SAP BASIS TUTORIALS: SAP OVERVIEW

SAP – SYSTEM APPLICATION & PRODUCTS OF DATA PROCESSING
INSTANCE – Instance is group of resources or Instance is group of R/3 services.

# COMPONENTS OF R/3 ARCHITECTURE

1. Database Server : Central Storage

2. Application Server : Receive Connection from SAP Client

3. Instance : Is group of R/3 services

4. Work processes : Where Individual Dialog steps are actually processed

5. En-Queue : For execution of lock operations

6. Dispatcher : Central process on an instance

7. Mesg Server : Maintain a list of all instances

8. Gateway: Interface that converts one communication protocol to another protocol.

# WORK PROCESSES, R/3 SERVICES

1. Dialog – For executing dialog prog’s

2. Update – For changing database entries

3. Background – To execute background jobs

4. Spool – For Printing

5. En-Queue – For executing lock operations

WHAT IS SAP LANDSCAPE
Landscape is the arrangement for the servers

IDES(International Demo Education System): is purely for education purpose and is NOT INCLUDED in the landscape.

DEVELOPMENT ---> QUALITY ----> PRODUCTION

DEVELOPMENT: is where the consultants do the customization as per the company's requirement.

QUALITY: is where the core team members and other members test the customization.

PRODUCTION: is where the live data of the company is recorded.

A request will flow from Dev->Qty->Prod and not backwards.

1. Sandbox server: In the initial stages of any implementation project, you are given a sandbox server where you do all the configuration/customization as per the company’s business process. (Sandbox is a server which can be said to be a playground for trying and testing configuration and scenario. This server will have Master Data and Transaction Data.)

2. Development Server: - the configuration is done on development server and saved in workbench requests, to be transported to Production server.

3. Production Server: This is the last/ most refined client where the user will work after project GO LIVE. Any changes/ new development is done is development client and the request is transported to production.

These three are landscape of any Company. They organized their office in these three ways.

Developer develops their program in Development server and then transports it to test server. In testing server tester check/test the program and then transport it to Production Server. Later it will deploy to client from production server.

Presentation Server - Where SAP GUI has.
Application Server - Where SAP Installed.
Database Server - Where Database installed.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF "R" IN R/3 SYSTEMS

R/3 stands for real-time three tier architecture. This is the kind of architecture SAP R/3 system has. R/3 means three layers are installed in Different system/server and they are connected with each other.

1 Presentation 2 Application 3 Database

WHY DO WE CALL CLIENT 000 AS GOLDEN CLIENT

Golden client contains all the configuration data and master data so some extent. All the configuration settings are done in golden clients and then moved to other clients. Hence this client acts as a master record for all transaction settings, hence the name "Golden Client".

# SAP SYSTEM MIGRATION

1. Homogeneous 2. Heterogeneous

HOMOGENEOUS – Updating the SAP version on same Operating system i.e. xp server 2003 to xp server 2008.

HETEROGENEOUS – Updating the SAP version on Diff Operating system i.e. XP – to – Linux

[SAP version update on same O/S = Homogeneous, SAP version update on Diff O/S = Heterogeneous]

# SYSTEM REFRESH

When you want to transport any R/3 Trans & TP (Transport) from Production (PRD) server to Quality (QTY) for some reason then its called system Refresh

[PRD – To – QTY = System Refresh]

# SYSTEM COPY

If we want to clone the PRD server then we create a Pre-Production server which is called system copy.

[DEV – QTY – PrePRD – PRD]

# OPatch

The OPatch Java-based utility enables the application and rollback of interim patches to Oracle's software. OPatch is platform-independent and runs on all supported operating systems.

Patches are a small collection of files copied over an existing installation. They are associated to particular versions of Oracle Products. When applied to the correct version of an installed product, patches result in an upgraded version of the product.

#Central system Architecture

A central system is installed on a single host. These are the following instances:

Central instance (Primary Application Server Instance). Every SAP system must have one primary application server instance (central instance).

Central services instance. The central services instance – central services instance for Java (SCS instance) and central services instance for ABAP (ASCS instance) – forms the basis of communication and synchronization for the Java and ABAP clusters.

Database instance (DB instance). The database instance is a mandatory installation component for the installation of an SAP system. ABAP and Java each have their own database schemas.

In a central system, all mandatory instances are installed on one host.

You have other options such as:

Distributed System (In a distributed system, every instance can run on a separate host)

High Availability (In a high-availability system, every instance run on a separate host with redundancy.)

SAP Software Update Manager

The Software Update Manager is a multi-purpose tool, which supports various processes, such as performing a release upgrade, installing enhancement packages, applying Add-on's or applying Support Package stacks Update.

Traditionally for applying SPS we use SPAM for ABAP & JSPM for Java. Some of the benefits of using SUM tool over these tools among others are

Two different tools are not required to apply SPS. One SUM tool is used

Minimum downtime (Single downtime for both ABAP & Java combined).

Simultaneously the SPS are applied to both the stacks.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN UPDATE AND AN UPGRADE ?

Update (Patches): In software terms, a patch (or update) is meant to address two issues -- (1) to correct bugs (or problems) within the software that makes it perform less than optimal and (2) to add new compatible hardware support.in other words Updates add smaller new functionalities, bug fixes, etc. to your product. Updates are free within the same major version, for example, if you own a PitStop Pro 10, you are entitled to every update that is released for PitStop Pro 10 (being, PitStop Pro 10.1, update 1, update 2, etc). Updates will be available in the "Downloads" section of the web page, under the "Free Update" heading.

You will never be asked to enter your key to get a free update; if you are asked for your key, you are in the Upgrade section.

Upgrade: An upgrade contains major new functionalities and features, it also contains an important selection of customer requested bug fixes. An upgrade can be recognized when the major product version number is increased. The version change from PitStop Pro 09 to PitStop Pro 10 for example, is an upgrade

Upgrades are payable (free upgrades are included in a maintenance contract, in which case you'll receive a new product key from your reseller) and are available in the "Buy" section of each product's page. In order to activate your upgrade, you'll need to enter your new product key - either purchased, either received for free within your maintenance contract.