Integrating SAP S/4HANA Service Order and FSM appointment offerings within SAP Sales & Service Cloud V2 using SAP Build Apps can be demonstrated as follows:

Story

Prasad , a customer service representative at a leading manufacturing company, receives a service request from PK Industries, one of their key clients. The request is to schedule maintenance for their Bike Eco 11i Products. Prasad knows that He can use the integrated Build Apps interface in Service Cloud V2 to manage this request seamlessly.

He starts by creating a new service order in S/4HANA, detailing the maintenance requirements and scheduling preferences provided by PK Industries. Once the service order is created, Prasad switches to the FSM module within the same interface.

In FSM, Prasad checks the availability of service technicians and identifies a suitable appointment slot that aligns with PK Industries' preferences. He then links this appointment slot to the service order in S/4HANA, ensuring that all relevant information is synchronized between the two systems.

With the appointment scheduled, Prasad notifies PK Industries through the Service Cloud V2 interface, providing them with all the necessary details. Thanks to the integrated nature of the system, Prasad can easily track the progress of the service order and manage any updates or changes without switching between multiple applications.

PK Industries appreciates the efficiency and professionalism demonstrated by Prasad and the service team. They are impressed by how quickly and seamlessly their maintenance request was processed, thanks to the integrated capabilities of Service Cloud V2.

Architecture diagram

GAP has been identified: A functional disparity exists in SAP Intelligent Service Cloud V2, S/4HANA, and FSM, wherein agents face limitations in scheduling appointments on behalf of customers. This results in a standard product gap between V2, S/4HANA Cloud, and FSM. To bridge this gap, SAP Build Apps is utilized to create custom applications, enabling agents to effortlessly initiate service orders and FSM appointments for customers through their interface.

Closed the loop: By leveraging the capabilities of SAP Build Apps, seamless integration between SAP S4 Service Order and FSM appointment features is achievable within the SAP Intelligent Service Cloud V2 ecosystem. SAP Build Apps, a low-code application development platform, serves as a powerful bridge, facilitating the connection between these essential service management components.

In the integration process, SAP Build Apps acts as the orchestrator, synchronizing data and actions between SAP S4 Service Order and FSM appointment functionalities. This ensures a unified and streamlined experience for service personnel, enabling them to seamlessly transition from service order creation in SAP S/4HANA to scheduling and managing appointments through FSM, all within the SAP Intelligent Service Cloud V2 environment.

Equipment Retrieval: Retrieves equipment information from the S/4HANA system.
Service & Parts Management: Allows the addition of various service components such as services, non-stocked spare parts, and stocked spare parts. For stocked items, a purchase requisition will be generated in SAP S/4HANA.
Service Order Creation: Generates a comprehensive service order incorporating the selected service and parts. This service order is then released to the Field Service Management (FSM) system.
Appointment Scheduling: Empowers agents to schedule appointments efficiently using the Map view functionality, ensuring optimal matches for appointments based on location and other relevant criteria.

Step 1 : When an incoming call is received, the Agent Desktop is opened automatically, and a case is created. The agent then selects the equipment.

Step 2 : Please select the relevant services and parts, and add the corresponding quantities.

Step 3 : When items are added to the service and parts, they will automatically appear in the service order tab. Please enter the relevant details and click save to create a service order.

Step 4: You can see that a service order has been created, and you can click on the hyperlink to navigate to the S/4HANA system.

Items are being replicated to S/4HANA systems.

It can be observed in the transaction history that the service order has been released to Field Service Management (FSM).

Step 5: Please click 'Next' to book a slot based on the customer's availability.

In the map view, service orders are displayed in red, while technicians are shown in green. The agent has a UI visibility that allows them to see the nearest technicians and book slots accordingly.

Step 6: Once the slot is booked, you can click on the hyperlink to open the FSM activity.

Step 7: You can observe that a service and activity have been created.

Conclusion

Agents can efficiently work across various systems without the need to switch between them. They can create an S/4HANA service order and schedule an appointment slot in FSM based on the customer's availability, all within the integrated Build Apps interface in Service Cloud V2.

Working with SAP Service Cloud Version 2 Add-on, for Utilities

2024-03-11T09:49:02.966000+01:00

A typical question for implementations is what enhancement options exists. Here I will create a short overview of the existing options for enhancing the integration between SAP Service Cloud Version 2 and SAP S/4HANA through enhancement in SAP S/4HANA for the services provided.

Disclaimer: This should not be considered a best practice for production but, since this was done for a demo system. Also, the comments on the use of the enhancement points should be validated by an experienced developer.

Prior blog in this series: Master Data Integration

A big part of the utility specific functionality in SAP Service Cloud Version 2, is enabled via service calls to SAP S/4HANA. The below drawing illustrates the key components for the integration.

In this blog I will focus on the options of enhancing the services on SAP S/4HANA. The purpose of doing these enhancements will typically be:

Control the logic for what data to use for the functionality called in SAP S/4HANA
- Example could be to control what Master Data Template is called for the Move-in.
Control what data to return for the service call.
- Example could be to limit the number or type of open items to return to the financial view in SAP Service Cloud Version 2.

For the SAP Service Cloud Version 2 services we are utilizing the standard enhancement concept for SAP S/4HANA, using implicit and explicit enhancement.

I will not go into details about those concepts here, but here is a very basic overview:

Implicit Enhancement

This is provided by ‘standard’ and sits typically at the start and at the end of each function module.
Even though they are there for many reports and functions modules, they are not there for all, and you would need to check.
A video explaining this in more detail: Video 12: ABAP Enhancements - Implicit Enhancement Option (youtube.com)

Explicit Enhancements

These are added explicitly by development and can be viewed in the source code.
There are 2 types of these enhancements:
- Enhancement point
- Enhancement section
Both sits ‘under’ and enhancement spot. (To be displayed with transaction SE18)
Multiple enhancement points and enhancement sections can be part of one enhancement spot.
A video explaining this in more details: Video 13: ABAP Enhancements - Explicit Enhancements (youtube.com)

Enhancement point is a singular point in the source code:

Enhancement section has a start and end entry in the source code:

List of enhancements

I have created the below overview of all the existing enhancement points I have found. I have also made a comment for what the enhancement point could be used for. Please be aware, I have not tested all of these, and the comments are based on my understanding. You will need to validate and test each of the enhancements for your use.

(*) The second column in the tables indicate if this is an enhancement point (P) or enhancement section (S).

The number of enhancements will change for every release, but the list below is what I have found for what is there today.

To find the enhancement, use transaction SE18 and enter the Enhancement Spot name the below list, and then you will see all enhancement points and enhancement sections for that spot.

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_FINANCIAL_AMT

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_FINANCIAL_AMT

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHP_ISU_C4C_FINANCIAL_AMT_GET	P	Used to change the profile value for calculating the due amount, as well as open and payable amount.
EHS_ISU_C4C_FINANCIAL_CREDIT_AMT_GET	S	Used to override the calculation of credit rating.
EHS_ISU_C4C_OVERVIEW_AMT_GET	S	Used to override the logic of getting open amount and due amount.
EHS_ISU_C4C_SECURITY_DEP_GET	S	Create custom logic for calculating the security deposit

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_PROMISE_TO_PAY

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_PROMISE_TO_PAY

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHS_ISU_C4C_PROMISE_TO_PAY_GET	S	Used to override the logic of getting promise to pay details

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_MOVE_IN_MDT_CREATE

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_MOVE_IN_MDT

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHP_ISU_C4C_MOVE_IN_FILL_CON	P	Used to add extra fields in the container if required

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_CUSTOMER

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_BP_DATA

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHP_ISU_C4C_CUSTOMER_PREMISES	P	Provides customers the flexibility to write extra logic to populate custom fields, change the address formatting, change the way standard data is being passed.
EHS_ISU_C4C_CUSTOMER_PREMISES	S	Provides customers the flexibility to write their own logic to fetch linked premises to a partner

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_CA_OVERVIEW

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_CA_OVERVIEW

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHS_ISU_C4C_GET_ALL_CA_DETAILS	S	Used to override the CDS views created to fetch the Due amount, Open and payable amount, contract details as well as premise details for all the Contract Accounts related to the Business Partner
EHS_ISU_C4C_GET_CORRES_CA_DET	S	Used to override the CDS views created to fetch the Due amount, Open and payable amount, contract details, premise details for the corresponding Contract Account

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_BUDGET_BILL

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_BUDGET_BILL_PLAN

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHS_ISU_C4C_BUDGET_BILL_GET	S	Control what budget billing data to show.

