One of the most widely discussed topics in SAP ERP today is moving from their classic ERP system running on any DB to Business Suite on SAP HANA. One of the building block for the migration is custom ABAP code remediation.
The process of moving ABAP custom code can be daunting. In order to make the process easier, SAP come up with best practices you should consider before you make your migration.
Why do we need ABAP Remediation?
SAP HANA is a full-fletched relational database system optimized for transnational (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) processing. As the underlying database system for the SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse and the SAP Business Suite, it is fully compatible based on the Open SQL support in the SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP.
However, existing database specific ABAP coding needs to be revisited and possibly adapted. Furthermore, there are some additional recommendations related to the nature of the In-Memory columnar storage in SAP HANA.
One of the first things to decide when migrating to Suite on HANA is identifying Mandatory changes and Recommended SQL performance optimizations onyour custom code. This is definitely one of the things you want to evaluate when considering a move to SAP HANA.
Tools and Prerequisites
There are many existing tools within the SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP, which can assist in optimizing the performance of custom ABAP developments.
SAP HANA Process Model
The following process model might serve as an anchor for the recommended activities before, during and after the migration to SAP HANA in relation to custom ABAP code.
For functional corrections the ABAP platform provides static code check tools like Code Inspector and the ABAP Test Cockpit. SAP provides new static checks integrated in the code inspector. These checks are bundled in the code inspector variant FUNCTIONAL_DB and FUNCTIONAL_DB_ADDITION.
Please check the SAP note: 1935918 in case the variant does not exist in your system.
For performance optimizations the ABAP platform provides runtime tools for tracing and monitoring the performance of the business processes. The main tools are runtime Analysis, SQL Trace and the workload monitor for runtime monitoring. With NetWeaver 7.40, the new SQL monitor was introduced to analyze SQL statements in your productive system. The SQL Monitor is the recommended tool for optimizing SQLs in custom code during the migration to SAP HANA. The tool runs in the productive system and monitors the business processes without harming your system performance as the overhead of the tool is neglectable (<3%).
Finally, it’s key to keep a close eye on the effectiveness of the code remediation, both during the actual migration itself as well as in the immediate aftermath.
Considering the complexity of migration, there’s always the potential for issues to arise. With keen oversight, though, these problems will likely prove minimal and can be handled before they cause any significant delays or inefficiencies