How to Upgrade to SAP BW 7.

4 Step-by-Step
Instructions and What to Look Out For

Dr. Bjarne Berg

COMERIT
Produced by Wellesley Information Services, LLC, publisher of SAPinsider. 2015 Wellesley Information Services. All rights reserved.
In This Session
We will look at what to expect when planning and executing an upgrade of your SAP BW
system to version 7.4

We will take a look at new functionality and system requirements that will have the
greatest impact on your upgrade

At the end of this session, you will have a solid understanding of the benefits and tasks
required to move to SAP BW 7.4

2
Introduction Dr. Berg

3
What Well Cover
Why upgrade?
Installation and components of SAP BW 7.4
New features of SAP BW 7.4 on HANA
Possible approach when upgrading
Step-by-step for upgrading SAP BW to SAP BW 7.4
Wrap-up

4
The Reasons for Upgrading to SAP BW 7.4
SAP BW 7.4 has been available since May 2013 and has been well tested

BW Version Release Date End of mainstream maintenance

1.0E Dec-98 Jan-99
1.2A Feb-99 Jun-99
1.2B Jun-99 Jun-04
2.0A Feb-00 Feb-05
2.0B Aug-00 Dec-05
2.1C Dec-00 Dec-05
3.0A Nov-01 Dec-05
3.0B May-02 Dec-06
3.1C Nov-02 Dec-06
3.2 Mar-03 Dec-06
3.3 Aug-03 Dec-06
3.5 Mar-04 Dec-10
2004S Jun-07 Dec-10
7.0 (~"7.1") Dec-08 Mar-14
7.3 Mar-11 Mar-16
7.4 May 13 May-19

BW
BWhas
hasbeen
beenaround
aroundfor
forover
over16
16years!
years! 5
 New Business Content Optimized for BW on HANA

SAP has developed specific

new content for BW on HANA

This takes advantage of HANA optimized

transformations, consolidated InfoObjects,
more line item details, and in some cases,
leverages the BW models and the HANA
models in combined scenarios

Take a look at the latest BI Content in

7.57 and the BI Content Extension
for 7.57 for more detail
6
What Well Cover
Why upgrade?
Installation and components of SAP BW 7.4
New features of SAP BW 7.4 on HANA
Possible approach when upgrading
Step-by-step for upgrading SAP BW to SAP BW 7.4
Wrap-up

7
 Engines, Clients, and Usage Types
Based on what you are planning to use, you may
need to install different clients, usage types, and
standalone engines

For example, for the BW Admin Cockpit, you need

Enterprise Portal Core, the application portal, EP
Core, and BI Java installed

You will also need the Java application server (AS)

installed to use the Wizard for the BW basic
configuration, even though this component is ABAP
based

Make sure you carefully read the BW 7.4 master guide on SAP Marketplace to find out what components you are using and
what you need to upgrade. There are also separate install guides for AS Java and AS ABAP on the SAP Marketplace.
8
JAVA Server for UD Connect and BEx Broadcasting

Universal Data Connect is a tool to get data connection set up

so that data can be loaded to the SAP BW 7.4 system

If you want to use UD connect, you will have to install, or

upgrade, the Java Application Server

You will also need the Java Application Server if you want to
use features such as the BEx Broadcaster

For many customers, installing or upgrading the Java application server makes sense to take advantage of
existing and future capabilities. For older BW systems, splitting the stack and also keeping the Java server
separate from the Enterprise Portal Java sever is the recommended approach for most organizations.

