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SAP Business ByDesign

GENERAL CONCEPTS

SAP BUSINESS BYDESIGN

SAP Business ByDesign Table Of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 2
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4

General Concepts ......................................................... Working with User Interfaces .......................................


Quick Guide for Working Efficiently with SAP Business ByDesign User Interface SAP Business ByDesign User Interface (UI) Concepts .......................................... Navigate SAP Business ByDesign User Interfaces with Keyboard .......................... Print a Screen .......................................................................................................

4 5
5 7 9 11

3
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4

Working with Business Documents .............................. 13


Output Management ............................................................................................ Output History .................................................................................................... Document Flow ................................................................................................... Attachments and Notes ........................................................................................ 13 14 16 22

4
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.6.1 4.6.2 4.6.3 4.6.4

Business Task Management .......................................... 24


Business Task Management .................................................................................. Working with Tasks, Notifications, and Alerts ..................................................... Working with Clarification Requests ................................................................... Dates and Deadlines in Business Task Management ............................................. Business Task Management Configuration .......................................................... Manually Created Task Types .............................................................................. Task: Manually Created Tasks ............................................................................. Notification: Manually Created Notifications ...................................................... Alert: Manually Created Alert ............................................................................. Clarification: Manually Created Clarification Requests ....................................... 24 29 31 33 34 35 35 36 37 38

5
5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5

Analytics ...................................................................... 39
Overview of Analytics .......................................................................................... Reports View ....................................................................................................... Working with Reports in a Web Browser .............................................................. Working with Reports and Plans in Microsoft Excel ............................................. Working with Selections ...................................................................................... 39 41 43 46 52

6
6.1

Communication and Information Exchange ................ 55


Using the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Excel .............................. 55

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6.2 6.3 6.3.1 6.3.2 6.4 6.4.1 6.4.1.1 6.4.2

Mashups and Web Services ................................................................................... SAP Collaboration Window ................................................................................. SAP Collaboration Window Quick Guide ............................................................ Uploading Scanned Supplier Invoices Using Automatic Upload Service .............. Microsoft Outlook Integration ............................................................................ Business Background ........................................................................................... Microsoft Outlook Integration Security Advice and Troubleshooting Guide ...... Quick Guide for Microsoft Outlook Integration .................................................

56 57 57 68 69 69 69 71

7
7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6

Personalizing SAP Business ByDesign ........................... 79


Personalization Quick Guide ............................................................................... Personalizing My Settings .................................................................................... Personalize My Background Image ...................................................................... Personalizing the Overview View ......................................................................... Personalizing Navigation ..................................................................................... Using Sticky Notes ............................................................................................... 79 81 82 83 86 87

8
8.1 8.2

Incidents ....................................................................... 89
Solve a Problem or Report an Incident ................................................................ Working with Incidents ....................................................................................... 89 92

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SAP Business ByDesign General Concepts

1 GENERAL CONCEPTS

In this section, you can find more information about topics that are used across all business areas and work centers in SAP Business ByDesign.

General Concepts contains the following sections: Working with User Interfaces Working with Business Documents Business Task Management Analytics Communication and Information Exchange Personalizing SAP Business ByDesign Incidents Overview

Features

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with User Interfaces

2 WORKING WITH USER INTERFACES

2.1 QUICK GUIDE FOR WORKING EFFICIENTLY WITH SAP BUSINESS BYDESIGN USER INTERFACE
This document provides you with a few useful tips and tricks that help you to work more efficiently with SAP Business ByDesign user interfaces. You can apply these tips and tricks in all work centers of your SAP Business ByDesign solution. Note that you should be familiar with SAP Business ByDesign solution before you explore the functions mentioned in this document.

User Interface Concepts


Screen Layout and Navigation Principles All SAP Business ByDesign screens are designed to provide you a simple and intuitive user interface and bring tasks and required actions to you. All business processes, business documents, and technical implementation are integrated seamlessly in the SAP Business ByDesign user interfaces. For more information, see here. Keyboard Navigation You can use the keyboard to reach active screen elements and use the associated functionality in the SAP Business ByDesign solution. For more information, see here.

Tips and Tricks


Searching and Filtering in Worklists The search and filter functions within SAP Business ByDesign make it easy for you to find the information you need. For more information, see here. Create Your Own Queries in Worklists 1. In the toolbar of the worklist, click Advanced. 2. In the advanced search screen, enter the search criteria that you want to save as a query. 3. In the toolbar of the advanced search result list, click Save Query . 4. 5. 6. 7. In the Query Name field, enter the name of the query. Select the Execute Query on Selection checkbox. To set this query as the default query of the worklist, select the Use as Default Query checkbox. To save this query in the worklist, click Ok . The query is displayed in the Show drop-down box in the toolbar of the worklist. You can organize your queries by clicking Organize Queries in the toolbar of the advanced search result list. For example, you can set a new default query or delete one of your own queries.

Hide/Show a Column in Tables 1. Select This Screen from the Personalize menu in the screen that you want to personalize. The personalize panel opens.
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SAP Business ByDesign Working with User Interfaces

2. In the Screen Layout section of the personalize panel, in the Sections table, select the screen section that corresponds to the table that you want to personalize. In the List of Fields table, all visible and hidden columns in the table are displayed. 3. To hide a column in the table, deselect the Visible checkbox of the column. To show a column in the table, select the Visible checkbox of the column. 4. To save your changes to the current screen, click Save and close the personalize panel. Do a Quick Sum with Tables 1. From the Personalize menu of the screen where the table that you want to personalize is located, select This Screen. The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Screen Layout section of the personalize panel, in the Sections table, select the screen section that corresponds to the table. In the List of Fields table, all visible and hidden columns in the table are displayed. 3. If the table contains values, for example, the total net value of a purchase order, you can configure calculation settings by clicking Configure Calculations. Note that if the table does not contain calculations, the list of columns in this dialog box is empty. 4. In the Configure Calculations dialog box, select a column that you want to calculate and choose Sum from the calculation method dropdown list. 5. To display the result row of calculations at the top of the table, select the Display Result Rows at Top of Table checkbox. 6. To save your changes to the current screen, click Save and close the personalize panel. The table reloads the data and displays the calculation results. The calculation result section is marked in yellow. When you filter the data in the table, the table calculates the sum of the filtered results.

Use Tri-state Checkboxes in Advanced Search A tri-state checkbox allows you to select from three options. When used in an advanced search, a tri-state checkbox indicates that there is a joint state for your search options, besides include and exclude states. This joint state of the checkbox is displayed as X. For example, when you are in the Payment Monitor work center view of the Payment Management work center, for the advanced search of the Payment Monitor worklist, you have the following three options with an External Transactions tri-state checkbox: If you select the External Transactions tri-state checkbox as a checkmark (V), the search result displays only external payment transactions; If you select the External Transactions tri-state checkbox as a cross (X), the search result displays external and internal payment transactions; If you deselect the External Transactions tri-state checkbox, the search result displays only internal payment transactions. Mark Business Documents with Sticky Notes You can use sticky notes to add your own notes and comments to a business document that you are working on. You also can define key words as sticky notes for business documents and search these key words in the SAP Business ByDesign Enterprise Search. It helps you find these business documents quickly and share them with other users easily.

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1. From the screen where the business document that you want to mark is located, on the top right corner, click the sticky note icon. 2. In the Private Note window, enter your key words for the business document. By default, the sticky note is saved as a private note. A private note is not visible to other users. To allow other users to view and search for your sticky note, you should make your sticky note public. 3. Mark other business documents with the same key words if needed. 4. To find the marked business documents, go to SAP Business ByDesign Enterprise Search and search with the key words you have defined for the business documents. The documents that are marked with these key words are available in the result list. You can click a document and display the business document. For more information about Sticky Notes, see here. For more information about SAP Business ByDesign Enterprise Search, see here. Adapt SAP Business ByDesign to Your Personal Style To personalize the order of the work centers in the navigation area, you can drag a work center with the mouse and drop it between two work centers. You can also add work center views and tasks that you use the most to the Home work center. This helps you to quickly access work center views and common tasks without navigating to individual work centers. For more information about Personalization, see here. E-mail or Phone from SAP Business ByDesign You can email or phone a contact from SAP Business ByDesign. You can also use the Collaboration Window to communicate with your business partners. Note that you need Microsoft Outlook or a telephony integration solution to use these collaboration functions. For more information about the Collaboration Window, see here.

2.2 SAP BUSINESS BYDESIGN USER INTERFACE (UI) CONCEPTS


Overview
SAP Business ByDesign screens allow you to identify and to complete your tasks easily and quickly. All SAP Business ByDesign screens are designed to provide you a simple and intuitive user interface and bring tasks and required actions to you. All business processes, business documents, and technical implementation are integrated seamlessly in the SAP Business ByDesign user interfaces.

Screen Layout A SAP Business ByDesign screen consists of the following areas:

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with User Interfaces

Screen Layout of a SAP Business ByDesign Screen 1. Title bar: The top area of the user interface where the system displays user information, personalize menu, adapt menu, help menu, and the log-off option. 2. Navigation area: An area of the screen that enables the user to navigate from one work center or work center view to another. 3. Taskbar: The left-side bar where you can find the enterprise search and common tasks. 4. Infobar: The right-side bar that provides access to contextual information about the current screen. 5. Content area: The area of the application window for performing user tasks. The content area is visible on every page and changes when the user navigates from one page to another. A content area is further divided into sections. The layout of these screen sections varies depending on the business content of the screen and the typical tasks you perform on the screen:
Type of Views Overview view of a work center Work center view Business document Editor Quick activity screen Guided activity screen Sections (From Top to Bottom) Quick links and embedded reports A worklist and a detail section Title, basic information, actions, and business data sections Title, basic information, actions, and business data sections Title, actions, and business data sections Title, basic information, steps, actions, and business data sections

6. Navigation bar: Work center and work center view navigation menu is displayed at the bottom of the screen. You change between opened windows using tabbed navigation here. You can also personalize your screens with your preferences or your companys needs.

Navigation Principles In SAP Business ByDesign, the following navigation principles help you to identify and complete your business tasks: Push Principle SAP Business ByDesign solution pushes relevant information to you so that you can complete your daily work. The system delivers this information in the form of tasks, alerts, and notifications to your inbox. For more information about the Inbox view of the Home work center, see here. Pull Principle

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You can pull relevant information from the SAP Business ByDesign solution. You can access more relevant information from any screen in the system. From a worklist, you can search, filter, and sort to locate a business document. You can then click the link to open the overview of the business document. You can also change the business document by clicking Edit in the toolbar of the worklist. From a business document overview, you can click Edit to open the editor screen or a quick activity. You can also click View All to open the editor screen. From any screen, you can access information of a related business document by clicking the respective link. For example, from a purchase order document, you can access overview information of a supplier by clicking the link of the supplier. Collaboration Principle You can use other applications from the SAP Business ByDesign solution. You can e-mail or call a business partner from the system. From a SAP Business ByDesign screen, to email a contact using Microsoft Outlook, you can click on the email address of the contact to open Microsoft Outlook. Note that you need Microsoft Outlook to use this collaboration function. From a SAP Business ByDesign screen, to phone a contact, you can click the telephone number of the contact. Note that you need a telephony integration solution and the Collaboration Window to use this collaboration function. From the Collaboration Window, you can communicate with business partners using communication channels such as e-mail. You can also find business context information relevant to a business partner and workflow. Note that you need to install the Collaboration Window to use these collaboration functions. For more information about the Collaboration Window, see here.

2.3 NAVIGATE SAP BUSINESS BYDESIGN USER INTERFACES WITH KEYBOARD


The SAP Business ByDesign solution aims to comply with the keyboard standards of your operating system. You can use the keyboard to reach active screen elements and use the associated functionality in the SAP Business ByDesign solution. Note that certain functions described in this document may be blocked by your Web browser. For more information, refer to SAPNotes 1577875. To print this document, press CTRL + P. Navigation Focus The focus is the user interface element that receives the input from the keyboard. You can move the focus using the keyboard or mouse. You have the following initial focus in the SAP Business ByDesign solution: After you log on to the system, your focus is on the Home work center in the navigation area. After you open a work center, the focus is on the navigation area. You can press TAB to move the focus to the content area. You can also press F6 to first go to the Taskbar and then to the content area. When you access the content area, the focus is usually on the first selectable item. For example, when you are in the content area of an Overview view, the focus is on the expand/collapse tray of the first section, which is usually, the Quick Links section. In addition, when you access the content area, you should be aware of the following situations: Read-only fields can have the initial focus. Active tabs do not always have the initial focus. Add-on solutions do not have the initial focus.

Overview

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with User Interfaces

Navigation Keys You can use the following hot keys to navigate the SAP Business ByDesign user interface (UI):
Tasks Advance to the next UI element. Hot Keys

TAB Go back to the last UI element. SHIFT+TAB Skip to the next UI section. F6 Go back to the last UI section. SHIFT+F6 Open a link. SPACEBAR Trigger the default action of a field ENTER
or button; open a link. Move between options in a dropdown list or in a group of options, such as quick links. Arrow keys

If you are using the Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can use CTRL+TAB instead of F6, and CTRL+SHIFT +TAB instead of SHIFT+F6.

Function Keys You can use the following hot keys to use certain functions in the SAP Business ByDesign solution: For keyboard shortcuts that contain two or more keys, the keys are separated by a plus sign (+). You should press these keys simultaneously and let go of the last key first.

Tasks Hot Keys Save your data and close the screen. CTRL + W Save your data. Close the screen. Refresh the worklist. Open basic or advanced find in the worklist. Open filter in the worklist. Add a new row in the worklist.

CTRL + S CTRL + Q CTRL + R CTRL + G

CTRL + H CTRL + INSERT Delete a row in the worklist. CTRL + DELETE Expand a group in the hierarchy list. CTRL + + Collapse a group in the hierarchy CTRL + list. View all information in a business document. Log off. ter view navigation menu.

SHIFT + CTRL + A

SHIFT + CTRL + Q Open the work center and work cen- WIN+S

Examples Log on the System


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SAP Business ByDesign Working with User Interfaces

1. 2. 3. 4.

In the User field of the logon screen, enter your user ID. Press TAB to advance to the next field. In the Password field, enter your password. Press TAB. In the Language field, select a language with DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW. To log on to the system, press ENTER.

Open a Worklist 1. To select a work center you want to access, from the Home work center, press RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW. You can also open the work center menu in the navigation area and use UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW to choose a work center. 2. To open the Overview of the work center, press ENTER. 3. To locate a worklist, in the Quick Links section, press TAB. 4. To open the worklist, press ENTER. To select a work center view you want to access, from the work center in the navigation area, press DOWN ARROW to open the work center view list and press DOWN ARROW again to locate the work center view that you want to open. Open a Business Document from a Worklist 1. In the worklist, press TAB to move to the table section. You can also press F6 to jump to the next UI section in the worklist. A worklist usually consists of three sections: Show and Find, Group By and action buttons, and a table that contains links to your business documents. 2. To locate the row you want to access, in the table, press DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW. 3. To locate the business document you want to access, in the row, press TAB. 4. To open the business document, press ENTER.

2.4 PRINT A SCREEN


You can print screens that summarize important read-only details of your business partners or business transactions. You can print from any printer that is connected to your computer. You can also mark the print file with a pen or a highlighter to indicate important data on the overview screen. This helps you to record or exchange information easily and quickly.

Procedure

1. Go to the overview screen that you want to print and choose a section if applicable. 2. Click Print . 3. In the Print Preview screen under Tools, you have the following options: To write down your comment or cross out some data on the print screen, click Pen . To mark the data that you want to emphasize on the print screen, click Highlighter . To remove the pen and highlighter marks, click Eraser . You can also adjust the thickness of the pen and highlighter. 4. Adjust other settings as needed. 5. Click Print .
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SAP Business ByDesign Working with User Interfaces

Example

Kate Jacob works as a sales representative at Akron Heating Technologies Inc. Next week, she plans to visit a customer. During the visit, Kate needs to verify some information about a currently open opportunity with the main contact at the customer site. She wants to bring a printout of the opportunity. Kate opens the Opportunity List view under Opportunities in the New Business work center. She clicks opportunity 704 and the overview for opportunity 704 opens. She then clicks Print .

On the Print Preview screen, Kate adjusts the size of the print page to allow all content to fit on one page. She checks Footer and then Date and Time to display date and time information on the page. Kate clicks Highlighter to mark the main contact and clicks Pen to cross out the Forecast section because she does not want the contact to see this information. Kate clicks
Print

, and the overview for opportunity 704 is printed from her local printer.

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

3 WORKING WITH BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

3.1 OUTPUT MANAGEMENT


Overview
Output management comprises all activities related to the output of documents in print, e-mail, or fax format. Form-based documents can be output on an ad hoc basis or as an integrated part of a business process. Ad hoc output is generated when a user previews a document in Adobe Reader and either prints a paper copy or saves an electronic copy of the document in portable document format (PDF). This type of output does not require any configuration and can take place at any time. Process-integrated output means that the output of a document is triggered and performed by the system as part of a business process. For example, a purchase order is created by an employee and sent to his or her manager for approval. On approval by the manager, the document is sent automatically to the output channel defined in the output settings of the document. This could be print, e-mail, or fax. Default output settings and output channel and form template rules can be created by key users to define how a particular document is output by the system. For each document in your solution, SAP provides a preconfigured output scenario allowing either ad hoc and/or process-integrated output. This document describes form-based output only. Note that it is also possible to print a screen using the Print button when viewing a business document or object. For more information, see Print a Screen. This document does not describe communication arrangements or file input runs. For more information, see the Communication Arrangements Quick Guide and the File Input Quick Guide.

Ad Hoc Output
Users can display any form-based document in Adobe Reader by clicking the Preview button while viewing or editing the document. A PDF file of the document is displayed and can be viewed, printed or saved using the integrated Adobe Reader functions. If the document being previewed has been configured for use with process-integrated output, the PDF file contains a watermark to indicate that the document is a draft version. This ensures that the final copy of the document can only be output by the system and not manually. Note that some business processes such as shopping carts or knowledge base articles only support output using the Preview button.

Process-integrated output ensures that the documents sent to your business partners only contain complete and approved data as part of a defined business process. It also allows the output history of the document to be tracked. The process-integrated output of a document is triggered, for example, when a document is released by the document owner or when a manager has approved the document. This process varies depending on the underlying business process configuration. When the output of a document is triggered, the system uses the output settings of the document to determine which output channel and form template to use when creating the document. Depending on the defined output channel, the document is either sent to a print queue, e-mailed as a PDF attachment, or sent by fax. The appearance and content of the document is defined by a form template. For each business document type, a default output channel and form template can be configured by the key user. The employee responsible for a document can override the default settings of the document prior to submission. For more information about the configuration of process-integrated output, see Process-Integrated Output Settings.
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Process-Integrated Output

SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

Output Channels

The following output channels are supported: Print Queues Print queues are used to collect documents to be printed either automatically by the system or manually by a user. For more information about the printing concept, see Process-Integrated Printing. E-Mail The system generates the document as a PDF file and e-mails it as an attachment to your business partners email address. E-mail output settings are configured during go live and can be changed in the Business Configuration work center using the E-Mail and Fax Output Settings activity in the Fine Tune phase of the activity list. For more information, see E-Mail and Fax Output Settings. Fax The system generates the document as a PDF file and sends the document as an e-mail to a fax service provider, which converts the content and sends it to your business partners fax number. Fax settings are configured during go live and can be changed in the Business Configuration work center using the E-Mail and Fax Output Settings activity in the Fine Tune phase of the activity list. For more information, see E-Mail and Fax Output Settings.

