Exploring SAP Workload Migration to AWS: Methods and Tools

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, enterprises are continually seeking ways to enhance their efficiency, scalability, and agility. The migration of SAP workloads to cloud environments, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), has emerged as a strategic approach to achieve these goals. AWS offers a plethora of migration tools and services designed to facilitate the seamless transition of customer application data from on-premises data centers or other cloud platforms to the AWS ecosystem, not all are certified by SAP for migration of SAP workload to AWS due to various technical and operational considerations.?But that doesn't mean that customer doesn't have a choice of migration methodology based on business needs for their SAP applications when it comes to moving to AWS, as there are SAP and Database vendor native offerings also available for migration to AWS.

In this blog, we'll delve into various migration methods for SAP applications, including AWS Application Migration Service (MGN), SAP Software Provisioning Manager (SWPM),? SAP Software Update Manager (SUM) with Database Migration Option (DMO) for HANA based SAP workload, backup and restore, and native database replication, highlighting their strengths and considerations for a successful SAP migration. The blog does not cover SAP S/4HANA conversion.

1. AWS Application Migration Service (MGN)

AWS Application Migration Service (AWS MGN), is a block-level replication service that drastically simplifies and accelerates the migration of applications, including SAP workloads, to AWS. AWS MGN is a successor to the AWS CloudEndure migration service and though it supports migration of any type of workload to AWS, with respect to SAP HANA,?SAP has released an SAP note 3147997 - HANA db migration with AWS CloudEndure, to give clarity on support for HANA DB migration to AWS using CloudEndure service, the same information is relevant for AWS MGN service as well (SAP generally recommends standard migration processes like HSR, SAP SWPM and SAP SUM DMO for SAP HANA lift and shift).

AWS MGN helps in automating the migration process while ensuring minimal downtime. It captures the source system's configuration including operating system parameters, replicates data changes, and creates a fully functional target environment in AWS. AWS MGN supports both homogeneous and heterogeneous migrations and offers features like continuous replication, automated testing, and cut-over orchestration.

For more information on AWS Application Migration Service, refer to the following?AWS Documentation.

Following AWS re:Invent 2021 presentation highlights how to Migrate an SAP ERP system to AWS with minimal downtime with AWS MGN.

Strengths:

- Minimizes downtime by allowing real-time replication.

- Simplifies complex migration tasks with automated testing and validation.

- Supports various operating systems and is application agnostic.

Considerations:

- Requires careful planning and testing to ensure a smooth migration.

- Some complex SAP scenarios might require additional configuration, testing, and tuning.

2. SAP Software Provisioning Manager (SWPM)

SAP Software Provisioning Manager (SWPM) is a tool provided by SAP for installing and migrating SAP systems. It supports both single-system migrations and complex landscapes. SWPM provides step-by-step guidance for preparing the source and target systems, ensuring data consistency, and performing the actual migration. It supports both HANA and non-HANA databases at source for migration.

One such reference SAP blog "ECC-DB2 Migration from On-Prem to Cloud – Parallel Export/Import" gives details on how an SAP ECC application on DB2 can be migrated to AWS.

Strengths:

- SAP-specific tool tailored for SAP system migrations.

- Offers detailed control over the migration process.

- Supports various migration scenarios (Heterogenous or Homogenous) and versions of SAP applications.

Considerations:

- Requires in-depth knowledge of SAP system architecture and migration procedures.

- Can have longer downtimes for large databases due to limited optimization options.

3. SAP Software Update Manager (SUM) with Database Migration Option (DMO)

SAP Software Update Manager (SUM) is a tool used for system updates and upgrades. When combined with the Database Migration Option (DMO), SUM enables the migration of the SAP system and its underlying database to a new platform. This method is particularly suitable for customers who are planning to update their SAP systems while migrating to AWS i.e. SAP S/4HANA conversion from an SAP ECC application. But with SAP SUM 1.0 SP19 onwards SAP released a new feature of "DMO without System Update" which allows heterogeneous migration from non-HANA DB to SAP HANA, and now further it can be used in conjunction with DMO with System Move.

