SAP is a global leader in enterprise software that provides solutions for various business processes, such as finance, logistics, human resources, customer relationship management, etc. SAP on-premise systems are SAP systems that are installed and run on the customer’s own servers and infrastructure. SAP on-premise systems offer advantages such as full control, customization, and compliance.
However, SAP on-premise systems also require regular upgrades to keep up with the latest innovations, features, and security patches from SAP. Upgrading SAP on-premise systems can be a complex and challenging process that can take several months to complete. Therefore, it is essential to plan and execute the upgrade carefully and efficiently to avoid or minimize any disruption to the business operations.
In this article, I will provide practical guidance and best practices on how to upgrade SAP on-premise systems to the latest version without disrupting business operations. I will cover the steps and tools that are involved in the upgrade process, such as planning, preparation, execution, verification, and optimization. I will also address the common risks and issues that may arise during the upgrade process, such as compatibility, performance, downtime, and errors.
Planning
The planning phase is the first and most important phase of the upgrade process. It involves defining the scope, objectives, strategy, timeline, budget, resources, and stakeholders of the upgrade project. The planning phase also involves conducting a thorough analysis of the current system and identifying the requirements and expectations for the target system.
Some of the key tasks and best practices for the planning phase are:
- Choose the target version: SAP recommends that you always upgrade to the latest SAP version whenever possible. The latest SAP version is SAP S/4HANA 2022 at the time of writing this article. Upgrading to the latest SAP version can help you achieve the upgrade objectives, such as enhancing functionality, performance, security, and user experience. It can also help you ensure supportability and reduce maintenance costs.
- Perform a readiness check: SAP provides a self-service tool called SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA Upgrade1?that can help you check the readiness of your existing SAP system for an upgrade to a selected target SAP version. The tool can help you identify mandatory preparations and possible pre-projects for your system before the upgrade project starts. It can also give you an indication of the required efforts and impacts of the upgrade.
- Define an upgrade strategy: Depending on your business needs and preferences, you can choose between different upgrade strategies, such as big bang or phased approach. A big bang approach involves upgrading all components and modules of your SAP system at once in a single downtime window. A phased approach involves upgrading different components or modules of your SAP system in stages over multiple downtime windows. Each strategy has its pros and cons in terms of complexity, risk, cost, and duration.
- Estimate an upgrade timeline: Based on your chosen target version and upgrade strategy, you can estimate an upgrade timeline that includes milestones, deliverables, tasks, dependencies, and deadlines for each phase of the upgrade process. You can use tools such as Microsoft Project or Gantt charts to create and manage your upgrade timeline.
- Allocate an upgrade budget: Based on your estimated upgrade timeline and efforts, you can allocate an upgrade budget that covers all the costs associated with the upgrade project, such as hardware, software, licensing, consulting, training, testing, etc. You can use tools such as Microsoft Excel or SAP Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC) to create and manage your upgrade budget.
- Assign an upgrade team: Based on your upgrade scope and requirements, you can assign an upgrade team that consists of qualified and experienced members from different roles and functions, such as project manager, business analyst, functional consultant, technical consultant, developer, tester, trainer, etc. You can use tools such as Microsoft Teams or SAP Jam to communicate and collaborate with your upgrade team.
- Engage an upgrade stakeholder: Based on your upgrade impact and expectations, you can engage an upgrade stakeholder that represents and supports the interests and needs of different groups or parties that are involved in or affected by the upgrade project, such as business users, customers, partners, suppliers, regulators, etc. You can use tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint or SAP Analytics Cloud to present and share your upgrade plan and progress with your upgrade stakeholder.
Preparation
The preparation phase is the second phase of the upgrade process. It involves setting up and configuring the technical environment and infrastructure for the upgrade project. It also involves preparing and validating the data and content for the target system.
Some of the key tasks and best practices for the preparation phase are:
- Set up a sandbox system: A sandbox system is a copy of your current production system that you can use for testing and experimenting with different scenarios and configurations without affecting your live system. You can use tools such as SAP Landscape Management (LaMa) or SAP Landscape Transformation (SLT) to create and manage your sandbox system.
