SAP TEST DATA MIGRATION SERVER

Questions & Answers

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General/Pre-Sales .................................................................................................................................................... 4 What is the current release/version? .................................................................................................................... 4 Where can I find more information about SAP TDMS? ..................................................................................... 4 How much does SAP TDMS cost? ..................................................................................................................... 4 So the price for SAP TDMS does not depend on the number of users? .............................................................. 4 What does the process for obtaining SAP TDMS look like? .............................................................................. 4 Typically, how long does an experienced SAP basis person need to get up to speed with SAP TDMS? ........... 4 What consulting services are available for SAP TDMS? Who should buy these services? ................................ 5

Compatibility (Releases, applications…) ................................................................................................................ 5 Which software does SAP TDMS support? ........................................................................................................ 5 Does SAP TDMS require a specific SP or platform level? ................................................................................. 5 Does SAP TDMS support BW, APO, SRM and CRM? ..................................................................................... 5 Does SAP TDMS support Industry Solutions? ................................................................................................... 5 How about Unicode? ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Could SAP TDMS be used for a Unicode conversion? ...................................................................................... 5 Can sender and receiver be on different release levels? ...................................................................................... 5 Would an ERP upgrade or support package installation require significant reconfiguration/ programming – or

even reinstallation of SAP TDMS? ..................................................................................................................... 5 We have been told that if we do a database copy of our production R/3 system, we should simultaneously do a

database copy of our BW and SRM systems to ensure data consistency. What happens if you use SAP TDMS?

Do you do a database copy of your BW and SRM systems at the same time you do a refresh? ......................... 6 Since which SP is CRM 7.0 supported with TDMS? .......................................................................................... 6

Functions & Features (General) .............................................................................................................................. 6 What data exactly does SAP TDMS transfer? .................................................................................................... 6 How does SAP TDMS handle existing cross-client data (repository and cross-client customizing data) in the

target system? ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 How does TDMS handle BI-SEM? ..................................................................................................................... 6 Can SAP TDMS be used for transferring data from one production system to another? .................................... 6 Does SAP TDMS create an additional client in an existing system or even a completely new system? ............ 7 Can SAP TDMS be used only for data transfer into an empty client, or is it also possible to transfer selected

objects into a client that already contains data? .................................................................................................. 7 Do customers use SAP TDMS to create or refresh quality assurance (Q/A) systems? ....................................... 7 Are numbering and document relationships from the sender system maintained? ............................................. 7 How about consistency in a “reduced transfer” scenario? .................................................................................. 7 How does SAP TDMS handle customer-specific tables? ................................................................................... 7 What happens to admin data in the receiver system, for example user data?...................................................... 7 Can I change the transfer status (complete transfer <-> transfer in reduced form <-> no transfer) for individual

tables? ................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Is it possible to make certain data (master and transactional data) anonymous in the receiver system? ............. 7 Can customer/Add-On/Industry Solution tables be reduced? ............................................................................. 8 When determining dependencies, does SAP TDMS take care of CO documents? ............................................. 8 How does SAP TDMS handle stocks? ................................................................................................................ 8 How does SAP TDMS handle document flows? ................................................................................................ 8 Can user exits be transported? ............................................................................................................................. 8 Is there an option to keep or delete existing data in the receiver system as part of the data refresh? .................. 8 Could SAP TDMS also be used to select and migrate “problem” data in the sender system for troubleshooting

in the receiver system? ........................................................................................................................................ 8 Are complex data relationships and dependencies maintained in the receiver system? ...................................... 8

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Is it possible to set up an SAP Advanced Planner & Optimizer (SAP APO) test system consistently with a

reduced R/3 system? ........................................................................................................................................... 8 What can I expect from the new TDMS workbench functionality? .................................................................... 8 What are potential use cases for the TDMS workbench functionality? .............................................................. 8 What can I expect from the data scrambling functionality that comes with SAP TDMS? ................................. 9 What can I understand under the new shell creation functionality? .................................................................... 9 What are typical use cases for the shell creation functionality? .......................................................................... 9

