SAP RTK Workshop: Ramp-up Transfer Knowledge Workshop for SAP NetWeaver Portal 7.3

• March 31, 2011
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The Ramp-Up Knowledge Transfer Workshop for SAP NetWeaver Portal 7.3 was designed for customers and partners who actively participated in the ramp-up phase for the new 7.3 portal. And because we took part in the beta program, a firsthand experience on the evolution in the final product seemed like a must.

The purpose of this workshop at SAP headquarters in Walldorf, Germany, March 28-30th was to exchange key learnings and summarize all the items SAP has gathered since beta launch. Meeting face to face presented an excellent opportunity for us to witness everything behind the scenes discovered over the last year – and give us a more concrete idea on SAP’s vision for the new portal. It also allowed our team to openly discuss items with available SAP organizers and gain valuable insight from other participants.

For regular updates and details on NetWeaver 7.3 Portal, visit SAP’s page on the SDN. This section describes all new features, enhancements, and changes for SAP NetWeaver Portal.

Ramp-up Transfer Knowledge Workshop Summary

Presented below are a few cliff notes of the workshop. These unofficial points are merely our take-away from the exclusive 3 day meeting and of no reflection on SAP’s opinion.

• Participants: 25-30 technically experienced customers and partners
• Biggest interests of participants: Monitoring features, support of business packages for ESS/MSS, content transport from 7.0 (especially applications and WPC or KM content)
• Agenda: Presentations, demos, hands-on, discussion, networking
• Speakers: SAP employees from Israel, Germany and Bulgaria

Workshop Content Summary

1. Ramp-Up status
2. System Landscape Recommendations
3. AS Java
4. NetWeaver Administrator
5. New Portal Features
6. Web Page Composer
7. Wikis
8. Forum
9. Content Sharing
10. WebDynpro Java
11. KM
12. AJAX Framework
13. Enterprise Workspaces
14. System Update
15. Technical details about required migration
16. User Productivity Outlook

1. Ramp-Up Status

• One customer already live in production with 7.30 (Semiconductor company in Taiwan)
• Current SP level of NW7.30 is SP03 (for production use at least SP01 of NW7.30 is required)
• General Availability of NW7.30 is planned for around SAPPHIRE
• Compatibility of NW7.30 with ESS/MSS business packages is planned for Q3 (from EHP4) and Q4 (EHP5)
• Enterprise Workspaces for 7.30 planned for around TechEd

2. System Landscape Recommendations

• Dual stack installation not recommended
• Tool in development to split dual stacks into two stacks

Note: In the future the SLD will be converted to Solution Managers MLDB

3. AS Java

• SDM replaced by either telnet commands or NWDS
• Java Dispatcher replaced by ICM
• 3rd party JDKs replaced by SAP JDK – also available for NW7.0 for better performance, stability and tool support
• [added by Mike Rassbach] SAML 2.0 support
• [added by Mike Rassbach] there comes a GW service with JAVA so no need for stand-alone GW (switch off if you don’t need it via profile parameter)
• [added by Mike Rassbach] start profile, instance profile move to one instance profile
• [added by Mike Rassbach] move the directories structure …/serverX/apps and …/serverX/bin to global under /usr/sap/…/cluster/apps and usr/sap/…/cluster/bin (global directory – shared to all server nodes

Note: When NWA tells users to restart the system to apply changes, check first, if this is really required

4. NetWeaver Administrator

• Comes with a system compare feature
• Can be used to monitor individual sessions (which may e.g. consume 150MB per user or more even in idle mode)
• Sophisticated new interfaces with search functionality (Note: there is no need to combine two words – or the other way around)

Note: You may need to configure the integrated log viewer to also show application specific log entries