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_BANK

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_BANK_DATA

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHP_ISU_C4C_BANK_CREATE	P	To add /modify any of the fields as per custom requirement that is passed to the bank data creation BAPI
EHS_ISU_C4C_BANK_DATA_GET	S	Control bank data to use

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_BANK_SEARCH

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_BANK_MASTER

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHP_ISU_C4C_BANK_SEARCH_BY_KEY	P	To influence the standard search logic by influencing the parameters used in the database query or standard logic to fill the extracted bank data

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_INVOICES_GET

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_INVOICES

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHS_ISU_C4C_INVOICES_GET	S	Control what invoices to return/ changing selection parameter while fetching the invoices from database.

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_INSTALL_PLAN_CH

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_INSTALL_PLAN

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHP_ISU_C4C_INSTALL_PLAN_CH	P	Provided this to give flexibility to customer to update data as per their custom requirement and enhancement before changing instalment plan.

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_INSTALL_PLAN_CRE

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_INSTALL_PLAN

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EP_ISU_C4C_INSTALL_PLAN_CRE	P	Provided this to give flexibility to customer to update data as per their custom requirement and enhancement before creating instalment plan.

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_CONTRACTS

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_CONTRACTS

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EP_ISU_C4C_CONTRACTS_GET	P	Control what contracts to return

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_PAYMENT_SPECIFICATI

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_ONE_TIME_PAY

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EP_ISU_C4C_PAYMENT_SPE_CRT	P	Provided this to give flexibility to customer to pass additional search parameters as per their custom requirement before calling payment specification creation.

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_FICA_POSTING

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_FICA_POSTINGS

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EP_ISU_C4C_MANUAL_POSTING	P	Provided this to give flexibility to customer to pass additional search parameters as per their custom requirement before calling manual posting.

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_OBJECT_ADDRESS

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_OBJECT_ADDRESS

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EHP_ISU_C4C_FIXED_ADDRESS	P	Provided this to give flexibility to customer to pass additional search parameters as per their custom requirement.

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_OBJECT_FINDER

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_SEARCH_OBJECT

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EP_ISU_C4C_OBJECT_FINDER	P	Provided this to give flexibility to customer to pass additional search parameters as per their custom requirement before calling ISU_FINDER.

Enhancement Spot: ES_ISU_C4C_PAYMENT_PLAN

Report: SAPLISU_C4C_SAP Service Cloud Version 2_PAYMENT_PLAN

Enhancement Point / Section		Comment
EP_ISU_C4C_PPLAN_CONTRACTS	P	This is provided to offer flexibility to the customer to update additional extension fields as per their business requirements, along with the payment plan's contract data.
EP_ISU_C4C_PPLAN_CONTRACT_CHG	P	This is provided to offer flexibility to the customer to pass additional extension fields or parameters as per their business requirements, before updating contract data.
EP_ISU_C4C_PPLAN_DELETE	P	This is provided to offer flexibility to the customer to validate the data before deleting the payment plan.
EP_ISU_C4C_PPLAN_HEADER	P	This is provided to offer flexibility to the customer to update additional extension fields as per their business requirements, along with the payment plan's header data.
EP_ISU_C4C_PPLAN_ITEMS	P	This is provided to offer flexibility to the customer to update additional extension fields as per their business requirements, along with the payment plan's Item data.
EP_ISU_C4C_PPLAN_SAVE	P	This is provided to offer flexibility to the customer to update additional extension fields as per their business requirements before Payment Plan save.
EHP_ISU_C4C_PPLAN_SIMULATE	P	This is provided to offer flexibility to the customer to pass additional parameters before Payment Plan simulation.

Conclusion

I hope the above information will help you quickly identifying where enhancement spots have been added and provided some examples of what they can be used for.

If you have comments or further questions to the above, please use the comment field and I will try and answer them.

Live session on AI Features and Capabilities in SAP Service Cloud Version 2

2024-03-11T20:54:39.194000+01:00

Are you curious to learn about the the embedded AI features in SAP Service Cloud Version 2? Register to this live session

Live Session on SAP Business AI in SAP Service Cloud Version 2

In this session, you can interact with the subject matter expert and ask questions about these capabilities and thus increase your knowledge.

Looking forward to your participation!

Implementing Dynamic Case Flows Based on Case Type

2024-03-22T07:38:17.870000+01:00

Introduction

In a busy customer service hub, agents encounter various cases that require specific steps for providing support. For instance, the case workflow may vary between internal cases and those initiated by external parties.

To address these diverse business needs, SAP Service Cloud V2 offers the Case Designer feature. With Case Designer, distinct workflows for different case types can be created. This helps agents by providing structured activities to navigate relevant queries and solutions seamlessly. The dynamic nature of the workflow ensures efficient handling of both internal and external scenarios, thereby improving the overall customer experience.

Using Case Designer for Logical Organization and Progress Tracking

SAP Service Cloud Version 2, you can structure it in the Case Designer by creating different sections for various topics. Each section can include steps, descriptions, and any relevant information. You can use the Case Designer to visualize the flow of your guide and ensure that the content is organized logically. Additionally, you can use the Case Designer to track the progress of each section and manage the overall completion of the guide.

Customized Case Types: Streamlining Workflows for Efficient Service Delivery

Tailor case types to align with your organization's workflow.

Design case types to mirror various service workflows according to your business operations. You can incorporate stages, tasks, approvals, automated processes, integrated applications, and feedback mechanisms into your case type. Stages and tasks provide a visual roadmap for your agents as they navigate through case processing via Case designer

Step 1 : Go to your user profile and select Settings => Case Management => Case Types.

Step 2:You can select an Active case type as a starting point for customization and creating your own case type. For example, you can use the Sample Case Type provided by SAP to get started.

Step 3: Please duplicate to a new case type. Assign a case type code beginning with the letter Z. The code should be up to four characters long, with no spaces or special characters.

Step 4:Enter a description for your new case type and select Create. The Case Template screen opens where you can edit and add phases and steps. Phases are represented by a screen within the case detail view, containing one or more specific steps. Steps are discrete actions that can be:

The below are the different Step Types

To-Do
Autoflow
Approval
Mashup
Feedback
Input
Assignment

1. To do items: Tasks or actions that can include explanatory text. If a step is mandatory, the agent must complete the task or action before the case can proceed to the next step. The agent must confirm manually once they complete the step.

Input of Step Type:

Output of Step Type:

2. Automated flows (autoflows): Triggers an autoflow action. For example: update a field in an object, create a time line event, or send an email message. You can use autoflow steps in addition to autoflows triggered at the case level.

