Maintaining your SAP Environment: Enhancement Packs vs. Support Packs

Maintaining your SAP Environment:

Enhancement Packs vs.

Support Packs

Mark SonnentagClient Manager – Symmetry

Wednesday September 15, 2010

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Symmetry Corporation

Established 1996

Based in Milwaukee WI

100% SAP focusAll SAP applications

All platforms

Introducing

Mark Sonnentag

Client Manager – Symmetry

10+ years experience in the

SAP industry

SAP administration

Installations & upgrades

Hosting implementations and

DR

Agenda

Establishing the Right Maintenance Strategy

Support Package Stacks VS. Enhancement Packages

EHP Project Lifecycle

The SAP Vision for the Future of Maintenance Strategy

Determine which (if Any) Enhancement Packs your

Organization Should Implement

ESTABLISH THE RIGHT MAINTENANCE

STRATEGY FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Maintenance Strategy Overview

Four Common Strategies

Maintenance Strategies in General

Regular maintenance – why?

Protects your investment

Maintains functionality, serviceability, stability, and performance

Provides opportunity for new functionality

So why do organizations avoid maintenance?

Introduces risk

Other project work too demanding

Current maintenance too far behind

SAP software is almost perfect, but has its flaws. SAP is always coming up with solutions…

Maintenance Strategies in General

SAP recommends implementing a maintenance strategy one to four

times a year

No one solution fits all!

A maintenance strategy must be tailored to suit your business

environment

Make sure to have business advocates support the strategy

Common Maintenance Strategies

Strategies and Motto’s

Latest and Greatest - Early Adopter

“When can I get it”

N-1

“Stay Current, but wait and see first”

As Needed

“Business Driven, On Demand”

Status Quo

“If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”

Latest and Greatest – Early Adopter

Make software changes as they become available

Need/want the latest software functionality and maintenance

Disadvantages

Stability can be impacted

Unsuspectingly introducing new problems

Advantages

New features can be implemented sooner

Avoid known issues before they are encountered

N-1 – Stay Current but Wait and See

Apply at defined intervals (monthly, quarterly, yearly)

Usually N-1 or N-2

Disadvantages

Postpones the benefits associated with new software functions that are

included in new software releases, but does not avoid them totally

Advantages

Organization benefits from the experience of early adopters

New features can be implemented after a little patience

As Needed – Business Driven, On Demand

Only apply support packs after encountering an issue

Only make software changes when driven by the business

Disadvantages

Miss out on opportunities associated with new software release levels

e.g. performance improvements

Changes required are often significant and associated with a business

critical need

Advantages

Reduces the chance of introducing issues or instability

New features can be implemented after a system has been brought up

to speed

Status Quo – If It Isn’t Broken, Don’t Fix It

No goals to keep current or haven’t establish a strategy to keep

current

Disadvantages

Next maintenance likely to be very challenging

Future upgrades or maintenance may not be possible or very difficult

New features cannot be implemented

Eventually becomes a system of “Let it die” or “Do over”

Advantages

???

Key Takeaways

Time for a Poll on Your Maintenance Strategy

Which strategy best fits your business environment?

Current SAP Maintenance Schedule for ERP

SUPPORT PACKAGE STACKS VS.

ENHANCEMENT PACKAGESERP Support Packs

What is a Support Pack

Support Pack Stack Schedules

ERP Enhancement Pack

What is an Enhancement Pack?

Equivalent Support Packs

Business Function

Switch Function

Activation

Implementation Strategy

ERP Support Pack Stacks (Definitions)

Definition: SAP Note

Correction to SAP code and/or Data Dictionary

objects

(Notes are lowest level.)

Definition: Support Package

Collections of SAP Notes and Patches for

software components that work best together

(Also Called SP)

Definition: Support Package Stack

Collections of support packages for software

components that work best together

( Also called SP Stacks or SPS)

SP Stacks, SP, and SAP Notes are available as part of standard software maintenance.

HR applications require a higher maintenance frequency due to

legal changes.

Additional Support Packages or Country Legal Changes Packages

(CLC) are provided between SP Stack releases.

ABAP Support Packs

Provide patches and updates for the ABAP components of SAP

Each update is designed to be sequentially installed

If you apply support pack 12 without applying all those prior, it will NOT

work!

ERP Support Pack Stacks (SP Stacks)

Difference between ABAP and Java Support Packs

JAVA Support Packs

Contain corrections and updates to Java components

Always contain the complete version of the development components

for the application and are independent of other support packs.

Only the latest version needs to be applied!


Check Point

When planning any type of maintenance

project, make sure to validate the SP Stack

prerequisites.

