Utilizing SAP Enterprise Architecture Framework Reference Architecture Content

One key cornerstone of the SAP Enterprise Architecture Framework is the reference architecture that allows an accelerated delivery of architecture engagements.

The recommended artifacts of the SAP EA Methodology are classified into four interlinked architecture views: capability, process, data, and organization views. Each view encloses aligned business and IT perspectives, enabling business owners and IT architects to collaborate on new business opportunities.

Having business and IT perspectives closely interlinked allows seamless navigation from business capabilities and business processes all the way down the line to SAP products and implementation artifacts such as APIs, iFlows, data objects, and events. The integration between SAP solutions is depicted on a semantical as well as a technical level. It enables alignment and consistency across SAP solutions and supports integration with non-SAP solutions.

SAP EA Methodology is one of the four pillars of the SAP EA Framework. Reference Architecture Content complies with the artifacts and principles as specified by the SAP EA Methodology. It encompasses Reference Business and Solution Architecture, which includes but is not limited to Intelligent Enterprise Solutions, Modular ERP (planned) and Industry Cloud (planned).

The SAP Reference Architecture Content is offering a standardized content framework for the "Business Architecture" and "IT and Solution Architecture" phase of the SAP Enterprise Architecture Methodology. The content is available for SAP internal use as well as customer engagements to provide a strictly business-driven exploration and understanding of SAP's solution offering.

Content breadth is an grading of how many related subjects are covered within the content.

Content depth is a grading of how comprehensive the coverage of a specific topic is within a piece of content.

The SAP Reference Architecture Content provides insight and transparency into the SAP solutions.

It is based on the SAP Enterprise Architecture Methodology and it includes:

• RBA: A standardized content for the business architecture which covers entire business scope and is agnostic to SAP solutions.
• High-level RSA, which provides a recommended mapping to SAP's solution portfolio.
• Detailed RSA: Provides solution architecture recommendations in terms of detailed process and integration information for implementations and customer extensions.
• Enable customers to select and buy IT solutions based on business scope / outcome rather than technology.
• Make IT transformation decisions based on guided recommendations.
• Increase customer experience through consistent and common terminology.
• Allows for a business driven exploration and understanding of SAP's solution offering.

Let's further explore the reference architecture content and how reference business architecture is linked to the reference solution architecture. For that, let's explore some of the entities and objects that are associated to the process models or capability models.

On the Reference Business Architecture side:

• In the Business Capability Model (also known as SAP BCM) and Business Process Model everything is anchored by 4 enterprise domains, namely "product and service", "supply", "customer" and "corporate".
• There is the Business Capability Model, which describes a complete set of capabilities an organization requires. It provides a segmentation of the business capabilities across various levels and describes what an organization requires in order to deliver business value and needs to be successful.
• There is the Business Process Model, which defines process segments used to standardize business processes across different process levels. The Business Process Model is based on the APQC Cross-Industry Process Classification Framework. A set of 8 Generic E2E Business Processes describe and provide the foundation and building blocks for standardized business process modeling. The top-level entity starts with E2E Business Process.
• The business and solution architectures are connected by solution capabilities and solution processes. On one side, the linkage is defined in terms of solution capabilities and solution components that are needed to implement a business capability. A business capability might be supported by none, one, or many solution capabilities. On the other side, end-to-end business processes and business activities are linked to realizing solution processes and solution activities respectively.

Let's look at the next level of detail, at the entities and objects that sit within the Reference Business Architecture (RBA) on one side and reference Solution Architecture on the other side.

On the Reference Business Architecture side, the business capability model consists of the business domain, the business area and the business capability. The business capability is describing what the organization need to know to generate value, independent of how software or technology may support it. Each business capability is assigned to one business area, and consequently to one business domain.

The business process model consists of end-to-end business processes, business process modules, business process segments, and business activities. Business activities are associated to business capabilities, and describe the how an organization creates value and achieves an outcome by performing a series of steps.

On the reference Solution Architecture side, Solution Capabilities are used to describe a functional ability of a single or multiple software components, that addresses and supports a Business Capability.

Being a technology and solution provider SAP has the answer to "a how" when it comes to how technology supports the business to drive value to the organization.

The linkage between business and Solution Architectures is what organizations are really looking for. It helps to answer critical questions, such as which stakeholders or which division of business units could be impacted or involved; what are the strategy and objectives the organization should try to accomplish, and how that refers to requirements, processes, and ultimately to the integration and data that is sitting within business applications.

Let's look at the next level of detail, at the entities and objects that sit within the Reference Business Architecture on one side and Reference Solution Architecture on the other side. On the reference Business Architecture side: the business capability model consists of the business domain, the business area and the business capability. The business capability is describing what the organization need to know to generate value, independent of how software or technology may support it. Each business capability is assigned to one business area, and consequently to one business domain.

The business process model consists of end-to-end business processes, business process modules, business process segments, and business activities. Business activities are associated to business capabilities, and describe the how an organization creates value and achieves an outcome by performing a series of steps.

On the reference Solution Architecture side, Solution Capabilities are used to describe a functional ability of a single or multiple software components, that addresses and supports a Business Capability.

Being a technology and solution provider SAP has the answer to "a how" when it comes to how technology supports the business to drive value to the organization.

The linkage between business and Solution Architectures is what organizations are really looking for. It helps to answer critical questions, such as which stakeholders or which division of business units could be impacted or involved; what are the strategy and objectives the organization should try to accomplish, and how that refers to requirements, processes, and ultimately to the integration and data that is sitting within business applications.

The term Application Architecture Diagrams serves as a generic placeholder for several Application Architecture related diagrams. This table shows the diagrams which are relevant for the IEA10 training and outlines how they differ. Let me walk you through it.

Product Map: A Product Map is a visualization within the SAP EA Methodology capability view, which captures recommended Products or Solution Components per Business Domain or Business Area with the Solution Capabilities that are covered by those components.

Solution Component Diagram: Architecture blueprint of required solution components and their communication channels. It helps with understanding integration needs and deployment options.

Solution Value Flow Diagram: Includes a high-level process, described as a list of realized value-adding business activities. It may also includes a mapping of the realized business activities to the solution components and capabilities.

Solution Process Flow Diagram: Shows details of concrete process flows through the solution components with drill down to the further integration content. It helps to understand the solution process and integration on detailed level by example.

Solution Data Flow Diagram: Shows typical data flows for key master, transactional and configuration data. It helps to understand the required data and its distribution across the used Solution Building Blocks (Solution Components).

The SAP Reference Architecture Content enables the following:

• Faster development of architecture content in a given project context
• Public access to SAP Reference content
• Tool-based consumption of SAP Reference content (planned)