SAP SYSTEM COPY - A BEFORE AND AFTER GUIDE
Ways of SAP system copy: export / import
Quasi tick boxes instead of time-consuming handling of programming lines, so that the use is also possible for less experienced experts who have never or only few SAP system copies created. And this after little system training.
Heterogeneous system copy: As the name suggests, the operating system and/or database on the source and target systems are different. One takes thus in the context of the copy a platform change. This procedure is currently gaining in relevance, as it is required for the migration from SAP ERP to S/4HANA. If the current system runs on Windows Server and SQL Server or Oracle, the target system must now run on Linux and SAP Hana.
Automatic determination of delta states after SAP system copy/recovery
For a long time, manual procedures dominated, supported by SAP (guidelines), in particular by predefined procedures and a large number of checklists. In many places, this was supplemented by scripts created in-house, which, however, only automated partial tasks/processes of an SAP system copy.
Suitable tools make it possible to automate and accelerate the necessary creation of true-to-original SAP system copies, for example. This means that you have all production data available on your test system in a short time.
"Shortcut for SAP Systems" offers the possibility to backup and restore any tables. Not only those that are considered in the PCA tool (Post Copy Automation) but also self-developed tables. Thanks to the simple and clear interface, backup and restore of self-developed tables can be integrated quickly and easily. The command line interface can also be used to automate the process: for example, a simple line command can be used to perform a complete backup of table contents before the system copy, and a simple line command can also be used to restore these tables after the system copy. This means that the complete backup or restore process can be integrated into any automation software.
So Windows remains Windows and Linux remains Linux.
Although the actual copying process is completed in just a few hours, the manual post-processing - which includes, for example, adjusting parameters, users and rights, profiles, system settings and interfaces - can take up to a week.