Is the SAP BASIS role dead after RISE with SAP ??

Summary

This video explores how 'Rise with SAP' has transformed the role of SAP Basis Administrators by shifting technical tasks like server provisioning, OS installation, and SAP system upgrades to SAP itself. It discusses the new responsibilities and challenges faced by Basis Administrators in managing SAP applications and infrastructure under this subscription-based service.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Rise with SAP is a subscription-based service by SAP that includes infrastructure, hosting, and technical administration of SAP applications.
• 🔧 The traditional role of an SAP Basis Administrator has been redefined with the advent of Rise with SAP, focusing more on the application layer and less on infrastructure and operating systems.
• 💼 Tasks such as server provisioning, operating system installation, and SAP system installation are now managed by SAP under the Rise with SAP subscription.
• 📊 The scope of the SAP Basis Administrator has shifted to primarily SAP application runtime technical configuration and administration, with SAP taking over the technical layers.
• 🚫 Basis Administrators under Rise with SAP do not have access to the operating system or networking layers, and must rely on SAP's application capabilities for such information.
• 🔒 Backup and DR setups are also out of scope for the Basis Administrator under Rise with SAP, with SAP handling these aspects unless specific customer requests are made.
• 📋 The roles and responsibilities document by SAP outlines what tasks are performed by SAP and when the customer is responsible, which is crucial for Basis Administrators to understand.
• 🛠️ Patching and upgrades of the SAP application layer are executed by SAP, with planning and coordination required from the Basis Administrator to ensure minimal effort and no missed components.
• 🔄 Performance issues need to be identified by SAP to determine if they are within their support scope, with the Basis Administrator responsible for troubleshooting within the application layer.
• 🔄 SAP security notes are analyzed and advised on by SAP, with automatic implementation possible for certain notes, while others require manual implementation by the Basis Administrator.
• 🏗️ New system installations and landscape designs under Rise with SAP require customer input for infrastructure sizing, indicating a continued need for technical knowledge even in a more application-focused role.

Q & A

What is 'Rise with SAP' and how does it change the traditional role of an SAP Basis Administrator?

Rise with SAP is a solution by SAP that includes infrastructure, hosting, and technical administration of SAP applications under a single subscription-based contract. It has changed the traditional role of an SAP Basis Administrator by taking over tasks such as server provisioning, operating system installation, and SAP system installation, leaving the administrator to focus on application runtime technical configuration and administration.

What are the typical tasks handled by an SAP Basis Administrator before the introduction of Rise with SAP?

Before Rise with SAP, an SAP Basis Administrator was responsible for tasks across infrastructure, technical, and application layers. This included server provisioning, operating system installation and configuration, patching, SAP system installation, technical configuration, and administration of the SAP application runtime.

How does the role of an SAP Basis Administrator differ under a Rise with SAP subscription?

Under a Rise with SAP subscription, SAP takes over the tasks of server provisioning, operating system installation, configuration, patching, and upgrade, as well as SAP system installation and technical configuration. The Basis Administrator's role is now focused on the SAP application basis scope, which includes application runtime technical configuration and administration above the technical layer.

What happens if an SAP Basis Administrator needs access to the operating system level under a Rise with SAP subscription?

An SAP Basis Administrator does not get access to the operating system level under a Rise with SAP subscription. They must rely on the SAP application's capability to provide limited information about the operating system. Any specific OS level task execution must be requested to be executed by SAP.

How does an SAP Basis Administrator handle networking setup under a Rise with SAP subscription?

The Basis Administrator does not have access to server networking details such as VLANs, diagrams, or VPNs. They must rely on the SAP application to provide limited information about the networking layer, which is out of scope for the SAP application basis.

What is the process for an SAP Basis Administrator to access backup and DR setup under a Rise with SAP subscription?

The Basis Administrator does not have access to server backups or database backups. They must rely on the SAP application's capability to provide limited information about the backup/DR infrastructure. If necessary, they can request this information from SAP.

How can an SAP Basis Administrator raise a service request with SAP under the Rise with SAP model?

Service requests are raised from within the SAP Support Portal Launchpad. If the portal is not available and the request is urgent, the Basis Administrator may need to call SAP. The process starts with creating a service request, and the Basis Administrator is responsible for ensuring SAP has all the required information for minimal effort during the service.