You can choose whether attachments should be included when a business document is output. You can do this either when adding the attachment to the business document or by adjusting the output settings of a business document that already has attachments. For documents that are going to be printed, note that the SAP Print Manager and the Collaboration Window can only print PDF attachments. For documents that are going to be e-mailed or sent by fax, all types of attachments can be included. For business documents that are output on an ad hoc basis using the Preview button, this means that the attachments will be made available in the Preview screen for the business document. For business documents that are output as process-integrated output, the attachment is automatically added to the e-mail or fax, or, for printing, it is automatically sent to the defined print queue.

Attachments

Example

A sales employee has created and released a sales order. The system determines from the output settings of the document that the document should be sent by e-mail to the customer. The system creates a PDF file using the form template defined in the output settings, and then sends the PDF as an e-mail attachment to the customer. If no error is returned by the mail server, the output status is recorded as Successful in the . Output History tab of the sales order editor.

Process-Integrated Output Settings Process-Integrated Printing Forms Output History

See Also

3.2 OUTPUT HISTORY


When a business document is output from the system as process-integrated output, a record of each output is stored in the document's output history. You can view the Output History tab when editing a business document.

Overview

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

You can check the output history to see whether a document has been output successfully. The . Output History tab shows which output channel was used (the Sent By column), the status of the transmission, and the time and date the document was submitted. You can also view recipient details, the document content, and any attachments that were sent to the recipient. Click the link in the Document Name column to view the document. Note that if a document was output as a printed copy, then attachments are not printed. A document can have the following output statuses: In Process The document has been sent to the defined output channel but a status has not yet been returned. Error An error was reported by the output channel to which the document was sent. Successful The output channel has reported that the output was successful or the status has been manually set to successful by a user. For example, if the document was printed manually. Note that this status does not guarantee that the output has successfully reached its destination. This cannot be guaranteed because there are many other steps in the delivery chain that could fail and which do not necessarily report an error. Here, successful means that the document output has been successfully delivered to the next component in the delivery chain.

Viewing Document Details

Resubmitting a Document

If you need to resend a document for any reason, for example, a business partner has received a paper copy of a document by mail but wants to also receive an electronic copy by e-mail, you can resubmit the document. To do this, click Resubmit and adjust the output settings. You can also specify that the resubmitted document should contain a watermark to show that it is a duplicate.

Retention Periods

In the Retained Until column, you can view the end date of the business document's retention period. The retention period is the period of time for which the output record is retained in the output history. For more information, see Document Retention Periods.

Error Handling

If an error has occurred, click the link in the Status column to navigate directly to the Output Errors screen, where you can deal with the error. You will also have received an output error task in your inbox. To access your inbox, navigate to the Home work center, Work view, Inbox subview. For more information about handling output errors, see Task - Solve Output Error.

If the status is shown as Error but you have already solved the problem, you can manually set the output status to successful. On the . Output History tab, key users can download the XML data for the selected document output. This can then be used as sample data for form adaptation.

See Also

Output Management

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

3.3 DOCUMENT FLOW


Overview
The system stores the data of every step in an operational business process in the form of a document, for example, an opportunity, a sales quote, a sales order, an outbound delivery, or a customer invoice. Since the steps of the business processes are often based on previous steps, the documents are likewise based on one another and thus form a consecutive document chain.

To monitor and analyze this document chain, every document offers a document flow which is a graphical representation of the document chain. The initial view of the document flow highlights the document from which you start the display. It displays documents preceding or following the highlighted document. To view the overview of a specified business document, click the corresponding ID.

Example of a document flow

Explanation of Icons

Switches view to the document flow for the anchor document. The following documents are not part of the document flow: Additional follow-up documents of a preceding document
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SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

Additional preceding documents of a follow-up document To display these documents, you must switch to the document flow to the respective document by choosing the anchor icon of the document. When you switch the anchor document, the respective document is highlighted in orange. You can switch to the original anchor document by clicking
Return to Initial View

Opens the related output document that was successfully submitted. Indicates that the business document has been submitted as a portable document format (pdf) file.

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

Opens the corresponding list of open business task items. When you click the icon, a list of the business task management items related to the specified business document are displayed, along with the employee responsible and the processor. You can view the details by clicking the business task management item.

Opens the corresponding journal entry in Financial Accounting.

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

Indicates that the document led to a journal entry in Financial Accounting. For more information, see Document Flow into Financial Accounting. Icons Related to Errors

Opens error details for data transfer between documents. Indicates that there are errors related to incoming and outgoing data.

Opens error details for incoming data.

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

Indicates that a document cannot process an update sent by another document. In most cases, the update is sent by the preceding document. Goods and services receipt 854 cannot process an update sent by a purchase order

Opens error details for outgoing data. Indicates that a document cannot create or update another document. In most cases, the follow-up document is the document that cannot be created or updated. Purchase order 1234 cannot update goods and services receipt 854 Further Information Related to Error Icons When you click an icon related to an error, the system displays a list of errors related to the specified business document, along with to whom the error has been addressed. Errors are addressed in one of the following ways: As Task If the error can be solved by a business user, the system creates a task and addresses it to a business user. If this is the case, a list of the business tasks related to the specified business document are displayed, along with the employee responsible and the processor. You can view the task details by clicking the task. As Incident If the error cannot be solved by a business user, the system creates an incident and addresses it to your service provider.

You can switch to an Extended View in the Show field to display additional documents, such as appointments or activity tasks. Note that additional documents can be from other business areas. For example, preceding or followup documents of purchasing or sourcing documents in Supplier Relationship Management can be from Supply Chain Management or from Financial Management. You can zoom in or out by clicking the following icons:

Adjusting the Display

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

Zoom In

Zoom Out You can select a part of the document flow to view by clicking the following icon:

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

Toggle Navigation Window If the document flow does not fit on your screen, and you want to view a certain part of the document flow, click the hand icon to open the Navigation Window. You can then select the part of the document flow you want to view. You can refresh the document flow by choosing
Refresh

See Also

Solve Issue in Business Documents Business Task Management

3.4 ATTACHMENTS AND NOTES


Users can add notes and attachments to business documents. For example, when designing a product, users can store information specific to a particular material used by adding attachments and notes.

Overview

Attachments

From within a business document, users can store attachments, for example, product drafts or specifications. These attachments can be viewed, downloaded, deleted, or replaced by other users. When you are working on an document, you can lock attachments to indicate this to colleagues and temporarily disable the replace and delete functions. Attachments can be locked or unlocked by any user.

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SAP Business ByDesign Working with Business Documents

When you add an attachment to a business document, you can specify whether the attachment should be included when the document is sent to business partners. For documents that are going to be printed, note that the SAP Print Manager and the Collaboration Window can only print PDF attachments. For documents that are going to be e-mailed or sent by fax, all types of attachments can be included.

Notes

To record information specific to a business document or object, users can add notes. You can add notes and view the notes history on the Notes tab. You can also edit notes you have entered, or notes entered by colleagues, depending on the note category.

Notes can also be stored in several languages, for example, to store a material description in German, Spanish, French, Italian, or Chinese. You can also add a sticky note to selected business documents by choosing the Add Note icon. For more information, see Using Sticky Notes.

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4 BUSINESS TASK MANAGEMENT

4.1 BUSINESS TASK MANAGEMENT


Business Task Management (BTM) ensures that activities related to a business process within or across your organization are completed in order to fulfill defined business objectives. Using BTM, the system addresses work to users and enables them to receive, manage, and complete business task management items related to a business process in an efficient way. The system creates business task management items when it requires input from a user about a related business document. These items are created so that users check, change, clarify information, complete items, or make a decision as part of a business process.

Overview

Categories of Business Task Management Items

Each business task management item is created according to a predefined task type in the system. The task type defines a set of properties for the business task management item, such as the category, related business document type, priority, work distribution, and deadlines. The system creates BTM items based on one of the following task type categories.

Task A unit of work assigned to a user or to a group of users.

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Alert A task with the highest available priority that requires immediate user action.

Notification An informative item that typically requires no user action.

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Clarifications A manually created task used when one user asks another user for more information about a related business document or BTM item along with the reply to the request; a flexible question and answer process.

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Automated Task A technical task used to perform an action on a business document. It is created automatically when triggered by a preceding business document in the process. No input from any user is needed since the only input required is the output from the preceding business process. Automated tasks do not appear in the worklists of business users.

Use Cases for Business Task Management Items


Notifications A notification is sent to a user to inform him or her of preceding process steps which have been carried out in the system or special milestones that have been reached in a business process. Neither the user nor the system has to perform any activity to keep the business process running. Notifications always appear in the users Inbox subview, located in the Work view of the Home work center. If notifications are acknowledged by the user, they are removed from the user's inbox. If the user does not acknowledge them, they expire after a specified amount of time. An example of a notification is Leave Request Approval Notification. Checks A check task is created to inform a user to check that the preceding business process performed as expected. The configuration in the system does not allow this kind of item to be suppressed. These tasks may need to be completed manually. Check tasks appear in users worklists as tasks. An example of a check task is Deviating Purchase Order Acknowledgment Check. Escalations An escalation task is created to involve a more senior employee in a business process if deadlines are endangered. The business process is not interrupted by the escalation since it is created in addition to the original task. Once the original task is completed, the escalation closes automatically. Escalations can appear in all task lists and are usually assigned to more senior employees. Escalation tasks can be identified in the system based on their subject starting with Escalation: or Overdue:. An example of an escalation task is Overdue: Complete Compensation Data.
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Decisions A decision task is created when there are at least two alternatives possible to continue a business process. The system requires a decision from the user and waits for the decision before continuing the business process. Decision tasks usually appear in the users work center worklist. They are automatically closed once the relevant changes are made to the business document to which the task refers. In contrast to clarifications, change, or completion tasks, decision tasks only allow users to execute specific actions for the current decision, but do not give the user access to edit other attributes of the related business document. Approval tasks are a type of decision task used in approval scenarios. An example of an approval task is Leave Request Approval. Clarification Task The system creates clarification tasks when the business process is interrupted if the available data for the subsequent process step does not match the requirements. For example, if a mandatory field is not filled in correctly. The system creates a clarification task to inform the user to check the data. Clarification tasks typically appear in work center worklists. They are automatically closed once the relevant changes are made to the business document to which the task refers. An example of a clarification task is Supplier Invoice Exceptions Clarification. Changes A change task is created if the data required to execute a subsequent business process step is available but needs to be changed. Change tasks usually appear in the users work center worklists. They are automatically closed once the relevant changes are made to the business document to which the task refers. An example of a change task is to resolve product data inconsistency in a purchase request. Revision tasks are a type of change task used in approval scenarios. An example of a revision task is Shopping Cart Revision. Completions A completion task is created if the data required to execute a subsequent business process step is correct but incomplete and therefore needs to be completed. Completion tasks typically appear in the users work center worklists. They are automatically closed once the relevant changes are made to the business document to which the task refers. An example of a completion task is Purchase Order Completion.

In SAP Business ByDesign, business processes are automated as much as possible. Remaining work that requires users to interact with the system is assigned automatically to the determined persons responsible. The system uses the exception-based working model to assign BTM items to users and provides users with worklists. This ensures that business documents that require user action are pushed into the users focus based on predefined exceptions to the automated process. To assign BTM items to users, the system distributes the workload based on the following: The type of business task management item. Work distribution defined during organizational setup. Any defined employee work distribution rules. The access rights of the user. For more information, see Work Distribution. A work center worklist displays all items assigned to the user. Work centers, including the Home work center, provide the user with an overview of the workload for the business context of the work center. The system prioritizes tasks within a worklist, giving users guidance in their daily work on which task should be completed first.

Assigning Business Task Management Items

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After business task management items have been assigned, users process the items to ensure the flow of the business process. For more information, see: Working with Tasks, Notifications, and Alerts Working with Clarification Requests Tasks can be completed either automatically based on defined business logic or manually by users. Automatic Completion Most tasks are defined with an automatic completion condition related to the defined business logic. Once the defined condition is reached, the status of the task is automatically set to Completed. For example, when a manager receives an open Leave Request Approval task, the manager typically approves the leave request; the status of the leave request is set to Approved. When the manager approves the leave request, the task is automatically closed, and status of the task is set to Completed, and the task is removed from the manager's worklist. Manual Completion If an automatic completion condition is not defined, tasks must be manually completed. After performing the necessary actions on business document related to the task, the user completes the relevant tasks by clicking Complete. This changes the status of the task to Completed and removes the task from the open items list. Users can also view completed tasks. From the Inbox work center view of the Work work center view in the Home work center, choose the Closed Items option from the Show dropdown list . Acknowledging Notifications Notifications are acknowledged rather than completed. Users can acknowledge a notification by clicking Acknowledge to indicate that they have read the notification. This changes the status of the notification to Acknowledged and removes it from the worklist. If the notification is addressed to several users, the notification is completed only after all users have acknowledged it. If the user does not acknowledge a notification manually, it is removed from the worklist once the expiration date is reached. Whether a task is completed automatically or manually is predefined and cannot be changed in configuration.

Processing Business Task Management Items

See Also

Dates and Deadlines in Business Task Management

4.2 WORKING WITH TASKS, NOTIFICATIONS, AND ALERTS


Overview
Tasks, notifications, and alerts enable you to inform another user about a business document that may require checking, changes, or that may need to be completed. You can create tasks, notifications, alerts with reference to business task management items and business documents.

Tasks Created by the System When the system creates a task, it displays as New in the relevant users worklist. You see business task management items that are associated with the work center views and access rights to which you are assigned. You can execute the task by opening the task, clicking the link, or can access the related document by clicking Edit . You are then assigned as the processor of the task. If a task is assigned to multiple persons responsible, it stays in the worklists of all persons responsible until it has been completed. The multiple persons responsible can see who has taken over the task for processing.

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Statuses of Business Task Managment (BTM) Items Tasks can have the following statuses: New, In Progress, Completed, and Canceled. Notifications can have the following statuses: New, In Progress, Acknowledged, Completed, and Canceled. Alerts can have the following statuses: New, In Progress, Completed, and Canceled. Manually Creating Tasks, Notifications, and Alerts 1. Select the relevant business task management item or business document, click New and choose the corresponding option: Task, Notification, or Alert. 2. Fill in the mandatory fields. In the To field, enter the employee ID or search for the employee using the value help. Note that you can only enter or select employees who have access rights to the related business document for which you create the task, notification, or alert. For tasks, enter a date by when you expect a response in the Due Date field. For notifications, enter a date by when the notification is to expire in the Expiry Date field. For alerts, you cannot enter a due date since alerts require immediate action. In the Subject field, enter the subject for the task, notification, or alert. The subject is displayed in the recipient's work inbox. In the Priority, field set the priority to Low, Medium, High or Very High. For alerts, the priority is set by default to highest available priority, for example, Very High. The default cannot be changed. You can enter the request details on the Notes tab page and add relevant attachments on the Attachments tab page. 3. Send or cancel the task, notification, or alert. To send the task, notification, or alert, click Save and Close . To close the screen without saving your changes, click Close . You can track your tasks, notifications, and alerts from the Work work center view of the Home work center. In the Delegated Tasks work center view, from the Show dropdown list, choose Created by Me. Receiving Tasks, Notifications, and Alerts You receive manually created tasks, notifications, and alerts in the Work work center view of the Home work center. In the Inbox work center subview, from the Show dropdown list, choose Open Items. You can also choose Open Tasks, Open Notifications, or Open Alerts accordingly. Processing Tasks, Notifications, and Alerts To view the related business document and to make any relevant changes after you have read the detailed instructions in the Description field, click the subject link of the business task management item, or click Edit . Once you start processing a task, notification, or alert, the status of the task, notification, or alert is set to In Progress. Tracking Manually Created Tasks, Notifications, and Alerts You can track the progress of business task management items that you have created from the Work work center view of the Home work center. In the Delegated Tasks work center view, from the Show dropdown list, choose Created by Me. You can also view all completed tasks from the Work work center view of the Home work center. From the Show dropdown list, choose Closed Items.

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Generic Task Details To view the details of the task, choose the Open Details option from the context menu or from The Related Document link launches the screen of the related business document.

Actions

The details of the task include information, such as the person responsible, process, status, and so on. The Notes tab page shows the details of the item, and comments entered by the employee who from whom the item is sent and any previous processors. The Attachments tab page shows any attached documents. You can also add notes and attachments. Depending on the task, the following actions are available. Change Priority Forward Assigns the item to another person for processing Note that you can only forward tasks to employees who have access rights to the related business document of the task, notification, or alert. Complete Acknowledge Notifications are acknowledged rather than completed. Cancel If you require further information before you can process the item, you can create a clarification request by clicking New , and then choosing Clarification Request.

See Also

Business Task Management Working with Clarification Requests

4.3 WORKING WITH CLARIFICATION REQUESTS


Clarification requests enable you to request information about business task management items or business documents from another user. You can create clarification requests with reference to business task management items and business documents. Note that creating a clarification request does not affect the flow of the business process. For example, if you create a clarification request about a purchase order, the clarification request does not prevent the purchase order from being processed. Recipients can open clarification requests regardless of whether they have access to the related business document or task. When you create a clarification request, it displays as New in the relevant users worklist. When the recipient processes the clarification request, the status of clarification request changes to In Clarification. Clarification requests can have the following statuses: New, In Clarification, Clarified, and Completed. Creating Clarification Requests 1. Select the relevant business task management item or business document, click New and choose Clarification Request. 2. Fill in the mandatory fields. In the To field, enter the employee ID or search for the employee using the value help. In the Due Date field, enter a date by when you expect a response. The default is three days from the current date.
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Overview

SAP Business ByDesign Business Task Management

In the Subject field, enter the subject for the clarification request. The subject is displayed in the recipient's work inbox. By default, the Subject field is either filled with the name of the business task management item for which you require clarification, or is blank if the clarification request is for a business document. However, you can change the default. In the Priority, field set the priority to Low, Medium, High or Very High. By default, the priority is set to Medium. You can enter the request details on the Notes tab page and add relevant attachments on the Attachments tab page. 3. Send or cancel the clarification request. To send the clarification request, click Save and Close . To close the screen without saving your changes, click

Close

You can track your clarification requests from the Work work center view of the Home work center. In the Delegated Tasks work center subview, from the Show dropdown list, choose Created by Me. Responding to Clarification Requests You receive clarification requests in the Work work center view of the Home work center. In the Inbox work center subview, from the Show dropdown list, choose either Open Items or Open Clarifications. Once you start processing a clarification request, the status of the clarification is set to In Clarification. 1. To begin processing the clarification request, open the details of the clarification or click Edit . The Related Document link launches the screen of the related business document. The Related Task link, which is only displayed if the requestor is referring to a specific task, launches the details of this task. The Notes tab page shows the details of the request, and comments entered by the employee who from whom the clarification request is sent and any previous processors. The Attachments tab page shows any attached documents. 2. Answer, forward, or close the clarification request. To answer the clarification request, click Reply . On the Notes tab page under Internal Comment, you can enter any relevant information or comments. You can also add attachments on the Attachments tab page. To assign the request to another person for processing, click Forward . In the To field, enter the employee ID or search for the employee using the value help. You can track your clarification requests from the Work work center view of the Home work center. In the Delegated Tasks work center subview, from the Show dropdown list, choose Forwarded by Me. To close the screen without saving your changes, click Close . Receiving Responses to Clarification Requests The clarification request has the status Clarified. 1. To view the reply to your clarification request, open the details of the clarification or click Edit . If you have further questions, you can use Reply to reply to the employee who provided the response. To forward the clarification request to another user, under Actions , choose Forward. You can track your clarification requests from the Work work center view of the Home work center. In the Delegated Tasks work center subview, from the Show dropdown list, choose Forwarded by Me. 2. Complete or close the clarification request. Under Actions , choose Complete. The system then closes the clarification request. You can track closed clarification requests from the Work work center view of the Home work center. From the Show dropdown list, choose Closed Items. To close the screen without saving your changes, click Close .

