API Management
The API Management module in ReleaseOwl provides a comprehensive set of tools to streamline the management of SAP API artifacts. From synchronizing and configuring API proxies to tracking revisions and managing deployments across environments, this module ensures efficient control over your API landscape. It supports artifact promotion, revision history tracking, deployment validation, and environment-specific configurations.
Synchronize API Artifacts
To sync API artifacts from SAP API Management:
Navigate to the Project View.
Under the Build section, click on API Management (Beta).
Click the Synchronize button to fetch available API artifacts such as:
API Proxies
Key Value Maps
These artifacts are retrieved from the registered SAP API Management environment and reflected within ReleaseOwl.
Sync History
To track previous synchronizations:
Click on Sync History to view a detailed log of all synchronization activities performed within the project.
Artifact Actions
Based on the type of artifact, the following actions are available:
Sync – Re-fetch the latest version of the artifact.
Configure – Modify environment-specific configuration parameters.
Revisions – View available revisions of the artifact.
Deployment History – Track deployment activity across stages.
Download –Download the API Proxy as a ZIP file for backup or inspection.
Configure API Artifact Parameters
You can define configuration parameters separately for each environment, and ReleaseOwl applies these automatically during deployment.
To configure an API artifact:
Navigate to the required artifact, click the Actions button, and select Configure.
The configuration screen displays the same API Proxy across different SAP API Management environments (such as QA, Prod, etc.) that are part of the deployment landscape.
Note: No changes can be made to the Dev environment.
To update parameters for other environments:
Click the Edit (pencil) icon next to each field.
Make the necessary changes.
Click Save.
Target EndPoints Configuration
Use the Target EndPoint tab to define and manage backend endpoint values for each named target endpoint.
Select the appropriate Target Endpoint from the dropdown.
Modify fields such as the following by using the Edit (pencil) icon next to each field:
urlprovider_idrelativePathtargetAPIProxyName
Click the Save button to persist the changes for the selected target endpoint.
This configuration is deployed during the API Proxy deployment.
Host Alias Configuration
The Host Alias tab allows you to define environment-agnostic logical mappings for backend hostnames, enhancing flexibility during API deployments.
To configure host aliases:
Navigate to the Host Alias tab.
Click the Edit button.
In your target environment, multiple host aliases may be configured. If you want to deploy your API proxy to a specific host alias, you can specify the desired host alias in the Configure section.
Save your configuration by clicking the Save button.
Revisions
Revisions refer to versioned snapshots of an API Proxy. Every time you make changes—such as modifying endpoints, policies, or configurations—and save them, a new revision is automatically created to capture those updates.
To perform revisions, follow these steps:
Click on the "Revisions" button.
The following actions are available:
Compare Environments
Compare Versions
Assign User Story
Unassign User Story
Additional configuration actions
Compare Environments:
The Compare Environments option allows you to compare the source version of an API Proxy or Product in the Source Environment with the active version in the Destination Environment.
To initiate:
Click Compare Environments
Select the Source Environment and Destination Environment
Click Submit
Compare Versions:
The Compare Versions option allows you to compare two different versions of an API Proxy or Product. Ensure that you select two versions of the same artifact to perform the comparison.
Assign User Story:
You can assign a user story to yourself or another team member for better ownership and tracking. To assign a user story, click on the Assign User Story button. Select the required user stories from the list, then click on Assign User Story again. In the assignment panel, choose the desired user from the dropdown list to complete the assignment.
Unassign User Story: To remove the assignment of a user story, click on the Unassign User Story button. Select the required user stories from the list and click on Unassign User Story again to release them from their current assignees.
Additionally, you can perform configuration actions within the Revisions section.
Download
You can download the API artifact as a ZIP file. The selected API artifact will be packaged and downloaded to your system.
Deployment History
Displays the recent deployments of API Proxy artifacts, including the artifact name, associated user story, target environment, deployment timestamp, and deployment status.
Creating a Release Pipeline
Release Pipelines in ReleaseOwl manage approvals, validations, deployments, automated tests, task assignments, and user story updates for SAP systems.
1. Create a New Release Pipeline
Navigate to Release Pipelines.
Click Create New Release Pipeline.
Provide a Pipeline Name.
Add stages (e.g., QA, Prod) and assign tasks to each stage.
2. Add Deployment Tasks
Click the Add button in a task stage to include deployment tasks.
Fill in the required details:
Name: Enter a preferred name for the deployment task.
Deploy Type: Select API.
API Management: Select the target API environment.
3. Add Approval Tasks
Click the Add button in a task stage to include approval tasks.
Fill in the required details:
Name: Enter a preferred name for the approval task.
Assign To: Select the user responsible for approval.
Click Save.
Managing Sprints and User Stories
1. Create a Sprint
In the Project View, navigate to Change Management.
Click Create Sprint.
Enter the Sprint Name and click Save.
Click the Actions button and select Start Sprint.
2. Create a User Story
Go to User Stories and click Create New User Story.
Fill in the required details:
Summary: Provide a summary of the user story.
Type: Select the type of story.
Click Save.
Click the Action button, then select Edit.
3. Manage API Management Artifacts
Go to API Management Artifacts.
Click + Add to add API Management artifacts.
Select the Release Pipeline and Component.
Click Save.
Click the Action button, then select Promote.
Activity log: The activity log helps track the progress of deployment tasks, identify any issues or failures, and maintain a record of who performed each action.
4. Approval Process
Before deployment, an Approval Section appears.
The assigned user must approve/reject the task.
Navigate to My Tasks.
Click Approve/Reject in the Actions column.
5. Deployment Monitoring
After approval, go to Pipeline Activity.
Once the Deployment Tasks are marked as Approved, the deployment process begins. After completing the deployment, you can review the detailed Deploy Logs.
Deploy Logs
Deploy Status: Reflects the final deployment status of the API artifact to the target environment.
Already Deployed: Indicates that the API artifact was previously deployed, either as part of a retry or through manual completion. This status helps avoid redundant deployments and ensures clarity during re-runs.
Manual Completion: If a deployment fails in ReleaseOwl, but the artifact has been successfully deployed or addressed directly in the backend system (e.g., SAP API Management) through manual intervention, users can use the Manual Completion option in ReleaseOwl to mark the deployment step as completed.
To perform manual completion:
Click the Mark as Complete button to proceed with the pipeline.
After marking as complete, click the Continue button to resume the previously failed deployment stage.
You will see a confirmation that the deployment has resumed successfully.
The deployment status will then update to Completed, indicating that the process finished successfully.
Retry Button Allows users to retry a failed deployment or re-execute a failed stage of the pipeline.
Deployment Notification
After deploying the artifacts, you will receive a notification email containing the deployment details, including the user story ID, artifact type, version ID, and deployment status.
Last updated