Automated Homogenous System Copies with Libelle...

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Automated Homogenous System Copies with Libelle SystemCopy for SAP® Applications

SAP® Application Environments include Quality Assurance (QAS), Test, and other

Staging Systems in addition to actual Production Systems. These so called „non-pro-

duction systems‟ are designated to manage the application lifecycle process. SAP

recommends a specific procedure called “Homogenous System Copy” to provide non-

production systems with actual production data for adequate and consistent testing.

Typically, there are numerous manual tasks involved for executing a System Copy

procedure which can spread over days and may block precious and expensive re-

sources of the most skilled SAP Basis Professionals.

Libelle SystemCopy (LSC) is a framework-based software solution to create fully au-

tomated System Copies for SAP applications. It furnishes ready-to-go QAS- or Test

System with fresh production data. SystemCopy supports single- or dual-stack SAP

implementations on Oracle®, MaxDB™, DB2

®, or Microsoft SQL Server

® databases

and can be integrated in popular Storage Snapshots® or SnapMirror

® tools. As an al-

ternative, the solution includes an own copy tool for all platforms. System Copy Tasks

can run outside the ABAP stack and include database import/export operation, com-

mand scripts, SQL operations, or the execution of SAP transactions.

This White Paper describes the process involved in creating Homogenous System

Copies and outlines how procedures can be automated with the SystemCopy solu-

tion.

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© Libelle AG. All rights reserved. Updated March 2011. 2/14

Table of Contents

SAP Application Lifecycle and System Copies ............................................................ 3

System Copy Terminology ........................................................................................... 4

System Copy Dependencies ........................................................................................ 4

System Copy Phases ................................................................................................... 4

System Copy Tasks ..................................................................................................... 5

System Copy Procedure: System Pre-Checks ......................................................... 6 System Copy Procedure: Pre-Processing ................................................................. 6 System Copy Procedure: Copy ................................................................................. 6 System Copy Procedure: Post-Processing ............................................................... 7

System Copy Challenges ............................................................................................. 7

Automating System Copies with Libelle SystemCopy ................................................. 8

The Libelle SystemCopy Framework ........................................................................... 8

Libelle SystemCopy Architecture ................................................................................. 9

SystemCopy Tasks ...................................................................................................... 9

Task Configuration and Repository ............................................................................ 10

Executing the System Copy ....................................................................................... 11

Managing Multiple Configurations .............................................................................. 12

Completing the Copy and Process Optimization ....................................................... 13

Summary .................................................................................................................... 13

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SAP Application Lifecycle and System Copies

SAP AG provides an organizational model to help companies with an holistic and inte-

grated ITIL-based approach for managing the lifecycle of SAP Applications1. Customers

typically implement a 3-Tier Deployment Architecture comprised of (a) Development or

Test Systems (“DEV”) where applications are developed and tested, (b) Quality Assu-

rance Systems (“QAS”, also commonly referred to as „Staging System‟) where final tes-

ting takes place, and (c) Production Systems to serve the actual SAP user. Customers

may also have additional non-production systems such as training or “sandbox” sys-

tems for other purposes.

The Application Lifecycle for SAP Systems is typi-cally managed with a 3-Tier Deployment Archi-tecture.

SAP specialists from external Consulting Firms or the internal SAP Professionals are

typically in charge for providing these a QAS and DEV Landscapes. The procedure is

critical to adequately simulate the Production Systems for coherent and consistent test-

ing and staging procedures. Providing these non-production systems with actual pro-

duction data is typically done by performing a Homogenous System Copy from the Pro-

duction System to one or multiple non-production systems.

A Homogenous System Copy furnishes QAS or Test Systems with pro-duction data.

1 http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/alm

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System Copy procedures are executed anywhere from once a year to every month de-pending on the SAP application and implementation. It also depends in which stage of the Deployment Projects a customer is and what the internal testing procedures require.

System Copy Terminology

In the various system copy guides SAP AG provides on its Service Market Place, there

is a consistent terminology in regards to the System Copy Procedure:1

System Copy: Duplication of SAP systems. Certain SAP parameters change.

Source System: The SAP system containing the original production database.