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See Also

Business Task Management Working with Tasks, Notifications, and Alerts

4.4 DATES AND DEADLINES IN BUSINESS TASK MANAGEMENT


Dates can refer to an aspect of the business task management (BTM) item itself or refer to the referenced business document in the BTM item, such as the start date entered in a leave request.

Overview

Dates

The following dates are relevant for business task management items. Activation Date The activation date describes the date on which an item, which may have been created earlier, is activated and appears in the users worklist. It is used when a delay occurs between the event that triggers the item and the actual execution of the item. For example, year closing activities are triggered throughout the year, but only need to be performed at year end. Most tasks are activated directly when created and are addressed immediately to the user. Latest Start Date The latest start date of an item describes the latest date by which the item needs to change status from New to In Progress. It can be used, for example, to monitor the initial response time and to trigger further action in the event that the deadline passes without a change in status. Due Date The due date of an item describes the latest date by which the item needs to be closed or have the status of Completed or Canceled. Expiry Date The expiration date of an item describes the date on which items are automatically canceled because the item is no longer valid or relevant. It is mainly used for notifications.

Deadline Reactions

If the specific conditions relating to status are not fulfilled by the time a deadline is reached, the following reactions are possible. None No changes are made to the task if the required conditions have not been fulfilled by the deadline. Increasing Task Priority The priority of the task is set to the next highest level if the required conditions have not been fulfilled by the deadline. If the default priority for the task is defined as Very High, this option cannot be chosen as deadline reaction. Changing Priority to the Highest The priority is raised to the highest level if the required conditions have not been fulfilled by the deadline. If the default priority for the task is already defined as Very High, this option cannot be chosen as deadline reaction. Escalation Task Is Created An escalation task is created in addition to the original task if the required conditions have not been fulfilled by the deadline. Only task types that are enabled for escalation will allow you to do this. The escalation task contains a link to the original task. The original task remains the responsibility of the current user, and the escalation task is sent to a more senior employee. In addition to this reaction, the escalation status of the original task changes to Escalated. Escalation task types can be closed manually by the recipient of the escalation or are automatically closed once the original task is closed.

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See Also

Business Task Management

4.5 BUSINESS TASK MANAGEMENT CONFIGURATION


Overview
Configuration is an optional fine-tuning activity for task types enabled to be configured. Business task management (BTM) optional fine-tuning activities are automatically available as part of your scoped solution. These optional fine-tuning activities apply to a group of related task types that form part of your dedicated scoped functionality.

Task types are delivered with predefined settings. You cannot create additional task types. Some task types are automatically included in your scope and cannot be changed. You can however change the attributes of some BTM task types according to your specific needs, which enables you to empower users to work on the right tasks at the right time. Adjusted deadlines and deadline reactions give transparency and guidance in daily work. Fine-Tuning Activity Details When you select a fine-tuning activity for business task management, the task are grouped by process. A process group contains all available task types for a specific business context. When you select a task type from the available task type list, the details of the task type are displayed to the right of the list. The details include the task subject and a short explanation of the task. You can find the configurable attributes below.

Configurable Attributes

For configurable task types, you can change the following task type attributes in the relevant BTM fine-tuning activity.

Activation and Deactivation While most task types are always active to ensure process flow in the system, there are some task types, for example notifications, which can be activated or deactivated during configuration. To activate or deactivate a task type, select the task type in the list of available task types in the relevant BTM finetuning activity and select or clear the checkbox in the Active column. Default Priority The default priority is the priority a task shows once it is created. You can only configure the default priority of task types for which the priority is not derived from the attributes of the referenced business document. Available priorities are Very High, High, Medium, and Low. Dates Dates can refer to an aspect of the business task management item itself or refer to the referenced business document in the BTM item, such as the start date entered in a leave request. Depending on the type of task, it may be possible to configure specific dates, such as the latest start date, and the system reaction to a missed deadline. Dates can be used to trigger further action in the event that the deadline passes without a change in status. The following dates are relevant for business task management items. Activation Date The activation date describes the date on which an item, which may have been created earlier, is activated and appears in the users worklist. It is used when a delay occurs between the event that triggers the item and the
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actual execution of the item. For example, year closing activities are triggered throughout the year, but only need to be performed at year end. Most tasks are activated directly when created and are addressed immediately to the user. Latest Start Date The latest start date of an item describes the latest date by which the item needs to change status from New to In Progress. It can be used, for example, to monitor the initial response time. Due Date The due date of an item describes the latest date by which the item needs to be closed or have the status of Completed or Canceled. Expiry Date The expiration date of an item describes the date on which items are automatically canceled because the item is no longer valid or relevant. It is mainly used for notifications. Deadline Reactions If the specific conditions relating to status are not fulfilled by the time a deadline is reached, the following reactions are possible. None If the deadline reaction is set to None, no changes are made to the task if the required conditions have not been fulfilled by the deadline. The due date is still displayed for sorting and prioritization purposes. Increasing Task Priority If the deadline reaction is set to Increase Priority, the priority of the task is set to the next highest level if the required conditions have not been fulfilled by the deadline. If the default priority for the task is defined as Very High, this option cannot be chosen as deadline reaction. Changing Priority to the Highest If the deadline reaction is set to Change to Highest Priority, the priority is raised to the highest level if the required conditions have not been fulfilled by the deadline. If the default priority for the task is already defined as Very High, this option cannot be chosen as deadline reaction. Escalation Task Is Created If the deadline reaction is set to Create Escalation of Type, an escalation task is created in addition to the original task if the required conditions have not been fulfilled by the deadline. Only task types that are enabled for escalation will allow you to do this. The escalation task contains a link to the original task. The original task remains the responsibility of the current user, and the escalation task is sent to a more senior employee. In addition to this reaction, the escalation status of the original task changes to Escalated, which is also shown to the persons responsible for the original task. Escalation task types can be closed manually by the recipient of the escalation or are automatically closed once the original task is closed.

See Also

Business Task Management

4.6 MANUALLY CREATED TASK TYPES 4.6.1 TASK: MANUALLY CREATED TASKS
You can create tasks in any business context. You manually create a task in regard to a related business document. You enter the subject, provide details by adding a note or attachments, and send the task to a selected recipient. The list of potential recipients available from the To field is restricted to users who have access rights to the related business document for which you create the task. Manually created tasks have the default priority Medium and are due within seven days. They must be completed manually by the recipient.

Overview

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The user receives manually created tasks in the Inbox of the Work work center view in the Home work center.

Relevance

Response

To complete a manually created task, refer to the information provided by the sender. Open the details of the related business document and take the appropriate actions to solve the business issue.

Manually created tasks are created outside the standard business scenario context and offer the user a wider choice of actions. Therefore, there are no set actions that must always be used to complete a manually created task. The recipient must decide which actions are appropriate. Once you have carried out the appropriate actions to solve the business issue, you must complete the manually created task. From the Inbox of the Work view in the Home work center, select the corresponding task. From Actions , click Complete. You can also complete the task by opening the details of the task and clicking Actions and choosing Complete. If you do not respond to the manually created task, it remains in your work list. Manually created tasks are not closed automatically by the system.

The attributes of manually created tasks are fully predefined and cannot be configured.

Configuration

See Also

Business Task Management Working with Tasks, Notifications, and Alerts

4.6.2 NOTIFICATION: MANUALLY CREATED NOTIFICATIONS


Overview
You can create notifications in any business context. Manually created notifications are informative items that typically require no user action. and do not require any user action. You enter the subject, provide details by adding a note or attachments, and send the notification to a selected recipient. The list of potential recipients available from the To field is restricted to users who have access rights to the related business document for which you create the notification. Manually created notifications have the default priority Medium, and an expiration date of seven days.

The user receives manually created notifications in the Inbox of the Work work center view in the Home work center.

Relevance

The notification is closed automatically by the system once the expiration date is reached. The recipient can close the notification manually before its expiration date. From the Inbox of the Work view in the Home work center, select the corresponding notification. From Actions , click Acknowledge. You can also acknowledge the notification by opening the details of the notification and clicking Actions and choosing Acknowledge.

Response

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The attributes of manually created notifications are fully predefined and cannot be configured.

Configuration

See Also

Business Task Management Working with Tasks, Notifications, and Alerts

4.6.3 ALERT: MANUALLY CREATED ALERT


A manually created alert is a task with the highest available priority that requires immediate user action. You can create alerts in any business context. You manually create an alert in regard to a related business document. You enter the subject, provide details by adding a note or attachments, and send the alert to a selected recipient. The list of potential recipients available from the To field is restricted to users who have access rights to the related business document for which you create the alert. Manually created alerts have the priority Very High and are due immediately. They must be completed manually by the recipient.

Overview

The user receives manually created alerts in the Inbox of the Work work center view in the Home work center.

Relevance

To complete a manually created alert, refer to the information provided by the sender. Open the details of the related business document and take the appropriate actions to solve the business issue. Manually created alerts are created outside the standard business scenario context and offer the user a wider choice of actions. Therefore, there are no set actions that must always be executed to complete a manually created alert. The recipient must decide which actions are appropriate. Once you have carried out the appropriate actions to solve the business issue, you must complete the manually created alert. From the Inbox of the Work view in the Home work center, select the corresponding alert. From Actions , click Complete. You can also complete the alert by opening the details of the alert and clicking Actions and choosing Complete. If you do not respond to the manually created alert, it remains in your work list. Manually created alerts are not closed automatically by the system.

Response

Configuration

The attributes of manually created alerts are fully predefined and cannot be configured.

See Also

Business Task Management Working with Tasks, Notifications, and Alerts

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4.6.4 CLARIFICATION: MANUALLY CREATED CLARIFICATION REQUESTS


Overview
A clarification request is designed to support a question and answer process between users. The sender can start the process from anywhere in the system whenever additional information from another user to further process a business document or task is required. The sender enters the name of the recipient in the To field of the clarification request. Any user can receive clarification requests.

Recipients receive clarification requests in the Inbox of the Work work center view in the Home work center. If the recipient has access rights to the related business document or task, he or she can open the related document or task by clicking Details in the clarification request. If the recipient does not have access rights to the related business document or task, he or she can still access the clarification request.

Relevance

The recipient of the clarification request can send a response to the sender and also forward the request to another user if necessary. The sender receives the response in the Inbox of the Work view in the Home work center.

Response

The attributes of clarification requests are fully predefined and cannot be configured.

Configuration

See Also

Business Task Management Working with Clarification Requests

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5 ANALYTICS

5.1 OVERVIEW OF ANALYTICS


Analytics is integrated in SAP Business ByDesign to support and monitor business processes, helping you to make informed decisions. Reports can be accessed from the Reports work center view of work centers and are also embedded into Overview work center views, enabling transparency of data in system. The data in SAP Business ByDesign Analytics is real time. There is no persistency in a separate Business Warehouse layer. Data in SAP Business ByDesign Analytics is also access context sensitive. This means that data sources are associated with access contexts to ensure that data is directed to users who are allowed to view the data. For more information about access contexts, see User and Access Management.

Overview

Types of Objects in Analytics


Characteristic A field according to which values are selected. Characteristics are alphanumeric, numeric, or text values. Examples include Product ID, Supplier, and Purchase Order Status. Variables are often associated with specified characteristics. Variables restrict characteristics to one or more specified value selections. Key Figure A field according to which values are selected. Key figures are numeric values that have a unit of measure or currency assigned. Examples include Invoice Net Value and Purchase Order Quantity. Data Source An object containing key figures and characteristics, which provides a multidimensional, analytical view of business data. Data sources are associated with a specified access context or can be unrestricted.

Example of a data source

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Key Figure Structure A group of predefined key figures for reporting on one axis. Key figures in the structure can be calculated or restricted. The access context of a key figure structure is that of the underlying data source.

Example of a key figure structure with data Characteristic Structure A group of predefined characteristic elements in a key figure grid. Characteristic elements are characteristics that can be calculated or restricted. The access context of a characteristic structure is that of the underlying data source.

Example of a characteristic structure with data Key Figure Grid A group consisting of a key figure structure and a characteristic structure for reporting on two axes. The access context of a key figure grid is that of the underlying data source.

Example of a key figure grid with data Report A compilation of data for analysis. Reports show values derived from key figures and characteristics in data sources, key figure structures, and key figure grids.

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Example of a report

See Also

Analytical Navigation

5.2 REPORTS VIEW


SAP Business ByDesign delivers predefined content for reports that are defined in your scope. Reports can also be defined by key users for business users. The Reports view is a central access point to reports associated with a work center. The following report types are available. Browser-Based Reports Consists of a compilation of data for evaluation where analysis and drill-down is supported. You can open browser-based reports either in a Web browser or in Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Excel-Based Reports Using Microsoft Office Excel, you can view and edit reports in spreadsheets. To view and work with Microsoft Excel-Based reports, ensure that the SAP Business ByDesign add-in for Microsoft Excel is installed. The add-in is available from the Download Center. In the Self-Services Overview work center view of the Home work center, under My Computer, click Install Additional Software from Download Center. Formatted Reports Formatted reports have an optimized layout to facilitate printing and presentation. You can open reports using Crystal Reports Viewer. For more information about the Crystal Reports Viewer, see the help documentation. You can access the help documentation by clicking Help from the Crystal Reports Viewer menu. To view formatted reports, ensure that the Crystal Reports Viewer is installed. The Crystal Reports Viewer is available from the Self-Services Overview work center view of the Home work center. Under My Computer, click Install Additional Software. On the following screen, click the download link.

Overview

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Mobile Reports Mobile reports are browser-based reports that are enabled for mobile devices.

Overview

Features
Opening Reports The report names are displayed as links. To open the report, click the relevant link . By clicking can open a report either in a Web browser or in Microsoft Excel. You can also open reports from the Gallery work center view in which you can browse reports. Organizing Reports By default, all reports associated with the work center are displayed and the Advanced find feature is closed. From the Show dropdown list, you can choose whether to display reports by the following criteria: By Report Category My Priority Reports To include or remove a report from your priority list, select the report row, click as Priority or Remove from Priority. All Reports All Reports - Quick List Displays a list of reports, providing only the names and descriptions of reports. By default, the system displays reports grouped by report category. For the Home work center, the following additional criteria are available: My Microsoft Excel Workbooks Shows workbooks that you save to the SAP Business ByDesign system. To create or delete a workbook from the Home work center, click Excel Workbook , and then choose the relevant option. By Work Center Mobile Reports Details In the Details section below the reports list, you can find additional information about the selected report. There are three tab pages in the Details area of the Reports view. Report Views A report view is a modified view of the data available with a report. The Report Views tab page displays all existing views associated with a report. These are divided into three categories: views created by you; views created by a key user; views delivered by SAP Business ByDesign; views created by SAP Business ByDesign partners. and
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Report views are displayed as links and can be opened directly from this tab page by clicking the corresponding link. Report Details Displays general information about a report, including creation and change data. Under Report Categories, all of the report categories to which a report is assigned are listed, for example, Supply Chain Physical Inventory. Report Assignment Displays the work center views and subviews with which the selected report is associated. Note that the list can also include views and subviews from work centers other than the work center in which the report is currently displayed. Note that in the Home, Managing My Area, and Business Configuration work centers, reports may be assigned although they are not displayed in the Reports view.

See Also

Working with Reports in a Web Browser Working with Reports and Plans in Microsoft Excel Working with Mobile Reports Working with Selections Working with Embedded Reports

5.3 WORKING WITH REPORTS IN A WEB BROWSER


Overview
Working with reports in a Web browser allows you to execute ad hoc analyses. You can open reports from the reports list in the Reports view and from embedded reports.

Functions in the Content Area


Display In the content area for the report, data is displayed in a table or chart depending on settings. You can switch the display format of the report. You can also undo a step or revert to the last saved state of the report. Analytical Navigation In cells of reports displayed in table format, you can use the context menu for further navigation and analysis. Using the context menu, you can view existing documents related to a value. When you double-click a cell, the documents and reports to which you can navigate are displayed. For example, you can navigate to a preceding document, such as a purchase request, an overview document that provides information about a customer, or to another report. For more information, see Analytical Navigation.

Functions in the Navigation Pane

In the navigation pane, you can find functions to make display settings. Analysis functions are also available to display certain values.

The following table provides an overview of display settings and analysis functions available for key figures and characteristics:
Key Figures Characteristics

Display Hide Decimals

Display Hide Adding Attributes

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Key Figures

Characteristics

Scaling Conditions Exceptions Sorting

Displaying Hierarchies Conditions Exceptions Sorting

Display Settings By clicking Settings , you can determine how characteristics and key figures are displayed in the report along with making settings for charts and tables. For more information, see the following: Characteristic Settings Key Figure Settings Chart Settings Table Settings

Creating Exceptions and Conditions To create conditions and exceptions for the report, under Columns, click the dropdown list for Key Figures. You can create, edit, and delete exceptions and conditions by choosing Manage Exceptions or Manage Conditions accordingly. For more information about analysis functions, see Conditions and Exceptions. Selecting Key Figures To add additional key figures to the report from the available key figures or to remove them from the report, click the Select Key Figure dialog box under Columns next to the Key Figures dropdown list. You can determine the order in which key figures appear as columns in your report by moving them up, down, to the top and to the bottom of the list. You can also decide if you want to display technical IDs. Displaying Characteristics and Key Figures You can drag and drop characteristics and key figures in columns and rows or to the Not Currently Shown list. To drag and drop, you use the Move function. This function is available from the dropdown list from the characteristics and key figures. If you select Remove, the characteristic or key figure is moved to the Not Currently Shown list. Quick Filter Between the content area and the navigation pane, you can find functions to collapse the navigation pane and to expand the quick filter. The quick filter provides an input field in which you can enter a value for a characteristic rather than selecting from values. This function is useful if you already know the value. To remove the filter, click the icon to the left of the input field. Note that the values entered for the quick filter are saved. If you save the current view, for example, any values set using the quick filter are saved. If you move a characteristic for which you have set a quick filter to the Not Currently Shown list, the values you have set using the quick filter are still considered when navigating to another report. By clicking the filter icon next to characteristics in rows, you can restrict characteristics to specified values. You can search for values and select some or all of values from the available list. To remove the filter, click the Filter icon, and then click Remove Filter .
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Toolbar Functions

Close

Closes the Web browser window.