Mandatory Step: To make this step mandatory, enable the toggle button.
Auto Trigger : To make this step Automatically trigger, enable the toggle button. For this prerequisite is we need to create Autoflow in Setting -> Business Flow ->

Autoflow: This will be explained in another blog in detail

Input of Step Type:

Output of Step Type:

3.Approvals: Use approval steps to require that the agent request approval before continuing to process the case. Agents can include notes before submitting the approval request. You can use approval steps in addition to approvals triggered at the case level.

Mandatory Step: To make this step mandatory, enable the toggle button.
Approval: This will be explained in another blog in detail

Approval

Input of Step Type:

Output of Step Type:

4.Mashup: A step consisting of a mashup screen from an external system. Integrate external systems directly into your case workflow.

Input of Step Type:

Mashup

Output of Step Type:

5.Feedback: Set up a feedback step with channel, template, customer response survey, and optional preconditions. Once the agent reaches this step and conditions are met, the solution sends an email message containing a link to the survey and collects survey feedback.

Input of Step Type:

6.Input: Previously, the user needed to update a field from the left side of the case. With this feature, agents can now update the field directly from the Case Designer header without having to navigate to the left-hand side.

Input of Step Type:

Output of Step Type:

7.Assignment : Filed value can be updated in run time

Input of Step Type:

Output of Step Type:

To set up the case template to reflect your desired business process, you can add, edit, reorder, or remove phases and steps. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Add, edit, reorder, or remove phases and steps:
- Click on the move icon () to reorder phases and steps.
- To add a new step, click on the "+" icon within a phase.
- To edit a step, click on the step name.
- To remove a step, click on the trash icon next to the step.
(Optional) Add step preconditions:
- Edit the desired step to include conditions that evaluate if the step is ready to be processed.
- Preconditions determine if a particular step can be processed or not. Agents can only set the step as done when the preconditions are met.
(Optional) Select View/edit number range table:
- You can select an existing number range for the case type or create a new one.
(Optional) Select a service catalog for the case type:
- You can only select catalogs set up for use with cases. If you want to associate a service catalog with your case type, you must select a catalog when the case type is in draft status.

3.Save your changes:

Click "Save" to save your changes.
Click "Activate" to set your case type to active status.
Click "Close" to save your case type as a draft. You can activate it later.

Note: Make sure to save your changes before activating or closing the case type.

Conclusion: In SAP Service Cloud V2, the Case Designer enables the creation of customized, dynamic case flows for every case type or service situation. This feature significantly enhances the experience for both customer service agents and customers alike by providing tailored and efficient processes to resolve cases.

Demystifying SAP Service Cloud v2 REST APIs: Everything You Need to Know

2024-03-31T10:04:29.026000+02:00

Hi,

Do you want to unlock the full potential of SAP Service Cloud Version 2 (v2) APIs? Look no further than its robust REST APIs! These APIs provide a powerful way to integrate SAP Service Cloud v2 with SAP Build Apps, external applications, SAP Build Process Automation (automate workflows), and extend functionalities to perfectly suit your business needs.

In this blog post, we'll dive deep into the world of SAP Service Cloud v2 REST APIs. We'll cover:

What are REST APIs and how do they benefit SAP Service Cloud v2 users?
Exploring the available REST APIs for core functionalities like managing cases, tickets, and customer interactions.
How to get started with using REST APIs for data access and manipulation.
Best practices and considerations for securing and managing your API integrations.
Real-world examples of how businesses are leveraging REST APIs to enhance their service experience.

By the end of this post, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and resources to:

Understand the potential of SAP Service Cloud v2 REST APIs.
Identify use cases for integrating SAP Service Cloud v2 with your existing ecosystem.
Begin exploring and utilizing the APIs for automation and customization.

SAP Sales Cloud and Service Cloud Version 2 API Documentation

I will list out all the API endpoints for your reference to automate or to integrate the data to external applications.

API for Registered Product Service

Manage entities from the registered product service

API for Registered Product Categories

Manage entities from the registered product categories

API for Functional Location Service

Manage entities from the functional location service

API for Warranty Service

Manage entities from the warranty service

API for Case Service

Manage objects from case service.

API for Appointment Service

Manage entities from the appointment service.

API for Task Service

Manage entities from the task service

Stay tuned for the next part of this blog series, where I will provide a step-by-step guide on getting started with SAP Service Cloud v2 REST APIs with SAP Build Apps!

In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts and questions in the comments below. Happy integrating!

SAP Sales and Service Cloud / Cloud for Customer – 2405 Release Briefing Webcast

2024-04-05T15:55:12.812000+02:00

Dear Community,

Save the Date! Tuesday, April 30, 2024. We are happy to announce our upcoming 2405 release webcast for SAP Sales and Service Cloud (Cloud for Customer). We will be adding the release webcast-related information and assets here in our community. This will allow you to access the on-demand recording after the live event, short demos if available, slide deck, and also keep the conversation alive.

SAP Sales and Service Cloud / Cloud for Customer – 2405 Release Briefing Webcast

When: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 @ 4:00 – 5:30 pm CEST/ 10:00am -11:30 am EDT
Who: Presented by Emmanuel Desert and Sales & Service Cloud Product Managers
What: Join us for an insightful preview of the planned innovations for the upcoming May 2024 (2405) Release of SAP Sales & Service Cloud. We will talk about highlights in Platform & Integration for SAP Sales and Service Cloud.

Visit the documentation page to check out the current updates.
Please bookmark our 2024 release schedule located here.

How to Prepare for a Transition to SAP Sales and Service Cloud Version 2

2024-04-09T19:10:52.781000+02:00

Hello dear customers,

The evolution of SAP Sales and Service Cloud has been nothing short of revolutionary, and it's time to transition to the latest Version 2. But how do you make this shift smoothly and efficiently?

In our recorded webcast, "How to Prepare for a Transition to SAP Sales and Service Cloud Version 2", our experts discuss the different phases for planning a transition journey to SAP Sales Cloud and Service Cloud Version 2. Understanding these phases can ensure a successful transition while mitigating risks.

Transitioning to a new cloud version isn't something you do overnight. It's a journey. In our webcast, we talk about each phase and some of the services or tools to help you with this objective.

Exploration Phase: Understand what the new version offers and how it aligns with your business goals.
Assessment Phase: Evaluate your current system's readiness for the transition. This phase features our handy tool, the "Readiness Check".
Planning Phase: Develop a detailed strategy for the transition.
Transition Phase: Execute your strategy. Here, the "Data Transfer Tool" becomes your indispensable ally.
Monitoring Phase: Keep track of the transition progress, ensuring everything is on the right path.
Test and Cutover Phase: Test your new system thoroughly and switch operations to it.
Go-live and Beyond: Celebrate your successful transition and plan for continuous improvement.

Also, this webcast explores the concept of "extensibility transition". This involves adapting your current customizations and extensions to align with the new version. It's about making your new system truly yours.

We invite you to learn more about this exciting transition and equip yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to make it a success. Watch the recorded webcast [here] and embrace the future of SAP Sales and Service Cloud. The future is Version 2, and it's here today.

Remember, the transition to a new system version is not just about technology upgrades, it's about business transformation. And we are here to guide you every step of the way.

If you would like to know more about different CX Solutions, join us by subscribing to the SAP Enterprise Support Value Maps program. Access expert guidance, best practices, and a thriving community to optimize your SAP experience. Visit this link for more information and to subscribe today!

Ticket Configuration in SAP C4C

2024-04-26T13:31:39.525000+02:00

Administrators can configure additional Ticket related UI configuration, Output management, Additional E-mail channel configuration, Fiori Interactions, Timelines etc. using the Ticket Configuration inside Service and Social in Administration Work Centre. In this blog we will be covering UI Configuration and few other functionalities of Ticket configuration for Service Ticket which can be modified based on the business requirement.