Target System: The system to which the database copy is copied to.

Homogeneous System Copy2: System copy to the same operating system and data-

base platform as the Source System.

Database Copy: Database-dependent part of the system copy.

System Copy Dependencies

SAP AG provides specific system copy guides for each of their Enterprise Applications

which may differ depending on factors such as:

Type of the SAP Application (e.g. ERP, BI, …)

Version of the SAP Application

Type of Implementation (single or dual-stack)

Database type and version

Operating System

Within this procedural structure, customers typically enhance, add, or remove certain

System Copy Tasks to adjust to their very specific installation and circumstances. While

the general procedure is then similar for certain configuration, individual installations are

varying in details.

System Copy Phases

Generally, all steps necessary to successfully complete a System Copy Procedure can

be categorized into three steps. Before the data on the Target System is refreshed,

there is some pre-processing necessary. This is followed by copying the actual data and

post-processing. The steps are defined as follows.

1. Pre-Processing: All tasks for preparing the Target System for the System Copy.

2. Copy: Providing a copy of the actual production database from Source to Target

System.

1 E.g. “System Copy for SAP Systems based on SAP NetWeaver 7.1 Java” December 2009. link 2 SAP also lists a „heterogeneous System Copy‟ procedure where the database or O/S platform changes. This is currently not cov-

ered in the Libelle System Copy Procedure and not part of this Whitepaper

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3. Post-Processing: All tasks after the Copy to complete the HSC procedure and to

provide a complete QAS or Test System to the users.

Distinguishing these three steps into pre-processing, copy, and post-processing is criti-

cal for structuring detailed tasks later on and for the way the tasks can later be auto-

mated.

The System Copy Pro-cess is executed in three phases.

System Copy Tasks

The very core of a System Copy Procedure is to follow a number of specific, more or

less pre-defined steps such as executing a Database Backup or starting specific SAP

Transactions in a specific order. For the purpose of automation, we encapsulate and

abstract these steps into „Tasks‟ which are assigned to the System Copy Phases:

Each Phase of the Sys-tem Copy Procedure consists of a number of encapsulated Tasks.

Most Tasks are executed on the Target, but some of them may run on the Source Sys-

tem. System Copy Tasks are categorized into any following Task Types:

1. Execute prepared SQL Statements on Source or Target Systems

2. Execute Database Imports or Exports

3. Execute ABAP Transactions

4. Execute Windows® or UNIX

® Shell Scripts

5. Trigger External Tools (e.g. Snapshots)

6. Manual Breakpoints where an Administrator wants to execute certain steps

Tasks are executed sequential and subsequent Tasks depend on return values or suc-

cessful completion of previous Tasks. The key to successful automation is to encapsu-

late System Copy tasks according to SAP AG‟s guidelines, internal necessities, and

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external best-practices. Later in this White Paper you will learn how the Libelle Sys-

temCopy tool handles this procedure and how the execution of all Tasks can be auto-

mated and managed from starting the System Copy up to the point where you can hand

over a finished QAS System to the users.

System Copy Procedure: System Pre-Checks

Before executing pre-processing, copy, and post-processing steps, the System Copy

Procedure implies that certain pre-requisites are met. System pre-checks validate sys-

tem availability, disk space, matching versions between Source and Target, compatibil-

ity of parameters, and more. Especially if the procedure is automated later and is may

scheduled to run overnight, we don‟t want to find out that missing system permissions,

disk space, or SAP license prevent us from completing the procedure.

System Copy Procedure: Pre-Processing

The Pre-Processing Phase of the System Copy Procedure prepares the Target System

to receive current Production Data. As the complete target database is overwritten with

fresh production data, certain information must be pulled from the Target System ahead

of time. This mostly includes exporting various QAS-specific tables, logon groups, ad-

min tables, RFC settings, development user tables, and much more. For Java Stacks

we may also want to export the Target System configuration files. On the Target System

it may also be necessary to stop Scheduler, Backup Jobs, or anything which we want

not to interfere with a System Refresh. Finally, the last Task of the Pre-Processing Pro-

cedure is then to stop the Target System.

