What is Sure Outputs?

Sure Outputs is an add-on for SAP that assists companies in dealing with any requirements where data needs to be extracted out of SAP

Sure Outputs

The principle behind Sure Outputs is that every requirement that needs to extract Data out of SAP will have different selection logic specific to that requirement. However, once the Data has been selected, this Data will be outputted identically for all requirements

To achieve this, Sure Outputs makes use of the following:

• Dynamic Coding: Dynamic Coding is used so that Sure Outputs can accept any Data Table, regardless of where the data came from and what the Structure of that Data Table is

• Multiple Output Options: Sure Outputs caters for as many ways of outputting data as possible, so as to cater for as many requirements as possible

How does it work?

Sure Outputs

Each Program will Select the Data from the relevant Database Tables for that requirement

SAP DB

Data

Program .....Program Program

SAP DB

SAP DB

This Data will be collected into a Data Table and transferred to Sure Outputs

Sure Outputs will use this Data Table and cater for the following output options:

Sure

O

utp

uts

• Interactive ALV Reporting• Publish the Data to a dedicated Web Page• Download as a File locally or on a server in different

formats eg fixed width, tab de-limited, PDF etc• E-mail the File• FTP the File• Send the data table to a Web Service• Cater for User Buffers (similar to BI)

What are the benefits of using Sure Outputs?

• Reduces Number of SAP Licenses: By allowing Data Tables to be published to a Web Page, non-SAP Users can easily access SAP Data on their Laptop, Smartphone or Tablet without having to log into SAP

• Easier Integration with other Technologies: By being able to send a Data Table as an XML string to a Web Service Dynamically, Sure Outputs makes it easier to integrate with other Technologies

• BI Functionality: Sure Outputs makes use of a Buffering Technique that enables long running Selections to store the Data in a Buffer. Once the Data is in the Buffer, it can accessed quickly by the User

•Uniform Look and Feel: All Sure Output Programs will have the same look and feel and offer the same Functionality. This means once a User is familiar with 1 Program, they will be familiar with all of them

• Reduced Development Time: This is achieved by making use of a Central Code Pool that contains all the Processing Logic, as well as a Program Generator that will create new Sure Output Program. Additionally if a new Technology becomes available to Output Data, it can be implemented in the Central Code Pool, which then means the new Technology will be available immediately to all Sure Output Programs

Sure Outputs

Code Generator: Selection Screen

Allows you to specify the new Program Details as well as provide the Output Structure Name, which is required by Sure Outputs so that it knows what the layout of the Data Table is

In addition to creating the Program, Sure Outputs will also create a User Transaction Code and an Admin Transaction Code

Sure Outputs also allows the user to decide how the new Program will be created, ie whether it will use the Sure Outputs Code Pool (recommended), or whether the required code will be stored locally in the program itself, so that the program will be a standalone program with no dependencies on Sure Outputs

Sure Outputs

Code Generator: Parameter and Select-Option Selection

The User can specify which fields in the Output Structure should be Parameters or Select Options in the new Program

The User can also specify if any of these Parameters or Select Options need to be made obligatory

Once the User has made the required Selections, they click on the ‘Generate Program’, and the Generator will do the following:

• Create the Program, complete with Screens, Program Textpool, CUAD Objects, etc

• Create User and Admin Transaction Codes to call this program

• Create Program Variants for the User and Admin Transaction Codes

Sure Outputs

Code Generator: Example of Generated Code

The comments at the top of the program are fairly detailed and the “template” of these comments can be adjusted to conform with a client’s specific Commenting / Documentation Standards

If the “Use Sure Outputs Code Pool” was selected, then this program would contain less than 100 lines of code, as the actually processing logic would reside in the Sure Outputs Code Pool

If the “Explode Sure Outputs Code Pool” was selected, then this program would contain over 10000 lines of code and would be a totally stand along program with no dependency on the Sure Outputs Code Pool

Sure Outputs

Code Generator: MAIN_SELECT Form

Sure Outputs controls the outputting of a Data Table, regardless of what the structure of the Data Table looks like

However, Sure Outputs cannot generate code for the Selection Logic to populate this Data Table. The reason for this is that every program will have a different Selection Logic specific to that program

As a result of this, after generating the new Program with the Sure Outputs Generator, the only Custom Coding that will be required will be to add code in the MAIN_SELECT Form to populate the Data Table