9
New ABAP 7.4 Application Server
There are two changes to the AS ABAP
7.4 for custom development and HANA

You will need to upgrade to this 7.4

version to get access to:
Support for Eclipse-based ABAP
development tools and environments

The new code optimization detection for HANA in the new ABAP profiler and the
enhanced ABAP list view

P.S.! AS Java 7.3 Service Pack 3 is supported for SAP

HANA and the usage types needing this component 10
Installing SAP BW 7.4 Green Fielding

There are 5 steps to install SAP BW 7.4 as
a clean installation instead of upgrading
from an early release:
1. Preparation
2. Install required BW system
3. Install optional standalone engines
4. Install required standalone engines
5. Install clients
First, install the BW system with usage
type ABAP and the Content releases
(either 7.57 add-on or the BI 7.4 content
extension)
Please note that there are no installation
options (yet) for mobile and BW ABAP in
the Software Provisioning manager
version 1.0

There were known errors when using BI content 7.47 SP4 on BW 7.4 SP2, so
avoid this combination and go for higher releases (see SAP Note: 1853775)
11
Installing SAP NetWeaver Application Server 7.4
(After RDBMS Is Installed)
Step 1: Download the current release of SAPCAR
archiving tool and the Software Provisioning
Manager (service.sap.com/swdc *)
Step 2: In the directory where you downloaded it
to, use SAPCAR to decompress the Software
Provisioning Manager (SAPCAR xvf
<path>\<download directory>\<Archive>)
Step 3: Move the downloaded installation media to
the installation host
Step 4: Double click on sapinst.exe.
You find it in the same directory as the
Software Provisioning Manager.
Step 5: Conduct a Prerequisite Check (Installation
MSSQL Database Preparations) This example is for an SQL Server Database, instructions for
each DB can be found on the SAP Service Marketplace
12
 Installing SAP NetWeaver Application Server 7.4 (cont.)
(After RDBMS Is Installed)

Step 6: Start the installer tool again and go

to:

SAP Product MSSQL DATABASE

SAP Systems Application Server Java

(This path will vary based on the type of

database you are using)

Step 7: From the sapinst.exe, select the

components you need

Make sure you understand what is needed for each of your use cases before proceeding.
Read the SAP NetWeaver 7.4 Master Guide on the SAP Service Marketplace.
13
 Installing SAP NetWeaver Application Server 7.4 (cont.)
(After RDBMS Is Installed)

Step 8: Give your system a

system identifier (unique) and
register the diagnostic agent
user by clicking Next

Step 9: Look at the summary and

make sure all components are
what you want and then execute
the installation

14
Installing SAP NetWeaver Application Server 7.4 (cont.)

Step 10: The number of steps and the time

it takes to execute the next steps will
depend on the components you selected
in Step 7, as well as the hardware you are
running. It is typically not a very time-
consuming task

Once the installation is complete,

you can start applying the latest
content releases for BW 7.4
15
Installing BW 7.4 on HANA and Engines
To install BW 7.4 on HANA, you first need to have the HANA database installed. This can only be done by a
certified hardware partner.
Both standard and distributed HANA systems are supported
Application servers should normally not be installed on the database servers due to potential performance
impacts

Standalone engines you may install include:

Standalone gateway

liveCache

TREX search engine

Java SE adapter engine

Web Dispatcher
HANA is a complex system that should only be installed by
Content Server
certified professionals with significant experience. More
Information on BW on HANA is found in SAP Note 1600929.

16
Clients and Solution Manager
Standalone clients engines you may install include:
SAP GUI for Windows (HTML and Java do not have all functions yet for the BI add-on for SAP BEx)

SAP NetWeaver Business Client (NWBC)

Mobile client

Adobe LiveCycle Designer

SAP Enterprise Services Explorer tool for MS .NET

SAP BusinessObjects clients (Crystal Reports, Dashboards, Analysis, WebI, etc.)

SAP Developer Studio

Make sure you also upgrade to the latest support pack for SAP Solution Manager and the implementation
content. This is known as the ST-ICO add-on. You can find more information in SAP Note 631042.