Technical (General)................................................................................................................................................. 9 What is the initial size of the TDMS Add-On? ................................................................................................... 9 How do you extract the data for the copy and what is the method that is used (ALE, extract from DB, etc.)? .. 9 Is it possible to perform the extract from a backup copy rather than from the live system? ............................... 9 What method is used for the data transfer (flat file, IDoc, EDI…)? What method is used to update the

receiving database (direct table updates, BAPI, BDC)? ...................................................................................... 9 What about the performance of SAP TDMS? ..................................................................................................... 9 How does the data volume impact the speed of transfer? ................................................................................. 10 Is there a limit to the data volumes or number of records that can be transferred by means of SAP TDMS? .. 10 How does SAP TDMS compare to the client copy option on speed? ............................................................... 10 How many parallel processes should be used for the transfer? ......................................................................... 10 Is it true that the receiver system must be based on an exact copy of the sender system? Wouldn‟t this be an

awful lot of work? And does this work for development systems? ................................................................... 10 Do customers use existing Q/A systems in order to refresh other non-production systems by means of SAP

TDMS? .............................................................................................................................................................. 10 What method does SAP TDMS use for deleting obsolete data from the receiver system? ............................... 10 To what extent is the sender system impacted by a TDMS project? How long is the downtime? .................... 10

System Landscape ................................................................................................................................................. 11 What does a typical system landscape for SAP TDMS look like? .................................................................... 11 Could the sender, the TDMS server and the receiver also be different clients in a single system? .................. 11 What options are available for setting up the receiver system? ........................................................................ 11 Can we transfer from/to multiple instances of R/3 (as both as receiver and sender systems) and keep the data

integrity between them? .................................................................................................................................... 11 Is it possible to have one sender and multiple receivers? .................................................................................. 11

Installation & Setup .............................................................................................................................................. 11 What are the minimum hardware recommendations for the TDMS server? ..................................................... 11 What hardware platforms and databases does SAP TDMS support? ................................................................ 11 How is SAP TDMS installed? ........................................................................................................................... 11 Do I need to install the TDMS server on its own server, or can it run alongside other SAP applications on the

same server? ...................................................................................................................................................... 12 Operation............................................................................................................................................................... 12

How are errors handled? ................................................................................................................................... 12 Can aborted transfers of single tables be resumed?........................................................................................... 12 Does the product generate performance statistics? ........................................................................................... 12 Can data transfers be scheduled? ...................................................................................................................... 12 Can transfers be run in foreground and background modes? ............................................................................ 12 Does the software provide an estimate of the amount of data in a specific transfer before the transfer is

actually executed? ............................................................................................................................................. 12 How much time should I calculate for a data refresh using SAP TDMS? ........................................................ 12

Security ................................................................................................................................................................. 12 What authentication services does SAP TDMS have? Is it able to interface with third party authentication

systems such as NT, Novell, Windows, UNIX, etc........................................................................................... 12 Can user-roles and access rights be configured? ............................................................................................... 13 What controls are in place to prevent data loss or data corruption during the transfer process in both the sender

and receiver clients? Is this a risk? .................................................................................................................... 13 Is there a risk of data being written back to the sender system during the transfer? ......................................... 13

Support .................................................................................................................................................................. 13

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How many hours/day and days/week is support available? Through what channels (phone, messages, e-

mail…)? ............................................................................................................................................................ 13 What is your strategy for providing updates? ................................................................................................... 13 For how long do you support an SAP TDMS release? ..................................................................................... 13

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GENERAL/PRE-SALES

What is SAP TDMS all about?

SAP Test Data Migration Server (SAP TDMS) is used for creating and refreshing non-production

systems (particularly test systems) with a reduced dataset.

Once the initial setup of SAP TDMS has been completed, it is possible to supply the non-

production system with current data from the receiver system by means of a simplified procedure

(refresh).

What is the current release/version?

The current release of SAP TDMS is TDMS 3.0.

Where can I find more information about SAP TDMS?

Consider the materials provided in SAP Service Marketplace under http://service.sap.com/tdms or

www.sap.com/tdms.

How much does SAP TDMS cost?

The price depends on the database size of the production system and is charged per productive

installation (irrespective of the number of associated non-production installations). In addition, the

standard costs for database licenses and support apply.