This is absolutely critical for update and

enhancement pack projects.

ERP Support Pack Stack Schedule



Maintenance Foundation

SP Stacks have been the foundation for

providing corrections and stability for SAP

products.

This critical maintenance tool will continue to

play its same support role moving forward with

all SAP Products. It does not go away once

Enhancement Packs have been installed.

ERP Enhancement Packages

“Deploy innovations on your schedule, not ours.”

Enhancement Packages =

Innovation without Disruption

ERP Enhancement Packages

Definition: Enhancement Packages

Enhancement Packages are a new software

delivery strategy which allows customers to

modernize and innovate their business

processes without the need of traditional

upgrades

( Also called EHP)

Enhancement Packages are available as part of standard software maintenance.

Motivation behind the EHP Strategy

SAP listened to customers and realized the following:

Customers want:

Longer life cycle

System downtime limited

Between major updates:

Remain stable, predictable and controllable

Capability to add new functionality

New functionality is driven by the business, not by technology

requirements

Option to select only the necessary functionality

Innovation needs to be continuous

Thus, SAP introduced Enhancement Packs

What are Enhancement Packages?

SAP EHPs

Optional packages that deliver new or improved business functions

New functionality can be selectively deployed

Adding new functionality in a predictable and controllable manner

Effort for testing and end-user training is reduced because it does not

change existing functionality

EHPs include:

Functional enhancements

Industry-specific enhancements

UI simplifications

Enterprise service bundles

Enhancement packages are NOT Support Packages

Support Packages contain corrections and legal changes


Only one EHP level exists per system

They are optionally installed and activated

EHP installation and functional activation is non-reversible

EHPs are cumulative


EHP’s are part of DELTA Shipments

Effort to implement EHP’s is greater than

Support Pack Stacks, but significantly less

than Upgrade Projects

Consider Implementations of EHP’s as mini-

upgrades

When implementing EHP’s, SAP recommends applying the appropriate SPS at the same time.

For EHP installation projects, always

prepare by validating the appropriate SPS

are ready and available

Equivalent Support Packages

Definition: Equivalent Support Packages

Equivalent Support Packages are time-synchronized SPs for

different versions of one software component

Common components are synchronized.

Additional corrections, for the higher level EHP, will only be provided

in the higher support pack

Equivalent Support Packages

Another view of Equivalent Support Packages:

EhP4 SPS06 -- EhP3 SPS06 -- EhP2 SPS07 -- SAP ERP 6.0 SPS17






EhP3 SPS02 -- EhP2 SPS03 -- SAP ERP 6.0 SPS13



EHP – Additional Terms to Understand

Business Functions

Switch Framework

Activation

EHP - Business Functions and Switch Framework

Business Functions

EHP’s can be broken down into smaller related components of technical

and business functionality

These smaller subsets of functionality are called Business Functions

Business Functions are selectable during implement of EHP’s

Business Functions not selected will not be installed

Switch Framework decouples installation steps from activation steps

Installing new Business Functionality DOES NOT cause functional

changes in the existing system

Benefit: An administrator can install EHPs one weekend and months

later SAP specialists can activate business functions as necessary

EHP - Activation of Business Functions

Switch Framework controls the Activation of new Business

Functions and deploy them in a modular fashion

Activation can be done at any point after installation

Activation controls whether or not code is executed at runtime

Transaction SFW5 is used to activate Business Functions

EHP - Activation of Business Functions

SAP’s Recommendations for EHP Installation

Existing ECC 6. 0 Environment

Recommendation is to do Selective Installation of EHP’s

This means only those Business Functions that are needed should be

installed

Goal is to minimize risk and efforts during installation

New ECC 6.0 installation or major upgrade – e.g. 4.6C to ECC 6.0

SAP open to complete EHP installation

If your Business has NO Business Functions identified, then SAP

does not recommend installing EHP

Challenge with this approach is that the business needs to be able

to specify which Business Functions are required ahead of time

EHP INSTALL PROJECT LIFECYCLE

Comparing EHPs to Traditional Upgrades

Project Duration

EHP Runtime

Steps During an EHP Installation

Variables Affecting the Run Time

Case Studies

Comparing EHPs to Traditional Upgrades

EHP’s have replaced the traditional major upgrade roadmap

Consider EHP’s as mini-upgrades from a technical point of view

EHP’s projects have dramatically reduced the overall project timeline when compared to a traditional upgrade:

Selective components can be installed

No need for data or customizing migrations

No table conversions

No upgrade customization at time of installation

Innovations are hidden by Switch Framework

Overall, EHP’s benefit the customer by providing:

Lower manual effort

Lower risk

Faster installations

Project Duration

Individual EHP Runtime

Steps During an EHP Installation

Variables Affecting Overall Process Timing

Each customer project is unique

Memory, CPU, Storage Systems, SPS level,

Business Functions selected…..