UI configuration in Ticket configuration: Go Administration work Centre, under Service and social Ticket Configuration is available for Tickets. Click on Ticket Configuration and UI configuration will be visible.

Create tickets in detail view: To create new tickets using ticket detail view, select the option labeled Create tickets in detail view. If this option left unselected, the default behavior is to create new tickets with the quick create form. Once the Create tickets in detailed view is enabled, make sure to log off and Log on again to activate the change.

On the ticket creation view, Users will be able to create tickets in detail:

Once you disable the toggle button for Create tickets in details view, the default behavior is to create new tickets with the quick create form

Users can create tickets with the quick create form

Enable new UI of Ticket Changes : On the Changes Facet in Tickets the Change history is not automatically displayed, you need to click on "Click here to execute the Query" to show the change history. Once you enable “Enable new UI of Ticket Changes” toggle button, change history will be displayed automatically after you Click on the Changes Tab in Tickets.

Here, Enable new UI of Ticket Changes toggle is not set to True:

If Enable new UI of Ticket Changes is not set to True User have to click manually on Click here to execute the Query in order to the Change History:

When Enable new UI of Ticket Changes is set to True:

After Enabling new UI of Ticket Changes, users don’t have to Click on Click here to execute the Query and the Change history is automatically Displayed:

Open HTML floorplan in Fiori (Overview tab) : Once you enable Open HTML floorplan in Fiori you will be able to see the all the Panes in Overview tab Vertically. This is done to provide users with the ease of usage while their mode of access is Mobile/ Tablet.

When Open HTML floorplan in Fiori (Overview tab) is set to True:

On Enabling the Open HTML floorplan in Fiori ( Overview tab), you will be able to see the all the Panes in Overview tab Vertically:

When Open HTML floorplan in Fiori ( Overview tab) toggle is disabled, we are able to see the panes on both sides:

Enable inline images for ticket description, work description, portal messages and internal memo:

To add/insert images in the Description you need to set the Enable inline images for ticket description, work description, portal messages and internal memo toggle button to True.

Once the Enable inline images for ticket description, work description, portal messages and internal memo toggle button is set to True an image icon is added in the description:

Image is added in the description as shown below:

If Enable inline images for ticket description, work description, portal messages and internal memo toggle button is disabled, Insert image option is not shown in the Description:

40/60% column layout on Overview tab: If you have more number of fields in few of the Column in Overview such as Timeline shown below you can change the column width to 40 and 60 ratio by enabling 40/60% column layout on Overview tab in Ticket configuration.

After enabling the 40/60% column layout on Overview tab the left side column width is 40 where as right side is 60.

If the 40/60% column layout on Overview tab is disabled both left and right Columns are of same width:

NOTE: If you have enabled Open HTML floorplan in Fiori (Overview tab) option, 40/60 column layout will not be displayed.

Use of Timeline feature in Ticket configuration:

Enable timeline: Once you have set the Toggle button for Enable timeline to True, a Timeline Tab will be added and Users will be able to see the time stamp for each interaction.

Set "Send Later" as default option in Feeder: Once you have enabled Set "Send Later" as default option in Feeder it will allow Users to send e-mail interactions from Timeline tab asynchronously. The Send Later option is only available for e-mail interaction from timeline tab.

Also to enable this feature in Timeline tab for e-mail interaction your must first enable Send Later in Scoping as mentioned below:

Navigate to: Business Configuration Implementation Projects. Select your project and choose Edit Project Scope Questions Service Customer Care Service Request Management E-Mail Handling Question: "Enable sending of an e-mail asynchronously.”

Before Set "Send Later" as default option in Feeder is set to True:

Set "Send Later" as default option in Feeder is set to True:

After Set "Send Later" as default option in Feeder is set to True:

E-mail Filters in Ticket Configuration: E-mail addresses or domains can be blocked using E-mail filters to ensure that unnecessary tickets are not created. Click on Add and provide E-mail address or Domains which you want to restrict creating tickets from.

Under Service work-center, click on Blocked E-mails and you will be able to see the E-mails which are restricted for Ticket creation using E-mail filter feature:

Clean Core within SAP Sales and Service Cloud extensions

2024-04-28T18:57:18.366000+02:00

The first wave of CRMs helped tidy up customer data and processes, but they didn't really make the customer experience much better. Nowadays, companies of all sizes are focusing on improving customers experience because it's been proven that happy customers are more likely to come back. If their experiences aren't memorable, they might choose a competitor next time.

Because of this, businesses are always brainstorming new ideas to make their products and services even better. But improving things like system stability and scalability is essential for these changes to work smoothly.

In the past, companies could tweak (through exits, BAdIs or, even by copying standard objects) their SAP systems however they wanted because they were usually kept in their own data centers. But things changed when SAP shifted to a cloud-based approach. Now, all Sales/Service Cloud customers share the same SAP baseline, so changes can't be handled any further as they were made in the past. That's where the Clean Core approach comes in—it's a new way of thinking about extending SAP's capabilities specifically for the cloud era.

Understanding the Clean Core Concept

Clean Core revolves around maintaining a clear separation between core functionalities and customizations, with the aim of achieving a modern, flexible, and cloud-compliant system. In the realm of SAP CX extensions, this translates to safeguarding the integrity of the core SAP CX products while allowing for tailored enhancements to meet specific business needs.

Think of it as organizing a toolbox where each tool serves for a unique purpose without clutter. Similarly, a Clean Core architecture ensures that the essential functionalities (for example, customer data management, order processing, or marketing automation) remain untouched by customizations. This not only ensures system stability but also facilitates seamless upgrades and future scalability.

Benefits of a Clean Core Approach

Embracing the Clean Core concept offers several advantages for businesses leveraging SAP CX extensions:

Streamlined upgrades: By keeping customizations separate from the core SAP CX platform, businesses can streamline the upgrade process, minimizing downtime and reducing the risk of compatibility issues.
Enhanced agility: A Clean Core architecture empowers businesses to respond quickly to changing market demands and customer expectations. With the ability to innovate without compromising system integrity, organizations can stay ahead in today's competitive landscape.
Improved performance: Removing unnecessary customizations from the core SAP CX platform can lead to enhanced system performance, responsiveness, continuity and stability, resulting in a smoother customer experience.
Simplifying the way of working: Promoting the fit-to-standard compliance with clean core modular innovation makes customers to use “out of the box” SAP solutions and add their additional capabilities at the desired pace.

Additionally, it could be pointed out the fact of making reduction in the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) by using infrastructure and licenses in a much more efficient way.

Extensibility within Clean Core approach

Clean Core Extensibility is basically a way of extending SAP systems without messing with the core application. It's all about keeping your custom enhancements separate from the main SAP setup, so you can update your system without causing any issues. In simpler terms, when you add extra features or tweaks, they won't interfere with the basic functions of SAP that keep your business running smoothly.

For Sales and Service Cloud products, there are in-app (built-in) tools that help you customize things without getting too technical. But for more complex changes, you might need to consider side-by-side extensions. The In-App tools in v1 are mostly UI related. In terms of more complex extensions for v1, the way to go is through PDI development which has caused (to me) many issues. This PDI developments are introduced through a programming language called ABSL (ABAP Scripting Language) which, for being direct on my words, has nothing to do with ABAP and it is implemented through an SDK. Also, coding this has lots of restrictions in comparison to the coding we were used to develop those who have invested years with ABAP.

In v2, in-app extensibility is limited to fields and can't create full custom objects as possible in v1. So this could be solved by implementing a RAP or CAP solution in BTP and connecting it into the v2, for example, through a Mashup.

