App Engine for ERP with the ServiceNow AI Platform
Summarize
Summary of App Engine for ERP with the ServiceNow AI Platform
App Engine for ERP with the ServiceNow AI Platform enables ServiceNow customers to modernize and replatform legacy ERP systems, such as SAP, by integrating and leveraging ERP data as live sources within the ServiceNow environment. This is achieved through two main components: the Zero Copy Connector for ERP and ERP Semantic Mining (ERP-CM). Together, these components scan legacy ERP code and data, identify customizations, and facilitate replacing complex custom code with digitized workflows and new ServiceNow apps.
Show less
This approach enhances performance, security, and maintainability by creating mirrored, easy-to-manage tables and apps on the ServiceNow AI Platform, thus freeing database administrators and developers from time-consuming tasks and accelerating innovation without requiring deep legacy system knowledge.
Key Features
- Zero Copy Connector for ERP: Connects to the ERP system of record, enabling creation of ERP systems, models, and tables in ServiceNow. Supports building remote tables and extraction tables to extract and transform ERP data for use in ServiceNow apps.
- ERP Semantic Mining (ERP-CM): Analyzes the ERP system to identify custom code candidates suitable for replatforming into ServiceNow apps. Provides tools to review, comment, combine, and manage these candidates efficiently.
- Replatforming Workflow: Involves configuring connections, building ERP models, scanning for custom code, extracting and transforming data, and developing new apps using ServiceNow tools such as App Engine Studio, Workflow Studio, Table Builder, UI Builder, and Workspace Builder.
- Data Integration: Replatformed apps use the ERP system as a live data source, ensuring data freshness and reducing delays associated with manual data requests.
- Extensibility: Supports multiple extraction tables (e.g., per country), update operations via BAPIs, and integration with various ServiceNow AI Platform apps for app development and workflow automation.
Practical Workflow for Customers
- Administrators configure credentials and connections using the Connections and Credentials app.
- Build ERP models and tables in a development instance, adding necessary tables, fields, and joins.
- Create remote tables for live data access and extraction tables for scheduled bulk data retrieval.
- Run ERP Semantic Mining to identify and manage replatforming candidates.
- Develop new applications using ServiceNow tools with ERP data as the backend source.
- Move configurations to production once validated.
- Measure and monitor app performance using preferred analytics tools.
Requirements
- A valid license for Zero Copy Connector for ERP and ERP-CM.
- ServiceNow AI Platform plugins installed.
- Configured MID server and spoke integration.
- Proper SAP system configuration to enable connectivity and semantic mining.
Getting Started
- Install and configure Zero Copy Connector for ERP.
- Install and configure ERP Semantic Mining (ERP-CM).
- Install and configure additional ServiceNow AI Platform apps as needed, including App Engine Studio, Workflow Studio, Table Builder, UI Builder, and Workspace Builder.
This solution empowers ServiceNow customers to efficiently modernize legacy ERP systems by transforming complex customizations into manageable, innovative applications on the ServiceNow AI Platform, delivering faster access to data and streamlined workflows.
Read and update your legacy ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system using Zero Copy Connector for ERP and identify customizations with ERP Semantic Mining (ERP-CM). You can then use additional ServiceNow AI Platform apps, such as App Engine Studio (AES), to organize and replatform ERP data.
Replatforming is the process of scanning legacy ERP system code to find potential candidates to move onto your ServiceNow AI Platform instance as new apps. You can use data from the ERP system as a source for apps built on the ServiceNow AI Platform, improving performance, enhancing security, and reducing maintenance.
Combined benefits of integrating Zero Copy Connector for ERP and ERP-CM to replatform apps
Legacy systems of records, such as SAP, can have old, complex custom code and data that require more time and effort to move to newer versions of the system of record. Use Zero Copy Connector for ERP and ERP Semantic Mining (ERP-CM) to scan the system of record to find and replace custom code with digitized workflows, resulting in a clean ERP core.
The replatforming of legacy code enables innovation on top of the system of record without knowledge of the legacy system. Database administrators and developers are then relieved of time-consuming efforts to create database views or endpoints in the system of record, freeing them to work on other projects, such as migration.
Replatformed data is immediately available, mirrored in easy-to-manage tables and apps. Users no longer need to request information from database administrators, which can take weeks. Replatformed apps use the ERP system of record as the live data source.
Workflow for Zero Copy Connector for ERP and ERP-CM
- Have your administrator use the Connections and Credentials app to configure credentials to connect Zero Copy Connector for ERP to the ERP system of record. For more information, see Connections and Credentials.