Perform a Sandbox test ahead of time!

Recommended System Landscape While Installing EHPs

Step 1: Create sandbox and apply support packs and enhancement packs to sandbox

Step 2: Remove sandbox, create temporary second DEV for emergency transports, then apply support packs and enhancement packs to DEV and QAS

Step 3: Plan for PRD EHP installation, apply to PRD, reestablish transport landscape and remove temporary DEV

Recent Project Case Studies

Sample Project Time Line

Perform Sandbox ahead of time

Secondary DEV should go in shortly before applying EHP’s to primary DEV

Refresh QAS with PRD before apply EHP’s to QAS

Provide appropriate time between QAS and PRD

THE SAP VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF

MAINTENANCE STRATEGY

SAP Maintenance Roadmap

Continuous Innovation

EHP 5

SAP Maintenance Roadmap

Support Package Stacks will continue to play their fundamental role in providing corrections –they won’t go away

EHP’s are a proven concept and live in 6500+ customers

EHP’s are scheduled to come out yearly

EHP5 – In ramp-up since July 2010

Mainstream Maintenance for ERP 6.0 goes to 2015 or longer.

SAP wants its customers to take advantage of EHP’s

EHP’s have replaced the traditional Upgrade.

Continuous Innovation Vision

EHP 5 Enhancements

EHP 5 – Reversible Business Functions

Reversible business functions new to EHP 5

37 reversible business functions

Can be tested/evaluated in DEV/QAS, but only in separate clients

During the test no other tests can take place as business functions are

active in all clients

To completely undo a Business function the whole client must be deleted

DETERMINE WHICH (IF ANY)

ENHANCEMENT PACKS YOUR

ORGANIZATION SHOULD IMPLEMENT

Enhancement Pack Information Center (Option One)

Solution Browser Tool (Option Two)

Business Function Prediction (Option Three)

Enhancement Pack Information Center (Option One)

http://service.sap.com/erp-ehp




Enhancement Pack Information Center

A single point of access to all levels of details around SAP

Enhancement Packages.





Enhancement Pack Information Center

The SAP enhancement package information center contains

documentation for each EHP business function

Short description and target group

Understand each business function

Features included

Benefits

Target users

Technical name

Understand each feature of a business function

Assess each business function

Links to documentation, test cases, release notes, detail presentations, etc.

Prerequisites that must be satisfied before the activation

Solution Browser Tool (Option Two)

http://solutionbrowser.erp.sap.fmpmedia.com/

Assess the value of upgrading

Compare functional enhancements between existing SAP R/3 release

and SAP ERP 6.0

Discover new functionality across different SAP ERP releases and

enhancement packages

Summarize key functionalities between two releases

Identify capabilities that respond to user requirements

Discover new capabilities across different releases and enhancement

packages

Filter new capabilities according to a dedicated source and target

release

http://solutionbrowser.erp.sap.fmpmedia.com/

Business Function Prediction (Option Three)

Report Information:

Drill in capabilities to see different

levels of detail

Recommends business functions that

apply to your environment

Reports on how popular the

functionality is with other customers

Provides everything at your fingertips

to make decisions

Transactions/areas not used, won’t

show on report

Business Function Prediction

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED –Register for a freeBusiness Function Prediction today!

How does it work?

Extract SAP transaction usage

Recommendations are based on existing transaction

usage

Initiate your request at http://service.sap.com/BFP

Answer the questions in the email template

Attach the list of used SAP transactions

E-mail results to SAP

SAP will email you the results report

Versions from 4.6C and up are supported with

this tool

http://service.sap.com/BFP

Wrap Up

Recommend a maintenance strategy that incorporates updates at least once a year

Support Packs are an essential part of annual maintenance

Support packs are included in Symmetry’s Basis Complete service

If on ECC 6.0 Enhancement Packs are only necessary if you want to update business functionality

Enhancement Packs are more like a mini upgrade, requiring:

Sandbox

Downtime

Support and involvement from both business and technical departments

Download the presentation recording with audio from the

Symmetry Knowledge Center

www.sym-corp.com/knowledge-center






Mark Sonnentag414-292-3109

[email protected]

Heather Mickelson414-732-2738

[email protected]

Education

Maintaining your SAP Environment: Enhancement Packs vs. Support Packs