BTP & Integrationarchitect

BTP Global Accounts Part 3: Directory Hierarchies and Governance

Key takeaway

Use directories to structure large BTP landscapes: grouping subaccounts by business unit or project, directory features (entitlement management, user management), labels for cost allocation and reporting, and a governance model for creating and operating subaccounts.

Explanation

📌 KEY POINTS
✅ Directories group subaccounts (and nested directories) by business unit, project or cost center.
✅ Directory features can delegate entitlement and user management to directory admins.
✅ Labels on directories/subaccounts support cost reporting and automation.
✅ A governance model defines who may request, create and change subaccounts and entitlements.
⚠️ Without governance, BTP landscapes sprawl into unused subaccounts that still consume credits.

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▶ WHERE WE ARE
Part 2 designed subaccounts. Now scale and governance.

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▶ 1. DIRECTORIES

Hierarchy by business unit/project.

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▶ 2. DELEGATION

Directory-level entitlement and user management.

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▶ 3. LABELS

Cost center, owner, environment labels.

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▶ 4. GOVERNANCE PROCESS

Request → approval → creation (automated via btp CLI/Terraform).

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▶ 5. OPERATIONS

Periodic cleanup, cost reviews, ownership checks.

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▶ STEP BY STEP

Define hierarchy by business unit.
Add labels for owner and cost center.
Set request/approval process.

✅ CHECKPOINT: every subaccount has an owner, labels and a purpose.

Code example

ABAP Code

===== HIERARCHY EXAMPLE =====Global account ├─ Directory Finance (labels: owner=fin-it, costcenter=4100) │   ├─ acme-fin-dev / -test / -prod ├─ Directory Supply Chain │   ├─ acme-scm-dev / -test / -prod └─ Directory Integration (shared) ===== AUTOMATION =====btp create accounts/directory --display-name Finance --features ENTITLEMENTS,AUTHORIZATIONSInfrastructure-as-code (e.g. Terraform provider for BTP) for repeatable setup

Real project scenario

A retail company onboarding many BTP projects saw 60 subaccounts after a year, many unused but consuming credits. Directories per business unit, owner labels and quarterly cleanup cut costs and clarified ownership.

Common mistakes

No hierarchy.
Manual inconsistent setup.
No labels.
Orphaned subaccounts.
No approval process.

Best practices

Business-unit directories.
Automated creation.
Owner and cost labels.
Quarterly cleanup.
Request/approval flow.

Interview angle

Questions: "Why use directories?", "How do you govern BTP at scale?", "How do you allocate BTP costs?"
Strong answer: hierarchy, delegation, labels, governance process, operations.

Practice this lesson

Quick check

1. What can directory features in BTP enable?

2. A company has 60 subaccounts after a year, many unused but consuming credits. What helps most?

3. Architect-level interviews often probe how a candidate would size and structure subaccounts for a multi-environment integration landscape, testing understanding of entitlement flow, quota estimation from real traffic data, and the trade-off. In the Global Accounts and Subaccounts context, which answer shows the strongest practical judgment?

Interview questions

1. What are the most important design decisions, trade-offs, and best practices in Global Accounts and Subaccounts?

Answer it in your own words first, then compare.

2. Suppose you inherit an existing Global Accounts and Subaccounts solution. How would you review it before making a change?