Home > SAP Procedures and Reference > Using SAP Enterprise Objects > Creating Relationships From SAP Enterprise Objects
Creating Relationships From SAP Enterprise Objects
Creating relationships from SAP Enterprise Objects (SEO’s), either to other SEO’s or to non-SAP Enterprise Objects (EO’s), allows powerful reporting on the state of your enterprise, including which operational processes utilize SAP Transactions, who is impacted by change and needs to be trained on changes, and what specific processes could benefit from SAP implementation. In addition, you may perform impact analysis, RACI reporting, risk mitigation, and other enterprise-level reporting.
When you view or check out a diagram or a document from the repository, the diagram and its shapes update to reflect current enterprise relationships in the repository that the diagram and shapes describe. Describing SEO’s with diagrams and shapes is covered later.
Before you may use enterprise objects, you must have an active connection with the repository and have the rights to see the objects. If you do not see the objects or commands indicated, please be aware that the repository administrator(s) or owner can control access to enterprise objects. The administrators may use the Repository Options or Rights commands to specify what enterprise objects are visible in the Explorer, and which objects may be created or edited.
Please see the Grafx SAP Enterprise Objects Overview topic for definitions of which SAP Blueprint project objects are represented by Enterprise Objects in the repository.
As a brief review, an SAP Enterprise Object (SEO) is represented by iGrafx Enterprise repository objects:
This SAP Object Type |
Is Represented in the Repository By |
---|---|
SAP Project, SAP Scenario, or SAP Process |
Process. Can be composed of other processes or activities, and arranged in a landscape. Contained in the Processes folder in the repository. SAP Processes are contained in an SAP folder. |
SAP Process Step. A step in, or child of, a process in the SAP supporting process landscape. |
Activity. The lowest-level object in the hierarchy of the repository Processes folder. SAP Process Steps are contained in an SAP folder. |
SAP Transaction |
Operation. An operation (transaction or functionality) defined by an interface. Contained within an Interface. The Interface is the structural hierarchy that organizes SAP Transactions, equivalent to the Logical Component the Transactions are associated with. Contained in an SAP folder in the Interfaces repository folder. |
SAP End User Roles, SAP Logical Components, and SAP Organizational Units |
Resource. Resources that support SAP process landscape (Projects, Scenarios, Processes, and Process Steps) as well as Transactions. Categorized as an Organization, or classified as Labor, Equipment, or ‘other’ type of resource. Contained in SAP folders in the enterprise resources, which is shown in the Resources folder in the repository. |
SAP Master Data reference. The programming data classes used to implement systems. |
Class. SAP Master Data is contained in an SAP folder within the Classes repository folder. |
Creating Relationships from SAP Enterprise Objects
One main advantage of using iGrafx for SAP is to align end-to-end operational business processes with automated SAP supporting processes. You may do so by relating SAP supporting process landscape (Scenario, Process, & Process Step) objects to operational process landscape (non-SAP Process and Activity) objects using the Supports relationship. In addition, by indicating how Transactions support SAP processes, you can see what relationships your operational processes have to SAP Transactions. By viewing (or adding) RACI relationships, you can understand who is impacted by any changes. You may also create other relationships from SAP objects, either to other SAP objects or to non-SAP objects.
The relationships you can create from an SAP Enterprise Object (SEO) to another SEO, from an SEO to an Enterprise Object (EO)—e.g. a Strategy or Requirement—or to a repository item or web page for ‘Documented By’ relationships are mostly the same as those you can create for any EO, as documented by Creating Relationships Between Enterprise Objects. There are, however, some important differences for SAP Enterprise Objects (SEO’s).
In addition, there are read-only relationships between SEO’s that may be visible to you depending on the type of SEO you are displaying properties for. Please see the Viewing Read-Only SAP Object Relationships topic below for more information on viewing read-only relationships for SEO’s.
