Downtime
SAP SYSTEM COPY - A BEFORE AND AFTER GUIDE
Even if the target system is not used for production in an update scenario based on a system copy, it is of central importance for developers and thus also the software lifecycle of the production system. That's why you should avoid upgrade downtime in both the production source system and the non-production target system. Production system downtime depends primarily on the method you use to create the image of the production data to be used in the target system. This image must be a transferable database image - for example, a database export, a backup copy, or an array-based reconciliation. To eliminate downtime in the production system and minimize the impact on application performance-regardless of the size of the production data reconciliation-you can use, for example, HP StorageWorks System Copy for SAP (HP System Copy), which has a disk array-based replication capability. Downtime in the target system depends on the following factors, among others: The time required to restore production data reconciliation in the target system The amount of pre- and post-processing in the target system With HP System Copy, images of production data can be created in minutes, with each step between shutdown and reboot of the target system occurring automatically. However, after the reboot, the target system is not immediately ready for use, as additional steps must first be performed (see description below).
Administrators and SAP maintainers in the x86 world under Windows and various Unix derivatives can nowadays choose from a wealth of software solutions for system support. In contrast, administrators in the System i world and SAP support staff in this environment are often left to their own devices. Nevertheless, the special system architecture and the peculiarities of the DB2 database integrated in the operating system, as well as the specific applications, also pose challenges for system tool developers.
The system copy
There are various ways to tame this time robber and reduce run times. For example, through parallelization or the automatic generation of secondary indices.
Test data is important for companies to eliminate risks in ongoing operations and to optimize systems or processes. But collecting this data can be challenging in times of Big Data and increased data protection, as well as due to complex IT structures.
With "Shortcut for SAP Systems", tasks in the area of SAP system copy are simplified and made possible.
This image must be a transferable database image - for example, a database export, a backup copy, or an array-based reconciliation.
In advanced SAP systems, there are also methods such as system cloning, which allows an exact copy of a production system to be created and used as a test system.