Sure Outputs

Generated Program – Selection Criteria Tab The Selection Criteria Tab will contain all the Parameters and Select Options that were selected when the Sure Outputs Generator was executed

This Tab will look different for every requirement due to the fact it will contain Parameters and Select Options that are specific to that Requirement

Typically this Tab is how most Report Selection Screens look like in their entirety, however what sets a Sure Output Program apart, is what appears on Processing and Admin Settings Tabs

NOTE: The Admin Settings Tab will be hidden from Users when the User Transaction is run. However it will be shown if the program is run from SE38, SE80 or the ADMIN Transaction

Sure Outputs

Generated Program – Processing Options Tab

The Processing Options Tab contains all the Processing Options that are available within Sure Outputs

The subsequent Slides will explain these Options in more Detail

Sure Outputs

Generated Program – Data Source

Sure Outputs

Selecting this option will result in the Data Table being populated with LIVE Data from the DB Tables (ie executing the Custom Code in the MAIN_SELECT Form)

Selecting this option will open up a new field where the User can select an existing User Buffer. The Data Table will then be populated with Buffered Data stored in the selected User Buffer

NOTE: To simplify things for the User, the Buffer Name can be hidden on the ADMIN Settings Tab, although this would mean each User can only have one buffer at a time

Generated Program – Output To (Screen)

Sure Outputs

If “Screen” is selected, then the “Screen Options” are displayed:

• Screen Variant: The User can create a Screen Variant, which will allow them to hide columns, change the order of columns, change the Sort Order, add Filters, add Groupings/Sub Totals etc

• Screen Layout:

• ”Report Only”: will only show the Data Table and nothing else

• ”Report with Tabstrips”: will show the Data Table at the bottom of the Screen and Multiple Tabs at the top

NOTE: To Simplify things for the User, The Screen Options can be set up once per program, and then hidden from the User on the Admin Settings Tab

Output To (Screen) – Example of “Report Only”

Sure Outputs

The “Report Only” Option will result in a Full Screen ALV being displayed to output the Data Table

This is typically what most reports in SAP look like

Output To (Screen) – Example of “Report with Tab Strips”

Sure Outputs

The screen is split into 2 Sections:

• Top Section: Contains a Tab Strip which can contain as many Tabs as required. Tabs can be added/removed in the Admin Settings per program. The Subsequent slides will provide more Detail on the individual Tabs

• Bottom Section: Displays the Data Table an ALV

Broadcast Tab

Sure Outputs

The Broadcast Tab enables you to communicate with Users who use this Program,for example:

• Company Broadcasts: Most companies already have a News/Information section on their website or intranet that provides employees with information. All this Tab needs is the URL and this can be displayed here

• SAP Specific Broadcast: Sure Outputs caters for SAP Specific Broadcast, eg allowing BASIS to let Users know when they need to perform a restart, (as shown in the screenshot)

• Program Specific Broadcast: Sure Outputs caters for Program specific Broadcast, eg informing users when new functionality will become available for that Program

• Multiple Broadcast Tabs: It is also possible to have multiple Broadcast Tabs

Notes Tab

Sure Outputs

The Notes Tab allows Users to maintain Notes for a specific Program.

Sure Outputs is making use of the Business Document Navigator (See Transaction OAOR), which means existing DB tables and Classes are being used to store and access these Notes, therefore no new DB tables will be required

Effectively Sure Outputs is acting as a conduit between the User and Existing SAP Functionality available in Transaction OAOR, but providing a more User Friendly Interface

Attachments Tab

Sure Outputs

The Attachments Tab allows Users to maintain Attachments for a specific Program

Sure Outputs is making use of the Business Document Navigator (See Transaction OAOR), which means existing DB tables and Classes are being used to store and access these Attachments, therefore no new DB tables will be required

The Business Document Navigator can be configured to store attachments differently, eg in SharePoint, a File Server, directly in SAP DB, etc. However because Sure Outputs is making of Classes to create/open the attachments, therefore it does not matter where the attachments are stored, so long as the Business Document Navigator is pointing to them

Logging Tab

Sure Outputs

Sure Outputs Allows you to Log every Execution of a Program, as well as storing Information about that Execution