Minimum GUI version 7.3 for Java or Microsoft is required for

SAP BW 7.4. You can also use the SAP integrated ITS version.
17
What Well Cover
Why upgrade?
Installation and components of SAP BW 7.4
New features of SAP BW 7.4 on HANA
Possible approach when upgrading
Step-by-step for upgrading SAP BW to SAP BW 7.4
Wrap-up

18
SAP HANA and BW 7.4
BW 7.4 on HANA has continued to move process-intensive functions from the Application
to the DB server
This takes advantage of the performance
improvements
of an in-memory DB
It also reduces the need for data transfers
between application and DB server

The benefits of this approach are dramatically faster data

activation, data transformations, and query executions
19
 Creating a Logical or Federated EDW with BW 7.4
Byusing the BW virtualization layer, you
can now create a federated EDW
Datacan be linked and accessed through
the HANA Smart Data Access (SDA) and
ODBC to any source
Youcan use a single query to BW and non-
BW based EDWs through an Open ODS
View or a Composite Provider
Thereis no need to physically move data
from other EDWs to BW to have a Federated
EDW
Many companies have multiple reporting systems that they want to integrate without
writing ETL programs and moving data. SAP BW 7.4 on HANA can help you avoid this.20
SAP HANA and BW 7.4

BW 7.4 on HANA introduces the Smart Data Access

that allows us to create:
Virtual tables (real-time) links to a source system
CompositeProviders to link BW DSOs and native
HANA views and tables
A flexible, logical EDW that can be remodeled
without moving data
We also get a shared modeling tool based on Eclipse

Using the new Operational Data Provisioning (ODP) we can also remove the need for
PSAs, thereby simplifying data architectures and reducing data latency 21
SAP HANA and BW 7.4 Open ODS View
For BW 7.4, we get a new object called an Open ODS View
This new object allows us to include external data models in BW
and to query BW and non-BW data in a single BEx query

In the past, BW has been criticized for the complexity to integrate non-BW data in an EDW. The
new Open ODS View and the new CompositeProvider solve most of these issues. 22
 Real-Time Data Warehousing Becomes Much Simpler

Since SLT is now supported for Operational Data

Provisioning to BW, we can push data in real time
to BW InfoProviders in a much simpler manner

The data in the Operational Delta Queue (ODQ)

can also be used by other applications

Again, since PSA is not required, the data flows

get much easier to develop and maintain

You should seriously consider this technology for real-time

operational reporting and for the month-end financial close process
23
Read Access Logging
In BW 7.4, you can also start logging
read access for specific domains
and users

You can select specific fields to be

monitored

You can also monitor all operating

processes of BW 7.4 using SAP
Solution Manager 7.1

Do not turn on read access monitoring for all fields and users in
large active BW systems. If you do so, the logs can get very large.

24
Using New Security Features
For even more restrictive access and control, there are five new Authorization Objects in
BW 7.4:
1. S_RS_ODSV: Open ODS view
2. S_RS_ODSP_H ODP: Extraction from SAP HANA
3. RSHAAP for HANA analysis process
4. RSHAOT for HANA analysis elements
5. S_RS_HCPR SAP HANA for CompositeProvider authorizations

For those on obsolete BW 3.5, or those who have not done a security
conversion in 7.0, the new amortizations have to be activated
25
What Well Cover
Why upgrade?
Installation and components of SAP BW 7.4
New features of SAP BW 7.4 on HANA
Possible approach when upgrading
Step-by-step for upgrading SAP BW to SAP BW 7.4
Wrap-up

26
 Step 1: Hardware Install, Dev Copy, and Sandbox Upgrade
BW 7.x BW 7.x BW 7.x BW 7.x
Sandbox Dev. Box QA Box Prod Box
In this example, we are installing new hardware. This
creates a lot of flexibility and less project risk! pl
e
1 xa
m
E
An
First, we copy the BW 7.x development box to the new
hardware BW 7.4
Sandbox

Second, we upgrade the new sandbox in

a controlled manner and document all activities

We want to create a repeatable process, so no ad hoc activities are allowed. Remember, extra time has to
be set aside for notes research and unforeseen issues.

BENEFITS:
BENEFITS:This
Thisisisalso
alsoaatest
testrun
runfor
forupgrading
upgradingthe
thedevelopment
developmentbox
box(!),
(!),thereby
therebyreducing
reducingthe
the
upgrade
upgraderisk.
risk.After
Afterthe
theupgrade,
upgrade,we
wealso
alsoget
getaarefreshed
refreshedsandbox
sandboxenvironment.
environment.
27
 Step 2: Development Box Copy and Upgrade
BW 7.x BW 7.x BW 7.x BW 7.x
Sandbox Dev. Box QA Box Prod Box
Now we have to freeze all development activities
e
pl
m
1 xa
Normally, the work in the 7.x dev box is transported 2
An
E

to QA for testing and the dev box is locked

BW 7.4 BW 7.4
Sandbox Dev. Box

Using the upgrade runbook and all steps collected and written during the sandbox upgrade,
we are upgrading the new development box. This is intended to be a structured approach that is
repeatable.