5. New Portal Features

• PCD entries can be analyzed regarding potential issues like too long delta link chains
• Work center roles  provide guidance in creating standardized roles with a simple unified navigation structure
  • typically only one iView per detailed navigation entry (create at least two to create a page, edit detailed navigation content to move iViews to different columns or configure iView properties)
  • services per detailed navigation entry
  • no changes in iView properties
• Note: Using the advanced editor the work center role concept will be broken
• Feature to create iViews from backend or copy whole roles from backend
  • typically SAP_EP_* are the roles to be uploaded to the portal
  • only about content, but not authorizations (therefore SAP officially recommends Identity Management)
  • simplified alternative to app integrator iViews
  • wizard available to e.g. search for transactions on backend
• Transport packages with synchronized folders: contained objects are contained at export time
• AFP is default, but old framework page as well as old themes from 7.0 can still be used
• Interop-Framework page for integration of content area into only into 3rd party portals
• [added by Mike Rassbach] navigation via a) web service link or b) direct link
• [added by Mike Rassbach] FPN no longer SAP’s strategy – still supported with EP 7.3
• Easier WebDynpro based interface for Portal Favorites

Note: Portlet standard still only supported for selected applications e.g. not for ESS/MSS

6. Web Page Composer

• After editing a page the user has the choice to jump back from editing area to the edited page
• Localization supported via several versions (=copies) of a page for each language
• Delegated administration
• Simple approval workflow via email
• Scheduled publication, removal and/or cleanup notification
• Versioning with configurable maximum number of stored versions
• Permissions editable per “Content Editor” iView and per “Area”
• Note: When integrating backend applications, be aware of the maximum number of allowed connections to the backend (must be configured properly to avoid error messages)
• Planned for SP03:
  • Dashboard with recently edited pages, bookmarks, approval status and a search functionality
  • Firefox support for editor screens
  • Option to release lock on self (e.g. unlock pages opened for editing in crashed sessions)

7. Wikis

• Not available for 7.0, but only 7.30
• Available without additional license
• Dedicated theme required (there is a tradeshow theme, but currently it’s not similar to the one in the rest of the portal)
• Based on Jive Clearspace, but adjusted by SAP
• Permission settings based on UME (requires comma separated lists without search functionality to select group or role names, but with input validation on save)
• Wiki administrators can e.g. move pages across spaces
• There is no navigation connector available, so the navigation is handled inside the Wiki iView
• Links to Wiki pages do not include the portal around it, but link directly to the Wiki part
• The Wiki is “feature complete” (for updates or other features, SAP recommends 3rd party applications)

8. Forum

• New features in 7.30
  • Rating
  • Links to KM can be created inside a thread
  • Content import/export
  • Public API for Add-Ons

Note: New NW7.30 documentation on help.sap.com available online including detailed release notes

9. Content Sharing

• 7.30 SP03 (consumer): Enhanced application integration supports sessions termination on the remote portal (down-port to 7.0 EHP2 planned)
• Most recommended alternative: Remote role assignment
• Remote delta link only if required
• Note: It could be a temporary solution to use ESS/MSS business packages immediately via Content Sharing

Note: Check landscape recommendations first! Typically only one portal is recommended.

10. WebDynpro Java

• WebDynpro Java is in maintenance mode
• WebDynpro Business Packages will be coded in ABAP I the future (starting with EHP5 for ESS/MSS)
• Source compatibility between 7.0 and 7.30, but no binary compatibility
• Demo Kit available on SDN
• New AJAX components based on a technology called “SAP UR Light Speed Rendering” including search while you type and input validation features

11. KM

• KM will not be removed:
  • Still used as one basis of WPC as well as wiki and forum
  • Still used even by AJAX framework to store portal favorites
• KM got some important new features in 7.3
  • Filter for files size and extensions
  • Disk optimized versioning mode for CM store
  • Read only mode via near zero downtime update
  • KM content transport now includes settings
  • Additional reports for house-keeping
  • Enterprise search integration
  • Email notifications now better adjustable in terms of signature and subject line
  • KM archiving
  • Multi upload
  • KM search now includes ACL (on TREX level)
  • “Light RM”
  • Cache across nodes
  • Hot configurable components
  • Accelerated kernel
  • Lifetime notifications
  • Some technical changes and new APIs
• KM in “active maintenance mode”
• The collaboration part (Collaboration Rooms) in KM will not be further developed