Sure Outputs is makes use of the Application Log ( See Transaction SLG1) to store these Logs. This means existing DB tables and Classes are being used to store and access these Logs, therefore no new DB tables will be required

Effectively Sure Outputs is acting as a conduit between the User and Existing SAP Functionality available in Transaction SLG1, but providing a more User Friendly Interface

Statistics Tab

Sure Outputs

If you have Sure Stats installed, then every execution of this program can be listed with detailed statistical information for that execution

Alternatively, useful information such as Average Run Time, Average Run Count, Top 5 Users, Average Number of DB reads etc can be displayed here

Change Control Tab

Sure Outputs

If you have Sure Transports installed, then detailed Change Control information can be displayed here, such as:

• Change Request Number

• Requested By

• Developer

• Technical/Functional Spec URL

• Transport Number

• Approver

• QA User

• Test Script URL

User Buffers Tab

Sure Outputs

This Tab shows all the User Buffers that have been created for this Program

In this Example, there is a requirement to keep track of the active SAP Users on a given day, therefore a job is created to create a Buffer for each day with a ‘snapshot’ of the active Users on that day

A User simply has to click on one of the Buffers, and the Report will be updated with the data that was stored in that specific Buffer

Generated Program – Output To (Web Page)

Sure Outputs

Sure Outputs will convert the Data Table into an XML String and then use the following Options to generate a Web Page for the Data:

• Web Page Template: Stores the Template for the Web Page, eg header, footer, graphics, logos etc

• Web Page Style: Stores the Styles, eg the Font, Size and Colour of the Column Headings and Rows etc

• Target URL: This makes it possible to have multiple URLs per Program, eg for a daily report, simply incorporate the Date into the URL

NOTE: To Simplify things for the User, The Web Page Options can be set up once per program, and then hidden from the User on the Admin Settings Tab

Output To (Web Page)

Sure Outputs

This will Open the User’s Browser and display the resultant Web Page taking into account the Template and Style that were selected

In this example we can see that:

• The Template File had a Graphic above the Table

• The Style File defined the Column Heading with a Grey Background and a White text. It also used an alternate Row Pattern, with the Odd Row Colour being Light Grey and the Even Row Colour being dark Grey

Generated Program – Output To (File)

Sure Outputs

If “File” is selected, then the “File Attributes” need to be provided, namely where the File needs to be Downloaded, as well as what type of File it should be. It is also possible to delete the File if it already exists, or to add a Date & Time stamp to the Filename to ensure it will be unique

Once the File Attributes have been setup, the user then needs to select what happens with this File by selecting an option from “File Processing Options”. The Subsequent slides will provide more Detail on the File Processing Options

NOTE: To Simplify things for the User, The “File Attributes” can be set up once per program, and then hidden from the User on the Admin Settings Tab

Generated Program– File Processing Options (Download & Display)

Sure Outputs

When the “Download File” option is selected, then the Program will proceed to Download the File to the required location

When the “Display File” option is selected, then the Program will proceed to download the File to the specified location and then immediately Open the File so that the User can verify that the File was downloaded successfully and verify the File contents

Generated Program– File Processing Options (FTP File)

Sure Outputs

When the “FTP File” option is selected, then additional “FTP Options” need to be provided

Once these fields are populated, the program will proceed to download the File and then FTP it to the required destination

NOTE: To Simplify things for the User, The “FTP Options” can be set up once per program, and then hidden from the User on the Admin Settings Tab

Generated Program– File Processing Options (E-mail File)

Sure Outputs

When the “E-mail File” option is selected, then additional “E-Mail Options” need to be provided

Once these fields are populated, the program will proceed to download the file and then send an E-mail to the specified E-mail recipients and attach the File as an attachment in the E-mail

NOTE: To Simplify things for the User, The “E-Mail Options” can be set up once per program, and then hidden from the User on the Admin Settings Tab

Generated Program – Output To (Web Service)

Sure Outputs

When the “Web Service” option is selected, then additional “Web Service Options” need to be provided

The program will proceed to convert the Data Table into an XML string and then send the String to the required Web Service

NOTE: To Simplify things for the User, The “Web Service Options” can be set up once per program, and then hidden from the User on the Admin Settings Tab

Generated Program – Output To (User Buffer)