- Create an ERP system in Zero Copy Connector for ERP using the connection and credentials alias that you configured. For more information, see Create an ERP system in Zero Copy Connector for ERP.
- In Zero Copy Connector for ERP, build your ERP systems, ERP models, and tables in a development instance.
- Create or clone an ERP model that scans the specified ERP module in the system of record for available tables and fields. Note the tables and fields in the ERP model for use in extraction and remote tables. For more information, see Clone an ERP model in Zero Copy Connector for ERP.
- Add new tables, fields, and table joins to include additional data in the ERP model. For more information, see the following topics:
- Create update operation using a BAPI (Business Application Programming Interface) to update data on the ERP system as needed.
- Build and customize remote tables to make them available for use as a data source, such as when building apps in App Engine Studio. Remote tables get their records from running an associated script against an external data source. For more information, see:
- Work with ETL extraction tables to regularly scan the system of record and extract data to a staging table. Extraction tables retrieve large amounts of data using a scheduled query, and use transform tables to process data for use on the ServiceNow AI Platform.
- Create as many separate extraction tables as needed, such as one for each supported country. For more information, see Extracting and transforming data in Zero Copy Connector for ERP.
- You must first create the table transform map that connects the source table (on the system of record) to a Glide table on the ServiceNow AI Platform. For more information on creating table transform maps, see Create a transform map.
- Extraction processes are configured in the ServiceNow app that uses them. For example, Workflow Studio.
- After the extraction process is run, use import sets to map imported data into ServiceNow AI Platform tables. For more information, see Import sets.
- Identify legacy ERP system customizations to modernize and replatform with ERP-CM.
- Move the Zero Copy Connector for ERP systems, ERP models, and tables to a production environment when they are ready. For more information, see Managing ERP development pipelines in Zero Copy Connector for ERP.
- Meet with a customer and agree to run an analysis with ERP Semantic Mining on their ERP system of record.
- Connect the customer ERP system of record to the ServiceNow instance using Zero Copy Connector for ERP. Note:Most customers have their own instance.
ERP-CM uses the system connections configured in Zero Copy Connector for ERP. For more information, see Working with ERP systems in Zero Copy Connector for ERP.
- Use Zero Copy Connector for ERP to build ERP models from fields on the available remote tables as specified in previous workflow steps.
- Run ERP Semantic Mining to find candidates. Candidates are custom code in the system of record that you can replace with ServiceNow apps. For more information, see Browse an overview of candidates in ERP-CM.
- Choose candidates to replatform. For more information, see Save potential candidates to replatform.
- Use the candidate details in ERP-CM as a central place to enter comments and save attachments relating to the candidate. For more information, see View and work with candidate details in ERP-CM.
- In the candidate details, identify any similar candidates that you could combine into a single replatformed app. For more information, see How ERP Semantic Mining determines candidate score and potential.
- Return to Zero Copy Connector for ERP to continue building data models with remote tables and extraction tables. Ensure that all the necessary data is available in the ServiceNow AI Platform. For more information, see Building and managing ERP models to work with ERP data.
- Use the ERP data that is now available as the data source when building apps on the ServiceNow AI Platform, such as:
- App Engine Studio: For more information, see Create a data model for your application.
- Flows in Workflow Studio: For more information, see Configuring flows.
- Table Builder: For more information, see Data in Table Builder.
- UI Builder: For more information, see Dynamically expose data in UI Builder pages (advanced feature).
- Workflow Studio: For more information, see Configuring flows.
- Workspace Builder: For more information, see Configure a record page for a workspace in Workspace Builder.
- Measure and monitor the performance of the new app using applicable metrics and parameters with your preferred analytic tools.
Requirements for integrating Zero Copy Connector for ERP and ERP-CM
- Requirements for installing Zero Copy Connector for ERP include the following:
- A valid license
- ServiceNow AI Platform plugins
- MID server configuration
- Spoke integration
- SAP configuration
- Requirements for installing ERP-CM include the following:
- License and entitlement. For more information, see Install Zero Copy Connector for ERP.
- ServiceNow AI Platform plugins. For more information, see Install Zero Copy Connector for ERP.
- SAP configuration. For more information, see Configure SAP for ERP-CM.
Get started with Zero Copy Connector for ERP and ERP-CM
Get started with Zero Copy Connector for ERP and ERP-CM by completing these tasks:
- Install and configure Zero Copy Connector for ERP. For more information, see Configuring Zero Copy Connector for ERP.
- Install and configure ERP-CM. For more information, see Configuring ERP Semantic Mining.
- Install and configure any additional ServiceNow AI Platform apps and builders that consume ERP data, such as the following: