Transport Management

CTS (Change and Transport System) :

The CTS is the central tool for managing changes to customizing and repository data that we make in the IMG or ABAP workbench.

As we have discussed earlier, a transport request cab be either customizing request or ABAP workbench request.

A customizing request can be created by the customizing tool IMG.

An ABAP workbench request can be created by ABAP workbench tool. Any changes or objects we develop through ABAP workbench are stored in Repository tables of SAP database.

As an ABAP developer you will be working with ABAP workbench and thus you create work bench requests.

A functional consultant works with configuration tool IMG (SAP Implementation Guide) T-code SPRO, thus creating customizing requests.

Transport organizer:

Transport organizer is the tool provided by SAP which records and documents all changes to objects in the repository and customizing. The transaction code for transport organizer is SE10 or SE09.

Transport organizer is fully integrated with ABAP workbench and customizing tool IMG. That means you can navigate in both directions from transport organizer to ABAP workbench and reverse also.

Development class:

Development classes are used to group similar work objects that are being developed in a project.

While creating development class we must assign it to the transport layer.

All the objects assigned to that development class can be transported according to the routes defined in the transport layer.

Defining transport layer and routes is SAP BASIS administrator job. The transport layer defines transport route between the systems included in system landscape.

The development classes are themselves objects in the ABAP workbench.

The development class of a development class is always itself.

Change Request:

Information source in the transport organizer that records and manages all changes made to repository objects and customizing settings during a development project.

Task:

A task is assigned to a change request.

It is the information carrier in the transport organizer for entering and managing all changes to repository objects and customizing settings performed by employees within a development project.

System Landscape - re post

System Landscape:
The system landscape contains all systems that were installed. The customer can choose any landscape according to the requirements.
If the customer is very big, one can implement four system landscapes. Mid size customers can go for two system landscape.
Now we will see different system landscapes:
Four system landscape:

In this landscape, we will find four systems,
1) development system
2) test system
3) pre production system
4) production system
In development system, we find three clients
100
140
180
100 can be used as configuration client. 140 can be used for development. 180 can be used for testing purpose in development system.
The Test system contains two clients
010
040
010 can be used for testing, where as 040can be used for training purposes.
The pre production system is the one which behaves exactly as production system. It contains data similar to production system. We can test with similar production data.
Production system contains one client where the end users will be working with real time data supporting day to day business.

Three system landscape, we will find each dedicated server for development, test and production systems. You can assume the clients like above.

Two system landscape, the development and test systems are combined into one system.
One client can be used for development and another can be used for quality.
In any landscape, production system will be installed on dedicated server.
One system landscape is not recommended, where all three systems can be installed in a single system.

SAP World

SAP (Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing)

"SAP is the fourth largest software company in the world. It ranks after Microsoft,IBM and Oracle in terms of market capitalization. SAP is the largest Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution software provider.SAP's products focus on ERP, which it helped to pioneer. The company's main product is SAP R/3;the "R" stands for real time data processing and the number 3 relates to a three-tier application architecture: database, application server and client SAPgui.Other major product offerings include Advanced Planner and Optimizer (APO),Business Information Warehouse(BW),Customer Relationship Management(CRM),Supplier Relationship Management(SRM), Human Resource Management Systems(HRMS),Product Lifecycle Management(PLM), Exchange Infrastructure(XI) and Knowledge Warehouse(KW).Reportedly, there are over 91,500 SAP installations at more than 28,000 companies. SAP products are used by over 12 million people in more than 120 countries."

Job notifications

Friends,
You might have heard about Chetana Jobs , Yahoo group community. Now it is no more.
You can directly access http://www.chetanas.com/jobs/index/walkinindex.html for job openings.
Keep posting your resume. Try your luck.

Create a Report porgram - attach it to a transport request

Hi Guys,
Today we will see how to create a report program and attach it to a transport request:
To create a report program,
1) Go to ABAP editor, transaction code SE38.
2) Enter the name of the report program. The name should start with letter 'Y' or 'Z'.
3) Click on create button. If a report program already exists with that name, the message will be displayed at the bottom saying that 'report program already exists', otherwise you will go into the attributes page.
4)Give title name (Ex: Test ABAP program)
5)Type - Executable Program
6)Status - Customer Production program/Test program/etc
7)Application: Sales, Materials Management etc (The functional area )
8) Then Click on 'SAVE'.

Now you will get the following screen.
Here, You can save the program as a local object (development class will be $tmp) or to a transport request.

To save the program as a local object, click on Local Object button.
To save the program to a transport request click on Save icon.You have to give the development class name. (In older versions it is development class, in recent versions it is package).

Then you will get the following screen. A transport request number is automatically generated for you.
While attaching your Report program to a transport request, you can create a new request like above or you can attach it to already existing your own requests.

To attach the report program to your own (old requests), you need to click on button 'Own Requests'.

when you click on Own Requests, the list of your previous requests will be displayed like below.
You can choose any request you want, then the new report will also be attached to that selected request.



In next post, we will see how to take care of dependency between transport requests? In real time you may be developing many things like reports, tables, screens for a single piece of task (module). Then how you will take care of transport requests? Do we need to create separate requests for each single component or can we club them? You will find answers to these questions.

Change and Transport System - CTS

Imagine you have joined a project, you were given a technical specification/functional specification to develop a report.

If you were provided with functional specification, you will design technical specification. (Senior developers will design technical specification). If you are a junior ABAP developer then you will be directly provided with technical specification).

So you start writing report program in the ABAP editor after completing the technical design. (The technical design must be reviewed and accepted by your team leader before you start coding).

To name the report program, you should refer the naming standards document. Please refer my previous post for the information about essential documents in a project.

As per the naming standards, you will name your report program.

Now you have to SAVE your report program.

There are two options:

1) save to development class

2) save as local object

An object (here report) which is saved as local object can never be transported. The development class for local objects is $tmp.

If you are creating a test program, which you don’t want to transport into TEST system, then you can save your object as local object. But if you are creating a customer production program (that means which should go into Production system) you must assign it to a development class. When you try to save an object assigning it to a development class, you should create a new transport request or attach it to an existing change request.

(We will see how to create requests in the coming posts).

Remember, as a developer, you should always ask your team leader about the development class which you can use. The project may contain only one development class or it may contain more than one development class. Objects related to SD module can be saved to one development class, where as objects related to MM can be saved to another development class. It varies from project to project. As an ABAP developer, you will never create development class in real time,
We will see what a development class is in next post.

Now we will see how many types of change requests are there:

1) SAP IMG ( Implementation Guide)

The most important customizing tool is the Implementation Guide. (IMG). We can use the IMG to make all configurations possible in the SAP standard.

Any modifications we make in the SAP IMG (Implementation Guide) are known as customizing settings. Functional consultants use IMG to configure SAP according to the Client requirements.

2) ABAP workbench:

SAP provides ABAP workbench as a complete environment. The ABAP Workbench includes tools for defining data structures (ABAP Dictionary), developing ABAP programs (ABAP Editor) and designing interfaces (Screen Painter and Menu Painter), as well as many other functions.

Change and Transport system:

The CTS is the central tool for managing changes to Customizing and Repository data that you make in the IMG or ABAP Workbench. The CTS records all changes in change requests.

A change request can be a customizing request or workbench request. As developers we will be always creating workbench requests.

ASAP- Phase 5 - Go-live and Support

ASAP - Phase 5 - Go-live and Support:
The Go-live milestone is itself is easy to achieve; a smooth and uneventful Go-live is another matter altogether. Preparation is the key, including attention to what-if scenarios related not only to the individual business processes deployed but also to the functioning of technology underpinning these business processes and preparation for ongoing support, including maintenance contracts and documented processes and procedures are essential.

ASAP - Phase 4 -Final Preparation

ASAP Methodology - Phase 4 - Final Preparation:
As phase 3 merges into phase 4, you should find yourselves not only in the midst of SAP training, but also in the midst of rigorous functional and stress testing. Phase 4 also concentrates on the fine tuning of your configuration before Go-live and more importantly, the migration of data from your old system or systems to SAP.
Workload testing (including peak volume, daily load, and other forms of stress testing), and integration or functional testing are conducted to ensure the accuracy of your data and the stability of your SAP system.Because you should have begun testing back in phase 2, you do not have too far to go until Go-live. Now is an important time to perform preventative maintenance checks to ensure optimal performance at your SAP system.
At the conclusion of phase 4, take time to plan and document a Go-live strategy. Preparation for Go-live means preparing for your end-users questions as they start actively working on the new SAP system.

ASAP- Phase 3 - Realization

ASAP Phase- 3 - Realization:
With the completion of the business in phase 2, "functional" experts are now ready to begin configuring SAP. The Realization phase is broken in to two parts.
1) Your SAP consulting team helps you configure your baseline system, called the baseline configuration.
2) Your implementation project team fine-tunes that system to meet all your business and process requirements as part of the fine tuning configuration.

The initial configuration completed during the base line configuration is based on the information that you provided in your blueprint document. The remaining approximately 20% of your configuration that was not tackled during the baseline configuration is completed during the fine tuning configuration. Fine tuning usually deals with the exceptions that are not covered in baseline configuration.This final bit of tweaking represents the work necessary to fit your special needs.

Configuration Testing:
With the help of your SAP consulting team, you segregate your business processes into cycles of related business flows. The cycles serve as independent units that enable you to test specific parts of the business process. You can also work through configuring the SAP implementation guide (IMG). a tool used to assist you in configuring your SAP system in a step-by-step manner.

Knowledge Transfer:
As the configuration phase comes to a close, it becomes necessary for the Project team to be self-sufficient in their knowledge of the configuration of your SAP system. Knowledge transfer to the configuration team tasked with system maintenance (that is, maintenance of the business processes after Go-live) needs to be completed at this time.
In addition, the end users tasked with actually using the system for day-to-day business purposes must be trained.