View

You can save the current report view, save the report view under a different name, and manage the report views. Under Manage Views, you can set a report view as default, rename, or delete personal report views.
Settings

You can determine how characteristics and key figures are displayed in the report along with making settings for charts and tables.
Selections

You can set values for filter and variables and manage variables. You can decide whether to hide or show the selection area before starting a report. To close the selection area, click the icon to the right of the Start Options dropdown list.
Add Fields

You can add fields, such as characteristics and attributes of a characteristic, to the report. You can also add variables and hierarchies as variables. For more information, see Add a Field to a Report.
Print

Allows you to print the report using one of the printers connected to your computer.
Export

Exports the report to Microsoft Excel in XML format. Note that the report opens in read only mode. To perform ad-hoc analyses, you must open the report in Microsoft Excel. From the Reports work center view, click View With , and choose the Microsoft Excel option.
Send

You can send the report as an e-mail attachment or as a link. View Shows the report view that is displayed in the Web browser. The dropdown list displays the report views that are available with the corresponding report. A report view is a modified view of the data available with a report. You can also define one or more views for a report. You define a view by saving the current status of a report. Variables Shows the set of value selection for Variables of the report. The dropdown list displays the saved sets of value selection for Variables. For more information, see Working with Selections. You can save the current set of selection values for variables, save the set of selection values for variables under a different name, and manage them. By clicking Selections , and choosing the . Manage tab page, you can set selection values for variables as default, rename, or delete a set of selection values for variables. Note that the ByDesign Initial set of variables and corresponding set of value selections cannot be deleted and is not available on the . Manage tab page. Set as Default Sets the current report view and defined variables as default. Variables can also be set as default from the variables screen. For variables, the last set default is valid whether the default is set in the Web browser or from the variables screen. Report Header The report header is located to the right of the toolbar. By clicking the Show Report Header icon, the system displays the access context, variables ID, and any filters set. You can also view technical information about the report, such as the report ID and the data source for the report. If available, any information and warning are also displayed. For example, if the display currency is set using the key figure setting or Variables is displayed.

See Also

Reports View Working with Reports and Plans in Microsoft Excel


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5.4 WORKING WITH REPORTS AND PLANS IN MICROSOFT EXCEL


The SAP Business ByDesign add-in for Microsoft Excel enables you to execute ad hoc analyses, create workbooks, create plan data, and define sales targets. Microsoft Excel-Based Reporting You can open reports from the workbooks and reports list in a Reports work center view by clicking View With and choosing the Microsoft Excel option. You can also open reports directly in Microsoft Excel by logging on the SAP Business ByDesign system. Key users for Analytics can create design workbooks and make them available for business users from the Business Analytics work center. Microsoft Excel-Based Planning To overcome the limitations of the conventional approach of planning in spreadsheets, business planning consists of features to enable planners to efficiently obtain and work with planning data in business environments. For more information, see Business Planning.

Overview

Analytic Features
To view and work with Microsoft Excel-Based reports and plans, ensure that the SAP Business ByDesign add-in for Microsoft Excel is installed. You can install the SAP Business ByDesign add-in for Microsoft Excel from the Home work center. From the Self-Services Overview, under My Computer, choose Install Additional Software. On the following screen, click the download link. The analytic features in the SAP Business ByDesign tab enables you to save workbooks to the SAP Business ByDesign system. You can also use available Microsoft Excel functions. Depending on your access rights, different workbooks and reports are available. Saved workbooks are then available from different work center views. Note that the functions available to you depend on your access rights and work center and work center view assignments; the reports you work with in a Web browser are also available using the SAP Business ByDesign add-in for Microsoft Excel. The follow table provides an overview of the workbooks available.
Workbook Type Description

Personal workbook

Public workbook

A workbook that is adapted to the individual business needs of a user. A personal workbook is only available to the user who creates it and is available from the Reports view in the Home work center. Any change to a personal workbook is saved back to the SAP Business ByDesign system. A workbook that can be consumed by all users who have the corresponding work center views assigned. Public workbooks are read-only and can be adapted with personalized views and variables to the business needs of the user. Note that before a created workbook can be made public, key users must first save the workbook as a design workbook. A workbook that only includes the layout without data and is only available from the Business Analytics work center. Since key users in general are not allowed to view business data, the data is deleted whenever you store a design workbook. As soon as a design workbook is assigned to a work center view, business users can use it as a public workbook with real data.

Design workbook

Key Users for Analytics Key users for Analytics can create and edit public workbooks as follows: 1. Open the public or personal workbook.
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2. Switch to design mode by clicking Design Workbook. If you want to view the workbook with generated test data, refresh the workbook. 3. Make any relevant changes and save. 4. Assign the workbook to the relevant work center views to make it public. Note that if the workbook has already been assigned and is public, you do not need to assign the workbook again. Workbook Group The workbook group provides functions to open and save workbooks and reports. You can also copy, remove, and protect reports and worksheets. Open Downloads and opens a workbook from the SAP Business ByDesign system. Save Saves the workbook back to the SAP Business ByDesign system as a public workbook. You have the following options to save workbooks to the SAP Business ByDesign system. Save All The following options are available Save All Save Workbook Save Plan Data Save Workbook As New Insert Report Inserts a SAP Business ByDesign report into the worksheet starting in the active cell. Copy Report Copies the report and any report views and variable values in order to paste it in a different location. Paste Report Pastes the report and any report views and variable values that was last cut or copied into the active cell. Remove Report Removes the report and any report views and variable values in order to paste it in a different location. Protect Uses the Microsoft Excel function to protect the worksheet to prevent changes to all cells containing data from SAP Business ByDesign. Refresh Group Refreshes the data in the report. You can also defer refreshing the report. Refresh Refreshes the data in the report. Refresh Current Report Refreshes the data in the report that is currently selected. Refresh Worksheet When Activated If this feature is active for a workbook, any reports on a sheet in the workbook are automatically refreshed when the sheet is activated. Refresh Report You can select a report to refresh from the list. Defer Refresh Defers refreshing the report until you refresh it manually. This function is useful, for example, if you make multiple changes to a report, such as to the layout or you add another key figure or column.

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View Group Displays the report views that are available with a report. You can change the current report view. In the view pane, you can save changes as a new report view. The view pane also enables you to select the characteristics and key figures that are shown in the report. Displaying Characteristics and Hierarchies For characteristics and hierarchies, you can specify in which format the individual characteristic values of the characteristic are displayed. You can display characteristics and hierarchies as name, ID, or a combination thereof. Sorting You can also specify how characteristic values are sorted. You can sort characteristics displayed in rows and columns according to the description or ID in ascending or descending order. Results Row Using the values from the dropdown list, you can decide how the result is to be displayed. You can decide if results are to be displayed or if results are to be displayed when there are at least two single values. Variable Group You can display the set of value selections for variables that are available with a report. You can change the current set of value selections. In the variables pane, you can save changes as a new set of value selections for variables. You can also set filter values by selecting values in the report and clicking the Filter icon in the Variables group. To remove the filter, click the corresponding icon. Header Group Enables you to insert a report header. You can specify if the report name is to be displayed along with technical information about the report. The header can be inserted either as a range of cells above the report or as a text box. Report Group Enables you to make further display settings. Insert Chart Enables you to insert a chart using Microsoft Excel functions. For information about Microsoft Excel chart types and functions, see Microsoft Excel documentation. Display in PivotTable Enables you to display the report as a PivotTable using Microsoft Excel functions. For information about Microsoft Excel PivotTable functions, see Microsoft Excel documentation. Settings Freeze Panes Uses the Microsoft Excel freeze pane function to fix the header columns and rows. Format Report Formats the report using the default SAP Business ByDesign cell styles as listed under the Microsoft Excel Home tab. Adjust to Complete Column Adjusts the width of columns to the width of the longest value in each column. Adjust to Report Result Adjusts the column width to the width of the longest value in the column. Use Outline for Hierarchies Uses the Microsoft Excel outline function to group characteristic hierarchies by expansion level. Expand Rows to Level You can choose the hierarchy level up to which the hierarchy is to be displayed when it is expanded. Merge Repeated Cells You can specify whether every instance of a characteristic value is displayed in a row or column. Show Results First
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You can specify how results are to be displayed. You can decide if they are to be displayed above rows or to the left of columns. Arrange As Hierarchy The system arranges characteristics in rows and in columns as a hierarchy. The row or column further left serves as the tree structure into which characteristics to the right are inserted. Invert Hierarchies The system inverts the hierarchy so that the hierarchy is displayed from bottom to top or from right to left. You can decide to invert a hierarchy in rows and in columns. Suppress Zero Values You can suppress columns or rows that contain zeros in your report. Show / Hide View Variables Planning Header Messages You can specify if all messages or only errors are displayed. You can also decide if messages are displayed on user request. Assigning Workbooks Key users for Analytics can assign workbooks to work center views, make them available to business users. For information about assigning workbooks as a Microsoft Excel-Based report, see Assign a Report.

The planning features in the Planning Group of the SAP Business ByDesign tab enables you to create and edit plan data. Planning Group Enables you to plan at different levels and adjust values accordingly. Mark Selected Marks cells that you select to be sent back to the system. By marking selected cells, you set the value for the cell. The value therefore does not change when you redistribute values by clicking Refresh. Unmark All Unmarks all selected cells. The following example illustrates how values are distributed. You want to project revenue for your products and create a plan that contains the characteristics Product and Customer. Each product is sold to several different customers but you only want to see how much money you received for each product. You therefore choose a view that displays the aggregated revenue for your products. Any changes that you make to the product revenue on this aggregated view are distributed down to the individual customers for the relevant product. The following figures are used to illustrate how the data is distributed. The estimated revenue for your Product 1 is USD 1000, for Product 2 USD 2000, and for Product 3 USD 3000. In the system, this information is distributed down to the customer level:

Planning Features

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You then change the value for Product 1 from USD 1000 to USD 3000. The system recalculates the result and again distributes all the values down to customer level in the same proportions:

You then double the total revenue. The system distributes this over the three products in the same proportions as at the beginning and also distributes this information down to customer level:

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Note that if you have a value for equal distribution on more than one level of a hierarchy, it may not appear to be distributed equally. The system distributes the value equally on the lowest level. The remainder is then distributed equally on the lowest level before the results are aggregated to the next highest level. For example, You have 11 items to be distributed equally (without decimal places) on multiple levels in a hierarchy. The higher level has two nodes; one node has one branch; the other node has two branches. Thus, the lowest level has three nodes. Equal distribution results in each lowest-level node having the value 3. The remainder is then distributed on the lowest level. This results in two lowest-level nodes having the value 4, and one lowest-level node having the value 3. Once aggregated to a higher level, one higher-level node has the value 4. The other higher-level node has the value 7. The result is displayed below.

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Further Notes The functions of the SAP Business ByDesign add-in for Microsoft Excel are restricted or not available when using the Microsoft object linking and embedding (OLE) feature. We therefore recommend not using this feature.

See Also

Using the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Excel

5.5 WORKING WITH SELECTIONS


When you open a report in a Web browser, the variables are in place above the content area of the report. The Selections area consists of the variables available with a report. The value selection help for variables consists of three tab pages: Filter, Basic Select, and Advanced Select. Depending on how content has been defined or whether you have set quick filter values, the value selection help for variables changes accordingly. You can define the start option of the report, indicating whether the Selections area is displayed. By default, the Selections area is displayed, but the report is not started. Note that if you set the start option to Hide selection area and start report, the next time you start the report, the system uses the existing set of variables with the current value selections.

Overview

Variables are parameters that restrict characteristics to one or more specified value selections. You must specify a value for all mandatory variables. In the system, mandatory variables are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Variables

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Default Selections The ByDesign Initial set of variables and corresponding set of value selections are delivered. Note that you cannot delete, edit, or manage this set of variables. Some variables are filled by default. You can however change the default. Access Context The Access Context variable is mandatory for all reports. This variable is defaulted to the access context to which the you are assigned. The system fills the variable with the access context available for the report. In this case, only one access context is assigned, and therefore the variable is not displayed. If the report supports multiple access contexts, you must specify which access context is to be used to select data. In the Home work center, if you have saved the Access Context variable with different value selections, depending in which work center you access the report, the system fills the variable with the access context value that you initially saved. For reports opened with Microsoft Excel, the system also fills the variable with the initially saved access context. For example, you open the Project Cost Overview report in two work centers and have saved the Access Context variable with different value selections in both work centers: in the first work center, you saved the access context as Company; in the second work center, you saved the access context as Project. The system proposes one of the two access contexts. Value Selection Help for Variables By clicking the value selection help for a variable, you can select single values, exclude values, set an interval, or a set of values, depending on how the content has been defined, or if you have set quick filter values. The following options are available depending on the variable selected: . Filter If you have characteristics that you have in rows or columns, the . Filter tab page is available. You can filter values available with a characteristic displayed in a report by selecting one or more values. Note that any value selections you make on the . Basic Select and . Advanced Select tab pages influence the values available on the . Filter tab page. Note that any values you select on the . Filter tab page are saved if you create a set of value selections for Variables. . Basic Select Allows you to restrict a specified characteristic to available values. Note that you can select multiple values by clicking the value and pressing CTRL. . Advanced Select You can to restrict a specified characteristic using relational operators, such as greater than and less than. Add More You can enter a value or use the value selection to select a value. Relative Select Allows you to restrict a specified characteristic to a relative variable selection. Relative selections are based on basic characteristics, such as Date, Week, Month, Fiscal Period, and Company. When you start the report, the system fills the cells in the report with the corresponding values. The following table provides examples of relative selections.
Variable Relative Selection Description

Posting Date

Today

Shows today's date.

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Variable

Relative Selection

Description

Invoice Creation Date Last 7 Days Shows a time range of the last 7 days, including today. Fiscal Month Current Fiscal Period Shows the current month. Company Multiple Default Companies Derives multiple default companies based on the user's position.

Note that if you want to display the descriptions of values that you have selected, in the Selections area, click Show Text . Note that if you already know the value, you can enter the value manually. You can then start the report by pressing the Return key or by clicking Go . For example, you know that you want to restrict the Invoice Year / Month variable to the last 12 months. Therefore, you enter Last 12 Months and click Go . Deleting Value Selections You can delete value selections by clicking the X icon. The delete function is always active. Saving Sets of Value Selections for Variables If you often select the same values for variables in a report, you can save the set of value selections. The set of value selections for the variables is then available for reuse. Saved sets of value selections are only available to the user who saved the variables. You can save sets of value selections for variables on the .
Edit

tab page.

1. Make value selections for the relevant variables. 2. Click Save As. 3. Enter a name for the saved set of value selections for the variables. The set of value selections for variables is then available from the Variables dropdown list. The saved set of value selection for variables is also available for embedded reports. Managing Variables You can set selection values for variables as default, rename, or delete a set of selection values for variables. You can manage variables from the variables screen by clicking the .
Manage

tab page.

The saved sets of value selections for variables that you have saved are displayed. You can set selection values for variables as default, rename, or delete a set of selection values for variables. Note that the ByDesign Initial set of variables and corresponding set of value selections is not available and cannot be deleted.

See Also

Reports View Working with Reports in a Web Browser Working with Reports and Plans in Microsoft Excel

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6 COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE

6.1 USING THE SAP BUSINESS BYDESIGN ADD-IN FOR MICROSOFT EXCEL
The SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Excel provides the integration of Microsoft Office Excel with an SAP Business ByDesign system. Depending on where you open the Add-In for Microsoft Excel, different functions are available. You can use the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Excel for the following purposes: To create business data To export business data To analyze report data

Overview

You can use the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Excel to create objects, such as an account or a lead, by entering them in a predefined Microsoft Excel template and uploading them to the SAP Business ByDesign system. Key users can also adapt the predefined Microsoft Excel template and maintain template-specific information. For more information, see Office Template Maintenance Quick Guide. For more information about the application-specific business data, see Create Business Data Using Microsoft Excel. If you can log on to the SAP Business ByDesign system in a Web browser as normal, but cannot log on to the system from the Add-In for Microsoft Excel, contact your system administrator to have him check your proxy server settings to ensure that the connection to the system is not blocked.

Using Microsoft Excel to Create Business Data

Using Microsoft Excel to Export Business Data

You can use the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Excel to export business data, such as a list of accounts or sales orders, to a predefined Microsoft Excel template. For more information, see Export Business Data Using Microsoft Excel.

Using Microsoft Excel to Analyze Report and Plan Data

You can use the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Excel to execute ad hoc analyses, create workbooks, create plan data, and define sales targets. Note that the functions available to you depend on your access rights and work center and work center view assignments.

For example, if you open the Add-In in the Reports view from the Home work center, you can create personal workbooks by using the Analytics functions of the Add-In. For more information, see Working with Reports and Plans in Microsoft Excel.

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6.2 MASHUPS AND WEB SERVICES


Mashups are used to integrate data from the SAP Business ByDesign system with data provided by an online Web service or application. Users can access the content provided by these Web services and applications and use it in their daily work. Mashups can include Web searches, company or industry business information or online map searches. Mashups can be accessed either directly on the screen on which they are embedded by clicking on a link or using the Web Services menu button, which is visible on screens for which mashups are available. External search providers are integrated into the Enterprise Search function.

Overview

SAP provides preconfigured mashups for Web services provided by SAP Business ByDesign partners. Before you can use a preconfigured mashup it must be activated by a key user and made visible on the screens for which it is configured. This can either be done by the key user centrally for all users using the Adapt function, or after a key user has activated a mashup, it can be added to a screen by any user using the Personalize function. In addition, it is also possible for your organization to procure mashup partner solutions from the SAP Store. These solutions are then installed in your system and can be activated by a key user. The following mashups are provided by SAP Business ByDesign partners either as preconfigured mashups or partner solutions:
Port Binding Description SAP Partner

Preconfigured Mashups and Mashup Partner Solutions

Company Financial and Business Infor- Search for business-related information Business Wire mation by Company Name based on a company name. Google Hoover's Morningstar Reuters Company Financial and Business Infor- Search for business-related information Hoover's mation by Industry based on an industry. Reverse Lookup Look up a business address using partial Go Yellow address information. Reverse Lookup By Phone Look up a business address using a phone Go Yellow number. Route Planner Plan a business route based on a list of Google addresses. Falk NAVTEQ/Map24 Search Provider Search for a search term. SAP SAP Business ByDesign Community Alibaba Google Indiamart Click India Social Network Display people or business partner pro- Facebook files that are listed in a social network Twitter Sourcing Search for sourcing information based Indiamart on a product description Web Feed by Company Name Display Web feeds filtered by a company Google name.

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Port Binding

Description

SAP Partner

Web Map

Display a business address on a map or get directions based on an address.

MapQuest Google Falk NAVTEQ/Map24 Microsoft Bing

Preconfigured mashups and mashup partner solutions are configured for use on selected screens in SAP Business Design. For more information about the screens that are enabled for each port binding, see Mashup Categories. Note that some mashups may not be applicable to your country. Your key user should ensure that the mashup is valid for your country before activating it for company-wide usage.

Key User Configuration

Key users can manage mashups either centrally from the Application and User Management work center or using the Adapt button on any screen enabled for mashups to access the adaptation sidecar. Key users can do the following: Activate mashups for use by all users or deactivate unwanted mashups. For more information, see Activate a Preconfigured Mashup. Activate mashup partner solutions from the SAP Store. For more information, see Activate a Mashup Partner Solution. Change the way in which mashups are displayed, and test and publish the changes to all users. For more information, see Make a Mashup Visible on a Screen. Create new mashups by copying a preconfigured mashup and adapting the configuration settings. For more information, see the Mashup Authoring Quick Guide. Add new Web services for use in data mashups For more information, see the Web Service Authoring Quick Guide. Create new URL, HTML, or data mashups based on a mashup category provided by SAP. For more information, see the Mashup Authoring Quick Guide.

