Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Process Runner is an automation tool that enables data upload and download between Microsoft Excel and SAP – without writing any code or script.

Process Runner can eliminate manual data entry to SAP, and is a much more flexible alternative to automation than LSMW, BDC, SM35, and SHDB solutions, as scripts created in Process Runner can easily be changed and modified via a drag and drop interface.

Process Runner is easy to use and doesn’t require any programming experience.

In addition to Transaction automation; Data Extraction, GUI Scripting automation, and BAPI automation are also possible with Process Runner.

Users who are responsible for maintaining data quality in SAP, who need to extract data from SAP on a regular basis, or who need to upload data to SAP on a regular basis will benefit from Process Runner.

Typically users are:

• Data and Process Owners in all the SAP modules

• SAP Data Conversion Team Members

• SAP Deployment Team Members

• Process Team Members

• SAP Security Team Members

• SAP/IT Support Team Members

Ideally, we suggest that you upgrade your Process Runner once a year. You might require upgrading before that in any of the following scenarios:

• New SAP GUI releases

• New Excel releases

• Major backend releases from SAP (i.e. Ehp5, Ehp6)

• OS releases (Win7 & Win8)

• New feature release by Innowera that you may be interested in.

• Defect that was addressed and applicable to you, or

You may also need to upgrade when suggested by the Innowera support team.

Yes, Process Runners works in HR, PP, MM, FI, FI-CO, CO-PA and all other modules.

Yes, Process Runner can use Z or Custom transactions or Custom BAPIs. Process Runner will run these as if they were standard transactions or BAPIs.

Process Runner uses four technologies for SAP automation. The Transaction (TX) technology has the same Grid Control, Table Control, Text Control, etc. capabilities and limitations as ABAP/LSMW/BDC. However, Process Runner also offers GUI Scripting (GU) technology, which extends functionality of what is not available with ABAP/LSMW/BDC and handles not only these controls but also ALV Grids, Tree Control and many other Enjoy Controls and Screens which are usually impossible to handle using traditional technologies. These capabilities can be reviewed on this video page.

EShare stands for Enterprise Sharing. EShare allows one or more Process Runner users to share, manage and control Process Runner files. EShare offers many advanced features that traditional network based file sharing solutions cannot.

EShare was developed by Innowera to boost team productivity by allowing for easy file sharing and collaboration across your enterprise. EShare is a completely optional feature and can be added if needed at a later date.

BAPI is an SAP acronym which stands for Business Application Programming Interface. BAPIs are at the heart of SAP’s Business Framework. They are essentially APIs for the SAP world which allow other applications (like Process Runner) to talk to business objects and processes stored inside SAP. Here’s a link to the BAPI Users Guide page on SAP’s website.

Alternatives include manual entry, using ABAP programming, SECATT / CATT / LSMW, or another tool like Process Runner.

Alternative solutions are usually very expensive and do not react as fast as your situation may demand.

For example, if you use manual entry method, it could be expensive, would be extremely slow, and will be subject to human errors. Error trapping and correction is also not easy.

ABAP, SECAT, CATT, LSMW – all have some common issues:

• ABAP, SECAT, CATT, or LSMW are too technical for most people.

• Experts who knows these technologies are usually very expensive, centralized, and hard to access or otherwise difficult to reach across organizational boundaries.

• Even with approval to utilize and create these solutions, you are still dependent on data, process owners, and BASIS and change management personnel to work in perfect synchronization before you can implement their use in a production environment. In short, you are constrained by the release process with these technologies.

• Your SAP landscape may be littered with one-time use and throw away conversion programs that have lost their relevancy due to prohibitive modification and update costs.

• Overall User action time and SAP execution time is longer to significantly longer as compared to running process with Process Runner.

• These technologies are constantly and significantly changing as SAP releases changes.

• When something does not work: SAP does not provide direct support. If you have questions or issues, you will be routed to a normal OSS support process or will be directed to a consulting group. In contrast, we at Innowera will quickly help you to come to the right resolution.

Click here to know more about Process Runner advantages over LSMW.

We think we are the best. But you have to be the judge. Here’s why we think we are the best.

