Upgrading SAP Service and Asset Manager

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Upgrade SAP Service and Asset Manager metadata
  • Upgrade MAIF (Mobile Add-On)
  • Upgrade Cloud Connector
  • Upgrade MDK Client

Asset Manager Upgrade Overview

When upgrading to the new version of the SAP Service and Asset Manager, you can run both versions of Mobile Application in parallel. This gives customers the flexibility to plan incremental rollout, for ex: to a pilot group or different plants/regions.

Upgrade of the SAP Service and Asset Manager involves:

  1. Upgrade Application definitions (metadata)

  2. Upgrade MAIF (Mobile Add-On Back end)

  3. Upgrade Cloud Connector

  4. Upgrade of the MDK Client (client branding)

Note

Refer to the SAP Note for additional information on the SAP Service and Asset Manager upgrade: https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2924633

When using the standard version of the SAP Service and Asset Manager app from the App Store, ensure that the Automatic App Updates are turned off on the mobile devices. The existing metadata is not guaranteed to work with a new version of the Asset Manager mobile app if one is released. This process only applies if the customer is using the nonbranded app from the App Store. If the customer has branded their app, this is not necessary.

Diagram illustrating the integration of SAP Business Technology Platform with SAP S/4HANA. It shows Mobile Services, Application destination, Connectivity, and Cloud connector, with secure tunnel and identity provider.

When considering the upgrade of SAP Service and Asset Manager, understanding different components of the architecture is helpful. Refer to Unit 2 SAP Service and Asset Manager Application Architecture for additional information.

Upgrade Application Definition (Metadata)

Metadata

The first part of the Metadata upgrade process is to download the latest metadata from Software Downloads:

  1. Navigate to: https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/softwarecenter

  2. Choose Installations & Upgrades.

  3. Expand By Category.

  4. Choose SAP Mobile Solutions.

  5. Choose SAP SERVICE AND ASSET MANAGER. Choose the type and version.

  6. Choose Downloads → Installation. Choose the installation type and download the latest metadata.

  7. Download the following Asset Manager and component metadata:

    1. SVC ASSET MGR METADATA 2205

    2. SVC ASSET MGR BRAND SDK 2205

The second part of the process is to replace the existing metadata with the latest version:

  1. In SAP Business Technology Platform Mobile Services create a Mobile Application for the new version of the SAP Service and Asset Manager. Refer to Unit-3 Exercise "Create the SAP Asset Manager Mobile Application in SAP Business Technology Platform Mobile Services" for additional information.

  2. In WebIDE or BAS or your development environment, create a new MDK project folder and import metadata definitions to the development workspace similar to the initial setup of the application. Refer to the exercise Setup Development Environment in SAP Business Application Studio for additional information.

  3. Update the .service files and Sync Objects to get the latest OData Service definitions.

  4. Similarly import the metadata of a custom MDK project following the Unit-3 Exercise Setup BAS for Service and Asset Manager. For any files in the custom project that have a conflict, a manual process is needed to ensure that the custom changes are compatible with the new version of the SAP Service and Asset Manager metadata.

  5. Copy and adjust the CIM file from the old SAP Service and Asset Manager metadata to ensure that the override path matches the new standard metadata and the custom metadata.

  6. Once the upgrade of the metadata is complete, deploy the metadata to Mobile Application in SAP Business Technology Platform Mobile Services.

Back end and Mobile Add-on

For each release, there is a minimum version of the ABAP add-on that is required. There are also certain Support Packages that must be installed. Here is an example for SAP Service and Asset Manager 2205:

  • SMFND 630_740SP10

  • SMERP 630_740SP10

Configure BC (Business Configuration) Sets

Special BC Sets must be configured for each release. The detailed instructions for this can be found in the "SAP Service and Asset Manager Configuration Guide" on the SAP Help Portal.

Note

When using the standard version of the Asset Manager app from the App Store, ensure that the Automatic App Updates are turned off on the mobile devices. The existing metadata is not guaranteed to work with a new version of the Asset Manager mobile app if one is released. This process only applies if the customer is using the nonbranded app from the App Store. If the customer has branded their app, this is not necessary.