6.3 SAP COLLABORATION WINDOW 6.3.1 SAP COLLABORATION WINDOW QUICK GUIDE
The SAP Collaboration Window is an additional desktop integration tool that you can install from the SAP Business ByDesign system. It coordinates multiple aspects of your daily work into one application. It acts as a central hub for people-to-people collaboration and for external devices and services. SAP Collaboration Window enables you to communicate with business partners using communication channels, such as e-mail, and it also provides you with business context information relevant to a business partner and workflow. Further, SAP Collaboration Window provides you with information on missed alerts, tasks, and notifications in the SAP Business ByDesign system, as well as on missed calls if an add-in telephony integration solution has been integrated with SAP Business ByDesign. Content Area of SAP Collaboration Window The content area of the SAP Collaboration Window is defined by the page you select: Missed Items When you log on to the SAP Collaboration Window after a period away or you disable the Do Not Disturb status, a desktop alert notifies you about any missed open tasks, alerts, and notifications received while you were logged off, as well as any missed or rejected phone calls.

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The Missed Items page of the SAP Collaboration Window displays missed tasks, alerts, and notifications in the SAP Business ByDesign system that need to be reviewed, as well as missed telephone calls if an add-in telephony integration solution has been integrated with the system. The default setting displays all missed items grouped by Type and sorted by Time, with the most recent listed first. Contacts The Contacts page provides you with business contacts that are maintained in the SAP Business ByDesign system, such as business partners or colleagues. From the Contacts page you can begin collaborating with contacts using features such as e-mail. A prerequisite for working with contacts is that the contact has been maintained as a business partner or employee in the SAP Business ByDesign system. For more information, see Business Partners Quick Guide or Quick Guide for Regular Tasks (in Personnel Administration). You can add, remove, or search for contacts, and when you select a contact from the list, the information about that contact is displayed below the list. The contact information displayed depends on the information that has been maintained for the business contact in the SAP Business ByDesign system for example, if no e-mail address is maintained for a customer in the system, no e-mail address is listed for that particular contact in SAP Collaboration Window unless an e-mail alias has been maintained. Business Context The Business Context page of the SAP Collaboration Window provides you with information on your business partners. As well as the name and contact details, you can see business context information and transactions, such as service orders, installed products, or interaction history. This allows you to trigger actions that are related to the context of a selected business partner directly from SAP Collaboration Window without having to navigate manually to the dedicated screen in the SAP Business ByDesign system. The actions that you can trigger depend on the role and the work center views assigned to you in the SAP Business ByDesign system, as well as on the business partner type. Note that if an add-in telephony integration solution has been integrated with SAP Business ByDesign, on making or receiving a call through SAP Collaboration Window, the information about that business partner loads automatically on the . Business Context tab page. Printing SAP Collaboration Window can be set up to allow you to print documents from the SAP Business ByDesign system for which you are responsible you can define your default printer in the system preferences for SAP Collaboration Window. When a document is output in the SAP Business ByDesign system, it is collected in your Manual Print Tasks subview in the Work view of the Home work center. When you log on to SAP Collaboration Window, any documents waiting in the Manual Print Tasks subview are printed automatically. While you are logged on, SAP Collaboration Window searches continuously for any new documents that appear in the Manual Print Tasks subview, and prints these immediately to your default printer. This gives you full control over which printer you use to print your documents. Desktop Alerts SAP Collaboration Window uses desktop alerts to inform you of an activity that requires your attention, such as tasks or incoming calls. Desktop alerts work in response to your behavior; if you do not respond to a desktop alert it disappears, and the status of the system tray icon changes to show a missed item. When you acknowledge a desktop alert, SAP Collaboration Window does not add the corresponding item to the list of missed items. However, if you reject an incoming call, SAP Collaboration Window adds the rejected call to the list of missed calls on the Missed Items page. If the item is an alert, task, or notification and you decide to open it, the associated quick activity opens automatically in the SAP Business ByDesign system. If you are not logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system, the system requests you to log on with your user ID and password. Telephony is not part of the standard SAP Business ByDesign solution. Therefore, any telephony features and functions described are only available if you have purchased one of the available telephony integration solutions.

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Automatic Upload of Scanned Supplier Invoices You can use an automatic upload service to upload scanned supplier invoicing documents through SAP Collaboration Window. On receipt of the invoicing document usually as a TIF or GIF file it has to be scanned as a PDF file, and also as a TXT, RTF, or DOC file. Most optical character recognition (OCR) software products provided with scanners support these file types. This file pair is then stored automatically in a dedicated folder for further processing. When you are logged on to SAP Collaboration Window and you are assigned to the Supplier Invoicing work center in SAP Business ByDesign, the automatic upload service searches permanently for any new files in the defined folder and triggers upload of these files to the SAP Business ByDesign system. Based on the information received from the upload service, the system creates the invoicing document, proposes the invoicing data, and attaches the PDF and TXT, DOC, or RTF files automatically to the invoicing document. The new invoicing documents have the status Ready for Posting or Exception in the SAP Business ByDesign system, and can be processed in the same way as invoices that are uploaded manually. All events during the automatic upload are recorded by a status monitoring service and the information is stored in sub folders within the dedicated folder. We recommend that you use the TXT file type with this service. For more information about the automatic upload service, see Preferences Quick Guide and Uploading Scanned Supplier Invoices Using Automatic Upload Service. For more information about supplier invoicing documents, see Quick Guide for Work (in Supplier Invoicing). Telephony Integration Telephony is not part of the standard SAP Business ByDesign solution. Therefore, any telephony features and functions described are only available if you have purchased one of the available telephony integration solutions. If SAP Business ByDesign is integrated with your local telephony systems through an add-in telephony integration solution, SAP Collaboration Window acts as the interface between SAP Business ByDesign and the telephony integration solution. This enables you to control inbound and outbound call functions through SAP Collaboration Window, such as making and receiving calls by mouse-click, and enabling automatic recognition of business partner details and transaction history from inbound calls.

Business Background
SAP Business ByDesign Enterprise Search The ByDesign Enterprise Search icon near the top of the SAP Collaboration Window screen opens SAP Business ByDesign Enterprise Search. SAP Business ByDesign Enterprise Search enables you to search across the entire system efficiently for business documents, reports, and people. For more information, see SAP Business ByDesign Enterprise Search. Business Task Management Business Task Management (BTM) ensures that activities related to a business process within or across your organization are completed in order to fulfill defined business objectives. Using BTM, the system addresses work to users and enables them to receive, manage, and complete business task management items related to a business process in an efficient way. The system creates business task management items when it requires input from a user. These

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items are created so that users check, change, clarify information, complete items , or make a decision as part of a business process. For more information, see Business Task Management. Business Partners A business partner is a person or organization in which your company has a business interest. A wide range of people and organizations are considered business partners. For example, suppliers and customers. For more information, see Business Partners.

Tasks
Install or Update the SAP Collaboration Window Note that to install or update the SAP Collaboration Window, you must have administrative rights for your computer. 1. From the Self-Services Overview of the Home work center, under My Computer, click Install Additional Software. 2. On the Install Additional Software screen, in the Collaboration Window row, click Download and follow the instructions that appear. For more information, see Install Additional Software. Note that key users can also install or update the SAP Collaboration Window from the Download Center work center view of the Application and User Management work center. For more information, see Download Center Quick Guide Open the SAP Collaboration Window from the Desktop 1. Click Start All Programs SAP Business ByDesign SAP Collaboration Window SAP Collaboration Window . The SAP Collaboration Window opens. If you previously opened the SAP Collaboration Window and you have not selected Exit in the context menu, the SAP Collaboration Window icon is visible in the system tray, even if you are not logged on. Click on the icon and select Open Collaboration Window. 2. On the log on screen, enter your user ID and password and click Log On . You are now logged on to SAP Collaboration Window. You do not need to be logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system to work in SAP Collaboration Window. However, if you perform an action such as opening a missed task, you will be requested automatically to log on to the SAP Business ByDesign system. To log on to a different server or to use a different user ID, exit the SAP Collaboration Window and log on using the required details. Depending on your system settings, you may have to select a different certificate.

Open the SAP Collaboration Window from the SAP Business ByDesign System In the Gold Reflection theme: On any screen in the SAP Business ByDesign system, from the taskbar located on the left of the screen, click the icon with the Collaborate tooltip.

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In the Blue Signature theme: On any screen in the SAP Business ByDesign system, on the menu bar at the top of the screen click Collaborate. Log On to and Log Off from the SAP Collaboration Window Log On To log on to the SAP Collaboration Window, you must enter the system URL of your SAP Business ByDesign system, choose a certificate, and enter your user ID and password. You can also define proxy settings, such as defining the proxy URL or the proxy port, if necessary. Log Off To log off from the SAP Collaboration Window, from Menu , choose the Exit option. Alternatively, from the system tray, right-click on the SAP Collaboration Window icon, and choose the Exit option. Make Settings From Menu , you can make the following settings. General Settings
Setting Description

Server URL

Automatic Logon Hide When Minimized Exit Without Prompt Detailed Logging Printer

The server address to which you want to connect in the format protocol//serverID:port. The supported values for the protocol are http and https. The server address can be an Internet protocol (IP) address or a network name. If you change this property, you have to restart the SAP Collaboration Window. If selected, you are automatically logged on to the SAP Collaboration Window. If selected, when you minimize the SAP Collaboration Window, it no longer appears in the taskbar at the bottom of screen. If selected, you are no longer asked to confirm exiting the SAP Collaboration Window. If selected, detailed log entries are written to the log files and stored in the log directory. A dropdown list of available printers.

Missed Items Settings


Setting Description

Maximum number of items to be shown per type of item Minimum priority of tasks to display

You can set the number of items to be displayed.

You can set the minimum priority of tasks to be displayed. For example, if you select Medium, tasks that have a Low priority are not displayed. Minimum priority of no- You can set the minimum priority of notifications to be displayed. tifications to display For example, if you select Medium, notifications that have a Low priority are not displayed.

Telephony Settings

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Setting

Description

Telephony Provider

A dropdown list of available telephony integration solutions. Telephony is not part of the standard SAP Business ByDesign solution. Therefore, any telephony features and functions described are only available if you have purchased one of the available telephony integration solutions. OpenScape for SAP Business ByDesign For information, go to the Business Center (www.sme.sap.com). Click My Business Partner Gallery. Under Categories, click Communication and Information Exchange. In the list, you can find Siemens Communication Enabled Business Process. View the detailed information provided. SAP BCM If you select SAP BCM as your telephony provider, you have to define settings by clicking Edit Telephony Provider . For information about settings for SAP BCM, see here.

Invoice Scanning Settings


Setting Description

Enable Service Scanned Invoices Observed Folder

If selected, you can use an automatic upload service to upload scanned supplier invoices. The source folder for uploading scanned invoices. You can enter or select the source folder. Check your scanner software to find out where the scanned files are copied to by default, and set this default folder as your observed folder. To use the upload service, all documents have to be scanned as PDF files, and also as TXT, RTF, or DOC files. Most optical character recognition (OCR) software products provided with scanners support these file types. We recommend you use TXT files together with PDF files. The names of both files must be the same to enable the upload service to recognize them as a file pair, for example invoice_001.pdf and invoice001.txt. The upload service processes all TXT, DOC, RTF, and PDF files to the observed folder and its sub folders. If the scanned invoice upload service is active, the SAP Collaboration Window continuously searches for changes in the default folder. To set up the default folder, you can enter the path manually or use the Browse button to search for the folder. The SAP Collaboration Window automatically validates the entered path. After configuring the default folder, the SAP Collaboration Window automatically creates the following sub folders in the observed folder: Retry This folder contains files of upload jobs that have been manually restarted. Upload Error

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Setting

Description

This folder contains all files that have not been successfully uploaded. Upload Success This folder contains all files that have been successfully uploaded. History A history of your automatically uploaded supplier invoices. You can open or empty automatic upload folders.

Trigger Actions from Context Menu On the system tray, right-click on the SAP Collaboration Window icon and in the drop-down menu select the relevant action from the following:
Action Description

Open SAP Collaboration Window Home

Opens and maximizes SAP Collaboration Window. Navigates to the Home work center in the SAP Business ByDesign system. If you are not logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system, the system requests you to log on with your user ID and password before it opens the Home work center. Disables all desktop alerts from displaying on your screen. When you remove this status, a desktop alert notifies you of any missed items received while the Do Not Disturb status is set. Opens SAP Collaboration Window help content. If you are logged on SAP Collaboration Window, the system logs you off and the SAP Collaboration Window icon is removed from your system tray. You can open SAP Collaboration Window again by clicking Start All Programs SAP Business ByDesign SAP Collaboration Window SAP Collaboration Window. This action is always visible in the context menu.

Do Not Disturb

Help Exit

Work with Missed Items On the . Missed Items tab page, the following functions are available: Open a Missed Alert, Task, or Notification On the Missed Items page, select a missed alert, task, or notification, and click Open to view the details of that missed item. The associated quick activity opens automatically in the SAP Business ByDesign system. If you are not logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system, the system requests you to log on with your user ID and password. Remove a Missed Call, Alert, Task, or Notification from Missed Items On the Missed Items page, select a missed item and click Remove to remove the item from the Missed Items page. Work with Contacts On the . Contacts tab page, the following functions are available: Manage Contact Lists To create a new contact list, click
Lists

, and choose the New option.

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To rename or delete a contact list, select the relevant list, click Lists , and choose the relevant option. Create a New Contact To create a new contact, click Contacts , and choose the New option. On the Select Business Partner screen, search for the business partner you want to add as a contact and click Go . All business partners that match your search criteria appear in a list. Select the business partner you want to add as a contact and click OK . Manage Contacts To edit or delete a contact, select the relevant contact, click Contacts , and choose the corresponding option. Manage Aliases If you maintain aliases, the information you enter is added to the contact information in SAP Collaboration Window. This information is shown when the contact calls you or when you select their details. Aliases allow you to add additional phone numbers and email addresses in addition to the originals stored in the SAP Business ByDesign system without having to change the original information in the system. To create or edit aliases, select a contact, click Contacts and choose the Edit option. On the Edit Contact screen, you can then add an alias for telephony and e-mail communication along with the format and provider. Note that currently the only email provider that is supported is Microsoft Outlook. Send an E-Mail, Meeting Request, or Open a Calendar Note that currently the only Microsoft Outlook is supported. To send an e-mail, meeting request, or open a shared calendar, right-click the relevant contact, and choose the corresponding option. For meeting requests, note that the default duration of the meeting is 30 minutes.

Work with Business Context On the . Business Context tab page, the following functions are available: Get Business Context Details for Selected Business Partner Look up the name of the business partner with whom you want to interact. Once the business partner is displayed under My Links, click the name of the business partner that is displayed as a hyperlink or View . The SAP Business ByDesign system opens and displays an overview of the business partner or employee. Create New Business Partner From New , select the type of business partner you want to create for example, Supplier. The associated screen opens automatically in the SAP Business ByDesign system, and you can create the new business partner directly. If you are not logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system, the system requests you to log on with your user ID and password. After saving the new business partner, the details are available immediately in SAP Collaboration Window. For more information about creating business partners in the system, see Business Partners Quick Guide. Send an E-Mail Below the Name field, click the e-mail address for the business contact. An e-mail template addressed to the contact you selected opens. Open Link in You Can Also You Can Also in Your Business Context

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Click the relevant link under You Can Also for example, New Sales Order. The links under You Can Also are related to your role and the work centers assigned to you in the SAP Business ByDesign system. You Can Also in Business Context of Selected Business Partner Click the relevant link under You Can Also for example, New Purchase Order. The links under You Can Also are related to the business partner type in the SAP Business ByDesign system, as well as on your role and the work center views assigned to you in the system. The associated screen opens automatically in the SAP Business ByDesign system, and you can perform the required task, such as create a new sales order or a new purchase order. If you are not logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system, the system requests you to log on with your user ID and password. For information about Activity Management tasks, such as e-mails, see here. Open a Related Link Related Links in Your Business Context Click the relevant link under Related Links for example, My Open Sales Orders. The links under Related Links are related to your role and the work center views assigned to you in the SAP Business ByDesign system. Related Links in Business Context of Selected Business Partner Click the relevant link under Related Links for example, Open Purchase Orders. The links under Related Links are related to the business partner type in the SAP Business ByDesign system, as well as on your role and the work centers assigned to you in the system. A dialog box appears with a list of business documents relevant to that link, for example a list of open sales orders. The list contains the ID, status, and account details for each document. At the bottom of the list you can see the total number of documents listed. This is also shown in parentheses beside each related link. To open the document in the SAP Business ByDesign system, click on the ID in the list. The associated screen opens automatically in the SAP Business ByDesign system, and you can view or edit the document. If you are not logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system, the system requests you to log on with your user ID and password. For information about Activity Management tasks, such as e-mails, see here. Use Telephony Telephony is not part of the standard SAP Business ByDesign solution. Therefore, any telephony features and functions described are only available if you have purchased one of the available telephony integration solutions. Place Call 1. On any page in SAP Collaboration Window, enter a telephone number in the multipurpose entry field at the bottom of the page. 2. Click the telephone icon to initiate the call. The add-in telephony application starts and automatically places the call. If you are not already on the Business Context page, SAP Collaboration Window switches automatically to it, enabling you to view or add details about the person you are calling, or take notes about the call. From the . Contacts tab page, you can call a contact directly. For example, by entering a telephone number in the

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multipurpose entry field at the bottom of the . Contacts tab page, and clicking the telephone icon to initiate the call. Accept or Reject Incoming Call If you are logged on to SAP Collaboration Window and you receive an incoming call, a desktop alert appears automatically on your screen. Click Accept to accept the incoming call. If SAP Collaboration Window was minimized on your desktop, it is maximized and goes automatically to the Business Context page. This enables you to view or add details about the person calling you, or take notes about the call. Click Reject to reject the incoming call. If you reject the incoming call, it is added to the Call list on the Missed Items page. You can either return the call later or remove it from Missed Items. Place Call on Hold On any page in SAP Collaboration Window, in the multipurpose entry field at the bottom of the page, click the Hold icon. The call is placed on hold. To retrieve the held call, click the Hold icon again. Forward Call On any page in SAP Collaboration Window, in the multipurpose entry field at the bottom of the page, enter the telephone number to which you want to transfer the call and click the Transfer icon. Send Dial Tones Over Phone Line This feature enables you to use Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) tones to communicate, for example, with a computer system. For example, some systems assign options to different numbers and ask you to press a number to indicate your desired option. 1. On any page in SAP Collaboration Window, in the multipurpose entry field at the bottom of the page, enter the telephone number to which you want to send dial tones. 2. When the call is accepted, click the Send Dial Tones Over Phone Line icon. 3. On the numbered keypad click the relevant keys. Open the SAP Business ByDesign System 1. To open the SAP Business ByDesign system from SAP Collaboration Window, click the Open SAP Business ByDesign in a Browser icon at the top right of the SAP Collaboration Window screen. The SAP Business ByDesign system is maximized on your desktop 2. On the SAP Business ByDesign Logon screen, enter your user ID and password and click Log On . Use SAP Business ByDesign Enterprise Search To search quickly through the entire SAP Business ByDesign system from SAP Collaboration Window, enter your search criteria in the entry field at the top right of the SAP Collaboration Window screen and click the Search icon. The SAP Business ByDesign system is maximized on your desktop and you receive a list of search results. If you are not logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system, the system first requests you to log on with your user ID and password. For more information, see SAP Business ByDesign Enterprise Search. Check Print Document History To view the history of your documents printed through SAP Collaboration Window, click . Printing .

