Hi Readers,
Here are some points from my experience that are worthy to remember while working with Support pack upgrade (SPS, EHP) or release upgrade (Something like DB2 to HANA 1.0) in SPDD and SPAU correction in ABAP context:
Software upgrade manager tool (SUM) takes care of automatic system upgrade in SAP environment.
1.There are 8 Phases of SUM tool – Initialization, Extraction, checks, configuration, preprocessing, execution, postprocessing and finalization.
2. This basis admin tool drives the entire upgrade process automatically. Basis team communicates the progress to relevant stakeholders by email about each phase progress.
3.Sometimes if error appears during any phase, Basis can reach out to the technical person for resolution or suggestion whether to ignore the error and go ahead or halt there till the error is resolved.
4.Ensure that you are aware of
basic concept of each phase about SUM tool (Software update manager tool) – the only tool works for upgrade with hardly or no manual intervention.
5. The 8 distinct phases ranging from system checks to latest OSS notes implementations.
Preprocessing , execution and post processing phases especially are of technical interest to us.
6.SPDD Transaction is about repair and adjustment of DDIC objects .
7.SPDD takes place during or
at the end of preprocessing phase in a shadow instance of the Development system in the landscape Client 000. Ensure you are absolutely ready here to take up and complete the required repair within the stipulated time frame . Basis person will provide you one time credential to login and you will capture the repair of DDIC objects (as applicable when RED LIGHTS are there against , mostly domains, data elements to look out for). Once done you need to capture the changes in customized transport and remember to release the task then and there.
8.SPAU transaction is about RICEF workbench repository objects – standard sap program changes.
9. SPAU in general comes at the end of post processing place or rarely in the preceding execution phase.
- Here we take about OSS notes, program changes and other objects. Database version is capable of showing you the old modified version of certain objects against the upgrade view of the same. TAKE judicious decision while adjusting the modification especially for customer codes inside standard programs – implicit/explicit enhancements, BADIs….etc..
- Take utmost care while processing the OSS notes in SPAU – whether to reset the note or accept the adjustment. Involve business /functional resource here and know the impact/purpose of those notes.
- The SPAU changes to be captured in a workbench transport and the task to be released before finalization phase of the SUM tool.
- SPAU_ENH provides comprehensive enhancements’ view for repair and adjustment.
- Both the SPDD and SPAU transport are captured in SUM tool in configuration phase so eventually changes flow to Q and P systems in the landscape . The intention is that during their upgrades pre process phase will not need further OSS notes to be implemented and transports are carrying the changes.
- System upgrade is easier with dual stack (S4 HANA upgrade)– new upgraded stack and business as usual maintenance stack. In single stack upgrade (Example – HRSP upgrade)one needs to be careful while handling SPAU changes.
- Most import point to remember – the upgrade version difference decides NUMBER OF OBJECTS TO BE REMEDIATED . Example upgrade from S4 HANA 1610 to 1709 will get you less number of objects while upgrade from EHP 8.0 to S4 HANA 1909 will get you massive number of objects for ABAP remediation.
Summary:
The above observations are quite powerful, once understood in context, will provide strong foundation even to the new resources who would handle technical upgrade for the first time and complete the required upgrade activities holistically ,productively.
I thank you all the readers for helpful comments and feedbacks here, I appreciate....
Please reach out to me for any question that you may have. You can follow the tag here for the comments.