The developers participate in in-depth testing of the new 7.4 dev box

BENEFITS:
BENEFITS:The
Theoutage
outageofofthe
thedevelopment
developmentbox
boxoccurred
occurredafter
afterthe
thesandbox
sandboxupgrade
upgradeand
andthe
thedevelopment
developmentoutage
outageisis
minimized.
minimized.This
Thisisisalso
alsothe
thesecond
secondtime
timewe
wehave
haveupgraded
upgradedthe
thedevelopment
developmentbox,
box,so
soany
anyissues
issuesshould
shouldbe
bewell
wellknown.
known.
28
 Step 3: Production Box Copy and QA Upgrade
BW 7.x BW 7.x BW 7.x BW 7.x
Sandbox Dev. Box QA Box Prod Box

We copy the production environment to the development

box after all testing in the QA has been completed and all 2 3 pl
e
1 am
the objects have been transported to the production E x
An
system
BW 7.4 BW 7.4 BW 7.4
Sandbox Dev. Box QA Box

Notice that no copies of Sandbox or

QA are made. Instead, we get to upgrade the development box and the production box twice.

This is a significant risk mitigation strategy, but requires that transports and client-dependent objects are
switched back on the new Sandbox and QA systems

BENEFITS:
BENEFITS:This
Thisapproach
approachturns
turnsthe
theQAQAupgrade
upgradeinto
intoaareal
realdress
dressrehearsal
rehearsalfor
forthe
theproduction
productionbox
boxupgrade.
upgrade.Also,
Also,since
sincewe
we
are
areswitching
switchingthe
thehardware,
hardware,the
therisk
risktotothe
theupgrade
upgradeisisminimal
minimal(BW
(BW7.x
7.xprod
prodisisnot
nottaken
takenoffline
offlineuntil
untilafter
afterthe
theupgrade).
upgrade).
29
 Step 4: Production Box Copy and QA Upgrade
BW 7.x BW 7.x BW 7.x BW 7.x
You are now ready for the cutover weekend Sandbox Dev. Box QA Box Prod Box

The best timing is to start the production box on 2 pl

e
1 am 3 4
Thursday evening after the BW system has completed Ex
An
data loads. A full backup is taken.
BW 7.4 BW 7.4 BW 7.4 BW 7.4
The system is unavailable on Friday and is completely Sandbox Dev. Box QA Box Prod Box

upgraded by Saturday 6 am

Consider the time it takes for security conversion, unless

already done in the 7.0/7.3 upgrade

Plan
Planfor
forhaving
havingBasis
Basisand
andtechnical
technicalpeople
peopleworking
workingthe
thenight
nightfrom
fromThursday
Thursdaytoto
Friday
Fridayand
andpossibly
possiblytotoSaturday,
Saturday,depending
dependinghow
howlong
longthe
theupgrade
upgradetakes
takes
30
What Well Cover
Why upgrade?
Installation and components of SAP BW 7.4
New features of SAP BW 7.4 on HANA
Possible approach when upgrading
Step-by-step for upgrading SAP BW to SAP BW 7.4
Wrap-up

31
 Pre-Planning: BEx 3.5 Query Designer Is Obsolete

BEx Query Designer 3.x is obsolete and not supported.

The runtime and tools from SAP BW 3.5 are not
available in version 7.4.

SAP has created a tool that checks your system and

will let you know what old query features you may be
using that are no longer supported. The check tool can
be found in SAP Note 1911469.

More information on BEx 3.5 can be found in SAP Note

1932461

You can find step-by-step help to migrate your old

BW BEx to 7.0 in the cookbook note 1807522
32
Pre-Checks: Make Sure You Are on the Right Release and PI
The SUM (Software Update Manager) will run a check to see if your source system release is supported for the upgrade.
You can also check this manually by going to System Status and look in the Component Information field.