Pre-Processing of the System Copy Procedure prepares the target sys-tem for the Copy Phase

System Copy Procedure: Copy

The Copy Phase is the process of replacing the complete target database with the

Source Production database and rename the database name (SID) from e.g. PR1 to

QA1 as the QAS Target system runs under a different database SID .

There are various ways to achieve a copy of the database. Customers may utilize Stor-

age Snapshot Tools and scripts to rename the database to provide this copy fairly

quick. Another option are database copy tools such as the renowned Libelle DBShad-

ow® tool to automatically copy and rename Oracle, MaxDB, DB2, or MS SQL Server

databases.

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Copy Phase of the Sys-tem Copy Procedure re-freshes the Target Sys-tem with fresh Produc-tion data

System Copy Procedure: Post-Processing

The last phase of the System Copy Procedure is by far the most complex as a large

number of Tasks have to be executed. While the database was already renamed in the

Copy Phase, we need to adjust additional database settings to match the target envi-

ronment and perform other related tasks. Finally, the Target System must be furnished

with a valid SAP license, and specific tables entries must be replaced with the content

relevant to the Target System with either pre-configured data or exported data from the

Pre-Processing phase.

Some of the Tasks will be generic for most SAP Applications, some other Tasks are

specific to the SAP Application and Version. A SAP BI system for example may require

that the Indexes are rebuilt; systems with Java stacks may require additional imports,

exports, or reset of configuration files. A common post-processing Task is also to re-

name all Logical System names in the Target System (running „BDLS‟) which may run

for hours, in very large systems even for days. After all tasks are successfully complet-

ed, the Target QAS System is ready for the user and the System Copy Procedure com-

pleted until the next Refresh is due.

Post-Processing Phase of the System Copy Pro-cedure prepares the Tar-get System for use.

System Copy Challenges

Most administrators or consultants experienced in executing System Copies may know

that the procedure can be very lengthy and complex. The SAP Application Landscape

evolved from a fairly simplistic ABAP-only single R/3 Application to a highly sophisticat-

ed Service Oriented Architecture with extended possibilities and a wide Portfolio of Ap-

plications ranging from standard ERP up to dozens of specialized Applications. With

enhanced possibility and scalability the Administrator will face many challenges to man-

age the complexity.

The System Copy Process is one of the procedures where the enhanced complexity is

felt the most as (1) most SAP system require one or multiple System Copies, (2) all

aspects of the SAP system are affected as a complete system is cloned, and (3) system

copies need to reflect a changing and evolving landscape.

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Specifically, customers may experience the following challenges:

Manual Procedure: Many steps in the System Copy Procedure have to be done man-

ually and block valuable SAP specialists.

Inconsistent Results: Any manual procedure may vary in the way certain steps are

completed or tables are updated. Some tables may not be updated at all. The end re-

sult is a QAS system which is not reflecting Production properly.

Large Number of SAP Systems: The rising number of SAP systems multiply what

used to be a one- or two-time a year challenge to a task which has to be done many

times.

No Optimization: Some tasks, such as BDLS have the potential to be optimized by

intelligent tools. As soon as a procedure is standardized and automated, optimization

and performance enhancements can be added easily.

Testing without current Staging Systems: Some customers may even capitulate be-

cause of the challenge and are not updating their QAS systems at all. This results in a

business-risk as tests and stating is not done in an actual Production settings.

Automating System Copies with Libelle SystemCopy

When reviewing the tasks for the System Copy, one can consider the overall procedure

as complex and steps necessary to be completed as extensive. However, each and

every task is always very similar for each SAP system and for each specific customer

environment. If tasks are defined accordingly, executed properly and managed in the

right order, the procedure is a prime candidate for automation by software.

Libelle AG has been working with SAP Customers for many years since the late 1990s

through its BusinessShadow® division by providing standard software for data mirroring

in High Availability and Disaster Recovery projects. Through its acquisition of SAP Con-

sulting Firm “BasisTeam” which is in the business of providing Basis Support to SAP

customers for almost a decade, Libelle AG is in the unique position to cover not only the

complete SAP basis-side, but also has years of experience in Enterprise Software De-

velopment and a corporate structure to service large- and medium-sized customers on

a 24/7 basis. Libelle is providing its SystemCopy Solution to the SAP market place in-

cluding SAP end users and SAP Partners.