- Set up a development system: A development system is a system that you can use for developing and customizing the applications and programs for the target system. You can use tools such as SAP NetWeaver Development Infrastructure (NWDI) or SAP Cloud Platform to create and manage your development system.
- Set up a quality assurance system: A quality assurance system is a system that you can use for testing and verifying the quality and functionality of the applications and programs for the target system. You can use tools such as SAP Solution Manager or SAP Quality Center to create and manage your quality assurance system.
- Set up a production system: A production system is the final and live system that you will use for running and operating your business processes and transactions after the upgrade. You can use tools such as SAP Landscape Management (LaMa) or SAP Landscape Transformation (SLT) to create and manage your production system.
- Configure the upgrade tools: Depending on your chosen target version and upgrade strategy, you can configure the upgrade tools that are required for performing the upgrade process, such as Software Update Manager (SUM) or Database Migration Option (DMO). You can use the SAP S/4HANA Upgrade Guide2?to find and follow the instructions for configuring the upgrade tools.
- Prepare the data and content: Depending on your chosen target version and upgrade strategy, you can prepare the data and content that are required for the target system, such as master data, transactional data, configuration data, custom code, etc. You can use tools such as SAP Data Services or SAP Data Hub to cleanse, transform, and migrate your data and content.
Execution
The execution phase is the third phase of the upgrade process. It involves performing the actual upgrade of the SAP on-premise systems to the target version using the upgrade tools and following the upgrade steps. The execution phase also involves monitoring and controlling the upgrade progress and performance.
Some of the key tasks and best practices for the execution phase are:
- Perform a dry run: A dry run is a test run of the upgrade process that simulates the actual upgrade without affecting the production system. A dry run can help you verify the upgrade steps, tools, and settings, as well as identify and resolve any potential issues or errors before the actual upgrade. You can perform a dry run on your sandbox system or quality assurance system using the same data and content as your production system.
- Schedule a downtime window: A downtime window is a period of time when your production system is unavailable or inaccessible for business operations due to the upgrade process. A downtime window can vary in length depending on your chosen target version and upgrade strategy. You should schedule a downtime window that minimizes the impact on your business operations and users. You should also communicate and coordinate with your business users, customers, partners, suppliers, etc., about the downtime window and its implications.
- Execute the upgrade steps: Depending on your chosen target version and upgrade strategy, you should execute the upgrade steps using the upgrade tools according to the instructions and guidelines provided by SAP. You should follow the recommended sequence and order of the upgrade steps, such as pre-processing, downtime processing, post-processing, etc. You should also backup your data and content before, during, and after each upgrade step to ensure data integrity and recovery in case of any failure or error.
- Monitor and control the upgrade progress and performance: During the execution phase, you should monitor and control the upgrade progress and performance using various tools and methods. For example, you can use SAP Solution Manager or SAP EarlyWatch Alert to monitor the status, health, and performance of your SAP system during the upgrade. You can also use SAP Upgrade Roadmap or SAP Upgrade Dashboard to track and report on the progress, milestones, deliverables, issues, etc., of your upgrade project.
Verification
The verification phase is the fourth phase of the upgrade process. It involves testing and validating the quality and functionality of the target system after the upgrade. It also involves evaluating and reporting the outcomes and benefits of the upgrade.
Some of the key tasks and best practices for the verification phase are:
- Perform functional testing: Functional testing is a type of testing that verifies the functionality and usability of the applications and programs in the target system. Functional testing can help you ensure that the applications and programs in the target system work as expected and meet your business requirements and user expectations. You can use tools such as SAP Test Suite or SAP Test Acceleration and Optimization to perform functional testing.
- Perform technical testing: Technical testing is a type of testing that verifies the performance and reliability of the systems and infrastructure in the target system. Technical testing can help you ensure that the systems and infrastructure in the target system are stable, secure, and scalable. You can use tools such as SAP LoadRunner or SAP Performance Optimization Guide to perform technical testing.
