Building Next-Generation Apps

with BRFplus/DSMwith BRFplus/DSM

Tobias Trapp, AOK Systems GmbH

Software Architect, SAP Mentor

Today‘s Challenge:

ERP has to become Smarter

What does is mean for ABAP development? We need

� new tools with outstanding product features

� evolution strategy for our applications in backend systems

Why?

New Input Channels

we have structured and semi-

structured data coming from

� scanned documents

� mail

� mobile devices

� online portals� online portals

the challenge:

� poorly standardized data

� sometimes poor data quality

� semi-structured data is

ambiguous

Need for Automation

the problem:

� more data

� complex data

the challenge:

� we need better and � we need better and

automated decision making

� we have to able to adapt and

optimize business processes

quickly

� decision making should be

standardized

� business people have to

understand what ERP does

Next-Generation Apps have to be

flexible and smart

� highly configurable

� business processes are automated and controlled by decision services

� transparent – easy to understand

� easy to change - business logic can be deployed and undeployed even

into production without transport and downtime

� „time travelling“: � „time travelling“:

− activation of decision services in the future

− past versions of decision services can be called using time stamps

� simulation possible: what will happen, if business rules are changed?

� rules can use predictive features

� business logic can be pushed down to HANA

� decision services can use HANA as central source of truth by accessing

additional data

What is DSM?

� BRFplus is SAP‘s strategic business rule framework and now called DSM

� use case is implementation of automated decisions:

− complex calculations,

− validation,

− complex checks like fraud detection,

− process control− process control

� BRFplus/DSM was unstable in early NW releases – use NW 7.31 >=

SAP 9 and NW 7.40 >= SP 5 to avoid implementation of OSS notes

� read blogs/tutorials/whitepapers on SCN – follow

C. Ziegler, W. Schaper and J. Dart

Why is BRFplus/DSM important

for ABAP Developers?

� some SAP applications heavily depend on BRFplus and for many new

implementations only use of BRFplus is encouraged:

− dynamic workflow in SAP MDG

− rules in SAP Process Observer are usually written in BRFplus

− industry solutions like Banking, Insurance….

− Tax & Revenue Management, Social Services, Application Incident − Tax & Revenue Management, Social Services, Application Incident

Management, Tax & Revenue Management, CRM for Utilities….

− and more are going to come

− legacy rule frameworks will become obsolete while DSM will be

still improved

� if you want to keep your ABAP skills up to date you need at least basic

BRFplus knowledge

What is the Problem with SAP Business

Suite and Custom Development?

� changes have to applied since, f.e.:

− process are optimized /

organizational structure is changed

− competitors change their strategy

− legal requirements – compliance

− fraudsters change their behavior

requirementsanalysis

plan changeprocess

measureeffects

− fraudsters change their behavior

− target groups /customers change

their behavior

� this takes too much time and effort

� with BRFplus/DSM you can do better:

− tools for development of rules

− agile development & test

− deployment without transport

− use rule traces/evaluation paths

change code & customizing

test thesolution

transport intoproduction

Why is DSM outstanding?

� integrated into AS ABAP and the ABAP/Business Suite type system

� integration with other frameworks: workflow rules, BOPF…

� more & more SAP solutions are supporting BRFplus but you can also

use it for custom development

� it is extremely fast due to code generation

� it is open: � it is open:

− use the API to generate rule sets – use XML import/export of rule sets

− build your own expression types / formulas & call ABAP from BRFplus

− extend DSM/BRFplus with BAdIs and application classes

− you can integrate the WDA components in your UI

− expose rule systems as RFC / web service

− there are partner solutions on top of DSM for graphical rule modeling,

compilation of rules to Java, C# and much more

� with DSM license additional HANA expressions, unit tests, debugger…

� many admin tools like transport analyzer

� with DSM license deployment without transport even into lower releases

A first look at BRFplus-

Rapid Development of Business Logic

� the decision service on the right was

built within two minutes using excel

upload

� rule system can be created so that

they are readable and understandable

� business experts can test the rules and� business experts can test the rules and

even create test cases

Don‘t implement Business Rules

using Customizing

� implementation of business rules with customizing can get very

complex especially when logical expressions have to be modeled

� it is impossible to predict all future requirements like time dependency,

randomization, date/time calculations and so on

� in the worst case you are developing an own rule framework having

perhaps 5% of the feature set of BRFplusperhaps 5% of the feature set of BRFplus

� BRFplus/DSM has many additional features out of the box:

− transportation is easier

− you can switch on versioning and perform time travelling

� use customizing only for domain values and text tables

� use versioning after transport for BRFplus rule sets

Separate Business Rules

from Business Processes

� otherwise specification and

implementation will look like the

diagram on the right

� the reasons is simple:

− specifications usually cover

everything and business experts everything and business experts

will introduce exceptions

− business rules have a high change

frequency

� the diagram should look more like

the one on right side: a decision service

controls the process

Use Case Process Automation –

Working with semi-structured Data

Use case: questionnaires containing information

about accident for insurance claim processing.

Following implementations have to be done:

� reading process

� identification of business partners and business

objectsobjects

� syntactic checks

� classification of accident type which is not trivial

because of ambiguity

� special rule sets for different accident types

� if those rule sets can’t complete the business

case then can give the user or rule systems of

claims processing further hints for process

automation

And how to get started with

BRFplus/DSM?

� excellent content on SCN and a very active BRFplus community

� ABAP developers can become BRFplus experts within short time

� In SAP standard applications you‘ll find many interesting

architectural patters for rule driven applications and useful

paradigms like BRFplus generation if you need high flexibility

IMHO the real challenges are:

� IT is ready to implement decision management to

make ERP smarter. But what about other departments?

� Perhaps they got accustomed to clumsy and heavy-

weight ERP processes and are not prepared to short

and agile innovation cycles?

� IT and business have to work hand in hand.