What is the difference between having access and having accountability and responsibility in the context of Rise with SAP?

Even though the Basis Administrator may no longer perform certain actions at certain levels, their accountability and responsibility in those areas remain. For example, they are still accountable for requesting ad hoc backups or system refreshes, even though SAP is responsible for actioning the request.

How does the patching process of the SAP application layer happen under Rise with SAP?

The SAP application, such as SAP S/4HANA, will be upgraded and patched by SAP. The Basis Administrator is responsible for planning the patching, ensuring a consistent stack of SAP and non-SAP components, and managing requests to ensure minimal effort during the patching process.

What is the role of a Partner Cloud Architect in the context of Rise with SAP?

A Partner Cloud Architect is typically employed by the SAP partner performing the Rise with SAP migration or implementation. This role, which may not exist with the same title at the customer level, is a technical basis role with architecture and infrastructure knowledge, possibly with less emphasis on the technical application layer.

How does the future of the SAP Basis Administrator role look with the advent of Rise with SAP and AI?

The traditional SAP Basis Administrator role will evolve with a focus on application administration and cloud-based tasks. While the role will not involve operating system administration or SAP application software installs and upgrades, there will still be a need for technical people to help deliver the Rise service, potentially leading to a role like the Cloud Mega Basis or Partner Cloud Architect.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Rise with SAP and the Evolving SAP Basis Administrator Role

This paragraph introduces the impact of Rise with SAP on the traditional SAP Basis Administrator role. It explains that Rise with SAP is a comprehensive solution that includes infrastructure, hosting, and technical administration of SAP applications under a single subscription-based contract. The paragraph highlights the transition from a multi-layered technical role to a more focused application runtime technical administration role, with SAP taking over tasks like server provisioning, operating system installation, and patching. The speaker emphasizes the limited access to operating system and network configurations for Basis Administrators under the Rise with SAP model, suggesting a reliance on SAP's application capabilities for such information.

05:01

🔍 The New Scope of SAP Basis Administrator Responsibilities

This section delves into the specifics of the SAP Basis Administrator's responsibilities post the Rise with SAP implementation. It discusses the distinction between access and accountability, noting that while the Basis Administrator may not perform certain actions, they remain accountable for tasks such as requesting backups and system refreshes. The paragraph also guides viewers on how to access the roles and responsibilities document from SAP's website, which outlines the division of tasks between the customer and SAP. It underscores the importance of this document for Basis Administrators to understand their new scope of work and the necessity to request actions from SAP when needed.

10:02

🛠️ Managing Technical Tasks and Patching in the Rise with SAP Era

The paragraph discusses how the management of technical tasks and the patching process have changed with the advent of Rise with SAP. It explains that SAP now handles the upgrading and patching of the SAP application layer, with the Basis Administrator responsible for planning and ensuring that all necessary components are included in the request to SAP. The speaker also touches on the role of the Basis Administrator in pre and post-patching tasks, performance issue identification, and the application of SAP security notes. The paragraph also addresses the potential need for a new role, such as a Cloud Architect, to assist with infrastructure sizing and design in the absence of traditional Basis Administrator responsibilities at the infrastructure level.

15:04

🌐 The Future of the SAP Basis Administrator in a Cloud-Centric World

In this final paragraph, the speaker contemplates the future of the SAP Basis Administrator role in light of the changes brought by Rise with SAP and the impending influence of AI. It suggests that while the traditional Basis Administrator role has been significantly altered, the need for skilled professionals will persist, albeit in a more application-focused capacity. The paragraph also speculates on the potential for classical Basis Administrators to transition into roles within SAP or its partner ecosystem, focusing on architecture and integration tasks. The speaker invites viewers to subscribe for further insights on how Basis Administrators can adapt and evolve in this changing landscape.

Keywords

💡Rise with SAP

Rise with SAP is a solution provided by SAP that encompasses the infrastructure, hosting, and technical administration of SAP applications under a single subscription-based contract. It is central to the video's theme as it represents a significant shift in how SAP basis administrators operate, moving from a multi-layered technical role to a more application-focused one.

