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SAP BW4/HANA Migration Analysis

anilsuryavansi
Participant
‎06-17-2018 5:14 AM

About


 

  • This document is created to provide basic understanding of what is BW/4 HANA, how is it different from SAP BW.

  • This document covers a case study what changes will be required in customers’ BW Global system where ECC, web-services and flat-file data sources are involved

  • What are the important notes to be applied for beginning further technical analysis and to proceed with migration preparation phase


 

What is BW/4HANA


 

  • SAP’s New Data warehouse

    • SAP BW/4HANA is SAP’s next generation data warehouse solution

    • It is a new product and not a successor of any SAP BW



  • Continuing BW functionalities

    • The core functionality of SAP BW is preserved and the transition to SAP BW/4HANA

    • Can be compared with the transition of SAP Business Suite to SAP S/4HANA



  • Reduce Data redundancy

    • BW/4HANA provides a simple set of objects; suited for modelling an agile and flexible layered architecture of a modern data warehouse



  • Reduced Number of Objects

    • SAP BW/4HANA drastically reduces the number of data objects hence less maintenance and storage



  • Future Roadmap

    • All future innovations will take place in SAP BW/4HANA




 

 

SAP BW/4HANA vs SAP BW


 

SAP BW/4HANA only uses state of the art object types, processes, and object types designed for use on a SAP HANA database.

Converting from SAP BW, powered by SAP HANA brings the following functional changes:

  • The SAP Business Explorer tools (SAP BEx tools) are not supported any more.

    • BEx Analyzer will not be available anymore

    • Queries are now defined in SAP BW/4HANA in the BW Modeling Tools



  • Different SAP tools can be used for reporting (additional licensing to be checked)

  • Modeling in the Data Warehousing Workbench (SAPGUI) is replaced by modeling in the BW Modeling Tools in Eclipse

  • Certain object types are not supported any more

    • These are replaced by objects types that are especially primed for use on the SAP HANA database (ex. PSAs are not available anymore)




Paths to SAP BW/4 HANA


 

  • New implementation or fresh start

    • New implementations are the best choice for customers converting from a legacy system or building a system from scratch with new data model only



  • Landscape transformation

    • Landscape transformation is for customers who want to consolidate and optimize their complex SAP BW landscape (multiple production systems) into a single SAP BW/4HANA system or who want to carve-out selected data models or flows into a global SAP BW/4HANA system



  • System conversion (Relevant to Customer)

    • A system conversion addresses customers who want to change their current SAP BW system into a SAP BW/4HANA system. Using the Transfer Toolbox provided by SAP, the SID of the system can be kept (in-place conversion) or a new SID can be used (remote conversion or shell conversion)







 

SAP BW/4HANA System Conversion



•      In-Place Conversion


 

  • Full system conversion of an existing SAP BW installation (keep same SID)

  • Step-by-step in-place transfer of classic objects into their HANA-optimized counterparts

  • Followed by a system conversion to SAP BW/4HANA

  • Minimum start release: SAP BW 7.5 SP 5 powered by SAP HANA


          


•      Remote Conversion


 

  • Start with SAP BW/4HANA as green field installation (new SID)

  • Support of carve-out and consolidation scenarios

  • Transport data models and remote data transfer (including Unicode conversion)

  • Risk mitigation due to parallel system

  • Minimum start release: SAP BW 7.0 or higher on Any DB



•      Shell Conversion



  • Similar to Remote Conversion but without data transfer

  • Accelerate greenfield approach by transferring and converting data models and flows

  • Minimum start release: SAP BW 7.0 or higher on Any DB




 

In-place Conversion (Basic Sequence)



  • Discover / Prepare Phase

    • Check system for BW/4HANA compliance (gather information about objects and code that needs to be transferred or changed), estimate effort for the conversion project



  • Explore / Realization Phase

    • Transfer legacy objects into HANA-optimized counterparts, system conversion, post conversion tasks






 

 

•      SAP BW/4HANA Transfer Cockpit



  • The SAP BW/4HANA Transfer Cockpit is the single point of entry for tools required for transitioning SAP BW systems to SAP BW/4HANA

  • Collection and Display Of Statistics Of Transfer Processes

  • Tools for Preparation Phase

    • Pre-Check Tool

    • Sizing Report

    • Code Scan Tool

    • Clean-up Reports

    • Standard Authorization Transfer –Initial Run



  • Tools for Realization Phase

    • Scope Transfer Tool

    • Standard Authorization Transfer –Delta Run

    • Deletion of Technical Content

    • Switching Operation Mode



  • Transfer Cockpit (transaction RSB4HCONV) for In-place Conversion

  • System statistics showing number and size of remaining InfoCubes and classic DataStore objects.

