SAP expanded its portfolio on 1 January 2024 with the acquisition of the former software start-up LeanIX. LeanIX has since become much better known among SAP customers. But what exactly is SAP LeanIX and why is it relevant in SAP projects? In this article, you can learn more about the features of this popular enterprise architecture management (EAM) solution.
SAP LeanIX in a Nutshell
SAP LeanIX is a market-leading EAM tool provider headquartered in Bonn, Germany. Using enterprise architecture management (EAM), it provides companies with end-to-end transparency of their current IT landscape and enables them to make their own enterprise architecture more efficient and adaptable.
In the following, I will guide you through the world of SAP LeanIX, starting with the LeanIX Meta Model, moving on to SAP Landscape Discovery, the combination of SAP Signavio and LeanIX in SAP S/4HANA projects, project integration between Cloud ALM and LeanIX, the selection of out-of-the-box integrations, and the advantages of AI functions in Inventory Builder.
LeanIX Meta Model
Attempting to manage the complexity of enterprise architecture can be daunting. Are you familiar with the LeanIX Meta Model? It offers a comprehensive and flexible approach to helping organisations effectively manage their enterprise architecture.
Comprehensive fact sheet management
The LeanIX Meta Model uses fact sheets to capture essential information about various architecture components. Fact sheets are customisable and can contain different types of information, such as business functions, applications, data objects and more. This structured approach ensures that all relevant information is systematically documented and easily accessible.
Improved traceability and relationships
LeanIX enables you to establish clear relationships between different types of factsheets. This includes linking business capabilities with applications or data objects with interfaces to gain a holistic overview of how different elements in your architecture are connected. This traceability is essential for understanding dependencies and performing impact analysis.
Customization and Flexibility
The meta-model can be adapted to the specific needs of your company. Whether it’s renaming factsheet types, adjusting configurations, or adding custom fields and tags – LeanIX allows you to tailor the model to your individual business context and requirements.
Strategic and Operational Alignment
By aligning your IT components and processes with strategic business objectives, LeanIX helps ensure that your IT landscape supports your overall business goals. This alignment enables better planning, execution, and monitoring of IT initiatives.
Efficient Data Management and Reporting
LeanIX offers robust data management tools, including the ability to import and export data, apply quality seals, and generate insightful reports. These features help you maintain high data quality and leverage powerful analytics to make informed decisions.
SAP Landscape Discovery in SAP LeanIX
Managing a complex SAP environment is now easier and more efficient with the release of SAP Landscape Discovery. This powerful tool provides a comprehensive overview of all your SAP services and systems, helping you effortlessly identify your core architecture.
Comprehensive System Overview
Gain a complete overview of all your SAP systems with out-of-the-box integration through SAP Cloud ALM. This currently includes cloud products and will extend to on-premise and SAP BTP systems later this year.
Automated Service Detection
Soon you will be able to discover the SAP BTP services in use and link them to IT component factsheets to further improve your system transparency.
Reduced Manual Effort
SAP Landscape Discovery reduces the time and effort required to capture and maintain SAP landscape information through the automatic creation and linking of fact sheets.
Faster Value Creation
Gain automatic and continuous insights that support strategic decision-making and reduce your time to value creation.
Cost Savings and Data Accuracy
Easily identify opportunities to save costs and improve data accuracy and completeness to ensure a more efficient and reliable SAP landscape.
Combining SAP Signavio and LeanIX in SAP S/4HANA projects
SAP Signavio and SAP LeanIX each play a crucial role in simplifying transformation projects. SAP Signavio enables transparent process documentation and analysis, while LeanIX provides a comprehensive overview of your IT landscape. Combined, they offer further advantages.
Efficiency and Speed
The combination of SAP Signavio and LeanIX leads to faster and more efficient implementation of transformation projects. Thanks to the shared information base, all stakeholders can collaborate effectively and make coordinated decisions.
Holistic Approach
While SAP Signavio focuses on optimizing business processes, LeanIX ensures that the IT architecture supports these processes. This enables a holistic approach that considers both the business and IT perspectives.
Continuous Improvement
The tools not only support the initial transformation, but also facilitate continuous improvement and adaptation of processes and IT structures.
Project integration between Cloud ALM and LeanIX
The increasing integration of all tools is becoming ever more crucial for successful transformations. In particular, the integration of LeanIX and Cloud ALM plays a central role, linking the architectural planning of your transformation in SAP LeanIX with the tracking of project execution in SAP Cloud ALM. This means you can now maintain a consistent overview across all transformation phases, thanks to the new “Agile Tracking” section in the initiative fact sheets!
Seamless integration
Create and link new initiative factsheets from existing projects in SAP Cloud ALM and vice versa.
Automatic Sync
The data is automatically synchronized every 30 minutes and can also be triggered manually.
Real-time updates
Display the current project status, lifecycle status, milestone data, and initiative status directly on the factsheet.
Direct Access
Access the linked SAP Cloud ALM project directly from the factsheet for quick navigation and updates.
Out-of-the-Box-Integrations
SAP LeanIX offers an impressive selection of out-of-the-box integrations that simplify and optimize your IT environment.
SAP Signavio Integration
Improve the alignment of IT and business with automatic process data sheet updates.
ServiceNow-Integration
Use real-time data to monitor technology risks and standards.
Apptio-Integration
Obtain financial information on the technology costs for applications such as rationalization and modernization.
Lucidchart-Integration
Share charts between Lucidchart and LeanIX.
Confluence-Integration
Integrate LeanIX reports and factsheets directly into Confluence.
Jira Software Integration
Link Jira tickets to factsheets in LeanIX.
OData-Integration
Export your data in Business Intelligence-Tools.
Collibra-Integration
Synchronize data sets between Collibra and LeanIX.
AI functions in the Inventory Builder in SAP LeanIX
Efficient IT asset management begins with a thorough inventory and clear fact sheets. Maintaining these, however, is always a challenge, and keeping them up-to-date is even more so. That’s why it’s so great that AI will be integrated into the product in the future to make your work easier. Let’s take a look at exactly where AI will be integrated into the Inventory Builder.
Analysis and Recommendations
Key AI features of the Inventory Builder include the detection and merging of duplicates, as well as the identification of gaps in important attributes such as subscriptions and required fields. These features significantly improve data quality and provide guidance on maintaining a well-managed workspace. This supports an accurate and up-to-date database, enabling informed decision-making.
Scanning files to extract information sheets and relationships
Furthermore, Inventory Builder allows you to upload files such as PDFs and PNGs and add context to automatically extract fact sheets and relationships. This process significantly accelerates inventory content creation and results in a more complete inventory. Automating these otherwise tedious and repetitive tasks not only saves time but also increases the accuracy and completeness of your inventory data. Use Inventory Builder in SAP LeanIX to efficiently manage your IT assets and take your data quality to the next level!
Conclusion
SAP LeanIX offers a wide range of solutions that help IT architects, IT asset managers, executives, and DevOps teams gain transparency and control over the present and derive actions that shape the future within a clear business context. Take the next step and get in touch. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.
