a0e90986-0bc0-2e10-7595-b3a16e97ff37

Business Rule Framework plus What’s New With SAP NetWeaver 7.03?

Wolfgang Schaper

Product Manager BRFplus

SAP AG

September 2011

© 2011 SAP AG. All rights reserved. 2

Disclaimer

This presentation outlines our general product direction and should not be relied

on in making a purchase decision. This presentation is not subject to your

license agreement or any other agreement with SAP. SAP has no obligation to

pursue any course of business outlined in this presentation or to develop or

release any functionality mentioned in this presentation. This presentation and

SAP's strategy and possible future developments are subject to change and

may be changed by SAP at any time for any reason without notice. This

document is provided without a warranty of any kind, either express or implied,

including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for

a particular purpose, or non-infringement. SAP assumes no responsibility for

errors or omissions in this document, except if such damages were caused by

SAP intentionally or grossly negligent.


Agenda

Overview

New Features in Detail

New and Improved Design Time Capabilities

Simulation

Expression Types and Action Types

Performance, Cleanup, and Transport

Usability

Overview


BRFplus in SAP NetWeaver 7.03

Release Information

■ By November 2011 SAP NetWeaver 7.0 Enhancement Pack 3 (aka

NW 7.03) will be available

■ This is the NetWeaver release on which SAP Business Suite 7

Innovation 2011 (including SAP ERP Enhancement Pack 6) is based

■ With SAP NW 7.03, a new release of BRFplus is included with many

new or enhanced capabilities compared to SAP NW 7.02

■ The code line of BRFplus within SAP NetWeaver 7.31 is identical

with the code line of BRFplus within SAP NetWeaver 7.0

Enhancement Pack 3


BRFplus in SAP NetWeaver 7.03

New and Enhanced Capabilities of BRFplus in NW 7.03

■ From a BRFplus perspective, SAP NetWeaver 7.03 primarily

focuses on design time capabilities

■ Additional functional improvements were implemented in the areas

of performance and usability

■ On the following slides, the most important improvements are

described


New and Improved Design Time Capabilities


Mass Object Handling

■ A mass activity UI has been

provided to allow the user to

perform activities for multiple

objects easily (create, activate,

change access level, delete,

change properties, mass

overview of object states, ...)

■ In the Data Object structure

editor, it is now possible to use

the mass element creation

dialog for the creation of

elements serving as structure

components


Multiple Catalogs

■ User settings support the

definition of subsets of

catalogs. Only this subset is

made available directly in the

Catalog view of the BRFplus

workbench.

■ If there is more than one

catalog defined, the Catalog

view offers a menu for

selecting a catalog from the

personalized subset.


Where-Used Including Historic Versions

■ Optional display of

historic and inactive

versions in Where-

Used Lists


Object Filters

■ Filter for expression and

action types to hide

unwanted object types for

less technical users


Full Screen Mode

■ New full screen mode available

■ Allows to hide repository

■ Provides bigger canvas on small displays –

very useful especially for editing complex decision tables


Creating Variables Automatically

■ Create ruleset

variables

automatically

■ Assigning an

expression to a

ruleset using

objects that are not

available in the

context of the result

triggers a dialog, allowing to add the

respective variables to the ruleset


Context Explanation Feature

■ The button “Context

Overview” offers a list of

allowed or not allowed data

objects in the context of a

particular object

■ This feature allows to

quickly understand which

objects can be used and

which cannot


Context Sensitive Help

■ For each object,

there is context

sensitive help

content available

■ Button “Application

Help” directs to

respective help

content directly


Hotkeys

■ With NW 7.03, the

BRFplus workbench

allows for

customizable

hotkeys for quickly

accessing many

features


Helper/Administrative Reports

■ Transaction FDT_HELPERS

provides a bunch of

helper/administrative reports

■ E.g.

