Tuesday, January 10, 2023

SAP retrofit transports

In general, a term retrofitting is referring to an addition of new technology or features to older systems. Given SAP terminology, a retrofit is a process of dual landscape synchronization.

Retrofit comes to a picture in case there is dual landscape deployed. That can be for example a regular DEV1->QAS1->PRD1 system landscape used to maintain exiting productively used SAP applications (maintenance landscape). This landscape is used to maintain the SAP apps. In parallel to that there is another landscape used to develop a new SAP app (development landscape).

As the second landscape is not productively used there are only 2 systems in the landscape: DEV2->QAS2. Commonly speaking developments are performed in the development landscape and corrections/maintenance activities in the maintenance landscape at the same time.

What would be beneficial is to keep both the landscapes in sync from the objects that they share - point of view. Again, the synchronizing of the changes between the two landscapes is called retrofitting. Retrofit helps to synchronize changed objects (customizing and workbench) from maintenance development system to project or upgrade development system in dual track landscapes. Dual landscapes are known as N 1 landscapes)

SAP Solution Manager has some certain features to support automation of retrofitting. There can be an automatic import of corrections done by SOLMAN. See details in help pages.

Now to the dual BW development landscape. Large BW deployments can have several landscapes too. Thus, it is needed that BW specific objects are moved across all the landscapes. The Solman does support also below BW objects for retrofitting: File data sources (ISFS), Transfer rules (ISMP), Transfer structures (ISTS), Data source (RSDS), Transformation (TRFN), Routines (ROUT) and BW formulas (RSFO).

There is one more interesting information about the retrofit concerning one specific BW object type – BW Transformation. There is special OBJVERS type called R (probably stands for Retrofit) for the Transformation. In case particular transformation is deleted, the R version of it is kept in the BW system. The retrofit entry is always generated in the system. Its purpose is to be used for retrofit transport. Anyhow if for any reason one would like to get rid of it there is a SAP standard program provided to delete it: RSTRAN_TRFN_DELETE_R_VERSION


More information:

Solman - Retrofit for BW

Monday, January 9, 2023

SAP Knowledge Warehouse

SAP Knowledge Warehouse (KW) is a knowledge management system that allows organizations to capture, store, and share knowledge across an organization. It enables organizations to build and manage a knowledge base, to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration, and to develop knowledge-driven processes. KW can be used to create and organize knowledge, to search and retrieve knowledge, and to track and monitor knowledge usage. It also enables organizations to leverage existing knowledge assets to improve decision-making processes and to enhance organizational productivity.

Perhaps people remember it because of famous *.KEP files that contained SAP standard trainings. The files were stored in the KW. Once you got the file, you could play them via %ProgramFiles%\SAP\FrontEnd\iwb\sapshow\sapshow.exe that was part of SAP GUI. This software was used to do an offline presentation in the training area. It was provided as KW add-on installed in addition to the SAP GUI. However, SAP stopped this practice and no new version of SAP contained after version 7.4.

The KW leveraged following SAP technologies:

Application Server ABAP

Application Server JAVA

SAP Content Server (with MaxDB)

SAP NetWeaver TREX

 

Similarly also SAP trainings are not provided in the KW any more too. Starting in 2015 (precisely on December 31, 2014) SAP abandoned a development of new training courses in the KW. All the training content is only available via SAP Learning Hub. In addition, the SAP KW does not support any SAP cloud software (e.g. S/4HANA Cloud Edition).

Some organization can still opt to use the KW to developer their own training materials. Following use cases are still possible: capture, store, retrieve, track/monitor knowledge usage, share knowledge across enterprise.

How can one access the SAP Knowledge Warehouse?

It is accessible through the SAP Fiori Launchpad. Open the SAP Fiori Launchpad and select the Knowledge Warehouse tile. This will open the Knowledge Warehouse home page. From here, you can search for content, create new content, and manage existing content. You can also access the Knowledge Warehouse from the SAP Business Suite, where you can access it from the Knowledge Warehouse Home tab. Old style of accessing in (via SAP GUI) would comprise of using t-codes like:

SII0: Change Management Area

SII1: Change Documentation Area

SII2: Change Training Area

SIIALL: Change All Areas

SIT1: Translate Documentation Area / Assignment of numbers for Area same as for Change

SITALL: Translate All Areas

 

More information:

1301360 - Central note for SAP Knowledge Warehouse Content Update

SAP Support Site (OSS) component: KM-KW (SAP Knowledge Warehouse)

Online doc for ABAP platform

Online docu for NW platform

2450679 - SAP KW Viewer: Last delivery with KW add-on for SAP GUI 7.40

2129988 - KW Content Updates: Discontinued

Monday, January 2, 2023

Different ABAP message types

There is an ABAP statement called a MESSAGE that can be used to raise an message from an program to drive it. The message a form of text identified by its ID. The message ID is associated with the text that can be maintained in multiple languages. Along the ID, there is also message type with the message.

The message type is classified by one character that defines how the message is displayed in SAP GUI and it drives further flow of the ABAP program.

Following are message types:

A termination (Abort) message, also called as ABEND (Abnormal END, see Similarities of SAP and mainframes)

E Error message

I Information message

S Status message

W Warning message

X eXit message

 

The message type is stored in domain MSGTY used in system structure SYST.

At first sight, one may say that message type A and E are the same. However, there is a difference. In case, A message type the program is ultimately terminated after the message is raised and it cannot be resumed in this case. In case of E message type, the error message raised and program processing is interrupted. Once the message is acknowledged, processing can continue.