DevOps is a software deployment methodology that incorporates best practices, automation tools, and a culture of collaboration and transparency to reduce the time spent on application delivery.
The goal is not only to help IT organizations streamline their development processes, but also to ensure that applications are bug-free and run quickly and smoothly.
If you’re wondering what DevOps can do for an organization using SAP, you’ve come to the right post! We’ll break down the ways DevOps will transform your SAP development processes, and how it works.
DevOps tools can be used for systems like on-premise SAP S/4HANA; SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP); SAP BTP, ABAP environment; and hybrid SAP landscapes. The tools used vary depending on the system, but each approach shares the same goal of developing high-quality, stable, and reliable solutions using automation and collaboration.
Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) services help to automate building, testing, and deploying solutions. CI/CD promotes a speedy process, reduction of human error, and, on the user’s end, minimal bugs. For example, in SAP BTP, there are three main options for CI/CD: the SAP Continuous Integration and Delivery service, project “Piper” and the Continuous Integration and Delivery Best Practices Guide. In the context of SAP S/4HANA, in addition to these options, using tools like SAP Solution Manager helps developers create CI/CD pipelines and automate testing, tracing, and reporting. In SAP S/4HANA, users can also leverage tools like abapGit, CTS, CTS+, ABAP development tools, and the Git-enabled change and transport system for collaboration and managing code changes.
DevOps also introduces a collaborative culture to help teams work together. Historically, there tends to be a disconnect between development and operations teams when issues arise. DevOps removes these silos and makes it clear that DevOps is not one person's or one team's job, but the job and responsibility of everyone in the organization. DevOps is not just about introducing new tools and frameworks, but instead requires that organizations also change their mindsets to focus on six cultural values: transparency, collaboration, communication, automation, shared responsibilities, and feedback.
Creating the perfect solution usually means a long development and release timeline. DevOps allows organizations to expedite the process while still producing high-quality results. The DevOps methodology and automation tools make it possible for teams to perform multiple deployments in a single day. Collaboration tools allow development teams to work together, share their knowledge effectively, and treat the issues experienced by users more productively. Organizations using DevOps are able to quickly adapt to the ever-changing business world and, in turn, provide solutions more efficiently.
DevOps is not a physical solution, but a methodology of phases: plan, develop, build, test, release, deploy, operate, and monitor.
Development begins with the plan phase to define project goals, requirements, and strategies. Various teams are involved in this phase—developers, testers, project managers, and stakeholders—in order to identify objectives, challenges, and risks; set realistic goals; and allocate resources. This sets the foundation for the development process where tools, frameworks, and services are explored, and the best options are chosen so all teams have a thorough understanding of their roles and requirements.
The actual coding and software development occurs in the develop phase (or code phase). Tools like Git and GitHub are used to manage and track changes to application code source. Here, the requirements and plans in the previous phase are implemented into functional software. Once the code is written, it is tested for quality assurance. The source code repository environment is used in this phase for developer collaboration and to provide a single source of truth. The development team works with other teams throughout this phase to make sure the software can be easily tested, deployed, and maintained. DevOps principles for automation, feedback, and improvements are used to keep the development process running smoothly and to produce quality software.
Next is the build phase. The software is completed, merged, and packaged into an executable format that can be deployed to the target environment. Build pipelines are configured for building, testing, and deploying the software. They run automatically whenever a change occurs to the source code to keep the software quick and reliable. A tool like Maven can be used to build and manage Java applications that interact with SAP S/4HANA or SAP BTP.
The solution is then deployed and tested in the test phase. This includes functional, performance, security, and user acceptance testing. The use of automated testing helps to obtain results quicker, reduce human error, and assure quality. Before the software is deployed to the production environment, it is tested against various cases to detect and fix bugs or issues. Developers can use tools like Selenium for testing in SAP S/4HANA, or JUnit for SAP BTP.
When the solution is ready to be deployed to the production environment, there are a few steps to take first in the release phase. This is where the software is packaged, the deployment environment is prepared, and servers and databases are configured. This phase also includes activities like creating release notes, updating documentation, and communicating with stakeholders.
