SAP SYSTEM COPY - A BEFORE AND AFTER GUIDE
Create SAP HANA system replication levels
If the data stocks become obsolete, they can be updated by another system copy. From a technical point of view, such a refresh corresponds to the initial setup, including the associated costs as well as the load on the productive systems and manual rework. In addition, a refresh also interrupts all processes on the target system. If it is a development system, all newer development objects must be saved and transported back in after the copy. The version history is lost in the process.
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.
Copy only specific data
Shutting down and copying virtualized systems, such as VMware instances, requires just a few mouse clicks. VMware is suitable for running multiple training, development and test environments on one physical system. Larger productive systems, on the other hand, are not so easy to virtualize. If users have to shut down the productive system during the copy, the runtime of the operation or the unavailability of the productive system becomes a critical factor.
So much information... how can you keep it so that you can find it again when you need it? That's what Scribble Papers is great for.
Checklist for preliminary work: Comparison of database sizes (target system must be the same or larger), comparison of database versions, kernel, host agent (ideally the same software version), dump of kernel files (export via SAPINST), saves download via SWDC, compile RFC connection passwords, inform third-party system administrators, provide memory, hard disk on the system for database and software import. Perform database dump, if necessary with transaction log, if possible with downtime, then without jobs or stop running jobs with report BTCTRNS1. Adminsitration passwords (DDIC, DB-Admin, Winadmin), create system snapshots (recovery), perform database import.
SAP system copy is made much easier by the "Shortcut for SAP Systems" application.
The maturity and performance of automation tools for SAP system copying have evolved over a period of more than 15 years.
SAPinst/Jload: - SAP standard method for Java systems - OS and DB independent - for homogeneous and heterogeneous system copies.