The Libelle SystemCopy Framework

Libelle SystemCopy (LSC) is a framework-based software solution to create fully auto-

mated homogeneous System Copies for SAP Applications. Key features of the solution

are:

Quick provisioning of QAS, DEV, or TEST systems with fresh production data

Fully automated pre-processing, full system copy, and post-processing

Fast turnaround and minimum manual intervention during process

Standardized procedures with consistent results

No changes to existing SAP landscape necessary

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The Libelle SystemCopy Software Solution can reduce the challenges and tedious

manual work of SAP System Copies to just two tasks: (1) start an automated process

and (2) monitor the same. LSC is setup once specific to the database, SAP instance,

and SAP version. Then it will execute the System Copy Procedure with consistent re-

sults as many times as desired with the flexibility to adapt to changing environments.

For the copy process (Phase 2 of the System Copy Procedure) of the actual DB2,

MaxDB, MS SQL Server or Oracle database from production to QAS or DEV systems,

SystemCopy supports existing copy infrastructure such as Snapshots or Backup/ Re-

store. Alternatively, Libelle provides an integrated copy tool which has been used to

mirror Databases and Flat Files for over a decade based on the Libelle BusinessShad-

ow solution

Libelle SystemCopy Architecture

To setup Libelle SystemCopy, a „master‟ server agent is installed on the Target System

(for example QAS). If Libelle BusinessShadow is used for copying all the database-

and flat files from Production, or other production data is required, an additional „slave‟

server agent are installed on the Production System. All agents run directly on the serv-

er to be able to execute any Task Type necessary whether they have to run „inside‟ the

SAP application (ABAP programs, SAP Transactions, etc.), or „outside‟ the SAP appli-

cation (database exports, shell scripts, etc.).

Setting up System Copy configurations and managing the procedure is done with a

modern Graphical User Interface which lets the SAP Consultant or customer manage

the procedure:

Libelle System Copy Architecture

LSC is based on master/ slave server agents. The System Copy procedure is managed with a se-parate GUI.

SystemCopy Tasks

Earlier in this White Paper we outlined some of the steps necessary to execute Homog-

enous System Copies. Libelle SystemCopy defines these steps as „Tasks‟ which are

defined to encapsulate single steps and activities into functional units which belong

together. A task can be as simple as exporting a table which includes (1) the actual

export, (2) check for successful execution, (3) storing the export file on disk, and (4)

catch the return signal to indicate that the next step can be taken. Specifically, LSC

supports the all the Task Types outlined earlier in this White Paper:

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1. Run ABAP Programs

2. Run Command Scripts

3. Export or Import Database Tables

4. Wait for Administrator Interaction („Interactive Task‟)

5. Execute SQL Scripts

6. Execute SAP Transactions

Tasks are assigned to any of the three System Copy Phases pre-processing, copy, and

post-processing. Once defined and configured they are stored in a configuration file and

then executed automatically in the sequence defined in the System Copy Configuration

for the specific SAP application of the customer.

Graphical User Inter-face

The Libelle SystemCopy GUI manages the setup and configuration of indi-vidual tasks .

After configuration, the system copy procedure is be managed and mo-nitored with the GUI.

Task Configuration and Repository

Libelle has been actively building an extensive repository of System Copy Tasks to ad-

dress the variety of SAP Applications, O/S Platforms, Database Platforms, and SAP

Application Versions. Even with the fact that probably no one SAP implementation is

matching another, all that is necessary to setup the System Copy procedure is then to

pull respective tasks from the repository and plug them into the Libelle SystemCopy

framework.

The selection, sequence, and configuration of Tasks is planned together with the Libelle

Consultant or with the SAP partner. The majority of tasks are ready out-of-the box;

some tasks may need to be adjusted to match the customer setting.

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LSC Tasks

SystemCopy Tasks are separated into functional units and can range from the execution of a simple SAP transaction, up to the interaction with com-plex shell scripts.