The concept of clean core extensibility can be distilledin this framework of best practices that a customer adopts when implementing SAP Sales/Service Cloud products:

Adopting a policy of zero modifications
Eliminating enhancements that are redundant to standard code and functionality and also eliminating copies of SAP objects
Using released APIs only ("upgrade-stable interfaces")
Leveraging the key user (in-app) extensibility to its full extent
Employing the capabilities and services offered by SAP BTP to build larger extension applications
Using SAP Integration Suite

Best Practices for Implementing a Clean Core

Implementing a Clean Core approach within SAP CX extensions requires careful planning and execution. Here are some best practices:

Modularization: Break down complex functionalities into modular components, allowing for greater flexibility and easier maintenance.
Encapsulation: Protect core functionalities from direct modification by encapsulating them within well-defined interfaces and abstraction layers.
Version Control: Implement robust version control mechanisms to manage customizations effectively and track changes over time.

Real-World use cases

Over the past decade, I've worked on several projects implementing C4C (now known as Sales/Service Cloud v1) where I tackled various challenging requirements. Looking back, if I would face similar tasks now, regardless of whether it's a v1 or v2 product, I'd opt for a side-by-side extension approach.

For instance, on a Service Cloud project, a client needed a feature where a main ticket would automatically close once all its sub-tickets were marked as 'Closed'. Surprisingly, neither v1 nor v2 had this feature when I last checked.

My approach today (for v2) would involve setting up a trigger using an Autoflow, which activates whenever a sub-ticket is closed. This trigger would then call a service on SAP's Business Technology Platform (BTP), developed using CAP. This service would then check if all sub-tickets are closed and, if so, it would also close the main ticket.

Also, my approach today (for v1) would involve setting up a trigger using Workflow Rules, which calls a PDI action that ends up calling almost the same CAP development from BTP. Although logic would be the same, the only adjustment inside CAP would consist on calling different endpoints.

However, when I encountered this requirement previously, the solution we implemented was a bit different. We created a Workflow Rule triggered when a ticket reached 'Closed' status. This rule would then execute an action developed using PDI, which would check if all sub-tickets were closed and decide whether to close the main ticket. This approach could have been tweaked by integrating the Workflow Rule directly into the PDI solution, triggered by an AfterSave event.

Closing comments

One of the big challenges we face is figuring out how to transition the army of tech experts who've been immersed in SAP CRM technologies like WebUI, BOL, and GenIL for decades into SAP CAP/RAP developers. This is the challenge that really gets me thinking and motivates me to take action.

I think the key lies in finding a balance between employees and employers. It's about consultants being proactive and open to learning new ways of doing things, while companies need to step up and offer opportunities for their teams to not just learn, but actually put their new skills into practice.

What do you think about this? Are you willing to jump into this new Era? Have you already done it? Do you agree with Clean Core principles? Have you already worked with this side-by-side context within SAP CX? I am interested to read your experiences, don't be shy!

Efficient Contact Management with SAP Field Service Management

2024-04-30T05:30:00.031000+02:00

Overview

In the realm of modern business operations, effective communication and coordination are paramount. Within the complex landscape of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, managing contacts—those vital connections with individuals associated with a business—is crucial. SAP Field Service Management (FSM) recognizes this need and offers a robust solution through its brand-new, redesigned Contacts application.

Fig. 1: Preview of New Contacts Web App

Understanding Contacts in SAP FSM

In essence, the Contacts application in SAP FSM serves as the central hub for organizing and maintaining crucial contact information essential to field service operations. When we talk about "Contacts," we're referring to the personnel affiliated with a specific Business Partner. Whether it's clients, vendors, or service providers, managing these connections efficiently is key to seamless operations.

Creating and Editing Contacts

Adding a new contact to SAP FSM is a breeze, thanks to its intuitive interface. For both new and existing users, the process remains straightforward. Users can initiate the process by navigating to the Contacts section from the menu and hitting the 'Create' button. From there, it's a matter of providing essential details such as first name, last name, and the associated business partner. Saving the entry ensures that the contact is seamlessly integrated into the system, ready to be utilized for field service operations.

Fig. 2: Create a new contact if none are in the system.

Fig. 3: Quick creation of contacts with basic details.

Once contacts are created, users retain the flexibility to modify or enhance their details as needed. This includes editing existing information or adding new details to better reflect any changes or updates. By simply locating the contact entry within the Contacts section, users can access its details, make necessary modifications, and save the changes to update the contact's profile.

Fig. 5: Edit to provide more details

Customization and Flexibility

SAP FSM doesn't just stop at standard contact details. It offers users the ability to customize and tailor contact information according to their specific needs. This includes adding user-defined fields (UDFs), such as hobbies, or making certain fields mandatory, like email addresses. Such flexibility ensures that the contact information remains comprehensive and relevant to the organization's requirements.

Fig. 6: Existing screen configuration to manage customization of the new Contacts application.

Managing Addresses

In the latest 2405 release, SAP FSM introduces a new feature: the ability to maintain addresses for contacts. This feature empowers users to specify different types of addresses, such as home, work, or other, catering to diverse needs. Adding addresses is a seamless process, allowing users to designate default addresses and specify address types with ease. Integration with S4 is also now easier with addresses included in contacts, making seamless coordination across platforms a reality.

Fig. 7: Address support for the new Contacts application.

When adding an address for a contact in SAP Field Service Management, SAP FSM supports various address types, such as "home," "work," or "other." Moreover, users can streamline their workflow by designating a default address, ensuring efficiency in communication and logistics.

It's worth noting that although multiple addresses can be created for each address type, only one can be marked as default, simplifying the process for users. Additionally, for those with precise geo-coordinates available, selecting "Geographical Coordinates" from the Address Input Type field streamlines data entry. Alternatively, users can opt for the standard "Postal Address" method.

To expedite the process further, users can leverage the integrated map feature or utilize the "Search" button to automatically populate the address fields, enhancing accuracy and saving valuable time.

Fig. 8: Add Address Screen.

Deleting Contacts

Of course, managing contacts also involves the ability to remove them when necessary. In SAP FSM, users can delete contacts directly from the Edit mode. A simple click of the "Delete" button prompts a confirmation, ensuring that contacts are removed securely and efficiently.

Fig. 8: Deleting the Contacts.

What's Complimentary?

Futuristic design: SAP FSM also offers support for different themes; users can customize the UI based on different themes. Please note that the feature is in the PoC stage and will be available soon for customers to use.

Fig. 9: Theming in new contacts [PoC Stage].

Fig. 10: Morning Horizon theme support in new contacts [PoC Stage].

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Contacts application within SAP Field Service Management streamlines the process of managing essential connections vital to field service operations. From creating and editing contacts to customizing details and managing addresses, SAP FSM offers a comprehensive solution designed to meet the diverse needs of modern businesses. With its intuitive interface and robust features, SAP FSM continues to empower organizations to optimize their field service processes for maximum efficiency and productivity.

Utilizing SAP BTP Integration Suite for Integration with SAP Sales and Service Cloud V2

2024-04-30T22:18:21.974000+02:00

SAP Sales and Service Cloud V2 provides multiple options for exporting or importing data to/from non-SAP systems. These include utilizing CSV files for data import/export, Autoflow for triggering events upon data modifications within the V2 system, and REST APIs. For further information on these options, please consult the help guide below:

Data Import and Export

AutoFlow

REST API

Mechanisms for Data Replication:

Pull Mechanism: In the pull mechanism, the receiver regularly polls for modified data. This approach is advantageous in the following scenarios:

To regulate the flow of data, enabling the receiver to manage incoming data based on resource availability.
When dealing with large data volumes, replication activities can be scheduled outside of standard business hours to alleviate strain on the receiver.

