Several advantages at once
Pre- and post-processing
In SAP, the admin must be happy to build new landscapes so that testing, development and enhancement can take place. In a system copy, the approaches are as colorful and varied as the philosophies of the administrators. The important thing is to think about the target system before building it. After all, after the database is removed and the system is rebuilt, there will be two identical systems on the network.
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.
Copying needs to be done skillfully
SAP system copies are necessary, regardless of the basic infrastructure. Particularly in the context of automation, preference should be given to solutions that support all relevant types of SAP system operation.
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An SAP system copy is not done in an hour. Due to the large amount of data in an SAP system, the individual steps can take a long time to complete. The export and the import do not always run without errors. Often one is held up by troubleshooting. Of course, the target system must be prepared before the actual copy can be performed: Setting up the server, installing the operating system and database software, downloading and copying the installation media. During the export, the source system cannot be used. Therefore, this task must be planned well and in advance.
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.
Shortly before the start of the update, inform users again that maintenance work on the system is imminent and that they should log off from the target system.
Understanding the structure and functioning of the system is especially important for IT administration. It is not for nothing that "SAP Basis Administrator" is a separate professional field. On the page www.sap-corner.de you will find useful information on this topic.
As with the latter, the configuration is retained and ongoing development and test processes remain undisturbed.