Testing is a critical component of Release Management in APM. The two week window between deployment to the Test/Dev environments and Prod should be used to thoroughly test the new APM release. Developing and maintaining a test strategy is important to ensure business continuity when the new release is deployed into Production.
APM has a quarterly release schedule (Q1/February, Q2/May, Q3/August and Q4/October). This quarterly schedule is defined to reduce the testing load (as opposed to a monthly release schedule). Additionally, the Q4 release deployed in October and is limited to minor changes to minimize impact during the Open Enrollment season for our Health Insurance customers.
Releases serve several critical roles in improving the way our customers run their business.
- New Features/Improvements to Existing Features: Releases are the mechanism for new features to be added to a customer's environment. In most instances, new features that are included in a release are disabled/hidden from the menu structure by default. Since the feature is disabled/hidden, the potential impact to the customer is low. Customers have the option to enable/unhide the feature and test at their discretion.
- Deprecate Features: Occasionally, features are deprecated from APM. SAP Engineering will provide warnings in the Release Notes (and Release Briefings) several releases in advance of the feature actually getting removed from APM.
- Bug Fixes: Releases are a way to correct bugs that may have been introduced in prior Releases. If the bug is significant, the issue will be corrected in an off cycle release (also known as a "Hot Fix")
Best Practices: APM WorkZone Site
An important step in Release Testing is to be aware of Release Dates and Release briefings. SAP has created a WorkZone site for APM users to be able see Release related information such as:
- Release Dates
- Registration for Release Briefings (including recordings from prior Release Briefings)
The APM WorkZone site is restricted (invitation only). Please reach out to Dean Patterson (dean.patterson@sap.com) or myself (phillip.butts@sap.com) to get an invitation. The link to the WorkZone site is included at the bottom of this blog.
Figure 1: APM WorkZone Site
Best Practices: What's New Viewer (WNV)
The WNV contains the changes in upcoming and past releases. Reviewing the WNV in advance of the formal Release Briefing will allow you to ask any questions in the Release Briefing. In Figure 2 (below), items included in the 2405 Release can be reviewed even though 2405 hasn't been released yet.
Figure 2: APM WNV (filtered on Release 2405)
"Testing Considerations" have been added to end of the Description that should help define testing plans for the specific item that has been updated or added.
Figure 3: Testing Considerations
It is also important to understand the Component column within WNV. Understanding the Components impacted in a Release will help you determine an efficient test strategy.
There will be 4 basic Components in every Release:
- Processing Framework: General Term for Payout, Import and Posting for example.
- Framework: Underlying Code Libraries and other behind the scenes core functionality
- UI: User Interface
- Specific Components: For Example, QBQuery, SQL Workbench, Extracts
Figure 4: Components
It is also important to understand the Type column within WNV. Understanding the Type of change in a Release will give you a better understanding of how to test each issue.
There will be 3 basic Types in every Release:
- Resolved Issue: The Description should provide information regarding previous and new behavior. This information (along with Testing Considerations should help direct the testing strategy.
- Improvement: This type indicates an update to an existing functionality. The Description should provide information regarding previous and new behavior. This information (along with Testing Considerations should help direct the testing strategy.
- New: New Feature or Functionality. In most cases, these features are disabled or hidden from the menu structure by default. The Description should provide information (along with Testing Considerations) should help direct the testing strategy.
Figure 5: Types
The final important item to understand in the WNV is the Enablement Type. The Enablement Type is needed to determine if your System Admin is needed to enable the feature.
There can be 2 Enablement Types in every Release:
- Automatically Available: Resolved Issues and Improvements are typically available with no interaction needed (Assuming the feature was already enabled).
- Requires Administrative Action: This Enablement Type requires the Customer's System Admin to make changes to Global Features or System Options.
Figure 6: Enablement Types
Best Practices: Overall Testing Approach
The Release Testing should primarily focus on "Business Critical" components in APM.
- Batch Processing
- Batch Processing includes tasks such as Payout, Importing/Posting of files. Small sample files can be created and processed in APM. When Payout is executed using these sample files, the output can be logged and reused in future release testing. AP/Payroll extracts can be compared as well to ensure there are no issues with the release related to Batch Processing.
- Agency/Broker Facing Components
- Statement content/format and broker access should be confirmed in Test after a Release. APM Broker Portal (or Agent Connection) and Onboarding should views should also be tested.
- Test Primary Actions
- Test Primary Actions in APM that users perform daily. Book of Business transfers, Hierarchy changes and new Broker setups are examples of common Primary Actions in APM for most customers.
- Create a standard Testing Checklist/Playbook
- A testing checklist/playbook should be created to ensure consistent testing across releases. A checklist also can be used by others in the event of PTO by normal test team.
- Use WNV
- Review the WNV to align impacted components in the Release with Business Critical Components. The review process will help develop a focused testing plan in addition to your standard testing plan. Additionally, review the WNV for upcoming changes and bring any questions to the Release Briefing presented by SAP Product Engineering.
Release testing is an important part of business operations. Developing a testing plan can be a daunting task. However, following this guide will help establish an efficient release testing process.
Please Follow additional APM resources at:
APM WorkZone Site (Requires invitiation)
For Invitation Please email phillip.butts@sap.com or dean.patterson@sap.com
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