Using the SUM Prerequisite Check Extended to Prepare Your Conversion to SAP S/4HANA

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Update for S/4HANA 2022 !

Here’s an update on the latest run of Prerequisite Check Extended for a S/4HANA 2022 Conversion. I’ve updated the screenshots with the latest SUM 2.0 SP15 (PL7)

There are many tools to help you prepare for a system conversion to S/4HANA. From the Prepare Phase with the SAP Readiness Check and Maintenance Planner to the Explore Phase, use the SUM tool itself as a Prerequisite Check tool prior to your Sandbox cycle. This is very helpful for the technical team early in the project to discover some of the errors reported by the SUM tool on the source system. Or they are waiting on the functional team to resolve the many simplification items errors, which usually trigger a hard stop (e.g. RUN_S4H_SIF_CHECK_EXEC steps in SUM), or simply waiting on infrastructure or HANA DB procurement for those who are on a classical database.

Fortunately, the SUM tool has a Prerequisite Check Extended which allows you to ignore the SI Checks errors or to run the SUM tool without the need for a target HANA DB.  The advantage here is that the tool identifies and captures the uptime errors in a nice summary file at the end of this Prerequisite Extended Check. In the final step, the technical team will select Reset and the tool will clean up and is ready for the next cycle. In addition, the team can address any mandatory OSS Notes that are needed in the system, determines add-ons that require uninstallation, and identifies all the inactive or locked objects, etc.

Please note, this is not a quick check, you will need to run through all the similar SUM procedures in uptime including generating a stack.xml file, downloading and staging all media files, entering all the configuration information, account passwords, and creating the shadow instance and so on. You can download the user guide for review here. User Guides for SUM.

 

From our RIG Summary slide, the requirement is SUM 2.0 SP15 and higher, and download either a stack.xml or Check Stack.xml file generated by the Maintenance Planner.  For those who currently do not have a HANA DB yet or Maintenance Planner raised an error in your planning a S/4HANA conversion. You need to create a temporary use Check Stack.xml for the SUM tool.  (please read Boris Rubarth's blog.)

Next, you will execute SUM as you normally would but with the selection shown below under Scenario Strategy.  Here are some of the key findings screenshots of an actual SUM Prerequisite Check Extended run an ECC 6.0 system currently on SAP HANA DB

Select Prerequisite Check --> Prerequisite Check Extended. (The other Prerequisite Check is a fast, simple check only of your DB, hostname, CVERS table…humm..nothing too impressive)

Prerequisite Check Extended Selection

 

Enter stack file location.  Note, I use the same stack.xml for the real conversion also.

Notice the difference in the Menu compared to the regular SUM.  Reset is the end state instead of Downtime Execution.

Some new additional checks included since my previous blog.

You will be prompted a series of screens as you normally would with the actual SUM execution and continue by entering all the necessary passwords to HANA DB, Migration Key, System Password, etc. Some errors called out here can be related to HANA components. (e.g. HANA_UMML patching needed)

We had to install the latest update for HANA_UMML and resume the SUM tool.

Review and enter any target level release you want to include

Other errors encountered in the Configuration Phase:

From the log file: PRECHECKEXT_MESSAGES.CSV

As expected, there are simplification items that are not remediated yet.  I ran into errors which also are captured in the PRECHECKEXT_MESSAGES.CSV file. At the time, these Add-ons and SI- Checks were reviewed by the team. I have the option to ignore this error and continue. Had this been an actual SUM run, it will be a hard stop until all the issues have been resolved.

;;"--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"

;;"2EETG011 Target product version and stack cannot be read"

;;"2EETG011 from stack.xml"

;;"Execution of S/4HANA Readiness Checks (simplification item check) failed."

;;

action;PREP_GENCHECKS/SPAU_FILL_LEVEL_DEC;"Open Actions in Transactions SPDD and SPAU"

;;""

Nice Summary with the error noted.

 

Other example from previous blog you might see in your run:

Log sample:

info;MOD_SELROADMAP/SELECT_ROADMAP;"Prerequisite Check Extended"

;;""

;;"You are running the Prerequisite Check Extended."

;;"Some failed checks might be ignorable."

;;"If you choose to ignore those checks they will then be listed in file 'log/PRECHECKEXT_MESSAGES.CSV'."

;;

info;PREP_EXTENSION/IS_SELECT;"Information of phase IS_SELECT"

;;""

;;"Upgrade strategy needed for Add-on 'ACLDL' '750'. (Add-on has been ignored.)"

;;"Upgrade strategy needed for Add-on 'MDM_TECH' '710_731'. (Add-on has been ignored.)"

;;"Upgrade strategy needed for Add-on 'PCAI_ENT' '100'. (Add-on has been ignored.)"

In my case, these Add-ons need to be uninstalled. Some can be done via SAINT however, I need to read and apply this OSS Note 2911053

Next, SUM moved to Check Step – SPAU and SPDD information.

Summary of Check Phase…moving along. Not much to report as this system appears to be clean.

Preprocessing Step:

SPDD_RESET_CANDIDATE file generated.

At this point, I sent the list of objects to the developer to review and pointed out there will be work coming their way.

Additional Partitioning if needed for MATDOC.

Next, the tool will do a Reset.

Finally, SUM is at the end. Please send in the feedback form!

Gather all your logs and select Reset!

 PRECHECKEXT_MESSAGES.CSV from SUM.

This final csv report covers all the errors and is listed according to the corresponding SUM Phases. This is a nice, organized report instead of your usual log file dump. Here you can see that it ran the SI- Check and found some errors. The report also captures all the open transports, Inactive Objects, Add-ons upgrade decisions that I skipped earlier.

Summary:

Overall, running the check took about 3 working days as I gave myself time to research all the Notes and analyzed some of the errors such as how to uninstall 3^rd Party Add-ons. The runtime also depends on your current hardware sizing.  For the Basis technical team, it’s a great tool to prepare for the conversion and establish familiarity with tools and errors. This check does not mitigate all the errors you will encounter during uptime and downtime, but at least you are off to a great head start.

Thank you!

SAP S/4HANA RIG