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On the . Printing tab page, you can check the time, name, and status of documents you have printed through SAP Collaboration Window, as well as a history of any errors that may have occurred. You can also open and check the following log files: Document Log File This log file lists the documents that have been printed through SAP Collaboration Window and where they were printed. Error Log File This log file lists all errors that occurred for documents to be printed through SAP Collaboration Window. Printing Log File This log file lists all of your printing activities through SAP Collaboration Window. The log files are located on the General Settings screen. From Settings option, and click Log Directory.
Menu

, choose the General

Check Automatic Upload Status of Supplier Invoicing Documents 1. On the system tray, right-click on the automatic upload icon next to the SAP Collaboration Window icon, and select Show Upload Progress. The Upload Status screen appears and shows whether the upload of new scanned invoices is successful. The automatic upload icon has a red cross or a yellow warning triangle in cases where the upload is unsuccessful. If the upload is successful, the new invoice number is shown on the screen. If you click the link, the invoice opens in the SAP Business ByDesign system. If you are not logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system, the system requests you to log on with your user ID and password. If an error occurred, the reason for the error is displayed. Depending on the error, try to restart the upload. 2. To view the scanned invoice files, depending on whether the upload was successful or not: Click Open Success Folder. The Upload Success folder opens and you can double-click on the file you want to view. Click Open Error Folder. The Upload Error folder opens and you can double-click on the file you want to view. 3. To view the upload log, click View Log . The log file opens. You can view the date and time of the upload, the details about the upload, and the link to the uploaded file. 4. To remove an entry from the Upload Status screen, click Remove. 5. To remove all entries from the Upload Status screen, click Clear List . Cancel Automatic Upload of Supplier Invoicing Documents 1. On the system tray, right-click on the automatic upload icon next to the SAP Collaboration Window icon, and select Cancel All Uploads. The Upload Status screen appears and shows a list of scanned invoices where the upload was unsuccessful. The reason for error is shown as Upload was canceled by user. The scanned invoice files are stored in the Error Folder. 2. To view the scanned invoice files, click Open Error Folder and double-click on the file you want to view: 3. To view the upload log, click View Log .

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The log file opens. You can view the date and time of the upload, the details about the unsuccessful upload, and the link to the file in the Upload Error folder. 4. To remove an entry from the Upload Status screen, click Remove. 5. To remove all entries from the Upload Status screen, click Clear List . Report an Incident If you encounter a problem in SAP Collaboration Window, you can report an incident to request support. This incident may be in response to an error message, a performance problem, or any unexpected response from the system. 1. From Menu , choose the About option. 2. To help the support organization resolve the incident, on the About SAP Collaboration Window screen, save the files to a location by clicking Save Support Info. 3. Click the Open SAP Business ByDesign in a Browser icon at the top right of the SAP Collaboration Window screen. 4. Follow the instructions and information as outlined in the following document: Solve a Problem or Report an Incident. 5. Before sending the incident, ensure that you have attached the saved files.

6.3.2 UPLOADING SCANNED SUPPLIER INVOICES USING AUTOMATIC UPLOAD SERVICE


You can use an automatic upload service to upload scanned supplier invoicing documents through SAP Collaboration Window. On receipt of the invoicing document usually as a TIF or GIF file it has to be scanned as a PDF file, and also as a TXT, RTF, or DOC file. Most optical character recognition (OCR) software products provided with scanners support these file types. This file pair is then stored automatically in a dedicated folder for further processing. When you are logged on to SAP Collaboration Window, the automatic upload service searches permanently for any new files in the defined folder and triggers upload of these files to the SAP Business ByDesign system. Based on the information received from the upload service, the system creates the invoicing document, proposes the invoicing data, and attaches the PDF and TXT, DOC, or RTF files automatically to the invoicing document. The new invoicing documents have the status Ready for Posting or Exception in the SAP Business ByDesign system, and can be processed in the same way as invoices that are uploaded manually. All events during the automatic upload are recorded by a status monitoring service and the information is stored in sub folders within the dedicated folder.

Overview

Prerequisites

You have activated the Automatic Upload Service in SAP Collaboration Window. You have defined the Observed folder for scanned invoices. Your scanner software creates two files from a scanned invoice: PDF file TXT, RTF, or DOC file. For the best results, we recommend you use TXT files. Both files are named the same so that they are recognized as a pair. For example, invoice_001.pdf and
invoice_001.txt.

You are an employee of the company. Your user is assigned to the Supplier Invoicing work center in the SAP Business ByDesign system.

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1. The automatic upload service identifies a new file pair in the Observed folder and sends the pair to the SAP Business ByDesign system. 2. The system creates a new invoicing document in the Supplier Invoicing work center. The system classifies the scanned PDF file as the original document and the TXT, RTF, or DOC file as plain invoice text. After classifying the files, the system attaches them to the invoice that has been created in the system 3. The system retrieves the following information from the plain invoice text: Purchase Order ID Supplier Invoice ID Invoice Date Supplier Company 4. If the system can retrieve all information, it proposes the information in the new invoicing document, and the invoice is ready for posting. You can process the supplier invoice in the Work view in the Supplier Invoicing work center. For ease of use, select the Scanned Documents in Process show filter. The automatic upload service moves the files that were transferred successfully to the Success sub folder in the Observed folder. If the system cannot retrieve all information, the system returns the invoice with the attached original document and plain invoice text files, and the upload is unsuccessful. The files are moved to the Error sub folder in the Observed folder. You can open the upload log to view the date and time of the upload, the details about the unsuccessful upload, and the link to the file in the Upload Error folder 5. You can access the newly created invoicing document directly from SAP Collaboration Window. To do this a. On your system tray, right-click on the Upload Service icon. b. Select Show Upload Progress. c. On the Upload Status screen, click on the supplier invoice ID link. The scanned invoice is opened in the SAP Business ByDesign system, where you can check the invoice for inconsistencies, resolve any exceptions, and post the document. If you are not logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system, the system requests you to log on with your user ID and password.

Process Flow

See Also

SAP Collaboration Window Quick Guide Quick Guide for Work (in Supplier Invoicing)

6.4 MICROSOFT OUTLOOK INTEGRATION 6.4.1 BUSINESS BACKGROUND 6.4.1.1 MICROSOFT OUTLOOK INTEGRATION SECURITY ADVICE AND TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
Security Advice
Microsoft Outlook Integration is based on A2X services communication in SAP Business ByDesign. Logging on to the SAP Business ByDesign system from Outlook is certificate-based. This function is pre-configured so there are no additional steps to be made by the key user/administrator, or the end user. To create a new client certificate, flag Create Client Certificate on the SAP Business ByDesign logon page. The certificate is created and stored in the browser. Only certificates from trusted certificate authorities are recognized.

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With the initial log on, you will be prompted for your user ID and password. Set the flag Request/Map User Certificate to map the certificate to your user. Once a certificate is mapped to your user, log on occurs automatically for all future log ons. If there is more than one certificate for your user, a pop-up is displayed where you can select one. We recommend that you always use the same certificate when using the Microsoft Outlook Integration functions. The certificate provides you with unlimited access to the SAP Business ByDesign system. For this reason, we recommend that you guard against others using your computer by: Using a screen saver with password protection Setting the wait time for the screen saver to a short period of time, such as 2 minutes The SAP Passport consists of: technical information, namely the certificate issuer, expiry date, version, and serial number user-specific data, namely the user and company names (provided by the Registration Authority), and the public key of the user the digital signature of the SAP Trust Center

For problems with the inbound scenario, when messages from Outlook do not reach the SAP Business ByDesign system, open the synchronization error and conflict folders available in the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Outlook. For the outbound scenario, when changes in the system do not reach the Outlook side as expected, there is only one tool available: the XI monitor. There you can find relevant information on pooling problems. Note the different statuses such as: Waiting for pool In this case the user may have not picked up the message Acknowledged A message triggered from Outlook may be ignored by the CRM application of the system and the synchronization is not completed based on insufficient information, lack of authorization, or for underlying technical reasons. In this case, the system updates the conflict and error logs, or sends an e-mail with information on the error/conflict to the end user. Here is a list of errors/conflicts which you may encounter.
Solution / Explanation Message / Problem The Send Meeting Requests to Attendees function is not This function is activated only after you have created or updated the appointment in the SAP Business ByDesign system active. (with attendees in the To list), and the appointment is synchronized. User is not authorized to create, update or delete an activity. Ensure that the user has a valid business user in the system. Ensure that the user's e-mail address is unique and has not been assigned to other users. Ensure that the user has been assigned the Account Management and/or Service Deskwork centers. Old / Unacknowledged messages are cluttering up the XI monitor. The certificate logon is not working. If you are logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system via the add-in for many hours without any action, you may receive an authorization error when trying to use a Microsoft These are not deleted automatically. You must delete them manually. Check the certificate mapping for the user. Simply log off and log on again.

Troubleshooting Guide

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Outlook Integration function. In this case, your user cookies may have expired. You cannot update or delete an activity from Outlook. The system sends an e-mail notification. Ensure that the activity has not been untracked. You cannot update an e-mail from Outlook. The system sends an e-mail notification. It is only possible to update the account or associated business document fields of an e-mail activity. You cannot update or delete an appointment from Outlook. The system sends an e-mail notification. An attendee cannot update or delete an appointment if the organizer is an employee of the same company. You cannot update or delete a task from Outlook. The system sends an e-mail notification. You cannot update or delete a task in Microsoft Outlook if there has been a more recent change to the task in the Business ByDesign system. Completed tasks cannot be deleted.

6.4.2 QUICK GUIDE FOR MICROSOFT OUTLOOK INTEGRATION


Microsoft Outlook Integration allows you to exchange information between Microsoft Outlook and the CRM application of your system. You can synchronize your contacts, e-mails, appointments, and tasks to and from Outlook; create service requests in the system from incoming e-mails; and associate e-mails, tasks and appointments with SAP Business ByDesign accounts, campaigns, opportunities, and leads. Microsoft Outlook Integration supports Microsoft Outlook 2007 and 2010.

Business Background
Microsoft Outlook Integration Security Advice and Troubleshooting Guide For more information, see the Microsoft Outlook Integration Security Advice and Troubleshooting Guide. Activity Management As part of your daily work you need to deal with various activities throughout the day, such as tasks, appointments, phone calls, letters, faxes, or e-mails. To ensure productivity and efficiency, Activity Management enables you to optimize all activities relating to Customer Relationship Management and ensures that you do not spend too much precious sales time on coordinating routine tasks and activities. For more information, see the Activities Quick Guide and Activity Management.

Important tasks
Pre-Installation Activities Before you can install and use the Microsoft Outlook Integration functions, a key user must grant you authorization for the Account Management work center where all data relevant to Microsoft Outlook Integration is maintained. For further information on this work center, refer to documentation available in the Help Center. Next, the key user must make the necessary Business Configuration settings: 1. Activate Microsoft Outlook Integration. In the standard system, Microsoft Outlook Integration is not in scope. Activate this function in the scoping phase by selecting Communication and Information Exchange then the Office and Desktop Integration business option. Select the Outlook Integration check box. Microsoft Outlook Integration with Activity Management, Account Synchronization to Microsoft Outlook and Account Synchronization from Microsoft Outlook are now automatically included in your scope. Answer the related scoping questions for synchronizing accounts and contacts to and from Outlook. Two-way synchronization is proposed as default. The settings here are valid for all Microsoft Outlook Integration users.
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2. Select Service Request Management. This step is optional. You can enable manual or automatic creation of service requests from incoming e-mails by going to scoping for Service Customer Care and selecting Service Request Management. Answer the related scoping questions under E-Mail Integration with Service Request Management and Automatic Creation of Service Requests. 3. Assign accounts to Microsoft Outlook Integration users. In order to synchronize an account, or associate activities to that account, the user must be the employee responsible. For this step, there is an optional fine-tuning activity as well as a required activity for assigning accounts to users. Optional If you want to assign accounts without using or changing normal employee responsible determination, go to fine-tuning for Sales Party Role Definition (Business Option Sales: Account and Activity Management: Account Management: Party Role Definition). Create a new party role with responsibility role, ensuring that the description indicates that it is specifically for Microsoft Outlook Integration users. Required There are two ways to assign an account. Create a responsibility rule (recommended) Go to the Task Distribution view (Application and User Management work center). In Employee Work Distribution, mark the Account Responsibility by Party Role line and click Edit . Add a rule for each responsibility role relevant to Microsoft Outlook Integration. Edit the responsibility directly in the account Go to the Accounts view in the Account Management work center. Click Edit then select Contacts. On the . Relationships and Responsibilities tab, add a new row in the Responsibilities section. Select a responsibility type, enter the user ID of the user for whom this account should appear in My Accounts, and set the Direct Responsible checkbox. Finally, you must maintain a business e-mail address in the Home work center (Home Self Service Edit My Contact Data). Ensure that this e-mail address is assigned to one and only one user.

Install and Log On to the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Outlook Integration The SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Outlook modifies your Outlook screens to include Microsoft Outlook Integration functions that allow you to synchronize data between Outlook and your system.

Overview

Procedure

1. Install the add-in. Go to Home > Self Services. Under My Computer, you can check your computer settings to ensure you have the minimum requirements, and install the add-in. For information on how to install, and un-install the add-in, as well as background information on this and other front-end components, see Install Additional Software. 2. Restart Outlook. Restart Outlook to activate the add-in. When you restart Outlook, the SAP Business ByDesign tool bar is added to your Outlook screen. This tool bar contains buttons for logging in and out of the Business ByDesign system, adding activities, creating service requests, and for accessing the SAP Business ByDesign Help Center. 3. Log on to the SAP Business ByDesign system. From Outlook, log on to the SAP Business ByDesign system by clicking Log on in the SAP tool bar. The logon is certificate-based and runs automatically in the background.
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If there is a problem with the certificate for your user, or if you are not working with certificates, a dialog box opens where you can enter your user ID and password. Enter your URL in the SAP System field, leaving out the /irj/portal/ portion. For example, you log on with URL http://Test.sap.corp:7000 and not http://Test.sap.corp: 7000/irj/portal. When you are working offline and cannot log on to the system, any changes to relevant e-mails, appointments, and tasks, or new items for synchronization to the SAP Business ByDesign system are kept in a pool in Outlook. Actual synchronization of these items occurs automatically as soon as you log on to the SAP Business ByDesign system via the add-in. If you are logged on to the SAP Business ByDesign system via the add-in for many hours without any action, you may receive an authorization error when trying to use a Microsoft Outlook Integration function. In this case, your user cookies may have expired. Simply log off and log on again. 4. Check the SAP Business ByDesign folder locations From the Outlook menu, choose Tools > SAP Business ByDesign Settings in Outlook 2007, or click on the Add-Ins ribbon then SAP Business ByDesign Settings in Outlook 2010. Here, the add-in automatically creates the folders used for synchronization, including the: Default folder: This is the main SAP Business ByDesign folder, where error and conflict information is stored. Accounts folder This folder contains the accounts downloaded from the SAP Business ByDesign system. Contacts folder This folder contains the contacts downloaded from the SAP Business ByDesign system. To change any of these folders, click on the folder link, choose a new folder, and click OK. 5. In the Advanced Settings section, set the following: a. Flag the Display Synchronization Notifications checkbox if you want the system to display synchronization related notifications in a message pop-up in the Microsoft Windows task bar. b. Flag the Display Synchronization Errors checkbox if you want the system to display synchronization related errors in a message pop-up in the Microsoft Windows task bar. c. Click Download Contacts to perform an initial synchronization. The system synchronizes only accounts in your direct responsibility, so you must ensure that, for the contacts you wish to synchronize, the relevant accounts are listed in My Accounts in the Accounts view (Account Management work center). Hereafter, accounts and their contacts in your direct responsibility are synchronized automatically to Outlook when added or changed. Right click on the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In icon in the Microsoft toolbar. Here, you can display synchronization errors and notifications directly, access the error and conflict folders, open the activities list, and send meeting requests.

After synchronizing your accounts and contacts to Outlook, you can now synchronize e-mails, appointments, and tasks.

Result

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Synchronize Contacts The system synchronizes to and from Outlook those contacts that have been assigned to your accounts in the SAP Business ByDesign system. To synchronize a contact to Outlook do the following: 1. In the Account Management work center, go to the Accounts view and show All Accounts. 2. Click on the required account and select View All . 3. Go to . Relationships tab. 4. In the Responsibilities section, add a row. 5. Enter a party role. You may want to choose a role that is specific to Microsoft Outlook Integration. 6. Enter your employee ID. 7. Save and refresh. This account will now show in My Accounts. The system synchronizes the account and contact, as well as any attachments, to Outlook where you can find them in the contact list under My Contacts SAP Business ByDesign Accounts or SAP Business ByDesign Contacts. Any future changes to this contact in the system or in Outlook are synchronized automatically. To synchronize a contact to the system, do the following: 1. Select a contact in the contact list view in Outlook and click
Add Contact

You can select multiple contacts for synchronization. 2. Associate the contact to an account. 3. Click Submit . The contact is synchronized to the system. Any future changes to this contact in the system or in Outlook are synchronized automatically. Synchronization information for this contact is displayed In the bottom frame of the contact in Outlook. Simply select the Click here for more details link to open a CRM system session navigated directly to the selected contact. To create a contact or account for synchronization to the system do the following: 1. Create a new contact, for example by selecting SAP Business ByDesign Contacts in the Outlook contacts list view. Right click and choose New Contact. 2. Enter your data, save and select the . SAP Business ByDesign tab directly in the contact screen. Click Add Contact . 3. In the Add Contact pop-up, you can associate the contact to an existing account by clicking Associate With and selecting an account from the list, or entering a search term to find a specific account. If the account does not exist in your system, you can create a new one from Outlook by clicking Create then Account . Enter your details and click Create . Associate the contact with this new account. The new contact and new account are synchronized to the system. Any future changes to the contact or account in the system or in Outlook are synchronized automatically. Contacts must be assigned to an account in order to synchronize. The ability to create and synchronize accounts and contacts depends on your system authorizations, as well as your synchronization settings. Contact your key user if you have any questions or difficulties.

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The user who creates and synchronizes a new account from Outlook is automatically the employee responsible for that account. There is an automatic check for duplicates. In case of a conflict, the user is informed by e-mail and the conflict log is updated. On the Business ByDesign side, there is an option to Reject/Cancel or Ignore/ Save duplicate entries. Although it is possible to delete a contact both in Outlook and in the system, the deletion is not synchronized. If required, you must manually delete the contact in the opposite system. After you synchronize contacts from Business ByDesign to Outlook, the street number may appear before the street address.

Synchronize E-Mails You can designate any e-mail for two-way synchronization between the SAP Business ByDesign system and Microsoft Outlook. To add an e-mail for synchronization, do the following in Outlook: 1. Select and open the e-mail in your inbox. 2. Click Add E-mail in the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In toolbar. Note that you can add an e-mail directly, without opening it. Right click on the e-mail in your inbox, and choose Add E-mail from the displayed options. Or simply select the e-mail or multiple e-mails in the list and click Add E-mail . 3. Associate an account if desired. 4. Click Submit . An e-mail activity is created in the SAP Business ByDesign system based on information in the Outlook e-mail. To open an e-mail activity in the system that was added from Outlook, go to the Account Management work center and choose the Activities view. To view your synchronized e-mails in the fact sheet of the relevant account: 1. Go to the Account Management work center and choose the Accounts view. 2. Select the account of the contact whose e-mail you want to review. 3. Click on View All , then You Can Also Open Overview. You can find the e-mail in the Activities section. E-mails in the system contain information taken directly from the Outlook e-mail header and body, and include attachments. They are ordered by date. Filter and search options are available. To create an e-mail activity in the system for synchronization to Outlook, do the following: 1. Go to the Account Management work center. 2. Click on Common Tasks and select New E-Mail. 3. Fill in the required and optional fields and save. Your new e-mail activity is synchronized to Outlook. Any future changes to the e-mail in the system or in Outlook are synchronized automatically. To deactivate synchronization, click To delete the e-mail entirely, click
Untrack

in the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In tool-bar in Outlook. in the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In tool-bar in Outlook.