For the purposes of SAP TDMS, The following categories exist: 0 to 299 GB, 300 to 599 GB, 600

to 899 GB, 900 to 1199GB and 1200 + n times 300 GB. To learn about the pricing for SAP

TDMS, contact your local SAP sales representative.

So the price for SAP TDMS does not depend on the number of users?

Yes, the price depends exclusively on the database size, not on the number of users.

What does the process for obtaining SAP TDMS look like?

If you would like to buy SAP TDMS, inform your local SAP contact person accordingly. He or

she will then tell you how to obtain SAP TDMS. Having bought the software, you can download it

from the software distribution center in SAP Service Marketplace.

Typically, how long does an experienced SAP basis person need to get up to speed with SAP TDMS?

Generally, we recommend to set up a small implementation project and allow for some lead time

to get familiar with the software before TDMS can be productively used. For the experienced SAP

basis person, the participation in the classroom training for SAP TDMS (three days) or in an

implementation project run by SAP Consulting is recommended. For defining new reduction

scenarios and similar tasks, you need development skills (ABAP) and an in-depth knowledge of

SAP TDMS. We recommend involving SAP Consulting to help you with the implementation of

customer-specific reduction routines or scrambling projects.

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What consulting services are available for SAP TDMS? Who should buy these services?

To learn more about consulting services for SAP TDMS, consider the information provided in

SAP Service Marketplace under http://service.sap.com/slo --> SAP System Landscape

Consolidation & Harmonization.

COMPATIBILITY (RELEASES, APPLICATIONS…)

Which software does SAP TDMS support?

The current release TDMS 3.0 supports SAP releases R/3 4.6C, R/3 4.7 (110 and 200) up to ERP

6.0. Exception: The TDMS extension for HCM supports R/3 4.7 up to ERP 6.0.

Does SAP TDMS require a specific SP or platform level?

No.

Does SAP TDMS support BW, APO, SRM and CRM?

There are TDMS extensions for CRM and BI. TDMS for CRM supports CRM Releases 4.0 5.0,

6.0 and 7.0 and TDMS for BI supports Releases 3.5 and 7.0.

Does SAP TDMS support Industry Solutions?

SAP TDMS is compatible with all Industry Solutions. The tables from all Industry Solutions are

transferred in full. Transfer rules (particularly rules for reduced transfer of these tables) can be

developed in customer-specific consulting projects. Reduction rules for some processes of the

Industry Solutions of Apparel & Footwear, Automotive and Retail have already been included in

the TDMS standard. For some Industry Solutions (for example Utilities) there are special solutions

available that are offered by SAP SLO consulting. For more information regarding TDMS and

Industry Solutions, contact your local SAP subsidiary.

How about Unicode?

SAP TDMS can handle Unicode, but not MDMP(please refer to the below note for more details).

More precisely, it is best if the involved systems (sender, receiver and central system) are either all

non-Unicode or all Unicode. It would also be possible to have a Unicode system as the central

system and non-Unicode systems as the sender and receiver systems (but not the other way

round!). For more detailed information, please have a look at SAP note 1249737.

Could SAP TDMS be used for a Unicode conversion?

No, SAP TDMS does not support the constellation "sender system is non-Unicode, receiver

system is Unicode" and can consequently not be used for Unicode conversion.

Can sender and receiver be on different release levels?

No.

Would an ERP upgrade or support package installation require significant reconfiguration/

programming – or even reinstallation of SAP TDMS?

No, as long as SAP TDMS supports the target release, neither reconfiguration/programming nor a

new installation of SAP TDMS is necessary.

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We have been told that if we do a database copy of our production R/3 system, we should

simultaneously do a database copy of our BW and SRM systems to ensure data consistency. What

happens if you use SAP TDMS? Do you do a database copy of your BW and SRM systems at the

same time you do a refresh?

If you use SAP TDMS to refresh your R/3, currently the connected systems should still be

refreshed at the same time to assure a cross-system consistency.