For those using Process Integration (PI): During the upgrade, the ICF (Internet Communication Framework) is
deactivated by SUM, so check what you are running under the transaction code SICF. Also, if you are running the job
SWEQSRV in the operation model (queuing), apply SAP Note 1405648 before upgrading.

SAP also provides PI guidance on how to handle inactive RFCs and IDocs flagged in the integration
repository. See the upgrade guide for SAP NetWeaver 7.4 on the SAP Service Marketplace.
33
Step-By-Step: Preparing for the Upgrade
You should always start by downloading and reading the latest notes for your upgrade. These include:
Database-specific notes from SAP
Application-specific notes (see SAP Note 1751237)
Central Software Update Manager notes

The SUM will check your system and let you know if your
source is compatible with the upgrade release you select
34
Useful Hints for Older 3.x Systems
If some of the InfoSets become inactive, you can still use the program RSQ_ISET_MASS_OPERATIONS to
activate all InfoSets

If you are still on 3.5 queries or older versions (i.e., 3.1c, 3.0B), consider running the program
RSR_GEN_DIRECT_ALL_QUERIES to regenerate all queries in the system into the 7.0 release

BW 7.0 had a new transformation concept that replaced transfer and update rules, but not all companies
have migrated.

To do so now, you can convert the DataSources and the Persistent Staging Area to the new DTP process
(see SAP Note 906789). [Note: the PSA becomes less important in 7.4 when using Operational Data
Provisioning (ODP), since it does not use the PSA]. To test the conversion of the DataSources you can also
run: RSSM_CREATE_REQDONE_FROM_SEL; RSSM_HASH_ENTRIES_CREATE for all requests;
RSSTATMAN_CHECK_CONVERT_DTA; RSSTATMAN_CHECK_CONVERT_PSA.

35
Pre-Steps Before Staring SUM (Software Update Manager)

To start the process, you will need some disk space for the SUM tool, the download directory, the Trans directory,
as well as some space for the shadow system that will be created during the upgrade
SAP recommends that you have at least the following disk space available in your source system:
20GB for the temporary download directory and the DIR_TRANS directories (each)
8GB for the SUM directory
The size for the shadow system equal to the size found in this
directory:
\usr\sap\<sapsid> (Windows systems)

/usr/sap/<SID> (IBM i systems)

/usr/sap/<sapsid> (UNIX systems)

During your upgrade, the SUM will create a shadow system for
your non-data files and you will need some space for this 36
Upgrade Decision: Low, Standard, and High Resources
A major decision is: Are you going to minimize the system downtime or do a low resource
upgrade? The trade-off is between using more system resources or downtime.

In the standard upgrade, you create a shadow system while the BW system is still operating.
You turn off any archiving to make sure you do not miss any data and do your system backup
right before the downtime starts. Therefore, you can do much of the upgrade before the downtime
(shorten the outage).

In a very high system resource upgrade, you also use a shadow system, but imports are much
faster and you can keep archiving on (may create large logs), but downtime starts earlier.

Most
Mostcompanies
companiesshould
shoulduse
usethe
thestandard
standardupgrade
upgrademethod,
method,unless
unlesstheir
theirsystem
systemisisvery
verysmall
smallor
or
they
theyhave
havelimited
limitedresources.
resources.For
Forthose,
those,the
theshadow
shadowsystem
systemisiscreated
createdduring
duringthe
thedowntime.
downtime.
37
 Shadow System During the Upgrade
Application Data

Target Release
SAP NW BW
7.4 XPRA Import &
Data Conversion

You use a shadow Target Release

System

system to reduce the

system outage Application Data

Source Target
Release Release
Shadow
System
- -High
Highsystem
systemresource
resourcelocks
locks Source Release Target Release
System System
system
systemininthe
theREPACHK2
REPACHK2phasephase SPDD