12. AJAX Framework

• Navigation consumable as web service
• Flat version without iFrames (similar to light framework page) is not planned
• Tab sets
  • Purpose: Used to filter different sets of navigation items (e.g. end user or administration)
  • Administration: Tab sets are collections of entry points
• Jump Search uses Role Index Provider as default (TREX or Enterprise Search can be added)
• Firefox and Safari on PAM (not the admin interfaces, no IE9 support yet)
• Was already in GA with all API’s since 7.0 EHP2
• No further improvements planned anymore for the classic framework
• SAP searching for custom implementations of AFP done by partners as reference for others

13. Enterprise Workspaces

• Version 1.1 planned to be released for 7.0 as well as 7.30 at the same time
  • Author can define a quick link for a new workspace
  • Advanced categories available to organize shared workspace
  • Modules no more just iViews, but also KM documents or WPC content
  • Integration with KM/TREX search
  • New APIs e.g. to expose the workspace navigation e.g. as navigation connector for the rest of the portal
  • Maximize option added to modules
  • Change height of modules by drag&drop
  • “Add to Workspace” option similar to “Add to portal favorites” (target workspace selectable)
  • BOE consumer iView
  • BI consumer iView
  • Modules can either be selected as gadget or as link
• Number of pages in a workspace can be limited
• Number of modules per page cannot be limited
• Template modules may either be mandatory or optional

14. System Update

• In the futureupdate tools shall be released independent from NetWeaver or application releases in the “SL Toolset”
• Currently “SL Toolset” mainly consists of a tool called “SAP JUP” (Java Software Update Manager)
• For minor updates JSPM and the new deploy view in NWDS is used
• For installation there is SAPInst
• A technology called “System Switch Upgrade” comes with a shadow system that is used to minimize downtime during update
  • Requires 7.30 compatible version of 3rd party tools in Inbox
  • Automatic *.par > *.war migration
  • Taking typically less than 8 hours

15. Technical details about required migration

• Forum and Wiki require KMC installation
• WPC integrated in KMC (no add-on anymore)
• Available on SDN docupedia: apps migration workspace
• Note: archive upload still possible via PortalAnywhere
• portalapp.xml is now validated more strictly
• Some DCs and references have changed, so custom code needs to be migrated manually
• Migration Guide available for Web Page Composer to 7.30
• Content only using simple and pure standard WPC capabilities are automatically migrated during the upgrade of the portal
• All custom changes to WPC are not migrated automatically
  • Some content looks like it is migrated, but it’s not editable anymore as long as layouts have not been adjusted
  • WPC transport packages cannot be imported anymore
  • Custom entry points are not migrated
  • Links created with custom editors are not migrated
  • Nested folders are converted to flat folder structures
  • Approval settings on KM level are not migrated
• Manual KM content transport
  • Loss of meta data
  • Loss of permissions
  • Loss of configurations
• In 7.30 portal favorites use full user IDs, so they will not work after a pure export/import from 7.0 portal

16. User Productivity Outlook

• Trends from SAP perspective:
  • iPhone, iPad, other mobile devices
  • High expectation in performance
  • Raising usage of social networks (even partially replacing email in a business environment)
  • Cloud computing
• Goal: Collaborative Content Workspaces (= Portal, ECM, Search, Social Media) with
  • Unified user experience
  • Out of the box applications
  • Sharable customized views
  • Security
  • Governance
  • Mobility
• In one or two moths SAP plans to announce a recommendation for future alternative for KM (planned for SAPPHIRE) to take content management to the next level
• Plan: Content Spaces Suite containing
  • EWS framework (Portal)
    • Document management
    • Web content management
    • Social media
    • BI
    • BPM
    • Enterprise search
    • Desktop client
    • Content gallery
  • Mobile access platform (SUP)
  • Third party connectivity (Gateway)

If you are interested in getting more insight into this workshop or a jump on the 7.3 portal, please contact us at

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