Cookbook of migrating SAP Business One from SQL Server to SAP HANA

Update on July 30 2018

This document aims to guide you through the end-to-end procedure of migrating SAP Business One from SQL Server to SAP HANA. A handy spreadsheet version of migration checklist for your quick reference is available here.

Checklist of Migrating SAP Business One from SQL Server to SAP HANA

This cookbook addresses the frequently asked questions below:

• What approach should an existing SAP Business One customer take to adopt SAP HANA?
• How much effort do you need at the high level during the pre-sales stage?
• How does one migrate SAP Business One from SQL Server to SAP HANA step by step?

What approach should an existing SAP Business One customer take to adopt SAP HANA?

In general, especially when the main challenge is the speed of reporting and analytics, the recommended approach for an existing SAP Business One customer should take to adopt SAP HANA is:

1. Implement SAP Business One, analytics powered by SAP HANA first, moving the analytics scenarios to SAP HANA while the transactions still reside in MS SQL.
2. Migrate the whole SAP Business One system from SQL Server to SAP HANA with a minimal cost by reusing the same server and the analytics user licenses.

The customer can gain a quick ROI from SAP HANA through faster decision-making and real-time business insight, etc. Meanwhile, breaking the adoption into two parts gives the custants and the customer’s system administrators more time to prepare for SQL query related customization and Add-On migration to SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA, and to build up knowledge about Linux and SAP HANA in a non-disruptive way.

However, if the customer’s main concern is overall system slowness due to large volume of transactions, high concurrency and system throughput, they are more likely to require a full and direct migration of SAP Business One from SQL Server to SAP HANA. The section below will guide you through such a direct migration.

How much effort do you need for such a migration project at the high level during pre-sales stage?

Please refer to the attached spreadsheet of migration checklist for the outlined procedure and effort estimation, which is for your reference only in high level. One of the key factors about effort estimation and project success is the consultant’s knowledge about Linux Administration(Linux Installation, Configuration and System Administration etc), and SAP HANA (Installation, System Administration, Modelling, Development with HANA SQL and SQLScript etc.). Your team should attend the relevant workshops held by SAP and invest some time on self-learning. The other key factors are the complexity of your SQL query related customisation(SBO_SP_TransactionNotification, User Defined Queries etc), reporting, dashboards and custom Add-On etc.

The main procedure for migration is outlined below:

1. Identify the migration path and landscape architecture given the current version and target version of customer’s SAP Business One system
2. Hardware configuration and Install SuSE Linux Enterprise
3. Install SAP HANA and SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA
4. Request and install the license keys for SAP HANA and SAP BUSINESS One, version for SAP HANA
5. [If applicable]Perform the database upgrade of B1 on SQL Server version for migration
6. Perform the database migration from SQL Server to SAP HANA.
7. Perform the database upgrade of B1 on SAP HANA post migration.
8. Initialise the company schema for the analytical features with the Administration Console of SAP Business One analytics.
9. Migrate SQL query related customisation

   · SBO_SP_TransactionNotification

   · User Defined Query, Formatted Search, Alerts and Reports etc

10. [Optional] Create reusable models or extend Semantic Layer for analytics scenarios
11. Migrate Analytics

    · Crystal Reports.

    · Dashboards, etc.

12. Add-On Migration

How to perform a sizing for a B1H prospect?

Sizing tool for SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA: Helps you determine if SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA is a good fit for your customer

How does one migrate SAP Business One from SQL Server to SAP HANA?

  1. Identify the migration path and landscape architecture given the current and target versions of the customer’s SAP Business One system.

In general, we recommend adopting the latest version for SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA. Nevertheless, it is up to the customer whether they go for the SAP Business One , version for SAP HANA in terms of the project budget, the readiness of business processes for the new functions and Add-On(s) migration etc.

The migration path differs from patch level to patch level. You should go through the central notes below for your own migration path. Another important document is the Admin Guide of SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA in the Installation or Upgrade CD.

2216144 – Central Note for SAP Business One 9.2, version for SAP HANA

     2483613 – Central Note for SAP Business One 9.3, version for SAP HANA

Example:

The customer is using SAP Business One 9.2 PL07, planning to migrate to the SAP Business One 9.3, version for SAP HANA, PL04.

• Check the overview note of target B1H patch. In this case , it is Overview Note for SAP Business One 9.3 PL04, version for SAP HANA. To find out the overview notes of a patch level of SAP Business One 9.4, version for SAP HANA, please check here. 
• You will find a section in the patch note of B1H 9.3 PL04:
  SAP Business One 9.3 PL04, version for SAP HANA is synchronized to and contains all bug fixes in the following versions:
  • SAP Business One 9.2 PL10 HotFix (HF) 03 (A version higher than this will not able to migrate B1H 9.3 PL04)
  • SAP HANA Platform Edition 1.0 SPS 12 REV 122.16

Therefore the migration path can be identified as below:

• SAP Business One 9.2 PL07 (SQL) -> SAP Business One 9.3, version for SAP HANA, PL03
• Step 1: Install HANA Rev 122.16
• Step 2: Install SAP Business One 9.3, version for SAP HANA, PL04.
• Step 3: Run the migration wizard to migrate and upgrade the database from SAP Business One 9.2 PL 07 (SQL) to SAP Business One 9.3, version for SAP HANA, PL04

(Note: You should conduct the migration on the test system for a test drive first before migrating the customer’s live system.)