--Standard
Standardsystem
systemresource
resourcelocks
locks Shadow System Installation

system
systemininthe
theREPACHK2
REPACHK2phasephase Application
Data Target
--Low
Lowsystem
systemresource
resourcelocks
locks Release
BW 7.0
system
systemininthe
theLOCKEU_PRE
LOCKEU_PREphase phase EhP1
(or higher) BW
BW7.x
7.x 38
Pre-Steps: BI Content Consistency Checks (Optional)
If you suspect inconsistency in the
BI content, or are planning to
deploy new BI content, you can run
the BI Content Analyzer. This can
be as a transparent table or loaded to a DSO (tcode RSBICA)
The automated BI Content Analyzer Checks include:
Inactive Transfer Structure checks

List of InfoObjects without an InfoObject Catalog

Inconsistent Roles check

Routines that refer to fixed, programmed structures To help plan any testing, you can also get a list of
Query Elements with Duplicate GUIDs where the objects in your SAP NetWeaver system
are used (SAP Note: 28022)
Several Object Collection Errors

Several Object Status checks

Many checks for Inconsistent Naming Conventions

39
BW InfoCube Data Classes That Are Incorrectly Assigned

DDART data classes may have been set up in your system that dont follow standard
naming conventions (see SAP Note 46272)

These data classes were assigned to InfoCubes in the RSDCBE transaction. To correct a
data class assignment you should use the report RSDG_DATCLS_ASSIGN.

During the upgrade, if you dont assign them correctly, these classes are lost and tables
that are generated for the InfoCube may not be correctly activated

To assure that all DataSources Web services run correctly after the upgrade, you could
run RSDS_DATASOURCE_ACTIVATE_ALL after the upgrade (see SAP Note 1494272)

40
Other Optional Components: Adobe Jurisdiction Files and SLD
If you are using Adobe Document Services (ADS), you must download the correct version
of the unlimited strength jurisdiction policy files based on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
of your target system. You will be automatically prompted by SUM if the existing files are
not compatible. (see SAP Note 124008)

For PI, you may also update the System Landscape Directory (SLD) content in your
source system. You need Admin privileges to do this.
The SLD has two components known as the component repository content and the
common information model (CIM) data model
You should always import the latest SLD before proceeding (SAP Note 669669)

41
 The SAP_BW_HOUSEKEEPING Task List
If you are on 7.0 SP32 of higher, you can generate an SAP BW Housekeeping tasks list
and get automated help in cleaning the system weeks before upgrading it

1. Check BW metadata with DDIC 7. Re-assign requests written into the incorrect PSA partition
2. Delete RSTT traces 8. Verify DataSource segments assignment to PSA
3. Delete BW statistical data 9. Deletes the entries no longer required in table RSIXW
4. Delete Aggregate data via deactivation 10. Clear all OLAP Cache parameters
5. Ensure partitioned tables are correctly indexed for PSA 11. Repair InfoCube fact table indices at Data Dictionary level
6. Ensure request consistencies in the PSA 12. Reorganize and delete bookmark IDs and view IDs

You first have to install the program from SAP Note 1829728 before you can
generate the SAP_BW_HOUSEKEEPING task list using tcode STC01 42
The SAP_BW_BEFORE_UPGRADE Task List

If
you are on 7.0 SP31 or higher, you
can generate an SAP BW Before the
Upgrade task list and get help in
preparing the system for the
upgrade

The more of these tasks you

complete, the faster the upgrade
may proceed since you are reducing
size and complexity, while assuring
that your system is ready for the 7.4
You first have to install the program from SAP Note
1734333 before you can generate the
upgrade
SAP_BW_BEFORE_UPGRADE task list using tcode STC01
43
 The Application-Specific Upgrade (ASU) Toolbox
Once you have completed the
SAP_BW_HOUSEKEEPING
and the
SAP_BW_BEFORE_UPGRADE task
lists, you can start the ASU schedule
manager and prepare the
environment

While there are some overlapping

tasks in these task lists, you are
required to complete all tasks listed
as obligatory

You start the upgrade by executing

the transaction /ASU/START (see SAP The Direct Migration Option (DMO) for upgrading BW and
Note 1000009) moving to HANA at the same time also uses these task lists and
the ASU toolbox. DMO is an option in the SUM tool.
44
Mandatory Tasks and Gotchas with BW 7.4

