The SAP Reference Solution Architecture explores how SAP addresses a customer’s business challenge with its unique product portfolio and shows how certain SAP products interact to realize a business process. It presents an implementable solution architecture, which is composed of different elements and has been created based on guidance from the SAP Product Engineering unit.
Summary
High-Level Concepts
- Business Coverage: High-level understanding of the business scope and solution scope with recommended SAP product mappings
- Detailed Solution Architecture: Complements the business architecture by covering selected business scopes, detailing processes, integrations, and content validated by integration tests from SAP experts
Solution Value Flow
- Abstract Representation: Focuses on value-adding business activities and their technical implementations
- Hierarchical Structure: Follows the structure set by the business value flows defined in the SAP Reference Business Architecture, using business process modules, segments, and activities
Diagrams and Naming Conventions
- Solution Value Flow Diagrams: These diagrams show the flow of solution processes and can include associated solution components and capabilities
- Naming Adaptations: Solution process names can differ from business process names to reflect scope restrictions or industry-specific language. The names in solution activities indicate a subset scope of the corresponding business activities
Solution Process Flow
- Detailed Flow Representation: Offers a detailed view of the value flow into specific process flows implemented by SAP components
- Behavioral Diagrams: Describe concrete process flows and specify integration among solution components using BPMN 2.0 standards and SAP architecture methodology extensions
Integration and Data Flow
- Business Accelerator Hub: Tools like API definitions, testing data, the Solution Component Diagram, and the Solution Data Flow Diagram are available for deeper integration insights
- Data Integration: The Solution Data Flow Diagram illustrates data transitions between solution components, focusing on master and transactional data flows
Key Artifacts: Three Primary Artifacts: The Solution Value Flow Diagram, the Solution Process Flow Diagram, and the Solution Component Diagram emphasize the implementation and communication pathways among solution components
Implementation and Validation
- Detailed Guidance and Validation: The architecture provides a road map for effectively implementing SAP software components and validates an implementable SAP reference architecture by demonstrating component interaction support for business processes
- API and Process Breakdown: Illustrates how process implementations can be segmented into APIs, enhancing integration understanding and linkage