Unlocking Operations Visibility Through Real User Monitoring

In our previous blog, we explored how Job & Automation Monitoring in SAP Cloud ALM can transform operational efficiency, offering visibility into job execution statuses, delays, and system-wide bottlenecks. Now, let’s take that one step further.

While Job Monitoring ensures your background processes run efficiently, Real User Monitoring (RUM) reveals how those processes translate into actual user experience. This blog dives into how SAP Cloud ALM’s RUM functionality enables IT teams to detect issues proactively, optimise application responsiveness, and drive user satisfaction. 

Why Real User Monitoring matters?

Unlike traditional monitoring tools that rely on fixed thresholds, RUM leverages historical data-based analysis to help IT and business users understand how often applications are executed and how quickly they respond to user interactions. 

It is important to highlight that effective Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) is incomplete without understanding real-world user experiences, and this is why many organisations struggle with:

• Lack of visibility into how applications are performing for end-users.
• Performance bottlenecks that degrade user experience but go unnoticed until they escalate.
• Limited insights into system-wide issues across SAP and non-SAP components.

Fig 1: Operation capabilities in SAP Cloud ALM

SAP Cloud ALM’s Real User Monitoring (RUM) addresses these challenges by capturing, analysing, and presenting real-time data on system usage and performance. It allows IT teams to track how end users interact with applications, pinpoint slow response times, and identify potential bottlenecks.

Key Features of Real User Monitoring

Front-End and Back-End Monitoring

RUM collects and displays both front-end and back-end performance data across different request types:

• SAP Fiori/SAPUI5
• SAP Web Dynpro
• SAPGUI for HTML (Web GUI)

Fig 2: RUM Frontend Overview 

Back-End Monitoring:

• HTTP(S)
• RFC(S) (for on-premise systems)
• Web Services
• Dialog transactions

Performance Overview & Application Performance Index (Apdex)

The Apdex (Application Performance Index) provides a standardised metric to measure application responsiveness. It helps IT teams assess overall system health at a glance, using a colour metric:

• Green (Good Performance)
• Orange (Degraded Performance)
• Red (Critical Performance Issues)

The Overview Page of RUM highlights Apdex trends over time, helping IT teams detect gradual performance degradation before it leads to business disruptions.

Request & Action Analysis for Root Cause Identification

The Request Overview page provides granular details on:

• Number of executions (total, red, and distinct users)
• Average response time
• Most impacted applications
• Breakdown by request type (SAPUI5, HTTPS, etc.)

Each request can be further drilled down to identify specific actions contributing to slow response times. For example, if an SAP Fiori app shows high execution delays, teams can investigate the specific transactions causing latency. RUM also navigates IT teams directly to timestamps where performance issues occurred, helping accelerate troubleshooting and reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR).

Customisable Metrics and Data Export

RUM allows IT teams to sort, filter, and download key performance metrics based on:

• Response Time (End-to-End, Backend, Network)
• Executions per Application
• User-Specific Performance Insights
• Application or Request Type-Based Sorting

This flexibility makes it easier to customise analysis based on business needs, whether for daily operations, system optimisations, or preparing for system upgrades.

Seamless Integration with SAP Cloud ALM

Real User Monitoring is fully embedded within SAP Cloud ALM, providing a unified experience across:

• ALM processes
• System monitoring
• Change and release management
• Integration with SAP BTP & S/4HANA

As SAP Solution Manager approaches end of maintenance in 2027, SAP Cloud ALM’s Real User Monitoring offers a future-proof alternative for performance analysis and system visibility.

How RUM supports proactive performance management

Unlike traditional monitoring solutions, RUM is not just an alerting tool, it’s an analytics-driven solution that helps IT teams track trends, detect anomalies, and optimise performance before they impact users.

Some key benefits include:

• Early identification of performance bottlenecks before they affect end-users.
• Reduction in downtime and troubleshooting time with detailed execution history.
• Optimised system usage and capacity planning by analysing execution trends.
• Improved user experience through continuous performance tracking.

Fig 3: Real User Monitoring Overview

How SAP Cloud ALM Real User Monitoring will support system operation?

As organisations move towards S/4HANA transformations and cloud-based ALM, having a modern, analytics-driven approach to performance monitoring is crucial. Additionally, it is important to say that this functionality is not just a replacement for SAP Solution Manager, it is an evolution in how IT teams manage performance, detect issues, and ensure smooth system operations.

Similarly, this functionality isn’t limited to organisations already on S/4HANA. As long as your current managed systems meet a defined set of technical prerequisites, Real User Monitoring can be enabled, even for existing SAP NetWeaver-based systems. This flexibility allows organisations to start gaining value from SAP Cloud ALM today, regardless of where they are on their transformation journey.

If you want to explore how Real User Monitoring in SAP Cloud ALM can improve system performance and user experience, Rapid X can support leveraging platforms to support digital transformations. Contact us today to learn how these tools optimise performance on user experience.