💡SAP Basis Administrator

The SAP Basis Administrator is a role traditionally responsible for the technical management of SAP systems, including server provisioning, operating system installation, and SAP system configuration. The video discusses how the role has evolved due to Rise with SAP, with many technical tasks now handled by SAP itself, leaving the administrator to focus more on the application layer.

💡Infrastructure

Infrastructure in the context of the video refers to the physical or virtual environment in which SAP systems operate. With Rise with SAP, the management of infrastructure, such as server provisioning and operating system administration, is taken over by SAP, reducing the scope of the traditional SAP Basis Administrator role.

💡Technical Layer

The technical layer is the foundational part of the SAP system that includes the operating system, database, and SAP kernel. The video explains that under Rise with SAP, SAP now manages many aspects of the technical layer, which was previously a significant part of the SAP Basis Administrator's responsibilities.

💡Application Layer

The application layer in SAP systems refers to the software components that perform business processes and tasks. The video suggests that with the advent of Rise with SAP, the SAP Basis Administrator's focus shifts more towards the application layer, including tasks like SAP application runtime technical configuration and administration.

💡Subscription-based Contract

A subscription-based contract is a type of agreement where services are provided for a recurring fee. In the context of the video, Rise with SAP is offered under such a contract, which includes all the necessary infrastructure, hosting, and technical administration for SAP applications.

💡SAP Technical Basis and SAP Application Basis

These terms are used internally within SAP to denote different scopes of responsibility. The video mentions that the traditional SAP Basis Administrator role now primarily falls under the SAP Application Basis scope, focusing on the application layer, while SAP Technical Basis refers to the tasks managed by SAP under the Rise with SAP subscription.

💡Service Request

A service request is a formal request for assistance or support, often used in IT to address issues or perform specific tasks. The video explains that with Rise with SAP, SAP Basis Administrators need to raise service requests with SAP for tasks that were previously part of their role, such as system refreshes or ad hoc backups.

💡Patch Management

Patch management is the process of applying updates and fixes to software to improve security and performance. The video discusses how under Rise with SAP, SAP is responsible for executing the upgrade tools for patching, while the SAP Basis Administrator is responsible for planning and ensuring all required components are included in the request.

💡Performance Problem

A performance problem refers to issues that affect the efficiency or speed of a system. The video notes that if a performance issue arises, SAP will work to identify if it is within their scope of support. If not, the SAP Basis Administrator is responsible for determining the cause within the application layer.

💡Security Notes

Security notes are important updates released by SAP to address vulnerabilities and improve system security. The video explains that SAP will automatically analyze and advise on the relevance of security notes, and can implement certain notes automatically, while the SAP Basis Administrator is responsible for applying others that require manual action.

💡New System Installation and Landscape

New system installation refers to the setup of a new SAP system, while landscape refers to the overall environment in which SAP systems operate. The video mentions that customers are responsible for providing and signing off on the infrastructure sizings for new systems under Rise with SAP, indicating a continued need for technical knowledge even as the role of the SAP Basis Administrator evolves.

Highlights

Rise with SAP is a solution that includes infrastructure, hosting, and technical administration of SAP applications under a single subscription-based contract.

Before Rise, the SAP Basis Administrator role was scoped across infrastructure, technical, and application layers.

In larger companies, the SAP Basis role was often divided into specialist teams like Cloud teams, server administrators, and SAP Basis administrators.

SAP Basis administrators typically handled tasks like server provisioning, operating system installation, configuration, and SAP system installation.

Under Rise with SAP, SAP performs tasks like server provisioning, operating system installation, configuration, and SAP system installation.

The typical Basis Administrator's role now focuses on SAP application runtime technical configuration and administration.

Basis administrators under Rise with SAP do not get access to the operating system or networking layers, relying on SAP application capabilities.

SAP handles server backups and database backups, with Basis administrators needing to request specific OS level tasks from SAP if required.

Basis administrators are still accountable for requesting ad hoc backups and system refreshes, with SAP responsible for actioning these requests.

There is a roles and responsibilities document that outlines what tasks are performed by SAP and what remains the customer's responsibility.

The document is publicly available and can be accessed through SAP's website, detailing the responsibilities and whether the customer is responsible or not.

