Challenges with SAP system copies
Differentiation between homogeneous and heterogeneous SAP system copy
Regular updating reduces operational risk and improves the quality of the multi-level system landscape. To update the non-productive systems of an SAP landscape, the data must be cloned from the productive system. This is time-consuming and requires very complex rework.
As a rule, the SAP basis has to fulfill: to provide SAP system copies as quickly as possible for the increased usage purposes. The performance of modern tools has developed rapidly. An assessment of the current situation.
Automate SAP system copies
After restarting the target system The SAP target instance has been started with a database that has been updated with content copied from the production database using fast and scalable disk array replication. The status of the target system now allows it to run without severe internal errors and disruption to the SAP landscape. However, the system does not have the same identity in the SAP landscape as it had before the update. That's why post-processing is required. UC4 Automated System Copy can handle most of the post-processing by restoring specific database content customizations (such as security settings, RFC targets, and operating modes) that were downloaded before the upgrade. Another goal in post-processing is to change the production system's logical system names to those used by the target system. Since these names usually need to be passed to numerous tables in a given system that have not yet been customized, SAP has the BDLS transaction that can be used to safely analyze and change logical system names. UC4 Automated System Copy can automate and accelerate this transaction by analyzing the underlying processes and executing them in parallel. It can also automate tasks such as reorganizing spools and instructing transport managers to process the delta transport list.
In order to have up-to-date data and exactly the same software versions on an SAP test system for meaningful tests as are active on the production system, the production systems are regularly copied completely to the test system. However, many settings in the test system must be retained, because a test system should not act like a production system and, for example, send documents to customers and suppliers or trigger something in production.
For some time now, SAP customers have been supported in system copying by very powerful automation tools that can be used as needed, such as "Shortcut for SAP Systems". Nothing has to be installed in your SAP systems for this - no transport requests, no AddOns!
Outdated data can affect the validity of change transport tests, which can lead to errors and failures in the production system.
The IMIG system copy (Incremental Migration) is an alternative if: - The system is very large or is large and contains a few very large tables and many smaller tables - An acceptable downtime cannot be achieved using conventional methods.