Upgrade MAIF (Mobile Add-on Back end) & SCPms

The upgrade of the MAIF involves:

  1. Download and Installing the new AddOn (before 1909).

  2. Activating the appropriate OData Services.

  3. Activating the appropriate BC Set.

  4. Compare and Copy the customization to the new version of the Mobile App.

    • You can use the utility program /SMFND/CORE_MAPP_COMPARE_PROG for comparing the mobile applications.

    • You can us the utility program /SMFND/CORE_MIGRATE_MAPP_CONFG for the migration of the customization.

  5. Perform a Readiness check using the program /MERP/CORE_READINESS_CHK_PROG to verify application configuration settings and service activations.

  6. Test and compare the OData Services (new with old) using Gateway Client (Transaction /IWFND/GW_CLIENT).

  7. Next, in BTPms create Offline and Online Destinations for Asset Manager and Load offline configuration.

  8. Test Destinations using the utility provided in BTPms.

Note

For each release, there is a minimum version of the ABAP add-on that is required. There are also certain Support Packages that must be installed. Check the Release Notes and the SAP Service Asset Manager Note for additional information.

  • 2493602 - SAP Service and Asset Manager Mobile Add-On for SAP S/4HANA Installation Note.

  • 2660361 - SAP Service Asset Manager Mobile Add-On for ERP Installation Note.

Upgrade SAP Cloud Connector

The Cloud Connector can be upgraded independent of the SAP Service and Asset Manager.

The steps for upgrading your Cloud Connector are specific to the operating system that you use. Previous settings and configurations are automatically preserved. The following SAP Notes provides instructions for the upgrade of the SAP Cloud Connector.

https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/0002539713

Refer Unit-3 Exercise 'Setup Cloud Connector using SCPms Cloud Foundry and Windows Server' for instructions to set up connectivity to back end and SCPms.

Upgrade the MDK Client

The MDK Client can be upgraded independent of the SAP Service and Asset Manager. For Ex. you may want to brand the client or just upgrade the MDK for applying the patches.

There are several reasons why building a client is necessary:

  • Branding: A customer can choose to personalize the app before making it available to users. Here are some of the changes that can be made:

    • Security settings

    • Build-time configurations such as application name, version, and so on

    • Custom extensions

    • Custom metadata

  • Debugging: Any problems encountered in the application cannot be debugged from the Business Application Studio. A client must be built and debugged locally.

  • MDK Upgrade: To get the newest capabilities of the MDK and platform fixes, there could be a need to upgrade the environment to use a newer version of the MDK while continuing to the use the current metadata.

Here is an example of the process to build the client:

  1. Download the MDK Client for the desired version from Software Downloads - https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/softwarecenter/search/Mobile%2520Development%2520Kit

  2. Run the MDK Dependencies Installer app.

  3. Ensure that the necessary tools are installed at the appropriate versions as recommended by the Installer.

  4. This step is necessary if the application is being upgraded to a newer MDK version. It’s possible that there are metadata changes required for the current project to be compatible with the new MDK version. In this case, these changes must be made in the current mdkproject directory where the previous client was built.

  5. The extensions that are part of the standard Asset Manager application (Maps, Analytics, and so on) are only compatible with the MDK version that the application was released with. If the MDK version is to be upgraded, then the extensions have to be rebuilt with the new version. In case a new version of the extensions have already been released with the latest MDK version, they can be found here - https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/softwarecenter/template/products/%20_APP=00200682500000001943&_EVENT=DISPHIER&HEADER=Y&FUNCTIONBAR=N&EVENT=TREE&NE=NAVIGATE&ENR=73554900100900004441&V=MAINT&TA=ACTUAL&PAGE=SEARCH/MDK%20PLUG-IN%20SDK%201911. The new extensions must be copied over to the mdkproject/extensions directory.

  6. Copy this mdkproject directory over to the new MDKClient_SDK directory that was downloaded from step 1.

  7. Delete the old app and run create-client.command to generate a new clean app.

Note

Refer to the Unit 6, lesson 'Client Branding' for additional information.

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