First contact

Sc4SAP can be downloaded from our web page, it comes in a zip file. No installation is necessary, just copy the contents of the zip file in a suitable directory. I suggest to put it not in the same folders in which the applications normally are installed in because we need write access to some subdirectories, and that might be a problem using the typical folders like C:\Program Files (x86) or C:\Program Files.

That's what was expectable from reading the system requirements, the SAP Java Connector files are missing. SAP customers and partners can download it here. But maybe the files are already somewhere on my computer or an accessible network drive, thus, press the button "Search for it...".

I'm a lucky guy, the file was found. With the "Copy file" button it can be copied into the Sc4SAP subdirectory.

After closing the dialog the check procedure starts again. We are one step further now, but there is still something missing. Another missing JCO file:

Ok, once again I press the "Search for it..." button. The missing file was found in the same directory as the one before, and I also copied it. Now the check program does not complain any longer and after a short time the "Shortcut for SAP systems" application is started.

First greeting with a popup window about connections:

Connections... aren't there still enough in my SAPLogon?

There are, but the use of connections to SAP systems in "Shortcut for SAP systems" includes the specification of a user - different from the SAPLogon. Thus, let's do what is required. After pressing OK a click on "Settings and configuration" a maintenance function for the connections can be used. So I entered data to a local SAP system that I have installed on my computer, just to try it out and see around what's there.

 

After pressing the "Add" button the data will be moved to the (up to now empty) list of the maintained connections.

By pressing the "Test" button I verify whether the data is correct. As there is sensible data in it the function can be protected with a password. If your computer can be accessed by other people, I recommend to do this.

I saved the connection data and closed the window. Back in the main window I see that all the functions, which were previously disabled because there was no connection maintained, are available now. By moving the mouse cursor to a button I get some information about the function in the right part of the window.

Let's try some functions, starting with the first one "Get a list of users". This does not sound spectacular and offers no information that I can not get by using the functions directly in the SAP system, nevertheless I get an impression how the program works in general. In the window I can see the users in my local SAP system and some messages at the bottom.

Let's try another function, maybe viewing some data of the system. After chosing the function "View table data" and entering a table the application get in contact with the SAP connection and verifys whether the table exists. The button right from the table name offers some information.

Reading the data works for the given table:

Ok, nothing spectacular until now. Only positive aspect is that in case my own dialog user does not have authorizations for viewing some data (or I don't have a user in the client) I can use this application and a connection with a system user.

Let's switch to another function. Setting passwords I always find a boring task and there is a function related to this.

There are some gaps in the SAP functions for setting passwords:

  

Let's try it, but I prefer to do this not in the currently used client 000. So first I have to switch back to the maintenance function for the connection and create a connection to client 001. Done in few seconds: I click on the connection to client 000, the values are copied to the input fields below the list, I change few input values and press "Add".

I switch back to the "Set password" function to try it. At this point - unless you don't have a license for the application - you will be faced with this annoying popup:

So you have to have a license for this function (like for all other functions too, that are valuable). You will find the necessary information for ordering a license in the "Settings and configuration" area in the "Licenses" function. Of course it is possible to get a trial license for free.

But I am a lucky guy and have a license, so I don't get to see the popup window and can do what I wanted to do, i.e. provide many users with a new initial password in one go. Via copy and paste I fill the text field with the user ID's and entered an initial password. Pressing "Execute" and... wow, quite fast, after a second it is done!

Now let's try the other option: set individual passwords for lots of users in one go. As I mentioned before a good use case for this is the assignment of the correct password of the system users after a system copy. This could be really annyoing. Mostly you use complex, generated passwords (if you don't do this so far, you should do it), and this means you have to copy and paste the password for every system user.

The function in ScSAP offers 2 text fields, left one for the users, right one for the passwords. Of course the amount of users and passwords has to be identical. Filling the text fields is done fast using Copy and Paste (assuming that there is an Excel file or similar containing all the system users and their passwords). Pressing "Execute" results in the same fast action as for the previously tried password function.

Meanwhile, because I did not close the used functions, my desktop is quite full with windows.

There is no restriction to use another function while others are still running or open. You can start other functions, e.g. to use them for other connections or other purposes, it doesn't matter. All of them operate individually, and you can start and use them as often and in parallel as you want.

Also this article got quite long meanwhile. Since this article was only meant to show the first contact with the application, I will not continue in detail for all other functions like this. But I want to give some general information which might be useful for you.

Most of the functions offer the possibility to save your input in "variants". If so, you will find 2 buttons at the top right position of the dialog window:

Surely you know this concept from the SAP systems. It's not just that you don't have to enter the same values over and over again. Another advantage of the variants is the possibility to use the functions with the command line tool that comes with our product. The command line tool allows you to use the functions - outside of the GUI application - at the operating system level, and using them at the OS level in turn allows you to use the functions in automated workflows. You can find more information here and here.

For not to be faced again and again with this dialog for every file that should be transferred between the SAP system and your frontend you can add a Security Rule in the SAPLogon settings. You can click the "Help" button to view SAP's information about these settings. To shorten it: select "Options..." in the SAPLogon, > "Security" > "Security Settings" > select "Customized" in the "Status" listbox > click on button "Open Security Configuration" > button "Insert" > add a rule with Type = "Directory", Object = your preferred directory, e.g. "C:\Sc4SAP\data", Action = "Allow", Access Types = "Read, write" > click on buttons "Insert" and "OK". Once this rule has been added, you will not get any further confirmation dialogs when uploading or downloading files from this directory.  

The "Messages / log" area will be fed with information of your started task. Sometimes this information is not important, but sometimes it is. There are few visible lines only. In case you want to see more just click the button at the right over the "Messages / log" area and the lines will be shown in a separate window, which can be sized as you want.

In case you closed a function, but you need the information of the messages: it is not lost. All messages will be stored in the "logs" directory for enabling you to follow up what you have done so far and also get all the information that came up in the functions.

Nearly at the end of this article I would like to refer to my personal favorite functions, I think they are very, maybe most valuable of all functions.