- Perform integration testing: Integration testing is a type of testing that verifies the compatibility and interoperability of the components and modules in the target system. Integration testing can help you ensure that the components and modules in the target system work together seamlessly and harmoniously. You can use tools such as SAP Integration Suite or SAP Process Orchestration to perform integration testing.
- Perform user acceptance testing: User acceptance testing is a type of testing that verifies the satisfaction and acceptance of the business users, customers, partners, suppliers, etc., with the target system. User acceptance testing can help you ensure that the target system meets their needs, preferences, and expectations. You can use tools such as SAP Fiori or SAP User Experience Management to perform user acceptance testing.
- Evaluate and report on outcomes and benefits: After completing all types of testing, you should evaluate and report on outcomes and benefits of upgrading your SAP on-premise systems to latest version. You should compare your target system with your current system in terms of functionality, performance, security, user experience, etc., to measure improvements or enhancements. You should also quantify or qualify benefits or value propositions that upgrading your SAP on-premise systems to latest version can bring to your organization, such as efficiency, agility, innovation, customer satisfaction, etc., to demonstrate return on investment.
Optimization
The optimization phase is the fifth phase of the upgrade process. It involves optimizing and fine-tuning the target system after the upgrade to ensure optimal performance, reliability, and usability. It also involves providing support and maintenance for the target system to ensure continuous improvement and enhancement.
Some of the key tasks and best practices for the optimization phase are:
- Perform performance tuning: Performance tuning is a process of adjusting the settings and parameters of the systems and applications in the target system to improve their speed, efficiency, and responsiveness. Performance tuning can help you optimize the resource utilization, throughput, and latency of your target system. You can use tools such as SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) or SAP HANA Database to perform performance tuning.
- Perform reliability testing: Reliability testing is a process of verifying the availability, stability, and robustness of the systems and applications in the target system under normal and abnormal conditions. Reliability testing can help you ensure that your target system can handle various workloads, errors, failures, and recoveries without compromising its functionality or quality. You can use tools such as SAP High Availability (HA) or SAP Disaster Recovery (DR) to perform reliability testing.
- Perform usability testing: Usability testing is a process of evaluating the user-friendliness, intuitiveness, and accessibility of the systems and applications in the target system from the perspective of the end-users. Usability testing can help you ensure that your target system meets the user requirements, preferences, and expectations in terms of design, layout, navigation, interaction, feedback, etc. You can use tools such as SAP User Experience Management (UEM) or SAP User Research to perform usability testing.
- Provide support and maintenance: Support and maintenance are processes of providing technical assistance and guidance to the users and administrators of the target system in case of any issues or queries. Support and maintenance can also involve updating, patching, or upgrading the systems and applications in the target system to keep them up-to-date with the latest innovations, features, and security fixes from SAP. You can use tools such as SAP Support Portal or SAP Service Marketplace to provide support and maintenance.
Conclusion
SAP is a global leader in enterprise software that provides solutions for various business processes. SAP on-premise systems are SAP systems that are installed and run on the customer’s own servers and infrastructure. SAP on-premise systems offer advantages such as full control, customization, and compliance. However, SAP on-premise systems also require regular upgrades to keep up with the latest innovations, features, and security patches from SAP.
In this article, I have provided practical guidance and best practices on how to upgrade SAP on-premise systems to the latest version without disrupting business operations. I have covered the steps and tools that are involved in the upgrade process, such as planning, preparation, execution, verification, and optimization. I have also addressed the common risks and issues that may arise during the upgrade process, such as compatibility, performance, downtime, and errors.
I have argued that upgrading SAP on-premise systems to latest version can be a complex and challenging process that can take several months to complete. Therefore, it is essential to plan and execute the upgrade carefully and efficiently to avoid or minimize any disruption to the business operations. I have suggested that a balanced and collaborative approach is needed to ensure that upgrading SAP on-premise systems to latest version is a successful and beneficial project for your organization.
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