Basis administrators need to manage requests and ensure SAP has all required information for tasks like patching and upgrades.

SAP will automatically analyze and advise on SAP security notes, applying them if relevant, with manual actions implemented on request.

Basis administrators are responsible for applying security notes that are exceptions to the automated process.

New system installations and landscapes require customers to provide and sign off on infrastructure sizings, even if the actual work is done by SAP.

The role of a Basis Administrator is evolving, focusing more on application administration and less on operating system administration.

The future of the Basis Administrator role may involve working more with SAP partners and focusing on architecture and infrastructure knowledge.

Basis Administrators need to adapt and evolve their skills to stay relevant in the changing landscape of SAP administration.

Transcripts

hello and welcome to Tech Cub cor on sap

in this video I'm going to explain why

rise with sap has just killed the sap

basis administrator role as we know it

and provide some explanations of how

technical tasks are slightly different

in Rise buckle up butter cup it's going

to get scary from here

on in three lines explain rise to me

rise with sap is a solution provided by

sap that includes the infrastructure

hosting and Technical administration of

sap applications under a single

subscription based

contract okay that was less than three

lines is it really that simple yes it is

let me try and explain a typical scope

of the role of sap basis administrator

before rise a typical sap basis

administrator role before rise was

scoped across infrastructure Technical

and application layers the

infrastructure could be physical or vir

virtual some larger companies divide

this scope into Specialist Team areas

with for example Cloud teams

administering the virtual machines

server administrators taking care of the

operating system layer and then finally

sap basis only administering the sap

technical layer and upwards by breaking

up the sap basis role into smaller parts

recruitment of unicorns can be avoided

at the expense of extra human

Administration also known as HR in my

experience though most companies are

smmes and the sap basis administrator

has to be multi-disciplined across all

of these technical areas within these

areas sap basis administrators typically

handle the following tasks server

provisioning especially in C hosted

platforms but can be VMware or even

physical operating system installation

configuration Administration patching

and upgrade sap system installation

technical configuration technical

Administration patching and upgrade sap

application runtime technical conf

configuration and administration that is

above the technical

layer what's different with

rise under a rise with sap subscription

the following tasks are now performed by

sap themselves server provisioning which

can be hosted in customer data center or

hyperscaler operating system

installation configuration

Administration patching and upgrade sap

system installation technical

configuration technical Administration

patching and upgrade what remains for

our typical basis administrator sap

application runtime technical

configuration and administration that is

above the technical layer internally

within sap they use the designation of

sap technical basis and sa application

basis to denote the differing Scopes our

typical basis administrator is now

working solely in the sap application

basis

scope what if basis administrators need

to see the operating system Level under

a rise with sap subscription our typical

basis administrator does not get access

to the operating system at all not even

negotiable they will need to rely on the

capability of the sap application to

provide that level of information which

will be limited the operating system is

out of scope for sap application basis

if the customer has some specific

requirements for OS level task execution

then this can be requested to be

executed by sap there is some form of

provision for longer term OS task

execution should it be required but I

suspect this is designed for certain

integration scenarios not the usual s

foran

tasks what if basis administrators need

to see the network set up under arise

with sap subscription our typical basis

administrator does not get access to the

server networking no Cloud visibility no

vlans no diagrams no sap router no vpns

no wire shark no netcat no SSH tunnels

no X no no

no no Cent visibility no vlans no

diagrams no sap rout no vpns no wire

shark no netcat no SSH channels no X11

no no no not even negotiable they will

need to rely on the capability of the

sap application to provide that level of

information which will be limited the

networking layer and its architecture is

out of scope for sap application basis

what if basis administrators need to see

the backup and or Dr setup under a rise

with sap subscription our typical basis

administrator does not get access to the

server backups or database backups no