    • Top 10 shows, which have most records.



  • Prepare Phase includes pre-check tool, sizing report, code scan tool, clean-up reports, and initial run of authorization transfer

  • Realization Phase includes scope transfer tool, delta run of authorization transfer, and change of operation mode


 

 

•      Pre-check Tool



  • Check your SAP BW system using the pre-check tool (program RS_B4HANA_CONVERSION_CONTROL)

    • Check complete system

    • Check individual transport requests

    • Display logs of previous checks




 

 

General Findings after analysis



  • Navigational Attributes are not generated when DSO/Cube are converted to Advanced DSO

    • These are permitted in Composite Providers for Reporting

    • Individual Transformations where used will require adjustments



  • x Objects are not supported any more

  • Extraction from PSA is not supported

    • PSA and Infopackages can be skipped or converted to ADSO and DTP



  • Only HANA, Flat File source and ODP systems are supported

  • Web Service Source System are not supported

  • BEx analyzer, Web Templates are not supported

  • Info Object Catalogs are not supported and to be converted to Info Area

  • Integrated Planning (BW-IP) not supported and to be converted to BPC embedded


Findings on Customer BW System



  • BEx reporting:

    • BW Queries will continue to work where BEx analyzer and Web template will not be supported

    • Adoption of Analysis Office is preferred before BW4/HANA migration



  • BW-IP

    • BW-IP has to migrate to BPC Embedded



  • Source systems

    • ECC source system connections needs to be replaced with Operational Data Provisioning (ODP) Source System

    • Alternate for Web services to be analyzed. Web Service source system not supported (2441826 - BW4SL - Web Service Source Systems)

    • No support for Hierarchy DataSources / Extractors (2480284 - BW4SL - Hierarchy DataSources). Further investigation required Need to find out alternative

    • PSA & info packages are eliminated from BW/4 objects – POC required to confirm flat file data sources are supported through DTP



  • Authorization

    • No impact on authorization as such - but all the roles and profiles have to be checked and replace the existing cube names with newly created ADSOs name if applicable




 

Recommendation (Customer also thinking S/4 HANA migration for ECC system)



  • SAP BW/4HANA is completely independent of S/4HANA. BW/4 HANA is not a prerequisite for S/4HANA, and vice versa.

  • All the pre-requisite activities can already start as current version of BW 7.5 sps 007 supports it for future readiness.

  • In-general SAP’s initial understanding while designing SAP S/4 HANA (2015 earlier) was that BW not required any more but this ended as not true. S/4 HANA is mainly taking out and replacing Operational Reporting from BW but need of Data Warehouse will continue to be in place

  • BW4/HANA is designed to support Big Data innovations and any future enhancement will be in BW4/HANA. Hence BW4/HANA migration should be considered

  • As S/4HANA provides operational reporting. Scope of BW would revise after S/4HANA migration hence actual BW/4 HANA conversion should be planned after S/4. Preparation can / should be started ahead and in parallel.


Technical Next Steps



  • Reduce the data volumes as much as possible on current system for shorter conversion duration (Regular Housekeeping)

    • Housekeeping to reduce overall system space by deleting system logs

    • Simplify Process chain - indexes, rollup, dbstate, Aggregates

    • Delete unused / test queries, cubes, dsos etc..



  • Following notes to be reviewed and applied for pre-check analysis

    • SAP Note 2591784 to prepare the SAP BW system for the readiness check

    • SAP Note 2296290 to collect the HANA sizing data (/SDF/HANA_BW_SIZING)

    • SAP Note 2399707 to collect the simplification item relevance information

    • SAP Note 2567324 to collect information about object compatibility

    • SAP Note 2575059 for SAP Readiness Check for SAP BW/4HANA

    • SAP Note 1909597 for latest version of BW HANA Migration Cockpit ZBW_HANA_MIGRATION_COCKPIT

    • SAP Note 2577045 for ABAP Code Scan

    • SAP Note 2383530 Conversion from SAP BW to SAP BW/4HANA

      • Important t-code RSB4HCONV & program RS_B4HANA_CONVERSION_CONTROL



    • POC should be done to understand complete impact on system




 

 

Reference



 
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