In our last article we covered using SAP SolMan for Document Management. But there are other uses you may not expect. At the moment, there are many Test Management tools available. But what exactly can SAP Solution Manager do? And why is it more suitable when used for your SAP applications?
Introduction
SAP Solution Manager offers a variety of tools to support your IT processes. Test Management is one of these IT processes. SAP Solution Manager offers a wide range of functionality to support both manual and automated testing.
A well-known tool that is being used for test management is ‘HP-ALM’. SAP Solution Manager can be used as well, and is available for SAP customers free-of-charge.
What exactly can SAP Solution Manager do for you?
SAP Solution Manager makes use of projects, where you are able to maintain a process structure. Against process nodes, you can store documents (e.g. test scripts). But other documents can
also be stored, such as requirements and functional specifications, and these documents can be linked to each other.
In the Test Management module you are able to re-use these test scripts. This is done as part of test preparation: tests can be set up by creating so-called Test Plans and Test Packages, selecting test scripts (scoping) which have been allocated to the process structure. Test Packages can be allocated to testers, to divide the testing work over a test team.
During test execution, testers see the test scripts that have been allocated to them. They can open the test scripts, and follow the instructions to execute the tests. It is also possible to automatically invoke the SAP transactions (end-user interface).
Where applicable, test defects can be created where tests are not working as expected. These defects need to be resolved by the proper person.
Via reporting, progress of tests and defects resolution can be seen.
Why is SAP Solution Manager more suitable when used for your SAP applications?
When SAP Solution Manager is used to support the test processes, it can be seen as just one of the existing test tools. But there are some reasons SAP Solution
Manager offers some advantages when being used for SAP applications.
Some important advantages are:
- Integration of Test tool with Document Management tool (both in SAP Solution Manager)
- The option of automatically invoking SAP transactions (end-user interface)
- The tool is free-of-charge for SAP customers
- SAP organization can easily access SAP Solution Manager, to support customers faster and easier where needed
Such reasons do make SAP Solution Manager more suitable as a Test Management tool when running SAP applications.
But it is important to stress that every company has different requirements for a test tool. And depending on such requirements, the selection of a test tool can point to either SAP Solution Manager or any other tool. Best-of-breed test tools can have more extensive functionality, and options, which might be very important for a specific company.
But SAP Solution Manager does offer some advantages when being used for SAP applications.