The nice thing about using SAP TDMS in such an environment is that SAP TDMS will not touch

cross-client data on the R/3 so all interface/communication related data will remain unchanged. If

there is also client-specific configuration involved, SAP TDMS can easily be configured to treat it

the right way as well.

Since which SP is CRM 7.0 supported with TDMS?

SP05 of DMIS_BSC component.

FUNCTIONS & FEATURES (GENERAL)

What data exactly does SAP TDMS transfer?

In general, one can say that the dataset for a typical SAP TDMS reduction scenario includes

master data and customizing settings and possibly a certain portion of the transaction data, with

the portion being defined by means of reduction criteria. TDMS currently includes, for example,

the following default reduction scenarios:

With TDMDC, master data and customizing settings (according to SAP‟s definitions of these

terms) is transferred.

With TDTIM, master data and customizing settings plus transaction data from a defined date

onwards is transferred.

The new scenario TDTСС is a combination of TDTIM and a reduction by company code, that is,

you can transfer the data for one or more company codes from a given date onwards.

Additional reduction scenarios may be developed on request by SAP or by authorized partners.

More information about the reduction scenarios is provided in the Master Guide (to be found in SAP

Service Marketplace under /instguides or / http://service.sap.com/tdms).

How does SAP TDMS handle existing cross-client data (repository and cross-client customizing data)

in the target system?

All cross-client data in the target system (repository, transport history, interfaces, printers etc.)

remains as it is. When performing a refresh for a development system, however, the target client

must not be the development client, because otherwise all open customizing requests are lost. As

far as user data is concerned, SAP TDMS saves client-specific user data and authorizations for the

target client in preparation to the data transfer and restores this information after the transfer to

ensure that the user data in the target system remains intact.

How does TDMS handle BI-SEM?

The TDMS solution for BI handles SEM components as well and transfers the data for SEM in a

reduced fashion. All InfoCubes and ODS elements in BI are reduced. TDMS for BI operates

independently of the functional area and all BI objects are transferred with reduction in the

standard scenario itself. The data on specific tables can also be transferred in full or not transferred

at all (if necessary) by making simple customizing changes.

Can SAP TDMS be used for transferring data from one production system to another?

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No, SAP TDMS is not a generic data transfer tool. It is designed exclusively for building up non-

production systems (test systems, training systems etc.) and for refreshing the data in systems built

up by means of SAP TDMS. It even includes a specific check for making sure that the target

system is not flagged as a production system.

Does SAP TDMS create an additional client in an existing system or even a completely new system?

SAP TDMS is designed for copying data to an existing client.

With SAP TDMS 3.0, a new functionality called system shell creation has been shipped. This is

more or less a modified system copy which supports the setup of a lean system shell which can

then be filled with data using one of the standard TDMS scenarios. However you can also create

the receiver client for SAP TDMS by means of a standard client copy or even use an existing

client that suits your needs.

During a refresh run of SAP TDMS, the existing client-dependent data in the target client is

deleted and replaced with the new dataset.

In summary, one can say that SAP TDMS is similar to an R/3 client copy, but its performance is

much better, and it allows for reducing the volume of transaction data and for data scrambling.

Can SAP TDMS be used only for data transfer into an empty client, or is it also possible to transfer

selected objects into a client that already contains data?

This is not covered by the standard configuration of SAP TDMS, but can be done in a customer-

specific project. (This setup requires changes to the writing behavior as well as additional

measures with regard to data consistency.)

Do customers use SAP TDMS to create or refresh quality assurance (Q/A) systems?

Yes, many customers use SAP TDMS to set up and refresh Q/A systems.

Are numbering and document relationships from the sender system maintained?

Yes

How about consistency in a “reduced transfer” scenario?

For information about consistency, please refer to the TDMS Operations Guide, chapter 9. You

will find it in SAP Service Marketplace under http://service.sap.com/tdms.

How does SAP TDMS handle customer-specific tables?

SAP TDMS identifies these tables and includes them in the transfer. The default setting for these

additional tables is “transfer without reduction”, but it is possible to change the transfer status

(transfer, no transfer, reduction) if required.

What happens to admin data in the receiver system, for example user data?

This information is kept as it is in the receiver system. That is, it is not overwritten by the

corresponding data from the sender system.

