Downtime
Several advantages at once
System copy of a Unicode system: Source and target system are Unicode systems. The same procedures can be used for the copy, as with the copy of non-Unicode systems.
SAP software plays a central role in the IT landscape of Rehau, a provider of polymer-based solutions for construction, automotive and industry. Currently, the IT department provides over 120 SAP systems centrally in the sense of "shared service hosting". The IT team must regularly copy the SAP productive environment in order to be able to carry out testing and development work on the "real" system without manipulating the productive systems. Rehau recently opted for the 'Automated System Copy for SAP' solution. The tool from Automic, a specialist in business automation, allows SAP system copies to be created almost fully automatically.
Multicloud: the systems involved with different hyperscalers
An SAP system copy is an important part of a company's IT operations, as it helps reduce the risk of data loss. However, it is important to regularly schedule and monitor the creation of system copies to ensure that a working copy of the system is available in the event of an emergency.
The task of a system copy created for updates is a carefully integrated system that takes on a specific role in an SAP system landscape. That is why customizing the SAP database of the target system differs significantly from customizing the database of the production system. In a system copy-based update, the database of the target system is completely overwritten with the contents of the production system. Therefore, all SAP-specific customization of the target system must be performed after the update with the system copy. The pre- and post-processing is often performed manually while the target system is running. Specific SAP transactions are used to customize the system. Execution can take a long time and is a source of human error. To automate most transactions, UC4 Automated System Copy for SAP can also be used. Before the update, UC4 Automated System Copy takes care of downloading the required content for the SAP customization from the target system and after the update is complete, uploading the content back to the system.
To shorten the list of activities and to simplify the complete process of a system copy or a system refresh and to save manual activities, you can use "Shortcut for SAP Systems". Several manual activities can be omitted because with "Shortcut for SAP Systems" the system-specific data can be saved before the copy and imported again afterwards - also automated. This reduces the error-proneness that is inevitably caused by manual activities and enormously reduces the time span until the system is available again.
The Cloud Manager feature for Google Cloud supports the following SAP Landscape Management operations at SAP system level or SAP instance level.
SAP® landscapes include not only production but also Quality Assurance (QA) systems as well as test and other staging systems.