With SAP SUM DMO 2.0 SP17, SAP added a new feature to DMO with System Move that would now allow homogeneous migration from SAP S/4HANA source to SAP S/4HANA target alongside the original capability of conversion of SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA. For more information, see SAP Blog - Two Major News with SUM 2.0 SP 17. An additional feature of DMOVE2S4 launched with SAP SUM DMO 2.0 SP17 is not covered in this blog as it would fall into the SAP S/4HANA conversion category.

Strengths:

- Allows for seamless migration combined with system updates (when in scope).

- Reduces complexity by handling both application and database migration.

- Provides a guided procedure for executing the migration and update.

- Allows homogeneous migration from SAP S/4HANA to SAP S/4HANA

- Allows heterogeneous migration from non-HANA SAP ECC to SAP ECC on HANA without software change

Considerations:

- Requires careful planning to ensure compatibility between the source and target environments.

- Performance tuning might be necessary after migration.

- Only SAP HANA as a target is support for DMO without System Update feature

- SAP SUM DMO with System Move supports only SAP HANA and SAP ASE as target databases when migrated by SIs. For target DB of DB2, MaxDB and MSSQL, SAP can perform migration with DMO on customer request.

4. Backup and Restore

The backup and restore method involves creating a backup of the SAP system in the source environment and then restoring it in the target AWS environment. This method can be suitable for small to medium-sized SAP landscapes with minimal downtime requirements. Further to restore of backup in the target environment regular log replication (method covered in the next topic) with the source database can be set up to the target system on AWS to further minimize the downtime.

Strengths:

- A relatively simple method for straightforward SAP landscapes.

- Minimal impact on source system during backup.

- Can be combined with other methods for data consistency (e.g. database replication).

Considerations:

- Downtime is involved during the restoration process.

- May not be ideal for complex SAP landscapes or large datasets.

5. Database Replication (Oracle, DB2, HANA, etc.)

Database replication involves setting up real-time data replication between the source and target databases. This method is particularly useful for migrating SAP systems with large datasets or stringent downtime constraints. The method generally involves log replication from the source database to the target database and can be augmented with initial backup/restore from source to target followed by DB replication for quicker availability of database in the target. Methods like Oracle Dataguard for Oracle DB Replication, SAP ASE Replication Server, MSSQL Server Replication, DB2 Replication, and HANA System Replication capabilities are already part of the Database licenses while specialized replication methodologies for DB migration e.g. Oracle GoldenGate require additional licenses. The below diagram is an example representation of replication-based migration for SAP HANA DB.

Strengths:

- Ensures data consistency and minimizes downtime.

- Suitable for large-scale SAP migrations.

- Can be combined with other migration methods for comprehensive solutions.

Considerations:

- Requires expertise in database replication technologies.

- May involve additional licensing costs for database replication solutions.

Conclusion

Migrating SAP workloads from on-premises or other cloud platforms to AWS involves careful planning, comprehensive testing, and choosing the right migration method based on your organization's specific requirements. AWS offers and supports a range of tools and services, such as AWS Application Migration Service, SAP SWPM, SUM with DMO, backup and restore, and database replication, each with its strengths and considerations. By evaluating these methods and aligning them with your migration goals, you can successfully achieve a smooth and efficient lift and shift migration of your SAP workloads to AWS, unlocking the benefits of enhanced scalability, flexibility, and agility for your organization's SAP landscape.

Additional Reading

In addition to the above options AWS also provides a migration orchestration service "AWS Migration Hub Orchestrator", which simplifies and automates the migration of servers and enterprise applications to AWS by creating migration workflow via provided templates that can be customized to fit your unique migration requirements and it supports migration of SAP NetWeaver based applications, such as S/4HANA, BW4HANA, ECC on HANA, and others to AWS For more information read the documentation on how AWS Migration Hub Orchestrator can migrate SAP Applications.

AWS documentation for Migrating SAP HANA to AWS

AWS documentation for Migrating SAP NetWeaver based application

SAP note 1656099 - SAP Applications on AWS: Supported DB/OS and AWS EC2 products

SAP note 1656250 - SAP on AWS: Support prerequisites