Can I change the transfer status (complete transfer <-> transfer in reduced form <-> no transfer) for

individual tables?

Yes, this is possible, but you have to be careful because changing the reduction behavior of a table

may have an impact on data consistency in the receiver system, particularly if the table for which

you want to change the reduction behavior has a hierarchy relation with one or more other tables.

Is it possible to make certain data (master and transactional data) anonymous in the receiver system?

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SAP TDMS 3.0 is shipped with a development platform that can also be used for defining data

scrambling rules. The required rules are developed by SLO Consulting in customer-specific

consulting projects. The current version of the SAP TDMS development platform itself does not

contain ready-made scrambling rules or related content. Yet, the TDMS extension for HCM

contains pre-configured scrambling rules and content to scramble HCM data.

Can customer/Add-On/Industry Solution tables be reduced?

The user can choose for each of these tables if it is included in the transfer or not. If included, a

reduction might be possible as well if suitable fields exist (and the application users agree).

When determining dependencies, does SAP TDMS take care of CO documents?

Yes.

How does SAP TDMS handle stocks?

In the reduction scenarios that include transaction data, stock-taking tables are covered in the same

way as any other application data tables. For TDMDC (which normally does not include stocks),

SAP TDMS provides a special option to configure the handling of stock tables.

How does SAP TDMS handle document flows?

In time-based scenarios, SAP TDMS considers relationships of documents across several

reference levels, in some areas even beyond the defined from-date and includes the related data in

the transfer.

Can user exits be transported?

No, those are repository/coding and cannot be transferred in the same way as application data.

Is there an option to keep or delete existing data in the receiver system as part of the data refresh?

Yes, this can be done as a customer-specific consulting solution (involves a change to the writing

behavior).

Could SAP TDMS also be used to select and migrate “problem” data in the sender system for

troubleshooting in the receiver system?

SAP TDMS supports full system copies and reduced data transfers; ALE or Data Synch Manager

can be used to transfer problem data or smaller subsets.

Are complex data relationships and dependencies maintained in the receiver system?

SAP TDMS includes functionality for handling hierarchy relations between tables and other

dependencies.

Is it possible to set up an SAP Advanced Planner & Optimizer (SAP APO) test system consistently

with a reduced R/3 system?

Yes, this is possible. The procedure is described in the Operations Guide for SAP TDMS.

What can I expect from the new TDMS workbench functionality?

The workbench is a platform allowing TDMS consultants to develop additional customer-specific

functionality.

What are potential use cases for the TDMS workbench functionality?

This functionality mainly addresses experienced consultants who can develop new process trees

which differ from the standard procedure as well as other additional functions. Examples:

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Creation of additional reduction scenarios for customer-specific applications which use non-standard

tables

Transfer of specific objects which belong to a certain business process

Data scrambling functions

What can I expect from the data scrambling functionality that comes with SAP TDMS?

TDMS 3.0 provides a platform for implementing scrambling routines. TDMS standard provides

only the platform and two basic examples which can be used as a starting point for the

development of customer-specific scrambling routines. The two provided examples are a single-

field and a multiple-field scrambling scenario. Additional routines require TDMS consulting

support. Yet, the TDMS extension for HCM contains various pre-configured scrambling rules and

content to scramble HCM data

What can I understand under the new shell creation functionality?

The functionality of shell creation is more or less a modified system copy which allows the

creation of an empty system by extracting repository and client-independent data only.

What are typical use cases for the shell creation functionality?

A typical use case for this functionality is to build up an initial shell based on the source system.

This shell is then placed in the transport chain so it can be copied when additional non-production

systems are to be built up.

TECHNICAL (GENERAL)

What is the initial size of the TDMS Add-On?

15 MB while compressed, 60 MB when installed in an SAP system

How do you extract the data for the copy and what is the method that is used (ALE, extract from DB,

etc.)?

The method applied by SAP TDMS is based on SAP‟s migration workbench technology, which

works at database level.

Is it possible to perform the extract from a backup copy rather than from the live system?

No, the extract must always be taken from the live system. There are other ways of minimizing the

impact of the TDMS project on the production system.