  2. Hardware configuration and Install SuSE Linux Enterprise Server

      1944415 – Configuration Guide for Hardware Platforms of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

This is a must read note with regard to Hardware configuration and SLES installation for SAP HANA.

Please follow the two important how to guide attached in the note above to install.

• • How to Configure Hardware Platforms for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.pdf:
    In prior to Install SuSE Linux Enterprise Server,you should follow the attached conflagration guide for Hardware Platforms, including the BIOS, Raid Policy and Disk Partition etc, which are different from hardware vendor to vendor.
    
  • How to Install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Business One Products on SAP HANA.pdf

Current B1H is only available in Linux platform(SuSE Linux Enterprise). Therefore, basic knowledge of Linux System Administration is required to perform the installation and regular system administrative tasks. You should invest some time to become skilled in this area. Some free online SuSE Linux Parter Academy are available here:

• SuSE Partner Portal: Enablement -> Technical Training -> SUSE Enterprise Linux -> Partner Academy (Free registration)

With regards to installing SuSE Linux Enterprise Server, please refer to the following documents for details:

• 7 Steps to deploy SuSE for SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA (Authored by and all rights reserved by SuSE)

3. Install SAP HANA, and SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA.

For the installation of SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA, you may not be able to install the latest patch directly. Instead, you may need to perform a baseline installation first, and then upgrade to the target patch.

Beside the document about How to Install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Business One Products on SAP HANA.pdf mentioned in last step, you can also refer to the following documents:

• FAQ about the Installation of SAP HANA, Business One version SAP HANA and Business One Analytics powered by SAP HANA
• SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA from bare metal to live system

4. Request and install the license key for SAP HANA and SAP BUSINESS One, version for SAP HANA

After the installation, you should request and install the license for SAP HANA and SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA in prevention of system     outage caused by the expiry of evaluation license. Please refer to the link below for details. How to request and install license for SAP HANA Engine and B1H

5. [If applicable] Upgrade the source SAP Business One system (SQL Server version) to the relevant version which can be migrated as the migration path identified in step 1.

This is a normal upgrade process with SAP Business One upgrade wizard, which may require some sanity test. Full coverage test may not be necessary, since this is not the target Version.

Recommendation:
Backup the database before and after the upgrade, then you have a snapshot of the company database for each stage.

   Since SAP Business One 9.1, version for SAP HANA PL05, the migration wizard can conduct the schema migration and upgrade in one single wizard

6. Migrate SAP Business One Databases from SQL Server to SAP HANA

This step only migrates the data format of database from SQL Server to SAP HANA, no data content itself. Please refer to the link below for details. http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-47663.

7. Upgrade the company schema to the target patch level

      This upgrade process updates the table structure and deploys default SAP HANA contents.

Recommendation:

You should backup the whole SAP HANA system with the SAP HANA studio before performing the upgrade. Here you can find the information about  how to back up the SAP HANA system: Regular System Administration Tasks for SAP Business One Analytics and SAP Business One Powered by HANA

8. Initialise the company schema for the analytical features with the Administration Console of SAP Business One analytics.

     In order to use analytical functions (Semantic Layer,enterprise search, interactive analytics, KPI, and pervasive dashboard) properly, you need to initialise the company schema with the Administration Console of SAP Business One analytics. Please refer the document below for detail:

Initializing B1H Company Databases for Analytical Features     

     URL of the Administration Console: 

•  https://<Your_HANA_ServerAddress>:40000/Enablement

9. Migrate customisation related to SQL queries in SAP Business One
HANA SQL/SQL Script syntaxes are different from the SQL/TSQL in MS SQL. So the customisation in B1 based SQL query must be converted to HANA SQL/SQL Script syntax.
This step covers SQL related customisation in SAP Business One, including

• SBO_SP_TransactionNotification: Implementing SBO_SP_TransactionNotification in SAP Business One, Version for SAP HANA
• User Defined Query
• Formatted Search:  Syntax of Formatted Search in SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA
• Alerts and Reports etc.

SAP provides a semi-automatic SQL Query Converter tool to migrate above contents from SQL Server to SAP HANA.  You can find more information here:

How to Convert SQL from MS SQL Server to SAP HANA

     To use the SQL Converter tool, please download the source code here and compile it by yourself.

The document below lists best practices of SQL usage on SAP HANA, for User Defined Query, SBO_SP_TransactionNotification and Add-Ons in SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA. The best practices involve most frequently used SQL syntax in Server SQL and SAP HANA with samples.

