SAP system deployment scenarios
Tools for SAP test systems
In practice, customers have either built their own tools to make the appropriate configurations, or there are extensive lists of steps to be processed manually. This approach is time-consuming and error-prone.
There are now a number of tools that simplify refresh activities of non-production SAP systems. The tools are imported into SAP systems via transports and enable the data to be copied to be written in. The more precise the selection, the greater the potential savings in storage space and extraction time compared to client copy. As with the latter, the configuration is retained and ongoing development and test processes remain undisturbed.
Challenges reduced!
Advantage of the system copy: Users receive one hundred percent consistent test data. A disadvantage, however, is the high storage space requirement of such a test system, which corresponds to that of the productive system. In addition, an authorization concept for the system copy is required to protect the authentic data it contains. Otherwise, company secrets are at risk, and there is a violation of regulations such as the Federal Data Protection Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
For a heterogeneous system copy and for homogeneous system copies for which there is no special way for the database used, the source system must be exported. This is done with SAP tools (SUM). The export files are copied to the prepared target system and imported again during the SAP installation with SUM. A relatively comfortable way. But it can be even more comfortable.
"Shortcut for SAP Systems" provides an automated solution for many of the tasks involved in copying SAP systems by enabling the backup and restore of any table.
Memory-based copy operation based on snapshots of non-volatile Compute Engine memory.
This adds the latest transactional data from the original production system.