What method is used for the data transfer (flat file, IDoc, EDI…)? What method is used to update the

receiving database (direct table updates, BAPI, BDC)?

The sender system and the receiver system are connected by remote function call (RFC) for the

purpose of the data transfer. The transfer and update method is „table insert‟.

IDocs are not used because this would make the process too slow, and you would not have „your‟

production data in the system – it would be different, new data. In addition, only a few

straightforward processes, but by no means all required data can be simulated using IDocs.

What about the performance of SAP TDMS?

“Performance” is a very generic term. What is usually meant in the context of SAP TDMS is the

amount of data to be transferred in a given interval of time. This value depends on a variety of

factors, such as the size of the sender system, the amount of data to be transferred, the hardware

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used and the number of processes being assigned to SAP TDMS. Consequently it is not possible

(and does not make sense) to make general statements about performance.

How does the data volume impact the speed of transfer?

The more data you transfer the more processing time you need; the speed of the transfer should

not vary too much.

Is there a limit to the data volumes or number of records that can be transferred by means of SAP

TDMS?

Not from a technical perspective. But if a very large amount of data is going to be transferred, the

time required for this may be unacceptably long (see also the previous question).

How does SAP TDMS compare to the client copy option on speed?

SAP TDMS is faster. We use parallel processing and no generic, but generated coding, and you do

not transfer all data like in client copy, so there is less work to do.

How many parallel processes should be used for the transfer?

Most customers use 10 to 20 parallel processes for SAP TDMS. The highest value we have seen

so far was 120 dedicated processes for SAP TDMS.

Is it true that the receiver system must be based on an exact copy of the sender system? Wouldn‟t this

be an awful lot of work? And does this work for development systems?

No, this is not true: In order to set up new receiver systems, TDMS 3.0 is shipped with a

functionality called system shell creation, which allows the setup of a system shell by extracting

repository and cross-client data. This shell has a size of approximately 100 to 200 GB and can then

be populated by means of SAP TDMS. In regards to the use of SAP TDMS in a development

environment, we recommend – and many customers are doing this already – to set up an

additional TDMS client in dev. This way, the refresh doesn‟t affect the dev client.

Do customers use existing Q/A systems in order to refresh other non-production systems by means of

SAP TDMS?

Yes, some customers are using a full copy of their Q/A system as a source system for creating

additional non-production systems.

What method does SAP TDMS use for deleting obsolete data from the receiver system?

SAP TDMS comes with its own deletion tools whose performance is much better than the

performance of standard deletion tools.

To what extent is the sender system impacted by a TDMS project? How long is the downtime?

Generally speaking, a downtime of the sender system is not mandatory. (The sole exception being

that you do need a downtime if you want to include Material Ledger data in the transfer.) However

we recommend that no changes should be made in the system while the data for transfer is read

and stored in a temporary table (cluster). This “cluster technique” makes it possible to separate the

reading process from the actual data transfer, which means that the data transfer itself does not

have an impact on the sender system. The reading procedure typically takes about 50% of the time

required for the actual transfer. If, for example, the transfer takes ten hours, you should allow

another 5 hours for reading the relevant data and storing it in the cluster.

With regard to the fact that the data extraction creates substantial load on the system, it should take

place during a relatively “quiet” time to ensure that the available hardware resources are sufficient.

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Some companies use snapshot or clone technologies for their storage systems or temporary system

copies to minimize the impact on the production system.

SYSTEM LANDSCAPE

What does a typical system landscape for SAP TDMS look like?

The system landscape for SAP TDMS consists of the sender system (the system whose data you

want to transfer), the TDMS server (which includes the control system and the central system) and

the receiver system (non-production system to be built up). More information about the system

landscape is provided in the master guide for SAP TDMS (to be found in SAP Service

Marketplace under /instguides or /tdms).

Could the sender, the TDMS server and the receiver also be different clients in a single system?

Technically speaking, any constellation is feasible as long as enough work processes are available

and the performance is acceptable. However we recommend that the TDMS server and the

receiver be on different systems.

What options are available for setting up the receiver system?