Best practices of SQL usage for SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA

  10. (Optional) Create reusable models or extend Semantic Layer for analytics scenarios

       Since B1H 9.1 PL05, SAP has already provide a comprehensive predefined HANA models for analytics, namely Semantic Layer, covering Financial and Logistics etc models, which can be used to analyse the financial and business data of your company with the analytics tools, such as KPI, Pervasive Dashboard, Interactive Analytics, SAP Lumira and Crystal Report etc.

      To learn how to use Semantic Layer, please refer to How to Work with Semantic Layers (S-user required)

      And the company specific UDFs also can be populated to the semantic layer with UDF configuration in the administration console of SAP Business One analytics. Please refer to section 7.3 about Initialising and Maintaining Databases for Analytical Features in  Administrator’s Guide for SAP Business One 9.3, Version for SAP HANA

       Only if the following two cases you may need to create your own models:

       #1: You would like to analyse the UDT data in the Add-On etc.

       #2: Extend or modify the SAP predefined models in the Semantic Layer. You must not directly modify the SAP predefined models within the package: /sap/<company_package>, which will be override by SAP default content in next upgrade. Instead, you must copy the SAP predefined models, then update your copied model.

The benefits of using SAP HANA models for analytics are listed below:

• Business users can understand business-context-related models more easily.
• One well-designed model can serve multiple purposes for a business analysis from different aspects. For example, a good sales analysis model can support sales analysis according to products, customers, territories, sales employees, posting years/quarters/months, etc. It can also be used to create several sales reports using these different dimensions.  It is much easier to manage one SAP HANA model for multiple reports than create one sales report based on an individual query or procedure in SQL Server.
• Most importantly, the models can be consumed with multiple analytical tools, such as Interactive Analysis with Excel, Pervasive Analysis, SAP Lumira, and even your custom Add-Ons, in addition to Crystal Reports and Dashboards. HANA models give the best performance from the In-Memory Computing Engine compared to plain SQL queries. 

Please refer to following material for more details about HANA Modelling:

http://help.sap.com/hana_platform#section5

http://www.saphana.com/community/hana-academy#designing-with-hana-studio

  11. Migrate Analytics

To learn more about Analytics functions in B1H, please refer to SAP Business One Academy – Analytics

This step discusses the migration of the analytics part, such as reports and dashboards etc, how to leverage SAP HANA for real-time business analytics for SAP Business One. Specifically, we’ll focus on migration of Crystal Report and Crystal Dashboard. 

In general, the layout design of custom Crystal Reports and Crystal Dashboards can be reused. However, you need to replace the data source of SQL Server with SAP HANA. We recommend that you implement or migrate the analytics with SAP HANA models rather than simply migrate the data source of Crystal Reports and Crystal Dashboard from SQL Server to SAP HANA. Refer to step 8 for more information about modelling.

Migrate Crystal Reports:

Migrating Crystal Reports of SAP Business One from SQL Server to SAP HANA

Migrate Crystal Dashboards:
B1If is not longer required when connecting to the B1 company schema in SAP HANA with Crystal Dashboard. The dashboard function of sap.xcelsius package in B1if has been replaced with similar dashboard service in the B1 Analytic Platform. The connectivity type of crystal dashboard to SAP HANA still remain the same as XML Data. The procedure of crystal dashboard development for SAP HANA still remain the same for SQL Server version.

The differences of Crystal Dashboards development in SAP HANA in comparison with SQL Server  below:
1).The query of the data source needs to be migrated from SQL Server into SAP HANA.

2).The preview in crystal dashboard designer returns -2023 error for SAP HANA. You can just ignore the error in the design time, which is a limitation of the dashboard service in B1 Analytic Platform for SAP HANA(Applicable to both B1A and B1H).  However, the crystal dashboard will work properly inside B1 in the run-time. In short, you can’t test the dashboard in Crystal Dashboard Designer for SAP HANA during design time, but it will work in B1 for run-time.
3).The Info.xml in the dashboard package introduces a new tag <IsIMDB>Y</IsIMDB> indicating whether the data is retrieved from SAP HANA or not. A new version of SAP Business One Dashboard Package Wizard Tool (version 1.1) has been released, which supports both B1A/B1H.

SAP Business One Dashboard Packaging Tool Version 1.1

In addition to Crystal Dashboard, SAP Business One,version for SAP HANA provides a built-in dashboard/KPI design tool as Pervasive Analytics with a straight forward dashboard designing from query to dashboard. Here you have more details: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27znXX7jWlk&hd=1

12. Migrate Add-Ons

      The Software Development Kit (SDK) of SAP Business One, version for SAP HANA remains the same. DI API and UI API are still based on COM technology. Calling SDK objects still can be called in the same way. Please refer to the document below for details.

      Migrating Add-Ons of SAP Business One from SQL Server to SAP HANA