Scenario with system copies for updating
Consideration of additional QA clients
Tests are already worthwhile for the introduction of SAP solutions in the company and also for release upgrades and migration projects, the import of patches, customizing, modifications and in-house developments. A three-tier SAP landscape typically consists of development, test and production systems. In addition, there are often training systems.
In terms of its architectural approach, BSC takes standards into account wherever possible. As a result, the automation tool can be installed with minimal effort, fits very well into the respective system landscape and offers a fast ROI.
Performing SAP system copies automatically
Until now, it has been common practice to create test systems as a client or system copy of the production system on a specific date. In these cases, a single client or the entire SAP system is duplicated. The corresponding instances of the SAP system have to be reinstalled. In addition, a copy of the source database must be created. These are standard procedures, but they can be disproportionately expensive for productive data sets of several terabytes. SAP and third-party tools for selective data extraction can significantly reduce the cost of deploying non-production SAP systems.
A system copy can be created either with SAP transactions (R3trans, from R4.6C SAPinst) or at file and database level. Costs and effort increase with the size of the system and the requirements for availability and data protection. In addition, administrative rework is often necessary, starting with the system name and extending to printers and interfaces.
Tools such as "Shortcut for SAP Systems" supplement missing functions in the area of SAP system copy.
Understanding the structure and functioning of the system is especially important for IT administration. It is not for nothing that "SAP Basis Administrator" is a separate professional field. On the page www.sap-corner.de you will find useful information on this topic.
Internationally active companies that operate systems with several terabytes of data and hundreds of users in different time zones depend on high system availability.
The use of standard protocols for the interaction of tool (client/server) and source system and tool with target system has proven itself, exclusively for the purpose of system copy creation.