This blog contains experience gained over the years of implementing (and de-implementing) large scale IT applications/software.

Power Notes Searcher Updated to v1.2

First off, a Happy New Year to you!

During the festivities, I’ve managed to squeeze in a little time to make a couple of modifications to the Power Notes Searcher.  My free Google Chrome Extension for searching for SAP notes and helping you organise the SAP notes you find.

The changes include 1 fix to the Google Font API link which was no longer working due to Google’s move to ensure that it’s infrastructure is accessed via HTTPS.
I’ve also included some enhancements to the list of hard SAP links to useful areas of the SAP support site, such as the Support Package Stack schedule and the SL Toolset (for SUM and SWPM).
I also adjusted the link to the SWDC so that it now uses the new support.sap.com site (instead of the old service.sap.com).

As a bonus, I increased the number of note tabs that can be opened in one go, from 5 to 10.
This means that entering 10 SAP notes into the search box (or omni box), will open all of them.
Finally, I increased the number of allowed SAP notes in the history, from 50 to 100.
I found that on a regular project for 1 system installation, I was regularly exceeding the 50 note limit.

With regards to up & coming features, well I originally meant to include the ability to tag notes listed in the history.  This would provide a way of saving favourite notes, plus saving specific notes as a project set or collection.
The initial core code for storing tags against notes is already built in, I just need to spend some time around the peripheral code creating the interface etc.  Let’s hope I can get this done in the next few months.

In case you’ve not installed the extension, you can see the details here on the Google Chrome Extensions Web Store (or from the link on my initial blog post here).

SAP Kernel to EXT or not to EXT…

Scenario: You’re at the point where you are installing a new system and your choice of Kernel is down to the EXT version or the non-EXT version.  Which version should you use?

The difference between the EXT version of a Kernel and the non-EXT version of a Kernel, is simply down to the version of the compiler and compilation Operating System used by SAP to compile the Kernel binaries.

As an example, the 7.21 kernel could be compiled on Windows 2003 Server, using the Visual Studio 2010 compiler.
The 7.20EXT kernel could be compiled on Windows 2003 Server, using the Visual Studio 2012 compiler.

The difference is all about the compilation environment, and nothing to do with functionality.  Or is it…
If you look at SAP note 1926209 – “Questions on subjects of 7.20/7.21 EXT kernel and C/C++ runtime“, this would seem to be the case.
However, read SAP notes 1756204 – “Activate fast polling”  and 1728283 – “SAP Kernel 721: General Information” , you will see that it seems to suggest that SAP can and will change the functionality between an EXT and non-EXT kernel (7.21 is used as the example here).
So, be wary and always read up about the benefits of each Kernel, whether EXT or not.

Power Notes Searcher Updated to v1.1

The Chromium project has recently (May 2014) fixed a bug in the Chrome web browser which means that users of my Power Notes Searcher Google Chrome extension may have seen an issue with the table ordering in the SAP Notes history table.

I have now made a slight correction to the extension and v1.1 is now available for update/install in the Google Chrome Extensions Web Store (or from the link on my initial blog post here).

If you haven’t already installed my extension, give it a go.  You don’t know what you’re missing!

Power Notes Searcher – Find SAP Notes Smarter

After working as a BASIS guy for many years, I’ve come to the conclusion that SAP don’t want to provide an easy experience when analysing SAP notes.
Compared to Oracle’s MYOS site, SAP have a long way to go.
For SAP notes, it takes time find them, you go round in circles and you forget what you’ve read and what you haven’t.
It costs me a lot of time on my projects, so I thought there must be a better way.

I decided to invest some time.  I taught myself how to write a Google Chrome Extension and created the FREE Power Notes Searcher extension for Google Chrome.

It’s just gone live on the Google Chrome App Store today!
Very exciting!

I hope it makes you more productive with your work.  It definitely has made me more productive and I can produce better documentation, quicker!  This is great news for my current and potential clients.

UPDATE:
August 2014 has seen v1.1 released, with a small fix to the table ordering in the notes history.