diagrams no policy visibility no Hanna

cockpit with system user no Hannah

studio with system user not even

negotiable they will need to rely on the

capability of the sap application to

provide that level of information which

will be limited the backup /dr

infrastructure and its architecture is

out of scope for sap application basis

do you see where we're going with this

our typical basis administrator will

need to rely on the capability of the

sap application if the capability is not

within the sap application to display

for example the IP address of the server

then that information is not visible to

the basis administrator our typical

basis administrator will need to request

this information from sap if the

capability is not within the sap

application to display for example the

last backup of the database then that

information is not visible to the basis

administrator I would typical basis

administrator will need to request this

information from

sap there is a slight difference between

having access and having accountability

and responsibility just because our

typical basis administrator can no

longer perform certain actions at

certain levels it does not detract from

the accountability and responsibility in

some of those areas as an example our

typical basis administrator is still

accountable to request ad hoc backups

when the business require them due to

accept exeptional processing maybe

Financial year end requires golden

backups retention for seven years the

sap request processors are responsible

for actioning the request the key word

in this example is request and this will

be repeated in a lot of

places another example our typical basis

administrator is still accountable to

request system refreshes when the

business require them the sap request

processes are responsible for actioning

the request

once the system has been refreshed our

typical basis administrator is still

responsible to perform post copy steps

at the application runtime

layer okay so is there a complete racy

Matrix for what is performed by sap

there is a roles and responsibilities

document that is frequently updated

let's look at how you can get to that

document which is publicly available we

open the sap website and navigate to the

about page www.sap.com/learnbi

on the about page we select security and

Trust then agreements then scroll down

to select sap Cloud product policies

from the cloud services

section then saps for Hannah and Cloud

Erp Services documentation then we

filter for roles and responsibilities

and set the language to English then

finally scroll down to the rise with

saps for Hanah Cloud Private Edition and

sap Erp pce roles and

responsibilities one thing to notice is

we don't want the tailed option document

that is a different document and is

specifically for execution in a customer

owned data center for those interested

as an example there is an option in the

tailored document for Hannah

architectural changes from single node

to multi Noe but that option is not

offered in the standard document it's

really no easy feat to get to this

document so I've put the link in the

description down below I've also

included a link to the presentation on

what the customer data center option

delivers a shortcut to this whole click

Fest is just to go to sap.com about

agreements policies from there you can

get to the saps for Hanah cloud and Erp

cloud services documentation link where

you just need to filter for roles and

responsibilities don't forget the

English the document has a table with a

column with a unique identifier which is

referenceable in the request templates

that our typical basis administrator

would now use to raise a request with

sap the important column is the

responsibility column where it says if

the customer is responsible or not

sometimes a task can be done by the

customer sometimes it can only be done

by sa sometimes the customer has to pay

additional if they want sap to do it all

those details are included in this

column it gets slightly more complicated

because some of these optional tasks are

agreed at contractual negotiation time

the lowly basis administrator may not

know what has been agreed in the

contract but they will need to know

otherwise they may be doing tasks that

sap have been paid to do at the very top

of the roles and responsibilities

document is a useful link to

help.sap.com and a document that

contains the process flows for different

processes there are flows for common

tasks such as sap kernel update update

database software Etc there are not

flows for every task though some of them

are not in this document in the document

there are some proposed service times

but these are caveated as usual here's

the update database software process

flow high level what do you think about

those time durations let me know in the

comments down below remember these are

publicly available as you have seen the

process flows all start with create

service

request so how does our typical basis

administrator raise a service request

with sap that all gets done from within

the sap support portal Launchpad me.

