SAP authorizations: Recommendations for setting up, monitoring and controlling
List of required organisational levels and their value
Privileges control the use of all objects and data contained in the HANA database. In order to use an application, you typically have to assign many different types of privileges to a user. In order to be able to take into account the complex relationships in the allocation of the privileges actually needed in a manageable way, privileges in SAP HANA are bundled into roles. In our example, the role MODELING in the role SAPT04_CONTENT_ACTIVATION is included. In SAP HANA, it is possible to assign a role to multiple roles as well as to multiple roles. This way, complex role hierarchies can be put together.
In the IT sector, we have to face new challenges every day. New technologies require us to act accordingly in order to always keep the current system landscape up to date, to strengthen our position on the market and, of course, to gain a technological edge over other competitors. This is also reflected in the corresponding SAP system landscape. Read in the two-part blog series why an authorization concept should be considered as early as possible in a project phase - especially when converting to SAP S/4HANA.
Risk: historically grown authorizations
A careless handling of the permissions with sensitive employee data can go quite nicely in the pants. Prevent uncontrolled and extensive reporting access to your HCM data by properly using the P_ABAP authorization object. In many companies, the correct use of P_ABAP is not known. As a result, there are often false expressions that, in the worst case, allow uncontrolled reporting access to all data in the logical database PNPCE (or PNP). This way, you can again erase your access restrictions, which were previously painstakingly defined in a permission concept. Therefore, it is necessary to test the use of P_ABAP in individual cases and to use the existing limitations. In the following we describe the logic behind this authorization object and what it is important to avoid.
After you have determined the data for the website, you must now generate the initial password and send it by e-mail and unlock the user if necessary. There are also different solutions - we describe a possible course of action. You can generate a password using the GENERATE_PWD import parameter of the BAPI BAPI_USER_CHANGE. The generated password is then set as the initial password and must be changed at the next login by the user. You must also set the PASSWORDX import parameter to display a password change. The generated password is returned using the export parameter GENERATED_PASSWORD. This is required if you want to call the BAPI BAPI_USER_CHANGE from a central system (e.g. from the ZBV) and send the relevant e-mail from that system. You should never save this password, but include it directly in your application in an email. Subsequently, you send this e-mail to the user whose e-mail address you can determine either directly in the SAP system (parameter ADDSMTP of BAPI_USER_GET_DETAIL) or within the scope of your web application (e.g. from the AD). Even if you find the email address in the AD, we advise you not to send the email from there. To avoid the password being unnecessarily transferred, it is better to initiate the despatch within your central SAPS system. In addition, we strongly advise you to send the emails encrypted with the initial passwords. To do this, the implementation of your self-service must set the encryption flag when creating the email. We describe details about the encryption of emails and an alternative sending of the initial password directly from the affected SAP system in Tip 98, "Encrypt emails".
If you get into the situation that authorizations are required that were not considered in the role concept, "Shortcut for SAP systems" allows you to assign the complete authorization for the respective authorization object.
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Secure management of access options in the SAP system is essential for any company.
For an authorization concept, a clear goal must be defined that is to be achieved with the help of the concept.