Remove

Synchronize Appointments You can designate any calendar appointment for two-way synchronization between the SAP Business ByDesign system and Microsoft Outlook.
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To add an appointment for synchronization, do the following in Outlook: 1. Select and open the appointment in your calendar. 2. Click Add Appointment . Note that you can add an appointment directly, without opening it. Right click on the appointment in your calendar, and choose Add Appointment from the displayed options. Or simply select the appointment or multiple appointments and click Add Appointment . 3. Associate an account if desired. 4. Click Submit . An appointment activity is created in the system based on information in the Outlook appointment. To open an appointment activity in the system that was added from Outlook, go to the Account Management work center and choose the Activities view. Synchronized appointments can also be viewed in the fact sheet of the respective account: 1. Go to the Account Management work center and choose the Accounts view. 2. Select the account of the contact whose appointment you want to review. 3. Click on View All , then You Can Also Open Overview. You can find the appointment in the Activities section. To create an appointment activity in the system for synchronization to Outlook, do the following: 1. Go to the Account Management work center. 2. Click on Common Tasks and select New Appointment. 3. Fill in the required and optional fields If you maintain attendees in this appointment, a meeting request will be sent to the attendees from Outlook when the appointment is synchronized. 4. Save. Your new appointment activity is synchronized to Outlook. It is not possible to synchronize recurring appointments.

Any future changes to the appointment in the system or in Outlook are synchronized automatically. To deactivate synchronization, click
Untrack

in the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In tool-bar in Outlook. in the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In tool-bar in Out-

To delete the appointment entirely, click look.

Remove

Synchronize Tasks You can designate any task for two-way synchronization between the SAP Business ByDesign system and Microsoft Outlook. To add a task for synchronization, do the following in Outlook: 1. Select and open the task in your To-Do List. 2. Click Add Task . Note that you can add a task directly, without opening it. Right click on the task in your task list and choose Add Task from the displayed options. Or simply select the task or multiple tasks and click Add Task . 3. Associate an account if desired. 4. Click Submit .

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A task activity is created in the system based on information in the Outlook appointment. To open a task activity in the system that was added from Outlook, go to the Account Management work center and choose the Activities view. To view synchronized tasks in the fact sheet of the respective account: 1. Go to the Account Management work center and choose the Accounts view. 2. Select the account of the contact whose task you want to review. 3. Click on View All , then You Can Also Open Overview.. You can find the task in the Activities section. To create a task activity in the system for synchronization to Outlook, do the following: 1. Go to the Account Management work center. 2. Click on Common Tasks and select New Task. 3. Fill in the required and optional fields and save. Your new task activity is synchronized to Outlook. If you change a task in the system, the changes are automatically synchronized to Outlook. However, there is no automatic synchronization if you change a task in Outlook that has already been synchronized! In this case, you must add it again to trigger synchronization to the system. To deactivate synchronization, click To delete the task entirely, click
Untrack

in the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In tool-bar in Outlook.

Remove

in the SAP Business ByDesign Add-In tool-bar in Outlook.

Associate Activities You can associate e-mails, appointments and tasks to any of your Business ByDesign accounts, campaigns, opportunities, or leads. To associate an activity to an account (in this example, an e-mail activity), do the following: 1. Click Add E-mail in Outlook to synchronize an incoming e-mail to the system. 2. The SAP Business ByDesign Add-In for Microsoft Outlook determines if there is an account based on the e-mail address of the sender, and if so displays it in a pop-up. 3. Click Associate Account to link this account to the e-mail, or choose another account from the list. 4. An e-mail activity is created automatically in the system for the account that you choose. The system derives the contact for this e-mail activity from the e-mail address. To associate an activity to a business document (in this example, an e-mail activity), do the following: 1. Click Add E-mail in Outlook to synchronize an incoming e-mail to the system. 2. Associate the e-mail to an account if desired. 3. Click Associate With . Choose the type of business document, for example campaign, opportunity, or lead, and select the relevant document ID from the resulting list. Or enter a search term to find a specific document. 4. An e-mail activity is created automatically in the system as a follow-up document to the campaign, opportunity, or lead that you have selected. Synchronization information is displayed In the bottom frame of the activity in Outlook. Simply select the Click here for more details link to open a CRM system session navigated directly to the selected document.

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Create Activities for an Opportunity You can create, update, and synchronize activities for an opportunity. This can be done from your system, as outlined in this example, or from Outlook. 1. In the New Business work center, go to the Opportunity List view, select an opportunity and click Edit . 2. On the . Sales Activities tab, create a new task, for example, or add one from Suggested Activities if proposed by the system. 3. Save the activity. Your new activity is automatically synchronized to Outlook with an association to the opportunity. For more information on creating activities in an opportunity, see the Opportunities Quick Guide. Create Service Requests from E-Mails If your system has been configured for this function, you can create a service request directly from an e-mail in Microsoft Outlook. The details from the e-mail are added to a new service request and a new e-mail activity in the system. To create a service request, do the following: 1. From your Outlook inbox, identify the e-mail that you want to follow-up with a service request. 2. Select and open the e-mail. 3. Click Create Service Request . Note that you can create a service request directly, without opening the e-mail. Right click on the e-mail in your inbox, and choose Create Service Request from the displayed options. Or simply select the e-mail or multiple e-mails and click Create Service Request . 4. An activity and service request are synchronized to the system, and associated to each other. You can check this association in the document flow. Details in the e-mail activity and service request are taken from the Outlook e-mail: The title of the e-mail activity is taken from the subject of the Outlook e-mail. The notes of the e-mail activity are taken from the body text of the Outlook e-mail. The incident description of the service request is taken from the body text of the Outlook e-mail. To open a service request, go to the Service Requests view of the Service Desk work center. You can also open the document in the fact sheet of the relevant account. 1. Go to the Account Management work center and choose the Accounts view. 2. Filter and select the relevant account. 3. Click on View All , then You Can Also Open Overview, and navigate to the Services tab.

Business Configuration for Microsoft Outlook Integration Business Configuration for Automatic Creation of Service Requests

See Also

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7 PERSONALIZING SAP BUSINESS BYDESIGN

7.1 PERSONALIZATION QUICK GUIDE


You can personalize the SAP Business ByDesign solution with your preferences. You can personalize system settings, navigation settings, content and layout settings of a screen, and the Home work center. When you select This Screen from the Personalize menu in the title bar, the personalize panel opens on the right side of the screen. The personalize panel contains the following sections: Personalize Layout: A list of available content for the current screen is displayed. Mashups and Web Services: A list of all available mashups for the current screen is displayed. Note that any changes that you make to screen sections, tables, or fields are under your responsibility. If you change the name of a field or section, the help documents do not reflect your changes.

Tasks
Hide a Screen Section 1. From the Personalize menu in the screen that you want to personalize, select This Screen. The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Screen Layout section of the personalize panel, in the Sections table, select a screen section that you want to hide. 3. To hide the screen section, in the Sections table, deselect the Visible checkbox. Under the Sections table, you can adjust the title of the screen section. 4. To save your changes to the current screen, click Save and close the personalize panel. Display and Rename a Field 1. From the Personalize menu in the screen that you want to personalize, select This Screen. The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Screen Layout section of the personalize panel, in the Sections table, select the screen section where the field that you want to personalize is located. Note: If you are on an Overview view screen, use the Personalize Overview section for the same function. 3. In the Fields table, select the field that you want to display. 4. To display the field in the screen, in the Fields table, select the Visible checkbox of the field. 5. To adjust the display sequence of the field, in the Fields table, use the arrow buttons to move the field up or down. 6. Under the Fields table, rename the title of the field as needed. 7. To save your changes to the current screen, click Save and close the personalize panel.

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Personalize a Table 1. From the Personalize menu in the screen that you want to personalize, select This Screen. The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Screen Layout section of the personalize panel, in the Sections table, select the screen section that corresponds to the table that you want to personalize. In the Fields table, all visible and hidden columns in the table are displayed. 3. To display a hidden column in the table, select the Visible checkbox of the column. 4. To adjust the display sequence of the column, use the arrow buttons to move the field up or down. 5. To adjust the appearance of the table, click Display Settings. In the Display Settings dialog box, you can define the number of rows that should be displayed, select a table design and show or hide grid lines. 6. To configure the sort order of each column, click Configure Sorting. In the Configure Sorting dialog box, select a column for which you want to define a sort order and use the arrow keys add it to the list. Select a sort option from the dropdown list. 7. If the table contains values, for example, the total value of a sales order, you can configure calculation settings by clicking Configure Calculations. In the Configure Calculations dialog box, select a column that contains a calculation and select one of the following options: Count Table Entries: When you group the table by a given value, the number of items found belonging to each grouping value is displayed on the grouping row. Display Result Rows at Top of Table: Display the result row of calculations at the top of the table instead of at the bottom. Display Intermediate Results for Sorted Columns: Display calculation results for grouped rows. Display Intermediate Results Only: Display intermediate result rows only. Note that if the table does not contain calculations, the list of columns in this dialog box is empty. 8. To save your changes to the current screen, click
Save

and close the personalize panel.

Personalize a Mashup 1. From the Personalize menu in the screen that you want to personalize, select This Screen. The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Mashpups and Web Services section of the personalize panel, a list of all mashups used in the current screen is displayed. Click on a mashup to view more information and adjust settings. 3. To make a hidden mashup visible, select the Visible checkbox. Note that the mashup will be made visible on the screen the next time you open it. 4. Under Properties, you can change the appearance of the mashup. You have the following options. Note that the options available to you vary, depending on the mashup. Web Services Menu: The mashup can be accessed from the Web Services menu button that is typically located in the menu bar at the top of a screen. Web Services Menu in Section <Section Name>: The mashup can be accessed from a Web Services menu button located in a section of a screen. Link in Section: The mashup can be accessed using a link directly embedded in a screen section. New Screen Section The mashup is embedded directly into the screen as a new section. Embedded Near Section <Section Name>: The mashup is embedded directly into the screen as a new section. This section is located beside or below the named section. 5. Save your changes and close the personalize panel. For more information, see Mashups and Web Services.

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Personalize My Settings You can personalize your system settings, such as data and time formats in My Settings from the Personalize menu. For more information, see Personalizing My Settings. Personalize the Overview View You can personalize quick links, the latest news, and embedded reports in the Overview view of a work center. For more information, see Personalizing the Overview View. Personalize Work Center and Work Center View Navigation You can personalize the order of the work centers in the navigation area. Using the mouse, you can drag a work center and drop it between two work centers. Note that you cannot change the position of the Home work center. You can add work center views and tasks that you use the most to the Home work center. This allows you to quickly access them without navigating to individual work centers. Note that you can only personalize navigation from the Home work center. For more information, see Personalize Navigation. Add Sticky Notes to a Screen You can use sticky notes to add your own notes and comments to a business document. You can keep your sticky notes private or make them public to all users. For more information, see Using Sticky Notes. Discard Your Personalization Changes You can discard all personalization changes that you have made to a screen. 1. Navigate to the screen, and from the Personalize menu, select This Screen. The personalization panel opens. 2. Click on a section of the personalization panel, for example, Mashups and Web Services or Screen Layout. 3. Click Discard . This discards all changes that you have made to the current screen from the selected section. For example, if you are currently in the Mashups and Web Services section and click Discard , all changes to embedded mashups are discarded. If you click Discard from a work center view in the Home work center, you will discard all changes that you have made to all work centers, the order of work centers, and any settings you have made under My Settings.

7.2 PERSONALIZING MY SETTINGS


Overview
You can personalize your system settings by selecting My Settings from the Personalize menu. Note that if you change your settings, you have to log off the system and then log on again in order for your changes to take effect.

Regional Settings You can adapt the default system settings for the display of dates and times. You can also select a system language. This language is used only when you log on to the system with no language preference in your Web browser and without specifying any language on the logon screen.

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Change Password You can change the password that you use to log on to the system. To change your password, enter the old password and then enter a new password twice to confirm that you have typed it correctly. Onscreen Help By default, you are shown onscreen explanatory texts to assist you in using ByDesign. Onscreen explanatory texts consist of text boxes that are shown at the top of a screen or screen section, and short help texts that are displayed when you move the cursor over a field that is underlined. By deselecting the Display Additional Onscreen Explanatory Texts checkbox you can hide these texts. In addition, you can activate country-specific help and learning content. This means that the standard help and learning content will be supplemented with additional information specific to the country in which you are located. To activate country-specific content, select a country from the list. Accessibility You can choose to add additional accessibility tags to PDF files that are generated when you preview a business document. This makes the PDF files compatible with screen readers. Tabbed Navigation By default, when you click on a link in the SAP Business ByDesign system or, for example open a document for editing, the new screen is opened in a new tab at the bottom of the browser window. If you want new screens to be opened in a separate browser window or browser tab, deselect the checkbox. Note that if you do this, the way in which new browser windows or tabs behave depends on your individual browser settings. Personalize My Background Image You can personalize your background image and related settings to change the look and feel of your SAP Business ByDesign solution. You can set an image as your personalized background image and adjust the color and transparency settings associated to the background image. For more information, see Personalize My Background Image. Note that you can personalize your background image in the Gold Reflection theme only.

7.3 PERSONALIZE MY BACKGROUND IMAGE


Overview
You can personalize your background image and related settings to change the look and feel of your SAP Business ByDesign solution. You can set an image as your personalized background image and adjust the color and transparency settings associated to the background image.

Your changes take effect immediately and are only visible to you.

You must use the Gold Reflection theme.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1. From the Personalize menu, select My Background Image.


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2. To upload your background image, in the My Background Image window, click file.

Browse

and choose an image

The image file should be in .png or .jpg format. We recommend that the size of the image is the size of your screen resolution. The size of the image cannot exceed 1MB. You can also drag and drop an image file or a ByDesign Background image file (.ByDbkg) to the image area. 3. Choose the position of your background image. By default, the image fills the background screen. 4. In the Color and Transparency field, open the color pane and choose a color as a layer on top of your background image. By default, the color is black and remains invisible. In the Select Color screen, you have the following options: In the color pane, click to select a starting color and move to select the color that you want to use. Under the color pane, choose a recently used color. Adjust the HSB or RGB settings for the color. Enter a hexadecimal color code of the color. For example, enter #FF0000FF for blue. 5. Adjust the transparency of the color layer. By default, the color layer transparency is set to 0%. 6. Adjust the transparency of the sidebars. By default, the sidebar transparency is set to 100%. 7. To save your changes, click OK . You can also drag and drop one or more images or ByDesign Background image files (.ByDbkg) to a SAP Business ByDesign screen and use one image or file for your background image settings. You can export your background image and related settings as a ByDesign Background image file (.ByDbkg). To do this, in the My Background Image screen, click More and then Export . To remove your background image and related settings, in the My Background Image screen, click More and then Reset All .

7.4 PERSONALIZING THE OVERVIEW VIEW


You can personalize the SAP Business ByDesign solution with your preferences. You can personalize quick links, the latest news, and the embedded reports in the Overview view of a work center. From the Overview view of a work center, when you select This Screen from the Personalize menu in the title bar, the personalize panel opens on the right side of the screen. The personalize panel contains the following sections: Personalize Overview: A list of available content for the current screen is displayed. Mashups and Web Services: A list of all available mashups for the current screen is displayed. Personalize Navigation: Lists of all available work center views and tasks for the Home work center are displayed. Note that the Personalize Navigation section is only visible in the Overview view of the Home work center. Any changes that you make to screen sections, tables, or fields are under your responsibility. If you change the name of a field or section, the help documents do not reflect your changes.

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Personalize Quick Links 1. From the Personalize menu in the Overview view that you want to personalize, select This Screen. The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Personalize Overview section of the personalize panel, select Quick Links from the Available Content list. If you want to hide the Quick Links section in the Overview view, deselect the Visible checkbox of Quick Links in the Personalize Overview section. 3. Under General Properties, adjust the title, if required, and specify whether the section should be expanded or collapsed when you launch the Overview view. 4. Under Quick Link Groups, you can show and hide groups of quick links from the work center views that you are assigned to. The available quick link groups depend on your authorizations of the current work center. For each quick link group, you can show and hide an individual quick link. 5. Save your changes and close the personalize panel. Personalize Latest News 1. From the Personalize menu in the Overview view that you want to personalize, select This Screen. The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Personalize Overview section of the personalize panel, select Latest News from the Available Content list. If you want to hide the Latest News section in the Overview view, deselect the Visible checkbox of Latest News in the Personalize Overview section. 3. Under General Properties, adjust the title, if required, and specify whether the section should be expanded or collapsed when you launch the Overview view. 4. Under List of Feeds, Adjust the visibility of the existing RSS feeds, if applicable. 5. To add a new feed, Under List of Feeds, click Add Feed . 6. Under Feed Properties, enter the URL of the feed and specify the maximum number of displayed items. To confirm your entries, click OK . 7. Save your changes and close the personalize panel. Personalize an Embedded Report 1. From the Personalize menu in the Overview view that you want to personalize, select This Screen . The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Personalize Overview section of the personalize panel, select a report that you want to personalize from the Available Content list. If you want to hide the report, deselect the Visible checkbox of the report in the Available Content list of the Personalize Overview section. 3. Under General Properties, adjust the name of the report and specify whether it should be expanded or collapsed when you launch the Overview view. 4. Under Properties, if applicable, select the default view format and variant. 5. Save your changes and close the personalize panel. Add an Embedded Report

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1. From the Personalize menu in the Overview view that you want to personalize, select This Screen . The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Personalize Overview section of the personalize panel, in the Add a Report list, select the report that you want to display in the Overview view. The available reports depend on your authorizations of the current work center. 3. Under General Properties, adjust the name of the report and specify whether it should be expanded or collapsed when you launch the Overview view. 4. Under Properties, if applicable, select the default view format and variant. 5. To add the report to the Overview view, click Add . The report is added to the Available Content list and is visible in the Overview view of the current work center. 6. Save your changes and close the personalize panel. Personalize Screen Layout 1. From the Personalize menu in the Overview view that you want to personalize, select This Screen . The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Personalize Overview section of the personalize panel, click Personalize Layout . 3. In the Visible Content list, select the screen section that you want to personalize. The screen section can be quick links, latest news, reports, or other sections available in the Overview view. If you want to hide a screen section in the Overview view, deselect the Visible checkbox of the screen section in the Personalize Overview section. 4. To adjust the layout of a screen section, you have the following options: To display the section across the full width of the Overview view, select both boxes under Layout. To display the section on the left half of the Overview view only, select the left box under Layout. To display the section on the right half of the Overview view only, select the right box under Layout. 5. To adjust the display sequence in the Overview view, select the screen section and then use the arrow buttons and move it up or down. 6. Save your changes and close the personalize panel. To personalize the content of the Overview view, you can click
Add Content

Personalize a Mashup 1. From the Personalize menu in the Overview view that you want to personalize, select This Screen . The personalize panel opens. 2. In the Mashpups and Web Services section of the personalize panel, a list of all mashups used in the current screen is displayed. Click on a mashup to view more information and adjust settings. 3. To make a hidden mashup visible, select the Visible checkbox. Note that the mashup will be made visible on the screen the next time you open it. 4. Under Properties, you can change the appearance of the mashup. You have the following options. Note that the options available to you vary, depending on the mashup. Web Services Menu: The mashup can be accessed from the Web Services menu button that is typically located in the menu bar at the top of a screen. Web Services Menu in Section <Section Name>: The mashup can be accessed from a Web Services menu button located in a section of a screen. Link in Section: The mashup can be accessed using a link directly embedded in a screen section.