The System Copy Configuration is setup as a sequence of Tasks assigned to the phas-

es pre-processing, copy, and post-processing. The configuration is stored in a single

XML configuration file which is accessed during the System Copy Procedure by the

server agents and is re-used for every subsequent System Copy Procedure.

Executing the System Copy

All left for the System Copy Procedure is now to start the execution and follow the pro-

cess. All steps performed and return signals received are sent back to the GUI for a

current status on where we are in the procedure.

System Copy Process

Doing a System Copy with Libelle LSC begins with starting the process from the GUI whereby actual Tasks are execu-ted on the server.

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The Libelle Development teams paid special emphasis during the design phase of the

Graphical User Interface that the Administrator is always up to date on the exact status

of the System Copy Procedure. The LSC GUI shows all tasks in their respective cate-

gories and progress bars indicate a detailed status during execution at any time.

Task Details

The GUI shows the pro-gress of each task.

Managing Multiple Configurations

From the initial design, the Libelle SystemCopy solution is meant to handle a large

number of systems and configurations. The hard-coded server agents can run on multi-

ple systems at the same time and are communicating on dedicated ports with their tar-

get- or source system and to the GUI. A single GUI can then manage a complete land-

scape with multiple configurations and systems for customer environments. The follow-

ing screenshot shows a GUI in the „minimized‟ view in which the execution of multiple

system copies can be monitored at the same time.

GUI Views

The LSC Graphical User Interface allows single-configuration view and minimized or list view for multiple configurations.

View is changed by clic-king the „View‟ selection at the bottom of the screen

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Completing the Copy and Process Optimization

Aside from unexpected situations (e.g. Target System becomes unavailable), or inten-

tional breakpoints (e.g. Customer wants to check a table manually before continuing

with the next step), the process will complete automatically and the QAS system is

ready for its staging purpose.

Once Tasks and Procedures are encapsulated and brought into sequence, Libelle Sys-

tem Copy is actively optimizing the tasks to reduce the System Copy duration. One

prime example is the parallel execution of BDLS transactions which used to be a se-

quentially process. This can dramatically reduce the process from multiple days to a few

hours.

Summary

Libelle SystemCopy drastically reduces the time and resources necessary to create

Homogenous System Copies for SAP Applications. It is safe and easy to install in your

SAP environment and can be used immediately. Unique is the fact that Libelle Sys-

temCopy can run „outside‟ the SAP ABAP stack and as such can both execute ABAP

transactions and database or server tasks which are necessary to support dual-stack

SAP implementations.

With the support of Snapshots and alternatively the provisioning of its very own Copy

Tool „Libelle BusinessShadow‟ as an alternative, Libelle SystemCopy can automate

each and every single task from the very first step to of connecting to the old QAS sys-

tem, up to starting the new QAS system without any intervention.

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More Information

Headquarter Americas

Libelle AG Libelle LLC Gewerbestr. 42 3330 Cumberland Blvd. Suite 500 70565 Stuttgart, Germany Atlanta, GA 30339, USA T +49 711 / 78335-0 T +1 770 / 435 1101

[email protected] [email protected] www.Libelle.com Libelle does not guarantee that the information in this presentation is error-free. The liability for consequential or indirect damages arising out of the reading or the use of this information is not warranted by Libelle AG within legal limits. All copyrights, especially distribution, reproduction and translation, are reserved. No part of this presentation may be reproduced, processed, reproduced or transmitted by electronic means without ex-plicit approval of Libelle. Under no circumstances, including, but not limited to, negligence, shall Libelle, its agents or assignees, including but not limited to its parent, subsidiary, or affiliate companies, be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages that result from the use of the information provided herein. Libelle, the Libelle Logo and BusinessShadow are trademarks of Libelle AG in Germany and other countries. SAP® is a trademark or registered trademark of SAP AG. SnapMirror, and Snapshot are trademarks or registered trademarks of NetApp, Inc. Windows, Microsoft and SQL Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corpora-tion. DB2 is a trademark or registered trademark of IBM Corp. MaxDB is a trademark of MySQL AB, Sweden. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. All other mentioned products and companies in this Whitepaper are trademarks of their respective owners.

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