The following table gives procedural information for creating relationships that are unique to SEO’s:
|
Not all relationships may be created from an SAP Enterprise Object (SEO). Please see the SAP Enterprise Objects Relationships Reference section for specific relationships that can be made from SEO’s to other objects. In addition, some relationships are common to all Enterprise Objects. Please see the Creating Relationships Between Enterprise Objects topic for procedures to create those relationships. |
Task |
Procedure |
---|---|
Indicate which SAP supporting process landscape Supports an operational process landscape object (Indicate a Project, Scenario, Process, or Process Step Supports a Process/Activity) |
Note: If your operational process landscape is described by iGrafx diagrams (that have ‘Diagram Based Relationships’ enabled, which is the default), and you ‘describe’ an SAP supporting process landscape object with a shape in that diagram, then the ‘Supports’ relationship indicated here between the SAP supporting landscape and the operational landscape is implied (automatically created) for you. |
Indicate a Transaction Supports a Process or Activity (including Scenarios, Processes or Process Steps) |
Note: For the Transaction chosen, if you choose a Process Step (Activity), then only the Process Steps that use the same Logical Component as the Transaction will be shown. |
Reference Project Documentation from the SAP supporting process landscape (Indicate a Project, Scenario, Process, or Process Step is Documented By a repository file, iGrafx component, or web page.) |
You can enhance your SAP Blueprint project through linking to Project Documentation such as requirements and specification documents. To do so:
Note: For a repository item link, to set Document Type, Status, and Blueprint relevancy, select the item in the list and click Jump To and click the Project Documentation page. Note: To follow a URL (web) link and display the linked-to object, select the link in the list and click Follow Link. Note: This project documentation will show in SAP Solution Manager after synchronization. Note: Linking to an iGrafx diagram for project documentation is different than ‘describing’ an SEO with a diagram or shape. Please see the Describing SAP Enterprise Objects topic for more information. |
Provide additional documentation on non-process SAP objects (Create a Documented By relationship from an Interface, Transaction, or Master Data) |
To indicate an Interface, Transaction, or Master Data is documented by additional information:
Note: This documentation will not be seen in the Blueprint Project in Solution Manager. Note: To follow a URL (web) link and display the linked-to object, select the link in the list and click Follow Link. |
Indicate which Process Step is Supported By a Logical Component |
|
Indicate how the SAP supporting process landscape is Supported By Transactions (Indicate which Scenario, Process, or Process Step is Supported By Transactions.) |
Note: For a Process Step, the Transaction chosen must use the same Logical Component as the Process Step. |
Indicate which Project, Scenario, Process, or Process Step is Supported By Processes, Activities, or other non-SEO’s (Not commonly used) |
Note: This procedure may be infrequently used. See the Note below, after the procedure steps.
Note: It is more typical that an SAP Scenario, Process, or Process Step Supports an (operational) Process or Activity instead of being Supported By it. In addition, it is not common to indicate non-SAP objects support SAP landscape objects. You may find you need to create relationships from SAP Scenario, Process, and Process Step objects to other Scenario, Process, or Process Step objects, though this is not typical as the hierarchy of these objects usually indicate support. |
Create Common relationships from an SEO to a non-SEO Enterprise Object |
Please see Creating Relationships Between Enterprise Objects for information on creating Work Products, RACI, Risks, Measurements, and other (More) relationships from an SEO. |
Viewing Read-Only SAP Object Relationships
There are specific read-only relationships created between SEO’s that may be visible to you depending on the type of SEO you are displaying properties for. Please see the table below for more information on viewing read-only relationships for SEO’s:
Task |
Procedure |
---|---|
View Organizational Units Accountable for a Project or Scenario |
The Organizational Units (SAP Organization type Resources) supporting this Project or Scenario are shown. Note: You may right-click an Organizational Unit and choose Jump To in order view Organizational Unit object. Click the ‘Process Support’ page to see the Projects or Scenarios that it is accountable for. |
View End User Roles Responsible for a Project, Scenario, Process, or Process Step |
The End User Roles (Resources) supporting this Project, Scenario, Process, or Process Step are shown. Note: You may right-click an End User Role and choose Jump To in order view the Projects, Scenarios, Processes, or Process Steps that it is responsible for; click the ‘Process Support’ page. |
View Project or Scenario Supported By Master Data |
Note: You may right-click a Master Data entry and choose Jump To in order view the Master Data (MD) object. Click the ‘Process Support’ page on the MD object to see what Project or Scenario it supports. |
View the Logical Component that Supports Master Data |
The Logical Component (SAP IT Architecture Resource) supporting this Master Data is shown. |
Creating Risks and Measures on SAP Objects
SAP Enterprise Objects (SEO) may have Risks or Measurements associated with them, including the use of Templates to standardize the creation of, and value ranges for, the Risks or Measures that you create. Creating Risks or Measures on an SEO is the same as for any Enterprise Object; please see Creating Risks and Measurements Using Templates for more information.
Related Topics
See Also