Simplification for S/4Hana

If you are thinking about a migration to S/4Hana there are several migration or Helper tools available to understand the impact of such endeavor. On of the tools I would like to talk about is the simplification database SAP is providing with Netweaver 7.50 SP02. I will describe the necessary steps until you can see what is the outcome and the result of the tool.

Prerequisites

In order to use the new simplification database und respective reports you need to check whether your system contains all the necessary logic to extract the source code needed.

Got to SE38 and check if the program SYCM_DOWNLOAD_REPOSITORY_INFO or the package SYCM_MAIN and SYCM_ANALYSIS exists.

If the program does not exist, you need to implement Note 2185390 – Custom Code Analyzer. This will prompt or download approx. 15 other Notes. IMPORTANT BEFORE you start the Note Implementation you need to do the following manual steps (These steps will also be prompted when installing the notes).

Create Package SYCM_MAIN as a Sub-Package of BASIS (as an embedded Package):

Once you have done this you need to create SYCM_ANALYSIS as a sub package of SYCM_BASIS

Now you can implement all Notes.

You should not encounter any problems implementing the Notes.

After completion just make sure that the program SYCM_DOWNLOAD_REPOSITORY_INFO exists and it should display as follow:

How to run the extraction program

Refer to the original note where it is described how to run this program.

Your Namespaces should be automatically proposed if they are correctly maintained (as a producer namespace) in SE03.

Namespace /0CUST/ presents your ‘Z*’ or ‘Y*’ Objects – do not remove.

Make sure that only relevant Namespaces are selected to avoid unnecessary run times. Namespaces declared as Consumer Namespace are not relevant at this point.

Navigation Index

Make sure the Navigation Index is up-to-date otherwise you must run SAPRSEUx before running SYCM_DOWNLOAD_REPOSITORY_INFO. The following cancellation message will appear in your job log if the navigation index is not up-to-date.

Submit the program SAPRSEUx as a background job. We will run this program for our entire system. Refer also to the Notes mentioned in the Error Messages. The execution time is depending on your SAP system and this can run up 5 days!

Simplification Database

Before you use the simplification Database make sure that you have uploaded Version 2 of the Database. Use Program SYCM_UPLOAD_SIMPLIFIC_INFO to upload the Simplification Database, which you download from the sap market place (search Simplification Database). Only Netweaver 7.50 P02 is able to process it, there is no other version of the simplification Database.

Submit the Report:

Download scenario with an IDES 7.40 EHP7

The result of the download was

The Upload produced the following protocol

Executing the Simplification Report for larger Systems

Please check the parameter via Transaction RZ11 rdisp/max_wprun_time

If your value is still at 600 and you are trying to analyze a larger system this will probably not work because this program does not work in batch; it tries to output an ALV Display. We measured around 750 seconds execution time for the IDES system. This parameter can be changed in online if you have the appropriate authorizations.

Simplification Results IDES 7.40

The ERP 6.0 EHP 7 system contained (based on our analysis Tool – without Table Maintenance Function Groups)

Simplification Report - Results

The report detected 4321 Simplifications available.

Well, it seems like an overwhelming number, but we but this into a visualization tool and here are the organized numbers.

Number of Notes (21) and their occurrences:

Affected Components (summarized 1^st level):

javascript:;

By Simplification Category:

By Object Type:

Ok, we have analyzed an IDES system which might not reflect your environment but it pretty much tells us a story what will happen and what we need to do.

Furthermore, we have not yet checked , if the executable source code objects are even used in the productive environment. Our Benchmarks have shown that only 30-40% is used in today’s systems. That means: Get rid of all unnecessary Objects!!!

On the other hand, you can change your development rules. Everybody with the appropriate ERP version or Enhancement Pack can already switch to Eclipse as the development tool of choice. Yes, it is fairly new but the benefits will overcome the down sides of such an approach. Core Data Services(CDS) are essential for a future well performing system. This is a big rethinking to push application logic to the Database – but that is what comes along with Hana in order to reap the benefits.

Even if you find out that SAP has provided read-only views, Migration CDS´s, etc. – not looking at the notes might impact your performance and your new processes might be slower than in your ERP system.

The notes are extremely well written, clear to understand. But you really need somebody who takes care of those notes, looks at your system and knows what needs to be done.

New Developments should always be checked by Source Code Inspector (SCI), ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC) and SQLM (Integration or Production system) for correctly developed and performing applications or any other executable Object.

This is something you can do today!

There is really no good excuse not to do it, because if you do it right from the beginning the pain of migrating is largely reduced.

The tools, SAP provides, are more than sufficient to quality control your development inventory.

Addressing the simplification Issues

Of course we cannot address all Notes listed in the report. But we would like to pick Note 2215871 - Feldlängenerweiterung für Materialnummer - Datenmigration / Field length extended for the Material Number

This note refers to the fact that the material number has been extended to 40 Characters – today we have 18 characters.

If you choose to use the 40-character Material number following issues need to be considered:

Concatenated field content:

These type of fields you will find in BOR objects, Long Texts, Generic Object Services (GOS), Records Management, Workflows, BRFplus and Change documents. Archives will not be migrated.

If you use any fields like this in your own defined Tables, you need to do your own conversion programs.

This will of course impact any Function Calls (especially RFC Communication) using the material number, BAPI Extensions, Material Classification(VC). This is just an extract from all notes around the material number issued by SAP.

I believe the biggest Issue will be all Printing Functions (Goods Receipt Slip, Purchase Order Print, etc..).

Dynpro, Web Dynpro, Fiori and Odata Services need to looked at and probably adapted.

Usage Analysis

If you want to see Usage Data in your simplification Report, you need to do a few things upfront. Go to transaction CC_APPS and go to UPL control.

Activate the UPL control. This will allow you to see if objects are used or not used in your production system. This will spawn a collector job on your system.

If data was collected use CC_APP again and start UPL SHOW in order to see or download the usage data. Download it if you want include this information in your simplification report on the Netweaver 7.50.

Just keep in mind in order to get useful results the usage data should cover at least 6 month and best case 13 months. That means if you would like to use this function you need to start recording very early before you even try to evaluate your objects.

Integrating Usage Data from Netweaver 7.50

In Netweaver 7.50 go to Transaction SYCM -> Utilities

Choose -> Configure UPL Data Access

Maintain the RFC Destination, a description and the Date Intervals.

Depending on your Release or Patch Level and even importing all those notes the following Error Message might pop-up:

We have tested this with Solution Manager 7.1 and ERP 6.0 EHP 7 and in both cases it produced the same error. We are investigating.

We will continue providing you with useful information. Feedback is more than welcome.