However, the pull mechanism may not be ideal in the following cases:

When instantaneous data dissemination to the receiver is necessary. Increasing polling frequency to achieve near real-time replication could lead to network overhead and additional strain on the sender system.
If duplicate data replications could result in adverse side effects.

Push Mechanism: In the push mechanism, the sender delivers data either instantaneously or at scheduled intervals. This approach is advantageous in the following scenarios:

When the receiver requires immediate access to changes.
If the receiver possesses the necessary resources to handle substantial data volumes from the sender, regardless of the sender's ability to regulate data flow.
In cases where duplicate data replications are unacceptable, assuming the sender does not transmit duplicates since the changes originated within the same system.

However, the push mechanism may not be suitable if the sender lacks control over the data flow rate, or if the middleware layer or receiver lacks sufficient resources to process incoming data volumes.

This blog delves into the integration of a non-SAP system with Sales and Service Cloud V2 using REST APIs, with SAP BTP Integration Suite serving as the middleware layer.

The scenario outlined below focuses on replicating opportunities from Sales Cloud V2 to the non-SAP system using a pull mechanism.
Pagination is employed to retrieve 1000 opportunities at a time.

What's not accounted for:

Initial and delta replication: If the receiver requires access to all existing opportunities as well as those created or modified since the last replication occurred at regular intervals, this criterion must be incorporated as a filter condition when reading opportunities. The last replication datetime could be utilized to identify opportunities modified after this specific datetime..
Error handling: In the event of partial replication of opportunities during any iteration, failed opportunities are not re-pulled unless they undergo modifications in the source system. Resolving this can be achieved by setting the last replication datetime to the datetime of the last successful replication. It's crucial to ensure proper management of duplicate replications, particularly if the receiver does not accept duplicates.

IFlow Steps:

1. Authentication with Sales Cloud V2: Authentication is conducted via the OAuth URL (https://<HOSTNAME>/auth/token) using provided credentials. OAuth authentication requires the content type to be "application/x-www-form-urlencoded". However, if the content/request body is empty, the Iflow OAuth adapter does not utilize the selected content type. To address this, a content modifier is used to set the content type, and the HTTP adapter is utilized for the authentication request.

2. Determining the quantity of modified opportunities: To implement pagination and ascertain the number of pages to be read, retrieve the count of new and modified opportunities using the query parameter $count=true.

3. Retrieving modified opportunities: Retrieve modified opportunities one page at a time using a looping process control. The process concludes either when the index reaches the count read earlier or when the loop pass reaches the maximum number of iterations set on the looping process control. Utilize query parameters $top to define the page size and $skip to bypass pages already read in previous loop passes. Ensure opportunities are sorted by unique ID to ensure proper pagination.

API Endpoint for Reading Opportunities: https://api.sap.com/api/SalesSvcCloudV2_opportunity/path/queryopportunityservice_opportunity

4. Publishing to the target:

Map the opportunities to the target structure and publish them to the target system.

Sample script used for extracting opportunity count, calculating index, and logging

	import com.sap.gateway.ip.core.customdev.util.Message;
	import java.util.HashMap;
	import groovy.json.JsonSlurper;
	
	def Message initializeLog(Message message) {
	    if (message.getProperty("enableLog") == "true")
	    {
	        def logMsg = new StringBuilder();
	        logMsg.append("************* B E G I N   M A S S   L O A D *************").append(System.lineSeparator());
	    
	        message.setProperty("logMsg", logMsg.toString());
	    }
	    return message;
	}
	
	def Message extractCount(Message message) {
	    def jsonSlurper = new JsonSlurper();
	    def body = jsonSlurper.parseText(message.getBody(String));
	    final String COUNT = 'count';
	
	    if (body.get(COUNT) != null)
	    {
	        message.setProperty("count", body.get(COUNT));
	        message.setProperty("page", 0);
	        message.setProperty("index", 0);
	        
	        if (message.getProperty("enableLog") == "true")
	        {
	            def logMsg = new StringBuilder();
	            def log = message.getProperty("logMsg");
	            if (log != null)
	            {
	                logMsg.append(log);
	            }
	    
	            logMsg.append("*************** B E F O R E   R E A D   P A G E ***************").append(System.lineSeparator());
	            logMsg.append("Count :: ").append(message.getProperty("count")).append(System.lineSeparator());
	            logMsg.append("Page Size :: ").append(message.getProperty("pageSize")).append(System.lineSeparator());
	    
	            message.setProperty("logMsg", logMsg.toString());
	        }
	    }
	    return message;
	}
	
	def Message extractToken(Message message) {
	    def jsonSlurper = new JsonSlurper();
	    def body = jsonSlurper.parseText(message.getBody(String));
	    final String VALUE = 'value';
	    final String TOKEN = 'access_token';
	
	    if (body.get(VALUE) != null && body.get(VALUE).get(TOKEN) != null)
	    {
	        message.setHeader("Authorization", "Bearer " + body.get(VALUE).get(TOKEN));
	    }
	    
	    if (message.getProperty("enableLog") == "true")
	    {
	        def logMsg = new StringBuilder();
	        def log = message.getProperty("logMsg");
	        if (log != null)
	        {
	            logMsg.append(log);
	        }
	        
	        logMsg.append(System.lineSeparator()).append("*************** A U T H   T O K E N   A D D E D **********").append(System.lineSeparator());
	        message.setProperty("logMsg", logMsg.toString());    
	    }
	    return message;
	}
	
	def Message calculateIndex(Message message) {
	    def properties = message.getProperties();
	    def page = properties.get("page");
	    def index = properties.get("index");
	    def pageSize = properties.get("pageSize") as Integer;
	
	    if (page != null && index != null && pageSize != null)
	    {
	        message.setProperty("index", page * pageSize);
	        message.setProperty("page", page + 1);
	
	        if (message.getProperty("enableLog") == "true")
	        {
	            def logMsg = new StringBuilder();
	            def log = message.getProperty("logMsg");
	            if (log != null)
	            {
	                logMsg.append(log);
	            }
	    
	            logMsg.append("*************** I T E R A T I O N :: ").append(properties.get("page") + 1).append(" ***************").append(System.lineSeparator());
	            logMsg.append("Page :: ").append(properties.get("page")).append(System.lineSeparator());
	            logMsg.append("Current Index :: ").append(properties.get("index") + 1).append(System.lineSeparator());
	    
	            message.setProperty("logMsg",logMsg.toString());
	        }
	    }
	
	    return message;
	}
	
	def Message saveLogMsg(Message message) {
	
	    if (message.getProperty("enableLog") == "true")
	    {
	        def log =  message.getProperty("logMsg");
	    
	        def logMsg = new StringBuilder();
	        logMsg.append("************* B E G I N   M A S S   L O A D *************").append(System.lineSeparator());
	    
	        if (log != null)
	        {
	            logMsg.append(log);
	        }
	        
	        logMsg.append("************* E N D   M A S S   L O A D *************").append(System.lineSeparator());
	    	def messageLog = messageLogFactory.getMessageLog(message);
	    	if (messageLog != null) {
	            messageLog.addAttachmentAsString("Message Log ", log.toString(), "text/plain");
	    	}
	    }
	    return message;
	}

Disclaimer: The objective of this blog post is to illustrate the process of authenticating with SAP Sales Cloud V2 and extracting data at regular intervals. It does not serve as a recommendation for implementing data extraction from SAP Sales Cloud V2. As stated earlier, the example provided above does not address scenarios involving initial data loads, error handling, and other considerations. Additionally, the sample code provided here is intended solely for demonstration purposes and is not suitable for production use.