Shell creation

Client copy with subsequent deletion of client-specific data (using high-performance deletion tools

provided by SAP TDMS)

Existing system whose repository is in sync with the repository of the sender system

More information is provided in the Master Guide for SAP TDMS (to be found in SAP Service

Marketplace under http://service.sap.com/tdms or /instguides.

Can we transfer from/to multiple instances of R/3 (as both as receiver and sender systems) and keep

the data integrity between them?

You can handle a multitude of sender-receiver relationships (and different releases) with one

TDMS installation. However you always have a 1:1 relationship between sender and receiver, and

the sender and receiver release for a given pair need to be the same.

Is it possible to have one sender and multiple receivers?

Not in one step. You would rather complete a TDMS project for one sender and one receiver

and then make copies of the receiver system as required.

INSTALLATION & SETUP

What are the minimum hardware recommendations for the TDMS server?

Separate server with 4,000 SAPS ( 4 CPU, 4 GB RAM, 20 GB DB)

What hardware platforms and databases does SAP TDMS support?

SAP TDMS runs on all platforms that are supported by WebAS

How is SAP TDMS installed?

SAP TDMS comes in several add-ons (DMIS, DMIS_CNT and others for the TDMS extensions)

and is installed directly in the main database of all participating systems. More technical

information on how to do the installation is provided in SAP Notes 970531 and 970532.

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Do I need to install the TDMS server on its own server, or can it run alongside other SAP applications

on the same server?

SAP TDMS can run on any server on which WebAS 6.20 or higher is installed. For example, you

can install SAP TDMS on the Solution Manager system. However we recommend that you create

the TDMS server as a separate entity (on its own server).

OPERATION

How are errors handled?

SAP TDMS provides monitoring and logging functions for all activities. For activities that may

terminate under certain circumstances, SAP TDMS provides specific troubleshooting features.

Can aborted transfers of single tables be resumed?

Yes. That's possible for all tables except very few tables that need a special handling during

transfer (CLUSTER tables).

Does the product generate performance statistics?

Yes.

Can data transfers be scheduled?

Yes, by using standard SAP functionality such as CCMS.

Can transfers be run in foreground and background modes?

Yes.

Does the software provide an estimate of the amount of data in a specific transfer before the transfer is

actually executed?

Yes, it does provide an estimate. However the current function does not consider indexes and

similar data, so that the calculated value is usually too low (typically by about 30 per cent).

How much time should I calculate for a data refresh using SAP TDMS?

The effort required for a data refresh is lower than for the initial setup. If, for example, the source

system is about 1 TB in size and the transfer involves about 30 per cent of this data, the overall

runtime of a refresh should be somewhere between one and three days, which is considerably less

than the time required for creating system copies of the same quality. The reason is that the

configuration settings from the initial setup are re-used for the refresh so that you save some time

here. However with regard to the fact that all relevant data is transferred completely every time

you do a refresh, the runtime for the actual data transfer is the same for the initial setup and for

each refresh.

SECURITY

What authentication services does SAP TDMS have? Is it able to interface with third party

authentication systems such as NT, Novell, Windows, UNIX, etc.

SAP TDMS uses the standard SAP authentication mechanisms. More details about this are

provided in the Security Guide.

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Can user-roles and access rights be configured?

User roles are delivered with their own authorization profiles and objects, this is part of the setup

for SAP TDMS.

What controls are in place to prevent data loss or data corruption during the transfer process in both

the sender and receiver clients? Is this a risk?

SAP TDMS comes with a status management and control process; logs are written for every

function, and error messages are output if a function terminates. Hence, data loss or corruption is

very unlikely.

Is there a risk of data being written back to the sender system during the transfer?

No, the way SAP TDMS is set up ensures that this cannot happen.

SUPPORT

How many hours/day and days/week is support available? Through what channels (phone, messages,

e-mail…)?

SAP standard maintenance applies.

What is your strategy for providing updates?

Quarterly Support Packages. New releases for major functional enhancements

For how long do you support an SAP TDMS release?

Standard support for a given release of SAP TDMS is available for two years starting with the

general availability date. After that, customer-specific maintenance agreements are possible in

accordance with SAP‟s general maintenance policy.