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Embedded Near Section <Section Name>: The mashup is embedded directly into the screen as a new section. This section is located beside or below the named section. 5. Save your changes and close the personalize panel. For more information, see Mashups and Web Services. Personalize Navigation You can add work center views and tasks that you use the most to the Home work center. This allows you to quickly access them without navigating to individual work centers. Note that you can only personalize navigation from the Home work center. For more information, see Personalize Navigation.

7.5 PERSONALIZING NAVIGATION


Overview
You can add work center views and tasks that you use the most to the Home work center. This allows you to quickly access them without navigating to individual work centers. These views and tasks are linked in the Home work center and are not removed from the existing work center. Add a Work Center View to the Home Work Center 1. Navigate to the work center view that you want to add to the Home work center. 2. From the Personalize menu, select Add this View to Home. 3. The work center view is added to the work center view list of the Home work center in the navigation area. You can find it under the existing work center views in the Home work center. In the Signature theme, the work center view is also displayed in the navigation panel in the Home work center. Add Work Center Views to the Home Work Center 1. From the Overview view of the Home work center, from the Personalize menu, select This Screen. 2. In the personalize panel, select the Personalize Navigation section. In the Available View list, you find all work centers that can be assigned to the Home work center. Note that the work center views that are added to the Home work center are included in the Available View list. 3. To add a work center view to the Home work center, select the Visible checkbox of the work center view. The work center view is added to the work center view list of the Home work center in the navigation area. You can find it under the existing work center views in the Home work center. In the Signature theme, the work center view is also displayed in the navigation panel in the Home work center. 4. To rename the work center view, click the work center view and rename it in the Title field. 5. Save your changes. Remove Work Center Views from the Home Work Center 1. From the Overview view of the Home work center, from the Personalize menu, select This Screen. 2. In the personalize panel, select the Personalize Navigation section. In the Available View list, you find all work centers that are assigned to the Home work center. 3. To remove a work center view from the Home work center, deselect the Visible checkbox of the work center view.

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4. Save your changes. Add Tasks to the Home Work Center 1. From the Overview view of the Home work center, from the Personalize menu, select This Screen. 2. In the personalize panel, select the Personalize Navigation section. In the Available Common Tasks list, you find all tasks that can be assigned to the Home work center. Note that the tasks that are added to the Home work center are included in the Available Common Tasks list. 3. To add a task to the Home work center, select the Visible checkbox of the task. The task view is then added to the Common Tasks in the Home work center. You can find it under the existing tasks in the Home work center. Tip: In the Gold Reflection theme, you can find common tasks in the Taskbar; in the Signature theme, you can find common tasks in the navigation panel. 4. To rename the task, click on the task and rename it in the Title field. 5. Save your changes. Remove Tasks from the Home Work Center 1. From the Overview view of the Home work center, from the Personalize menu, select This Screen. 2. In the personalize panel, select the Personalize Navigation section. In the Available Common Tasks list, you find all tasks that are assigned to the Home work center. 3. To remove a task from the Home work center, deselect the Visible checkbox of the task. 4. Save your changes. Note that you cannot change the name or the visibility of the default work center views or tasks in the Home work center. Note: If you click Discard in a work center view in the Home work center, you reset all changes that you have made to all work centers, the order of the work centers, and any settings you have made under My Settings.

7.6 USING STICKY NOTES


Sticky notes allow you to add your own notes and comments to a business document that you are working on. Sticky notes can either be private, meaning only you can see your notes, or public, meaning that other users can see them. For example, you are processing a sales order and want to leave a reminder for yourself. You can create a private sticky note and attach it to the sales order. Alternatively, if you want to add a note to a document that is going to be processed by another employee in your company, you can add a public note to inform the employee of important information that cannot be included in the document itself. Adding a Sticky Note You can add a sticky note to a screen by clicking once on the sticky note icon in the top right corner of the screen or by selecting Add Note from the stick notes menu button. To enter text, click on the sticky note and start typing.
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Note that when you create a sticky note it has the status private. If you want to make a sticky note public, click on the public icon. You can position a sticky note anywhere on the screen by dragging and dropping it to the required location. Minimizing Sticky Notes You can minimize a sticky note so that it is not displayed directly on the screen. Instead it can be accessed from the sticky note menu button by selecting the note you require from the menu, or by clicking Restore All Notes to maximize all notes available for the screen. Removing All Sticky Notes You can delete all sticky notes that you have created on a screen by selecting Remove all Notes from the sticky notes menu. Searching for Sticky Notes You can search for the content of a sticky note using the basic or enterprise search, or by using the search function in a relevant work center view.

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8 INCIDENTS

8.1 SOLVE A PROBLEM OR REPORT AN INCIDENT


Overview
If you encounter a problem in the application, you can search existing knowledge bases for a solution. If no solution is available, you can report an incident to your key user to request help in solving the problem. The system collects context data, such as system information and relevant business data, and attaches it to the incident. This gives information about the system at the time at which the incident occurred and helps your provider to better understand the problem if your key user cannot solve the incident. The context data is only useful if you report the incident from the screen on which the problem occurred, however, since it includes information that is specific to this screen. It is important, therefore, that you always report application-related incidents from the screen on which they occur. To do so, click HELP CENTER Solve Problem or Report Incident.

If you encounter a problem when exporting or uploading business data to or from Microsoft Excel, you can also access the Solve Problem or Report Incident screen from the SAP Business ByDesign tab of Microsoft Excel by clicking Help Report an Incident. To report a problem that is not related to the application, for example, if you encounter hardware resource issues, go to Home Self-Services Overview and click New Incident under Service and Support.

You have configured your computer settings correctly by choosing Check My Computer Settings from the logon screen. For more information, see Check My Computer Settings.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1. Navigate to the Solve Problem or Report Incident screen as described above. If you cannot access this screen, contact your key user by telephone or e-mail or ask your manager to report an incident on your behalf as described below under Exceptional Case: Report an Incident on Behalf of an Employee. 2. In the Search for Solution step, in the Find field, enter key terms relating to the incident (for example, sales order). To refine your search, click Advanced and define additional search criteria, such as the work center view on which the problem occurred. Click
Go

The system searches the following repositories for solutions to the problem: Repository Types
Repository Business Center Forum Description The Business Center is a platform for users to build a community within which they can exchange knowledge. It includes discussion forums in which users can post questions and discuss topics related to SAP Business ByDesign.

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Case Library Built-In Help

The SAP Business ByDesign Case Library is a collection of problems along with their solutions and workarounds. Built-In Help comprises the documents in the SAP Business ByDesign Library and the learning content.

If you enter keywords in a language other than English and you receive too few hits, repeat your search using English keywords to increase the chance of receiving a larger number of hits. 3. Click the title of the document you want to read and determine whether it solves the problem. If you cannot find a solution to the problem, click Next to report the incident to your key user. 4. In the Enter Incident Information step, specify the information that your key user requires to solve the incident: a. In the Subject field, enter a brief description of the problem. b. Select the priority of your incident based on the following information. Business Impact for Incident Priorities
Business Impact Critical business processes are affected and crucial tasks cannot be carried out. The incident requires immediate attention because it could result in business downtime for the organization. Security-related incidents must always be assigned this priority. If you want to report an incident with this priority to SAP outside of your standard local business hours, enter the incident information in English to ensure that it can be processed by after hours support, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Key business processes are affected and important tasks cannot be carried out. The incident requires prompt attention because it could delay business processes. Business processes are affected, but the incident has only a minor impact on business productivity. The issue has little or no effect on business processes. Priority Very High

High Medium Low

c. Select the appropriate category for your incident. Incident Categories


Category Help Material Incorrect or Missing How-To Question Insufficient System Performance Integration Issue with Another System or Service Issue with Additional SAP Software Description You cannot find information about a part of the system, or the information you find is inaccurate. You have a question about how to complete an activity in the system. The performance of your system has a negative effect on business processes. You are having problems configuring data exchange between the system and other applications.

You are having problems with additional SAP software, such as the software that key users can download under Application and User Management Business Flexibility Download Center . For more information, see the Download Center Quick Guide. Issue with Output You are having problems integrating the solution with output or communication devices or Communication such as your printer or e-mail program. Issue with User Ac- You are having problems related to your user account. count If you cannot access the system, ask your manager to report an incident on your behalf. For more information, see Exceptional Case: Report an Incident on Behalf of an Employee below.

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Missing or Incorrect Functionality Missing or Incorrect Data or Text Service Request Unexpected Termination or System Crash Warning or Error Message

Part of the solution does not work as expected, or essential functions or data are missing (this may be due to authorization issues). Data or text that appears on the screen is incorrect. You want to request a service such as an add-on form or report. A fatal error has occurred in your system.

An error message is issued that requires key user support, for example, an error message informing you that master data is missing that you are not authorized to maintain yourself.

d. In the Incident Description field, enter a detailed description of the problem that includes the following information: The events or actions that led to the problem, that is, details of how to reproduce the problem The results you expected (for example, different values or a more detailed error message) If you are not reporting the incident from the Help Center, also include the following information in your description: Your user name The work center and view in which the issue occurred The documents or object IDs in which the issue occurred The system behavior (for example, the error message displayed) For security reasons, never include your password anywhere in the incident.

If you are a key user and you want to send the incident directly to your provider, select the Forward to Service Provider checkbox. e. Optional: To help your key user understand your problem quickly, you can provide screen shots or other relevant information as attachments. In the Attachments section, click Add , then choose File or Link to upload or link any relevant screen shots or files to the incident. f. To save your entries, click Finish . 5. In the Confirmation step, choose one of the following options: Click Close to return to the screen from which you reported the incident. Click Edit Incident Information to change your entries or add information to the incident.

The incident is submitted to your key user, who either solves your problem directly or forwards the incident to the provider for further analysis. You can track the progress of the incidents you have reported from one of the following locations: Go to Home Self-Services Overview and click Track My Incidents under Service and Support. Go to HELP CENTER Track My Incidents. For more information, see Working with Incidents.

Result

Exceptional Case: Report an Incident on Behalf of an Employee


Use this function in emergencies only, because it does not allow valuable context information to be attached to the incident. If you are a manager, you can report an incident on behalf of one of your employees if he or she is unable to do so.

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1. Go to the Managing My Area work center. In the taskbar, click Common Tasks and choose Call Employee Services On Behalf. 2. Select the name of the employee on whose behalf you want to report an incident and click New Incident under Service and Support. 3. Search for a solution to the problem as described above and if no solution is available, report the incident to your key user.

8.2 WORKING WITH INCIDENTS


You can track the progress of the incidents you have reported from one of the following locations: Go to Home Self-Services Overview and click Track My Incidents under Service and Support. Go to HELP CENTER Track My Incidents. The My Requests view is displayed with a list of all the incidents you have reported. Only the open incidents are displayed by default, but you can change the filter settings of the list to display completed incidents only. To view the details of an incident, click its ID or subject. To open an incident for editing, select it from the list and click Edit .

Business Background
Incidents Overview An incident is a non-standard occurrence in the system that interrupts the operation of a service, or may reduce the quality of a service immediately or in the near future. An incident appears to the user as unexpected system behavior, such as: An unexpected or unclear error message on the screen Incorrect or missing data System performance problems If you encounter a problem in the application, you can search existing knowledge bases for a solution. If no solution is available, you can report an incident to your key user to request help in solving the problem. For more information about searching for solutions and reporting incidents, see Solve a Problem or Report an Incident. Tasks and Notifications When the processor or provider makes a change to your incident, you receive a task or notification. You also receive a notification if an incident requires action on your part but you have not made any changes to it for 30 days. To view your tasks and notifications, go to Home Inbox. You can receive the following types of task and notification: Task Check Incident [for Requester] You receive this task when the processor returns the incident to you with a request for more information or a proposed solution. Notification Incident Updated [by Processor] You receive this notification when the processor adds new information to the incident without changing its status. Notification Incident Updated [by Provider] You receive this notification when the processor forwards the incident to the provider and the provider adds new information to the incident. Notification Incident Overdue [for Requester] You receive this notification when an incident requires action on your part but you have not made any changes to it for 30 days to inform you that the incident will be completed automatically in a further 60 days if no changes have been made to it.
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For more information, see Business Task Management. Configuration Settings Configuration settings are normally performed by a key user. If you do not have the required authorization, contact your key user. It is possible to configure certain elements of some of these notifications in the Business Task Management for Incident Management business configuration activity. To find this activity, go to the Business Configuration work center and choose the Implementation Projects view. Select your implementation project and click Open Activity List . Select the Fine-Tune phase, then select the Business Task Management for Incident Management activity from the activity list. If the Business Task Management for Incident Management activity is not displayed in the activity list, make sure you have selected All Activities from the Show dropdown list. If the activity is still not displayed, you can add it to the list by clicking Add Optional Activities and selecting the In Activity List checkbox for the Business Task Management for Incident Management activity. This activity is only available for selection if the Built-In Services and Support activity group is in scope for your project.

Tasks
Track Your Incidents The list in the My Requests view shows the ID and subject of each incident to help you locate the incident you are interested in and also indicates the date on which the incident was reported, the date on which it was last changed, its processor, and its status. If you select Incidents Open from the Show dropdown list, the system displays all incidents that have one of the following statuses: Incident Status Descriptions
Status New In Process Requester Action Solution Proposed In Process Reopened Description You have recently reported the incident and no key user has yet taken it over for processing. The incident is being processed by a key user. Action is required on your part. The processor has proposed a solution to the incident and you must now decide whether the accept or reject it. You have rejected a proposed solution and returned the incident to the processor for further analysis.

If you select Incidents Completed from the Show dropdown list, the system displays all incidents that have one of the following statuses: Incident Status Descriptions
Status Completed Completed Solution Rejected Completed Solution Accepted Description You have canceled the incident, the processor has completed it manually, or no changes have been made to it for 90 days and it has been completed automatically. You have rejected a proposed solution and then canceled the incident because it is no longer valid or you have solved it by other means, or the processor has completed the incident manually after you rejected the proposed solution. You have accepted a proposed solution and the incident is resolved from your point of view.

If an incident has one of the three statuses in the above table, you cannot make changes to it or reopen it for further processing.
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Edit an Incident Without Changing Its Status You can make various changes to an incident without changing its status, for example, if you have already submitted the incident to your key user but then realize that you have not provided all of the relevant information: On the . General tab, in the Note field, you can enter additional information for the key user. On the . Incident Information tab, you can modify the priority of the incident (but not its subject, category, or description). On the . Attachments tab, you can and add files or links to the incident. In this case, you must also enter a brief explanation of your changes on the . General tab in the Note field. Click
Submit

The status of the incident does not change. Your changes are transferred to the processor of the incident, but are not visible to the provider if the processor forwards the incident to him or her. The provider can view the incident description and notes entered for him or her by the processor, but cannot view notes exchanged between you and the processor. Reply to a Question from the Processor 1. If the processor requires more information about the incident, he or she returns it to you with a question. To view the processor's question, click . General . 2. Enter your reply in the Note field. Click Submit . The status of the incident changes to In Process. Your changes are transferred to the processor of the incident, but are not visible to the provider if the processor forwards the incident to him or her. The provider can view the incident description and notes entered for him or her by the processor, but cannot view notes exchanged between you and the processor. Cancel an Incident If an incident you have reported is no longer valid, for example, because you have managed to solve it by other means, you can cancel it by clicking Cancel Incident . A note entitled Remark for all processors with the text Incident canceled by requester is added to the incident automatically and the status of the incident changes to Completed. Use the Trace Function Do not use this function unless instructed to do so by the processor, since it can be performance-intensive. If the processor requires more information about the steps you carried out immediately prior to the issue occurring, he or she returns the incident to you with a note asking you to provide this information by clicking Start Trace and repeating the steps that resulted in the issue. View the Solution Proposed by the Processor You can view the solution proposed by the processor on the . General tab. The solution comprises a note from the processor and any documents he or she has found that may help to solve your problem. To open a document and determine whether it solves your problem, click its title. Accept a Proposed Solution and Complete the Incident If the solution proposed for your incident solves the problem, enter a text in the Note field if relevant and then click Accept Solution to complete the incident. The status of the incident changes to Completed Solution Accepted.
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Incidents are set to Completed automatically if no changes are made to them for 90 days. Reject a Proposed Solution If the solution proposed for your incident does not solve the problem, enter a text in the Note field explaining why the solution does not work and click Reject Solution . The status of the incident changes to In Process Reopened and the incident is returned to the processor for further analysis. If the incident is no longer valid, for example, because you have managed to solve it by other means, you can cancel it after rejecting the proposed solution by clicking Cancel Incident . A note entitled Remark for all processors with the text Incident canceled by requester is added to the incident automatically and the status of the incident changes to Completed Solution Rejected.

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2011 SAP AG. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the express permission of SAP AG. The information contained herein may be changed without prior notice. Some software products marketed by SAP AG and its distributors contain proprietary software components of other software vendors. Microsoft, Windows, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. IBM, DB2, DB2 Universal Database, System i, System i5, System p, System p5, System x, System z, System z10, System z9, z10, z9, iSeries, pSeries, xSeries, zSeries, eServer, z/VM, z/OS, i5/OS, S/390, OS/390, OS/400, AS/400, S/390 Parallel Enterprise Server, PowerVM, Power Architecture, POWER6+, POWER6, POWER5+, POWER5, POWER, OpenPower, PowerPC, BatchPipes, BladeCenter, System Storage, GPFS, HACMP, RETAIN, DB2 Connect, RACF, Redbooks, OS/ 2, Parallel Sysplex, MVS/ESA, AIX, Intelligent Miner, WebSphere, Netfinity, Tivoli and Informix are trademarks or registered trademarks of IBM Corporation. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, PostScript, and Reader are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. UNIX, X/Open, OSF/1, and Motif are registered trademarks of the Open Group. Citrix, ICA, Program Neighborhood, MetaFrame, WinFrame, VideoFrame, and MultiWin are trademarks or registered trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. HTML, XML, XHTML and W3C are trademarks or registered trademarks of W3C, World Wide Web Consortium, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. SAP, R/3, SAP NetWeaver, Duet, PartnerEdge, ByDesign, SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, StreamWork, and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and other countries. Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects, Crystal Reports, Crystal Decisions, Web Intelligence, Xcelsius, and other Business Objects products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects Software Ltd. Business Objects is an SAP company. Sybase and Adaptive Server, iAnywhere, Sybase 365, SQL Anywhere, and other Sybase products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sybase, Inc. Sybase is an SAP company. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serves informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary. These materials are subject to change without notice. These materials are provided by SAP AG and its affiliated companies ("SAP Group") for informational purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind, and SAP Group shall not be liable for errors or omissions with respect to the materials. The only warranties for SAP Group products and services are those that are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services, if any. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty.

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