Default Value Rule (Auto field update using adaptation rules)

2024-05-03T07:46:09.503000+02:00

Hi Everyone,

This blog post mainly focuses on the Default field update in the field level using adaptation Rules in SAP C4C.

To create a rule, do the following:

Here we are using Phone call business object for ruling concept - By clicking on back arrow till last you can reach the implementation option.

Select the implementation drill down to rules and validations.

Click on Add button and select the Rule.

You can view the rule writing screen.

On the Left side you can find all the fields that are available in the current business object.
At the Center you can write your logic code.
On the Right side you can find the operation, colors and functions that can use in your logic.
Here, we have 2 – types of rules:

Property
Value

Default value rule creation steps:

When we are working with default values, there are a few things needs to follow:

This rule only works on the Quick create screen (QC – Screen) for any BO.
Here, we are trying to create the value type rule. Value type rule only supported to Quick create screens.
Provide the rule name without maintaining any Spaces or Gaps.
Provide the use of this rule in the rule description. So that, it can easily understand the uses of this rule.
Return value must be enclosed with single quotes. If you are not expecting the return value from a different field.
In such type of cases, you can select the field in the rule without maintaining the single quotes.
In this case, we are not expecting the return value from the different field. So, you can ignore the ‘F’ step and continue.

Syntax: IF(logical_expression, value_if_true, value_if_false)

Syntax explanation:

IF () -> In the IF () logic expression if the outcome is true return the first value. Else, return the other value.

IF(Root.Type_31408d0a2c830b4a4f085c684fa90526== 101, '2', ' ')

Here we are trying to default the Direction field as “Inbound.”

Root.Type_31408d0a2c830b4a4f085c684fa90526== 101 –> Indicates the “Type”.
2 –> Indicates type of value (like., 1. Outbound, 2. Inbound)
If the value is true, it will return the true value otherwise false.

Thank You!!

SAP Sales and Service Cloud side-by-side extensions - Development Patterns

2024-05-06T03:02:28.153000+02:00

On my previous blog, I wrote about “Clean Core within SAP Sales and Service Cloud extensions” and defined the Clean Core Extensibility as the “way of extending SAP systems without messing with the core application”.

But, when speaking about Clean Core extensions, we should not only think of a side-by-side development, yet, we should always think as our first alternative of an in-app extension prior to a side-by-side one.

Every In-App comment you will read in the upcoming paragraphs applies to Sales and Service Cloud v2 products, however, when speaking about side-by-side extensibility patterns, this applies to any other SAP CX or, even, SAP S/4 HANA products (although the way for plugging them will not be the same, the overall concepts would be similar).

Extensibility within Sales and Service Cloud v2

From now onwards, I will refer to ”SAP Sales / Service Cloud v2” simply as “v2”. In v2, customers should always extend the solution through built-in tools when receiving requirements such as:

adding a custom field without the need of implementing a complete new custom object;
adjusting field attributes such as the ability of being filterable, searchable, sortable, required, creatable, updatable;
implementing simple validations;
implementing simple determinations;
triggering email or system notifications under certain conditions

Although there are various things that can be achieved through In-App tools, it will happen at some point that business needs to introduce complex logic, or retrieve information from another source or mix various logics, which takes us into the need of a side-by-side enhancement. And that’s the point where we want to get for deep diving on this blog article.

For those who do not have professional development experience, it is possible to build extensions based on SAP Builds. For those who have professional development experience, there are two flavors for developing side-by-side extensions: RAP (RESTful Application Programming) or CAP (Cloud Application Programming). It is not a matter of deciding whether to use RAP (based on ABAP) or CAP (based on Node.js or Java) as both have their own purpose and benefits. We could spend a whole article discussing about this but this is not the aim of this one so we can leave this discussion for another post.

Side-by-side design patterns

Despite v2 being technology agnostic, SAP’s preferred way for extensibility is based on BTP, using SAP Builds for UI extensions and CAP development for server side implementations. But, as all the development patterns are based on web standards (mashups inside iFrames, REST APIs and webhooks for eventing), this enables the users to pick what they like most or what it fits them best!

In comparison to v1's existing setup, oData APIs are not supported for v2.

In the upcoming paragraphs, I will present certain patterns that can be used as construction bricks to construct almost any use case. All the extensions that I will be presenting at a later stage of the article, end up fitting with one of these extension patterns. A few weeks ago, SAP presented “Webcast 3: Introduction to Side-By-Side Customization (with SAP BTP)” which inspired me on writing this article. As pointed out on that webcast, these design patterns should fit for v2, as well as for v1, as we are discussing about SAP BTP development. The difference lies on how to connect each of these extensions with v1 or v2: v1 could trigger it through PDI while v2 could do it through Autoflow. Also, and just to be extremely clear, a BTP extension developed through CAP for v2, won't work straight forward for v1, for example, as each product uses different APIs; while v1 uses oData, v2 uses REST-based APIs. For sure, in the future we could deep dive on a separate blog on how to make an app usable for both, v1 and v2.

Having said this, let's jump into the design patterns:

Pattern #1: Event Consumer

the overall concept relies on having our v2 system triggering a webhook, which is an HTTP request sent to our BTP application, containing a data payload, which triggers certain action asynchronously
asynchronous execution which means there is no impact on end-user's performance, the application has "no rush” to do what it needs to do as per this asynchronism
as per this pattern, even in case the BTP app would fail, users could continue with their daily tasks without these being affected
CPI is a good choice for this scenario as per the fact that there are no performance requirements when using this design pattern. However, it is also possible to demonstrate this pattern through a Cloud Foundry application.

Pattern #2: External Hook

the overall concept is similar to BAdIs, custom code is executed in a synchronous manner so user can't continue with his duties until the execution ends
the performance is key for making things run smoothly; the danger on this pattern is that if the BTP application results faulty or slow, this will have direct impact on the response to the request
this approach is quite powerful and useful, for example, when dealing with complex validations or determinations that can’t be achieved through in-app tools
to be released soon by SAP

Pattern #3: External Job

the overall concept is to use the BTP job scheduling service to trigger certain activities; alternatively, some CPI flows could be also scheduled
this is useful when needing to adjust information under certain conditions or under certain periods of time, when not able to use scheduled field updates or autoflows (to be released soon for v2)
asynchronous execution which means their is no impact on end-user's performance

Pattern #4: Mashup

the overall concept is to integrate BTP applications or simply 3rd party tools into the v2 where v2 could send request parameters in order to get the expected content exposed
SAP is currently working on making this integration through UI events in addition to sending request parameters; by doing this the UI will be able to connect back and forward with the mashup so, in case you make a change that affects the object you are working on the mashup, this mashup could send an event back to inform the object screen to reload

Real-world use cases

Example #1 - Event Consumer: when a sub-case status is set to "Completed”, if no others exists or if the others are all under "Completed” or "Closed” status, the parent Case should be set to "Completed”.

The overall approach would consist on setting up an Autoflow upon the closure of a sub-Case. This should call a BTP application which, asynchronously, retrieves the parent Case and checks whether this has other related sub-Cases that are not yet completed nor closed. If no others are pending for completion, the parent Case status should be updated to "Completed".

Example #2 - External Hook: when a Case has just been created and is assigned to certain processor, an additional validation should occur in order to see whether that person is the right candidate based on his current workload. In case he is not, it should be re-assigned to a dispatcher or left un-assigned.

The overall logic would consist on triggering the validation upon the setting of the “Assigned To” field, only upon the creation of a Case. The validation will be contained on a BTP application which would call certain APIs for reading the processor of the Cases and ensuring that the limit amount of assignments was not reached. In case it was, the application would return an error message or simply clear out or reassign the Case to a dispatcher processor.

