msc mobile emerging technologies blog

Today I would like to introduce you to SAM 2.0, where we did a lot of improvements over version 1. This blog will highlight the new features and changes.
 

SAM Scenarios

In the last year we had implementation projects with customers that have different user groups, different roles and need therefore different frontends for them. Because of this we introduced SAM Scenarios, which allows us to deploy different client UI's with different data model and different data distribution logic on the same middleware.
 

Hot Deployment of Mobile App

With SAM 2.0, the client user interface based on SAP UI5 can be deployed on the middleware. It is downloaded into the Apache Cordova container during the initial synchronization.
While in the past, the user had to download a new IPA or APK when the client UI changed, in SAM 2.0 the UI is automatically updated when the user is synchronizing. Only in case the core of SAM is changing, an update of the app is required.
 

SAM Sync Model Creation

The middleware of SAM is built around SAP MobiLink, the in our eyes best middleware technology in the market. In the past we used the SQL Central tool that comes with MobiLink to create the synchronization model and all the filter logic for our customers. This was not ideal, and we have not been happy with it.
In SAM 2.0, the synchronization model of MobiLink can be created and deployed directly on in the SAM Cockpit. Now we have all functionality in one central place and accessible via the web browser.
 

Enhanced Monitoring and Logging features

We enhanced the monitoring and logging features in the SAM Cockpit, making it much easier now to view synchronizations and their status.
 

Enhanced Role Concept in the SAM Cockpit

With more functionality in the areas of monitoring and development, the SAM Cockpit became really powerful. At the same time, it can now be used by different roles like administrators, consultants and developers. Because of this, we now allow different user roles in the cockpit and restrict the access to functionality based on the assigned role.
 

Improved performance on Android

We invested heavily in improving SAM on Android. While Android is in general slower can iOS or Windows devices, we tuned the client in a way that we now reach a great performance even on weaker Android based industrial devices.

Topics: MobiLink, SAM, smart asset management

If well maintained, your SAP Plant Maintenance system should be the central point to get all information about your technical objects. General equipment data, characteristics, measurement points and their documents, notification and order history. But that is not all, some of the information that you want to store are binary data - issues are documented by making pictures or by taking a backup of the equipment’s software. For making the live of service technicians easier you want to provide documentation, technical drawings and other attachments. 

When users access the SAP PM functionality via a mobile device - especially in an offline scenario - they need an efficient way to send these binaries both ways. With MobiLink, SAP offers a great tool that allows just that. It can be used to synchronize database tables, but also binaries independent from the database. This blog explains the basics of the FileTransfer feature and shows a customer example how it is used to synchronize large binaries in a customer service scenario.

Topics: MobiLink, SAP, Maintenance, offline, SAM, smart asset management

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Most of our customers see the benefit of having checklists in SAP to support their inspection and maintenance process. There are different ways how these checklists can be set up in SAP, all with their pro’s and con’s. But the real challenge starts before you come to that point, when you try to fit all the puzzle pieces together.

Topics: Checklist, SAP Work Manager, SAM, smart asset management, MAM

It is a general question when it comes to software - should you buy an off-the-shelf solution or do custom build your own?

Both approaches have their pro’s and con’s. We will discuss them here in the context of mobile solutions for SAP Plant Maintenance/Customer Service and will present you a third option, which combines the best of both worlds.

Topics: SAP Work Manager, SAM, smart asset management, MAM

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When working with mobile apps that support the inspection, maintenance and customer service business processes, users usually have to report a couple of things:

• Condition of equipments - ideally done via checklists
• Measurement readings - best not taken manually but via an software interface or even better directly send to SAP by an IoT integration
• Material consumption - the application should support the identification of the material via barcode or RFID scanner
• Confirmation of working time - for best usability done via a stopwatch mechanism

This blog will discuss the last point and it shows how this can be done on the example of SAM Smart Asset Management.

Topics: Enterprise Mobility, SAP, UI5, offline, SAM, smart asset management

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Today we are happy and proud to announce the launch of SAM (Smart Asset Management), a new solution for making the work with SAP PM and CS easier. It is a mobile solution that is built on the currently best technologies on client, middleware and backend.

One way or another, we are mobilizing SAP’s plant maintenance and customer service since 2002. NetWeaver Mobile and MAM (Mobile Asset Management) have been the first generation of solutions. In 2010 we introduced MOMENTUM, a solution developed on top of the Sybase Unwired Platform - we sold it to a large German software vendor in 2011. Since 2012 we mainly implemented the SAP Work Manager, the latest generation of SAP’s mobile field service offering. Now in 2016 we once again launch our own solution - Smart Asset Management or short SAM.

Topics: MobiLink, Windows, Android, iOS, SAP, Checklist, offline, SAM, smart asset management

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Time flies - on 09. August 2006 - 10 years ago - msc mobile was founded. One of our first projects was to bring SAP onto Nokia phones like the E90 Communicator. This illustrates perfectly how the world has changed since then.

Topics: MobiLink, msc mobile, SMP, SAP, UI5, SUP, SAM, smart asset management