The movement of the software from the development or staging environment to the production environment happens in the deploy phase. This phase includes activities such as configuring the production environment, building and packaging the software, deploying the software to the production environment, and verifying the software. The primary objective of the deploy phase is to ensure that the software is deployed successfully and is functioning correctly in the production environment. Continuous delivery tools can deploy a solution automatically into one or more production environments. Teams may also use concepts like infrastructure as code (IaC), containers, or microservices to deploy the solution in a more organized way. SAP landscapes support tools like Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, and GitLab for deployment.
The operate phase begins when the solution goes live and is being used by end users. The solution and underlying infrastructure is managed, monitored, maintained, and supported in the production environment. This phase enables the DevOps team to immediately identify and fix any issues to reduce disruption to the end users. This is also where performance feedback is provided to the development team so they can make prompt improvements when necessary.
DevOps teams focus on monitoring and measuring the performance of the application in the monitor phase. This phase collects and analyzes various metrics and logs to monitor performance and identify any potential issues that must be addressed. The goal is to provide visibility and feedback to the development team so they can make informed decisions on how to improve the system's overall quality and reliability. Monitoring tools compatible with SAP systems include Dynatrace, Grafana, and Splunk.
Companies are turning to DevOps for faster and more effective development. If you’re wondering how to get started with leveraging the methodology in your SAP programming to improve your processes, you can use our DevOps with SAP book as your guide!
Start with an overview of DevOps and its importance in today’s software development landscape: The book breaks down the barriers between development and operations professionals by describing principles and practices, and a methodology that enhances collaboration, communication, and automation.
Understand key concepts of DevOps such as continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment, and learn how these practices can help teams deliver software faster and with greater reliability. You’ll also look at DevOps from a cultural perspective, including the importance of communication and collaboration to successfully implement DevOps practices.
Get to know the different tools and technologies used in the DevOps methodology and the categories they each fall into: code and version control tools, build tools, test automation tools, deployment tools, and monitoring tools. Then, see which tool and implementation options are available for SAP S/4HANA systems; SAP BTP; SAP BTP, ABAP environment; and hybrid SAP landscapes.
Learn about the various best practices that organizations can adopt to achieve a successful DevOps with SAP implementation. The book covers areas like continuous integration and delivery, microservices, IaC, monitoring and logging, and communication and collaboration. Then, focus on the crucial role security plays on the DevOps processes and explore practical recommendations for organizations to implement security measures through their DevOps pipeline. Several areas are covered, including secure code analytics, automated security testing, security vulnerability monitoring, and implementation.
The final chapter provides a roadmap for the future development of DevOps. You’ll get insight into both general and SAP-related DevOps.
This guide is for anyone looking for in-depth knowledge on DevOps with SAP. Both novice and expert SAP professionals will benefit from the tools and best practices explained in this book. SAP development teams, SAP partners, or companies running SAP can benefit from this information to achieve shorter development cycles. It will also help IT professionals, developers, operations professionals, and architects who work with SAP and are interested in adopting the DevOps methodology.
Raja Gupta is a technology enthusiast working for SAP and is passionate about providing training and writing blog posts and books about SAP technologies. He has more than 14 years of experience in the IT industry and has led various implementation projects of SAP solutions for customers. In his current role as a solution architect, he is focused on working with SAP partners to co-innovate and build innovative solutions. Raja is an expert in cloud technologies, SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), SAP Fiori, DevOps, and SAP HANA. He has conducted many trainings and workshops for SAP partners and customers. He is also an active member of the SAP community and a frequent blogger. You can find his blog posts at blogs.sap.com/rajagupta.
Sandip Jha is a development architect at SAP with more than a decade of SAP product development experience. Currently, his focus is on enabling partners to build innovative products in co-innovation mode. Previously, he contributed to and led product development for SAP MII and SAP Digital Manufacturing Cloud. He has also created technical training content and conducted workshops for customers and partners across the globe. You can connect with him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandipjha/.
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