A

1. Coolcats don’t use
CCuussttoommiizziinngg
Daniel Ridder & Tobias Trapp
AOK Systems GmbH

2. Customizing can become a
nightmare
Customizing is useful for value helps, text tables and but the more
complex it becomes it turns SAP Business Suite & CCuussttoomm DDeevveellooppmmeenntt
into a complex nightmare.
Why?
How can we do better?

3. „What the heck is going on?“

4. What are Business Rules?
What is DSM?
Business Rules make ERP systems smart since they automate
decision-making:
− complex calculations
− checks and validations
− approvement processes
− complex checks like ffrraauudd ddeetteeccttiioonn
− process control
− agent determination for workflows
− control of a workflow
More and more SAP applications use BRFplus, but you can also use it
for free in custom development or BAdI implementations
BRFplus is SAP‘s strategic business rule framework and now called DSM

5. The Trouble with Customizing
Frameworks for Business Rules
development of a customizing based rule system is expensive
interpretation of customizing entries is slow
it is difficult to implement if-then-else structures in customizing
it is impossible to predict all future requirements like time
dependency, randomization, date/time calculations aanndd ssoo oonn
in the worst case you are developing an own rule framework having
perhaps 5% of the feature set of BRFplus

6. Online Demo
creation of a BRFplus application
creation of a decision table
simulation
generation of ABAP Code

7. Simplify Applications
vs.
simplifiy your application – use business rules instead of customizing
make rule systems readable – it help in discussion with business experts
BRFplus is completely open – with ist API and User Exits you can solve
nearly every problem

8. 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
IMHO the real challenges are:
IT is ready to implement decision mmaannaaggeemmeenntt ttoo
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.