• With Process Runner, Transaction automation, BAPI automation, Data extraction, and Enjoy automation (utilizing GUI Scripting technology or BAPI technology) are all possible with Process Runner, from one stand-alone application.

• Process Runner has additional features, such as Parallel Processing, EShare, iBook (Excel embedded right in your script, so your data is saved along with your script), Dynamic Row Splitting (allows you to upload document of more than 999 lines to SAP), and Test Run (allows you to test data against SAP on a line by line basis, without actually committing data to SAP), just to name a few.

• Process Runner is simple to use, completely script less and comes in a modern interface – targeted towards a non-technical workforce.

We encourage you to bookmark Innowera.com. Find and evaluate other tools so you can see the difference for yourself. We are very certain that you will come back here.

Click here to see the Innowera Process Runner Vs Competition.

SAP HANA is an application that uses in-memory database technology to process large amounts of data in near real-time. SAP HANA can process data from relational databases, both SAP and non-SAP.

SAP S/4HANA is one of SAP’s newest innovations. It’s SAP’s next-generation business suite that is built with SAP’s advanced in-memory SAP HANA.

Yes, Process Runner works on SAP S/4HANA. See the link for more information : process-runner-supports-sap-hana

SAP HANA as a backend database is automatically supported by Process Runner, Excel Add-in, and Process Runner DB. No additional updates are required.

Yes, Innowera is the only company in our space who provides a mass update software compatible with databases and SAP HANA database.

Process Runner DB allows users to upload and download data between connected database tables of some of the most popular database systems today and your SAP systems and now supports SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA.

See the link for more information : process-runner-db-supports-sap-hana

Presuming that your company is implementing HANA as a backend to your existing ECC, that transition should NOT require any re-scripting, as the transition is happening at the database layer at the backend.

While transitioning to HANA, your SAP system may be upgraded to the next level. In some rare cases, there may be an add/change to a field or screen in a transaction code, and if you were using that particular screen or field, you would have to make some minor changes to your script. While this rarely happens, if it does, Process Runner will give a return message that it cannot find that particular screen/field. If needed, our support team would be available to assist you with modifying your script to account for the change in SAP.

Process Runner works on all the recent SAP releases. See side bar on this page for up to date system requirements and supported systems.

No, you do not have to install anything in SAP to make Process Runner work. Once you install Process Runner on your desktop, it will work if you have required SAP authorization.

Yes, Process Runner uses SAP security all the time. Process Runner cannot overrule SAP security. If you are not authorized to execute something in SAP, you will not be able to execute that function with Process Runner either. If you are not authorized to access a transaction, table, remote function module or any other objects and attempt to access that using Process Runner, it will show you the missing authorization error and stop. A detailed SAP security guide is available upon request. Please write to your Innowera point of contact (or to info@innowera.com with your full contact details) to request the Innowera security guide for SAP authorization.

When you use Process Runner with SAP, it will ask you to login to SAP. You will have to enter a userID and password (if you are using SNC or SSO, it will automatically log you in the same way SAP GUI does). Process Runner uses that information with SAP to first authenticate the user. All subsequent communication with SAP is based on that UserID’s authorization as set in that SAP system. There is no backdoor or exception to this method as that is the only way SAP allows any other remote application to communicate and this is the only way Process Runner communicates with SAP. This makes Process Runner fully compliant with SAP security and authorization objects you have implemented for that user.

If you want to further restrict and enhanced SAP security centrally for all Process Runner users, please visit Innowera Control Panel page for more information.

No. Process Runner Transaction cannot do direct table updates.

No, Process Runner technology does not work with SAP Business One, SAP SuccessFactors and SAP BusinessObjects

How does Process Runner communicate with SAP?

Does Process Runner support French, German and other European languages?

Does Process Runner support Japanese, Chinese and other Far Eastern languages?

Can Process Runner be hosted via Citrix?

What happens if a field is added or removed in SAP due to an upgrade or other changes? Is it possible to add or remove fields to a Transaction script without recreating the entire script?

Where can I get information on the validation of Process Runner for the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Industries?