Sure Outputs

NOTE: To Simplify things for the User, The “Buffer Details” can be set up once per program, and then hidden from the User on the Admin Settings Tab

When the “User Buffer” option is selected then additional “Buffer Details” need to be provided. The program will proceed to Select the Data and then store the Data in the User Buffer. For example:

• You might have a Report that takes 4 hours to retrieve the Data you require

• With Sure Outputs, you could Schedule this Program to create a User Buffer at 2am every day, which will take 4 hours and be completed before you arrive at the office

• When you arrive at the office, you can “Load” the User Buffer (which would take seconds as opposed to 4 hours) and have immediate access to this Data to do with as you please

NOTE: SAP Standard Functions and DB Tables are being used to store and access these Buffers, so no new DB Tables need to be created for this Functionality

Generated Program Selection Screen – Admin Settings Tab

Sure Outputs

The Admin Settings Tab allows you to control the way that Users Interacts with the Program

The Subsequent slides will explain the options that are available on this screen in more detail

NOTE: The Admin Settings Tab will be hidden from Users when the User Transaction is run. However it will be shown if the program is run from SE38, SE80 or the ADMIN Transaction

Admin Settings Tab – Configuration Options

Sure Outputs

• Config Set: Each Program can have multiple Transaction Codes linked to it. By changing the Config Set, you can enable different a configuration set per Transaction for the same Program

• Config Report: Serves the same purpose as “Config Set”

• Report Title: Allows you to assign a Report Title per Transaction linked to the Program

• Run as Administrator: This will enable Additional Functionality that is not available to the User by default

• Enable Program Logging: This will enable Program Logging to SLG1, which will include detailed information such as what options were selected per run

Admin Settings Tab – ALV Options

Sure Outputs

It is possible to control how ALV Variants work by choosing one of the following options:

• None: The User will not be able to create any type ALV Variant

• User Only: The User will only be able to create User Variants, ie this Variant can only be accessed by the User who created it

• Global Only: The User can only create Global Variants, ie this Variant can be access by any User regardless of who created it

• None: The User can choose whether to create User or Global Variants

Admin Settings Tab – “Processing Options Tab” Display Options

Sure Outputs

It is possible to control how ALV Variants work by choosing one of the following options:

• Screen Options: Will display the “Screen Option” Window when the User Selects “Output to - Screen”

• Web Page Options: Will display the “Web Options” Window when the User Selects “Output to – Web Page”

• Variant Buttons: Will display the Report Variants Buttons so that Users can maintain Report Variants

• ALV Structure: Will display the following Window on the Processing Options Tab:

• File Attributes: Will display the “File Attributes” Window when the User Selects “Output to - File”

• Buffer Details: Will display the “Buffer Details” Window when the User Selects “Output to - Buffer”

• Web Service Details: Will display the “Web Service Details” Window when the User Selects “Output to – Web Service”

Admin Settings Tab – Tabbed Screen Layout

Sure Outputs

If the “Report with Tabstrips” was selected, it is possible to control the Screen as follows:

• Tab Window Ratio: Controls how much space the “Tab Window” will take up on the Screen

• Report Window Ratio: Controls how much space the “Report Window” will take up on the Screen

• Tab Strip Functions: Here you are able to add/remove Tabs to the screen, as well as change the Order these Tabs are displayed in. Each entry added here needs to have an entry in a Config Table which points to a Function Module which controls the Tab Subscreen Processing

One of our other products, Sure Landscapes, will be used to for the installation process.

Sure Landscapes will automatically create the following objects on your system in a matter of seconds:

•Development Class: A New Development will be created for Sure Outputs and it will contain all objects required by Sure Outputs

• Transport: A new Transport will be created which will contain all components of Sure Stats

• Domains and, Domain Values

• Data Elements

• Structures

• Database Tables

• Programs, Program Texts, Program Screens

Installation

Sure Outputs

Cost and Support

Sure Outputs

Support Contract Service Contract

Initial Cost: TBC Initial Cost: TBC

Monthly Cost: TBC Monthly Cost: TBC

8 hours of Support per month 40 hours of Support per month

Free Support during a SAP upgrade Free Support during a SAP upgrade

Free Sure Outputs Updates Free Sure Outputs Updates

Conversion of all existing Reports/Interfaces into a Sure Output Program

5 Sure Output Programs per month