■ Cross-Reference Analysis

■ Cross-System Content

Comparison

■ Mass check of Objects in

Transport Requests

■ Is DDIC Binding Up-To-Date

■ …


Simulation


Simulation of Single Expressions

■ It is possible to

simulate a single

expression or action

(no function

assignment needed)


Simulation of all Versions, in Interpretation

or Generation Mode

■ All versions, not only

the active one, can

be run in simulation

■ Simulation can be

run in interpretation

mode as well as in

generation mode


Download of (Lean) Trace Results into MS Excel

■ The trace resulting

from simulation can

be downloaded to an

MS Excel File

■ In addition, the trace

output has been

reworked for better

comprehensibility


Expression Types and Action Types


Decision Table – Split Rows, Merge Rows, Rearrange

Decision Table Rows, Gap Analysis

■ New features for expression type decision table were

introduced

■ Generation of lines to close gaps

■ Merge of several lines into one line

■ Split of one line into several lines

■ Rearrange Decision

Table lines based on

generic cell value

■ Search capabilities

■ Filter capabilities

■ Improved performance in design time by factor up to 100 for big tables (i.e.,

with hundreds to thousands of lines)


Ruleset Tab for Function Objects

■ The new Ruleset tab

for Function objects

now shows

■ execution priority,

■ enablement status,

and

■ precondition (if

available)


Additional Checks in Function Objects and Native Lean

Trace Integration

■ For function objects, additional

checks are offered to check

■ Consistency of assigned

Rulesets

■ Readiness of Lean Trace

■ Activation status of referenced

objects

■ Display available traces directly

from BRFplus workbench


Code Template Generation

■ Generation of a code template for

backend integration of BRFplus

applications into your application

code


Workflow Integration

■ BRFplus can trigger a workflow

■ Action types Start Workflow, Raise

Workflow Event

■ A workflow can invoke BRFplus rules

■ Automatically generating BRFplus

application from Workflow

■ Semi-automatic parameter mapping

■ While this integration has already been

available in BRFplus 7.02, there are further

improvements and extensions in 7.03:

■ Automatically generate workflow task from an

existing BRFplus function

■ Within workflow activity, create BRFplus task

referencing an existing BRFplus task (for

instance, to extend the interface of an existing

task)

■ … and more

■ Also downported to NW 7.02


New Formula Functions

■ New Formula

functions in 7.03:

■ Conversion of one

timepoint type into

another

■ Dedicated functions

for getting [user |

system | time zone |

UTC] time

■ Some service

functions regarding

time zones

■ Also downported to

NW 7.02


Quantity Checks in Formula Parser

■ The new formula parser

checks for units and derives

resulting units

■ For instance

speed * time = distance

■ Impossible operations are

identified at design time

■ For instance

weight + distance

raises an error message


Dialog for Expression Results

■ When creating a new

expression, there is a

dialog that allows to

select the respective

result object(s)


Help and Filter in Formula Functions and New Formula

Parser

■ In formula expressions you

can filter the available

functions by category or

text

■ For each formula function,

there is a comprehensive

help available

■ New formula parser with

improved error or info

messages (text, position)


Performance, Cleanup, and Transport


Code Generation and Transport

■ When running BRFplus rules, ABAP code is generated automatically and

executed

■ Code generation was further optimized for improved runtime performance

■ Improved performance and reduced memory consumption in transport and

other usage scenarios


Cleanup

■ The backend automatically

removes unnamed unused

objects periodically

(transported or not)

■ Screenshot shows the

manual deletion of named

objects that are not used

■ Automatic cleanup in

transport

■ Improved tools in

application administration


Transport

■ A new tab Transport

Information in the

General section of

any object provides

information on

transport history


Usability


Usage of New Icons

■ New icons

indicating entity

types and

operations for

enhanced user

experience


BRFplus Workbench

■ Title Bar

■ Nicer Toolbars

■ Improved readability

■ Icons

■ one background color

■ Introduction of new form

layout

■ Right-aligned labels

■ stretched fields

■ “General” section for

objects collapsed by

default for better visibility

of object specifics


Search Dialog and Object Query

■ Simplified and

harmonized

search dialog

and object

query


Ruleset

■ Ruleset (and others):

Improved visual structure

of header and details area

for better readability


Boolean

■ Boolean: Improved visual

structure of details area

for better readability


Tools

■ Improved and harmonized

UI for tools

■ Example: Application

Administration

Thank You!

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