The creation of a stack.xml via the Solution Manager and the usage of the ASU toolbox
and/or the Upgrade tasks lists are mandatory SAP AG, 2015
If your system was upgraded from BW 7.0 or lower and you have already implemented the
new analysis authorizations, you must migrate them to the transportable analysis
authorizations analytics security object (TLOGO) so that they can be transported
After the upgrade, plan on publishing any ITS services to the integrated ITS so that they
all run properly

45
Software Update Manager (SUM)
By using the Software Update
Manager (SUM), you will select
your target system and XML files
that will be used step-by-step in
the upgrade process

The SUM tool will guide you in the download and works as a wizard during the upgrade
It is very important that you select the right target for your upgrade. As of June 2015, it
should be BW 7.4 Service pack 10 or higher.

In SUM you now have an option to complete a Direct Migration Option (DMO) for
upgrading your BW system and moving the BW system to HANA at the same
time. This includes Unicode conversions, if needed.
46
Software Update Manager (SUM) (cont.)

All
steps, up to the preprocessing, can be done in the shadow system without any downtime in
a production box

Ifyou have selected the high resource option, you can minimize the downtime even further. It
is not abnormal for a mid-sized BW system to have outages during the upgrade that are as
little as a few hours.

After the preprocessing and prechecks are done, and you have completed step 5.6
Execution, you should start the postprocessing before releasing the system to
users. This also includes a verification of the upgraded system.
47
Other Mandatory Tasks and Gotchas with BW 7.4
Some companies did not do the recommended security migration when upgrading to BW 7.0. They now
have to migrate to the new analysis authorization concept. The old 3.x is no longer supported.

Unicode conversion was also strongly recommended with the BW 7.0 upgrade, but many companies did
not compete that either. Now it is required.

The maximum length of characteristic values has been increased from 60 to 250 characters. This can cause
issues with key fields that are also assigned to this domain (RSCHAVL), since the max field length may be
exceeded. (Look in SAP Note 1879618 to avoid issues with this). Since this domain uses the data type
SSTRING you should also test any custom coding using this data type.

During the upgrade, the ASU will stop at the MODPROFP_UPG phase and you are required to complete a
set of follow-up activities. Some must be done before you start the production system, while others can be
done later.

48
What Well Cover
Why upgrade?
Installation and components of SAP BW 7.4
New features of SAP BW 7.4 on HANA
Possible approach when upgrading
Step-by-step for upgrading SAP BW to SAP BW 7.4
Wrap-up

49
Some of the
features in BW
7.4 are HANA-
specific

Others are
available for
traditional
RDBMs

This is an
overview of
what is
available for
HANA and
non-HANA
BWs

50
Where to Find More Information
http://help.sap.com/nw_platform
SAP BW 7.4 SAP Core help website
http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-35096
Michaela Pastor, SAP Business Warehouse 7.4 (SCN, April 2015).
http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-35784
Michaela Pastor, SAP NetWeaver 7.4 BW ABAP Support Packages (SCN, March
2015).
Jesper Christensen and Joe Darlak, SAP BW: Administration and Performance
Optimization (SAP PRESS, 2014).

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7 Key Points to Take Home
SAP BW 7.4 has significant benefits for both HANA and non-HANA customers
SAP has created many tools and checklists to make the migration and upgrade as
painless as possible
For HANA customers, BW 7.4 is the best release (by far!)
The new Direct Migration Option (DMO) allows you to upgrade and migrate your BW
system to HANA in one project
The continued use of a shadow system during the upgrade minimizes the downtime
Older systems may need a little more love and care as part of the upgrade, and manual
interventions may be required
BW 7.4 has now been available for over 24 months and is a stable, solid release to
migrate to

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Your Turn!

How to contact me:

Dr. Bjarne Berg
bberg@comerit.com

Please remember to complete your session evaluation

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Disclaimer
SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other
countries. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Wellesley Information Services is neither owned nor controlled by SAP SE.

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