sap.com or whatever you want to call

that today if that portal is not

available

and your request has some level of

urgency then you will need to call sap

using something we used to call a

telephone remember

those there are slas for sap to complete

certain requests but typically it takes

as long as it would have taken to do the

task before rise with sap but with some

additional lead time sap do not perform

any magic to get things done faster than

anyone

else how does patching of the sap

application layer happen the sap

application for example saps for Hannah

will be upgraded SL patched by sap that

means sap will execute the upgrade tools

patching planning is driven by our

typical basis administrator as they will

be able to ensure a consistent stack of

sap and nonsp components an example of

patching complexity during the planning

is additional application functional

Lids or afls for the Hannah database

which are needed for things like sap

analytics Cloud these will also need to

be specifically requested during Hannah

patching in short the typical basis

administrator will need to be pretty hot

on managing the requests and ensuring

that sap have all the required

information in the request to ensure

minimal effort during the patching if

components or items are missed from the

request then days could be lost before

the patching process is completed as

well as planning the patching our

typical basis administrator is also

responsible for pre and post patching

upgrade tasks examples can include spdd

spow execution cache resets program

regeneration config backup/restore don't

forget the usual post patching sap notes

that should be applied as well these are

listed in the side effect reports but it

is not Sap's responsibility to action

these even if sap have applied the

patches what happens if a performance

problem is seen sap will work to

identify if the performance issue is

within their scope of support in the

technical techical layers outside of

these areas it will be up to our typical

basis administrator to determine where

in the application the performance

problem lies the issue can be raised

with sap as a message SL incident in the

usual process through rise the customer

can choose to pay for additional

performance analysis and optimization

but this is more of a proactive approach

and I would not want to be relying on

this for getting urgent attention on a

hot performance problem are sap security

notes applied as part of standard

Services sap will automatically analyze

sap security notes and advise if they

are relevant sap security notes of the

ab app and basis components with no

manual actions can be implemented into

the dev system by sap on request the

customer can pay for sap to implement

appup and basis related notes that have

manual tasks or for implementation of

security notes of other modules our

typical basis administrator will need to

apply security notes that are exceptions

to the above what if an sap note is

requested to be applied by a functional

person a little contentious but sap

notes are applied using the usual method

by our typical basis administrator sap

notes of the ab app and basis components

with no manual actions can be

implemented into the dev system by sap

on request any notes with manual actions

will need to be implemented by our

typical basis

administrator you can see from the above

that the easy tasks are all bundled and

taken care of by sap themselves this

especially at the technical layers once

you get into the application

administrative areas that is where the

typical basis administrator will still

need to be involved what about a new

system installation and

Landscape this is where some customers

may get caught out in this specific case

the customer will need to provide and

sign off on the infrastructure sizings

if our typical basis administrator now

only performs application runtime

technical Administration then the

customer may be thinking that they no

longer need need infrastructure

knowledge yet the roles and

responsibilities document from sap

clearly states that sizing of new

systems and Landscapes especially nonsp

is done by the customer it's the same if

a non-sap application is requested to be

set up by the customer sap will do the

actual work but it will need to be

technically designed and sized by the

customer how is this going to be managed

by our typical basis administrator at

this stage even I am not clear how this

function will work but it's possible

that a small contingent of what I'm

calling Cloud Mega

[Music]

basis we'll be needed to provide this

function in a project guise just like

they do in a brand new rise

implementation or migration This Cloud

Mega basis is a technical basis role

with architecture and infrastructure

knowledge but maybe less emphasis on the

technical application layer these skills

will be expensive I mean they are now so

this is likely to be an architect level

role in the rise with sap roles this

person is known as a partner Cloud

architect as they are usually employed

by the sap partner that is performing

the rise with sap migration SL

implementation but at a customer level

this role may not exist with the same

title it's time to wrap this video up is

Basis dead not really at least not for

many more years yet I think the sap

basis role as we know it changed with

the creation of rise with sap not all

customers will immediately go with a

rise deal but eventually all customers

well maybe not in two maybe not even in

five years but in 10 years I see all

customers being rise customers the basis

role will live on in a more application

focused guys and will Encompass some of

the SAS based application tasks such as

btp administrative tasks Cloud connector

connectivity Cloud Alm connectivity and

other integration tasks but basis

administrators of the future will not be

doing operation system administration to

additional database Administration or

installs and upgrades of sap application

software those tasks will be taken care

of by sap the application stack will

morph slowly into a SAS based

application of course sap the company

and its Partners will need technical

people to help deliver the rise service

so maybe our classical basis

administrator and I'm going to call it

that it's either classical or Legacy and

I feel classical implies more prestige

maybe our classical basis administrator

will end up working for sap what's next

for classical basis administrators the

typical basis role just got absolutely

hammered by Rise with sap and now ai is

banging at the door stay tuned for

another video where I'll explain what

basis administrators should do to

mitigate this whole fight and how to

evolve into Cloud Mega basis the best

way to not miss this video is to

subscribe to the channel so you never

miss a you just need to click my logo in

the bottom right and then click

subscribe it's that easy as always

reference links are in the description

drop me a comment down below give the

video a thumbs up and most importantly

subscribe to the channel thanks for

watching and always wash your hands

after leaving the cubicle

[Music]

bye-bye