Example #3 - External Job: a daily job that runs every night and, for those Cases which have priority “Urgent” or “Immediate”, have status “Customer Action” and have not been updated for the last 48 hours, its priority should be reduced.

The overall approach would consist on scheduling a job in BTP that triggers the BTP application which retrieves the list of Cases that meet the priority and status criteria and, for each of them, it should be checked that they have not been modified during the last 2 days. If any under this situation, the priority should be decreased.

Example #4 - Mashup: the customer wants its processors to have a common way of working so based on the Case category, a predefined set of activities should be performed. In order to achieve this, a mashup will be embedded and this will present a list of predefined activities. The processor will be able to interact and mark as completed the desired activities of the ToDo list.

The overall logic for achieving this requirement consists on developing a CAP application with its corresponding data model, services and UI for handling ToDo activities and, also, for recording the status for these activities for certain Cases, This BTP application will be embedded as a mashup inside the v2 screen.

Closing message

This is becoming a really exciting, yet, challenging journey where plenty of new things are appearing and where innovative-thinking must be part of every consultant’s toolkit. Also, I strongly suggest everyone to keep up to date with latest BTP, CAP and v2 news as things are changing rapidly!

For those who are currently on v1 and could start creating complex extensions through BTP instead of complex PDI solutions, that would be a great investment as, once you shift into v2, part of the effort would have already be done in the past and it would just be a matter for an additional adjustment.

For those who are already working with v2, enjoy!

What do you think about this article? Are you aligned with these design patterns? Have you already worked with these within side-by-side extensions? I am interested to read your experiences, don't be shy!

Big Update on the e-learning “Integrating SAP Sales Cloud and SAP Service Cloud with SAP S/4HANA"

2024-05-08T13:51:22.651000+02:00

Hello SAP Community!

This is Felix from the CRM & CX Product Learning team. With this blog post, I want to inform you about a big update we recently published for the e-learning “Integrating SAP Sales Cloud and SAP Service Cloud with SAP S/4HANA” and share some insights.

Some Background

Although SAP Sales and Service Cloud Version 2 is becoming more and more relevant these days, we are still paying attention to existing courses and reviewing learner’s feedback regularly.

Two years ago, we published the e-learning course “Integrating SAP Sales Cloud and SAP Service Cloud with SAP S/4HANA” which was based on the classroom training “SAP Sales and Service Cloud Integration with On-Premise SAP Solutions” (course code C4H450, formerly known as C4C50).

The overview page of the updated course.

With this e-learning, we made some content of this originally 5-day classroom training available for self-paced learning. The initial release mainly comprised theory and demos for master data scenarios. However, the content didn’t quite meet the expectations of several learners. We received feedback such as “too superficial” or “too broad-ranging” and some audio/video tracks have room for improvement.

For that reason, the course received a massive content and quality update.
Let me share some insights:

General Updates

“Click Animations” across the whole course have been replaced with alternative media (text, graphics, videos)
Many videos have been replaced with versions that provide better quality and more explanations (especially in units 3, 4, and 6).
Most of the videos are accompanied by a textual summary providing the key takeaways for easier recapitulation, better supporting different learner types, and finding information quicker when searching the page.

"Click Animations" have been replaced with other media, such as images or videos.

Video quality has been improved. Most of the videos are accompanied by a textual summary providing the key takeaways.

Content Updates per Unit

Content of units 1 and 2 has been rearranged and made a bit crisper.
Unit 2 (Getting to know the Systems and the System Landscape) now briefly introduces each system to help learners who haven’t worked with a particular system yet. The S/4 lesson contains a summary of the most relevant transactions that can be used for reference.
Unit 3 (Examining Technical Connectivity and Security Aspects) lays the foundation for technical connectivity and essential security principles, such as encryption and digital certificates. This challenging theory topic has been enhanced and is now accompanied by two new videos, and also mentions how digital certificates are managed inside and outside of SAP systems.
Unit 4 (Configuring the Systems) has been enhanced with extensive explanations and updated videos. Moreover, configuration steps for SAP S/HANA have been added, which were not in place in the initial release.
Unit 6 (Monitoring and Troubleshooting) has been reworked entirely, including updated videos.
Unit 7 (Running Transactional Data Scenarios) was introduced in the last update about one year ago because the initial release didn’t contain transactional scenarios. This unit has received minor updates, such as textual key takeaways for the configuration videos, which have been added to make it easier to follow them in your own system landscape.

Example for the content improvements: Unit 3 (Examining Technical Connectivity and Security Aspects) now contains new videos.

Example for the content improvements: Unit 4 (Configuring the Systems) now contains configuration steps for SAP S/4HANA.

Sounds interesting? ➡️ Visit the e-learning.

Changes in Product Names

Another part of your feedback was about using different names for a single solution. Some products have been renamed several times in the past. Especially the split of “SAP Cloud for Customer” into “SAP Sales Cloud” and “SAP Service Cloud” often causes confusion, as these names refer to specific solution names on the one hand but also solution portfolios, including other solutions on the other hand. Finally, in this course, we refer to foundation topics that are still shared between them, so we refer to “SAP Sales Cloud and SAP Service Cloud” which most people merge into “SAP Sales and Service Cloud”.

While we try to use the combined variant “SAP Sales and Service Cloud” due to better readability as much as possible, you’ll still find the separate variant or even older names and abbreviations in some places, especially in links or technical terms, such as the Cloud Integration package name “SAPHybrisCloudforCustomerIntegrationwithSAPS4HANA”, or table and transactions containing “C4C” or “COD”. These can’t be changed without breaking compatibility. Hence, we have to live with it.

Proficiency Level and Prerequisites

Although this course is a beginner learning (the classroom training has associate level), it has a certain complexity. Three major SAP products are involved that learners might be more or less familiar with. We deal mainly with technical topics that ideally require existing knowledge in the respective area.

So, we still face the challenge of balancing between different detail levels and concentrating on the basics. Addressing potential challenges of customer projects would be a topic for intermediate learning.

While giving a general overview and introduction to the integration topic, we show the general configuration steps and explain why they are needed. However, the e-learning doesn’t contain a demonstration for all settings. A good example of this approach is the code list mapping, where a sample code list is used for explanation while mentioning all specialties of each and every code list would be too much for the training.

Conclusion

The good thing about e-learning is that you can go at your own pace and skip a topic if you’re already familiar with it 😉

I hope you enjoy the updated version of the e-learning!

Happy learning!
Felix

Welcome to the Product Inspiration Series for Industries & CX

2024-05-13T15:20:57.917000+02:00

Curious to learn more about SAP Industries & Customer Experience product innovations and seeing them in action? Then what we've prepared is exactly made for you.

According to the motto "Get Ready and Experience Intelligent CX from SAP" we from the SAP product team are happy to invite you to the Industries & CX Product Inspiration Series 2024. Starting in May we are planning to release multiple deep-dive videos made specifically for you, our dear customers, partners, colleagues and all SAP industries & CX enthusiasts out there.

Each product inspiration video covers a specific domain of the Intelligence CX portfolio by highlighting latest innovations and technologies used e.g. SAP Business AI powered scenarios along with Generative AI and SAP Joule.

By definition each video...

does not contain any slides (zero slides rule),
covers specific innovations as part of the Intelligent CX portfolio,
is made from product and/or industry experts for experts,
typically starts with a short Q&A at the beginning (why, what, how),
consists of deep-dive and/or process demos,
wants to inspire you by showcasing real software,
is produced in high quality to offer a jaw-dropping viewing experience,
helps you to understand the Industries & CX product strategy,
and ultimately is made with love and dedication for you.

And here's the list of the first videos which made it through the finish line...

We hope you like it and you're as excited as we are…

Enjoy and have fun!