Several advantages at once
SAP SYSTEM COPY - in a nutshell
Typically, the "homogeneous SAP system copy" process involves a large number of manual activities. A certain skill level is required for this, which leads to the fact that usually the employees of the SAP Basis department or external service providers realize the system copy. Depending on the structure and size of the systems, this process can take anywhere from hours to several days. In addition to making the target systems unavailable to operations and project teams, system and landscape copies also block SAP Basis administrators. Other challenges include the varying duration and quality (completeness) of the results depending on the processor, time dependency on the employees performing the work, etc..
Another method of creating an SAP system copy is to use external tools such as Oracle RMAN or Microsoft SQL Server Backup. These tools allow you to create a complete copy of the database as well as a copy of the file system. However, it is important to note that special knowledge is required when using these tools to ensure that the backup is created correctly.
Performing SAP system copies automatically
In order to be able to work with the most up-to-date data possible on the development and quality assurance systems, it is necessary to bring an up-to-date production status onto these systems. This is often done via a complete system copy (production system -> development system, production system -> quality assurance system) and is very error-prone and user-intensive in ad-hoc configuration (especially if each developer/customizing user is responsible for saving the transports and importing them again after the copy). Every SAP system copy then carries the risk of losing the development status achieved and can lead to inconsistencies in programs and customizing, and any damage repair is usually very time-consuming.
In practice, customers have either built their own tools to make the appropriate configurations, or there are extensive lists of steps to be processed manually. This approach is time-consuming and error-prone.
To shorten the list of activities and to simplify the complete process of a system copy or a system refresh and to save manual activities, you can use "Shortcut for SAP Systems". Several manual activities can be omitted because with "Shortcut for SAP Systems" the system-specific data can be saved before the copy and imported again afterwards - also automated. This reduces the error-proneness that is inevitably caused by manual activities and enormously reduces the time span until the system is available again.
In addition, administrative rework is often necessary, starting with the system name and extending to printers and interfaces.
Partial copies from SAP systems with the help of tools open up potential savings and in many cases make system copies and complete client copies superfluous.