After any support pack and upgrade you want to check and make sure the ABAP code in the system is ok and pre-compiled for business use. The SGEN code generator tool does the job for you.
Questions that will be answered in this blog are:
How to run SGEN?
How can I see the result behind SGEN?
Running SGEN
Starting SGEN is simple by starting the transaction code SGEN. The initial screen looks like this:
Select the option you want to use. The most common feature option is the Regenerate after SAP system upgrade. Press continue. You now reach the load generator screen to distribute the load across many parallel processes:
Select the servers and press continue.
SGEN is a resource intensive process: performance during the run will be pretty low....
In the load monitor you now release the job and you can start to monitor it:
You can also monitor in SM37 the batch job for program RSPARAGENER8M .
Data behind SGEN
Table GENSETM contains the results of the generation run. The field GENSTATUS is the generation status. Values of this field:
X = generated
E or S = error
I = initial
Touch single program or table
SGEN is a mass transaction for large amounts and can run quite long. If you only need to regenerate single program or table, read this blog.
Background
More background information on SGEN can be found in the FAQ note: 1989778 – FAQ: SGEN.
This blog explains about preparation you can do for SAP upgrade of support package.
Questions that will be answered are:
Where to find support package schedule?
Where to find version information on upgrades?
Do I need to do delta sizing for upgrade?
Do I need to perform extra preparation steps for an S4HANA upgrade?
Determining the version: why not to use the latest minus one?
Latest available main version for upgrade
For the latest available version you can check the SAP product availability matrix site. This is also know as the SAP-PAM.
After finding the right product on the first tab you can see the current release details and end of support date.
On the second tab you see the upgrade paths that are supported:
In the middle the target version. On the left hand the versions from which you can upgrade. To the right are even higher versions you can upgrade to.
Also check here the support Linux versions. You might be surprised: you often need to upgrade the operating system first before you can upgrade your application.
Same for the HANA database or database version: newer releases of functional software will force you to upgrade your database as (or upgrade database first).
Latest available versions of support packages
The latest available versions of support packages are published by SAP on the SAP support package stacks page. On this page click on the SAP support package stack maintenance schedule link to download the latest version of the schedule.
Support package version: minus one or latest?
In many companies there is a policy to never take the latest version of a support package. The line of thinking is: let other people solve the bugs of SAP first.
Current delivery of ABAP support packages is quite good. And the frequency is not so high as in the past. For ECC about 2 to 3 support packages per year are released (as compare to 6 to 9 in the past in the 4.6 ages).
In stead of taking minus one, you can also consider this rule: at point of go-live make sure that the support package is at least released 3 months ago. This will counter the risk of having an issue which is not discovered by anyone else before.
People using the rule minus one without thinking should not be trusted. It is like going to Apple and insisting on Iphone 11, because you don't trust Iphone 12 and use the rule minus one...
OSS notes in a support package
How to find the OSS notes in a support package? Follow the instructions listed in OSS note 2015094 – How to Find which Notes are in a Support Package. The unfortunate thing is that lists all the OSS notes, including the notes of functionality your are not using (which is most likely 80% or more).
Delta sizing
Delta sizing for support packages is not needed. Delta sizing for an upgrade might be required if:
Upgrade crosses multiple versions (for example upgrade from Netweaver 6.20 to Netweaver 7.51)
Upgrade is including a new database (for example migration to HANA database)
Specific upgrade manual is specific about delta sizing (for example the upgrade from SAP solution manager 7.1 to 7.2 is specific enough to carry out delta sizing)
For ECC to S4HANA conversion
Custom code
For analyzing custom code before the upgrade you can use the CDMC toolset. For more information read this blog.
Also use the clone finder to find clones. You might need to delete the clones or adjust them after the upgrade. More information on the clone finder tool can be read in this blog.
Releasing transports and cleaning up transport pipeline
For both support package and upgrade releasing transports is a technical must. It is wise to start a few months before already cleaning up the transport pipeline (transports that are old and not released in development system, transports that are imported into quality environment, but no imported in productive system).
Check the clients
Check if you still have client 001 or 066. If yes, consider deletion. See dedicated blog.
BI queues
During the upgrade all BI queues must be empty. Check it upfront and/or delete them. For more information on BI queue deletion, read this dedicated blog.
Inactive code and data dictionary objects
Before upgrade or support pack can start all code and data dictionary objects must be activated or deleted.
In some rare cases there are inconsistencies in the data dictionary objects. Check table DWINACTIV in this case.
Per support package SAP keeps track of the unwanted side effects. OSS note 2388572 explains you how to retrieve them for your support package. Best to scan the side effects and apply the ones you think are needed.
For upgrades the side effects list is too large: here you simply need to test and fix any issues encountered.
New functions
After the upgrade you can start to use new functions. Some main functions are listed in the SAP help pages. The more unknown small features are listed by SAP in the SAP improvements finder xls. This xls has 2 tabs: first with the most recent and second with the long list of improvements since 2014. Per improvement you need to check pee-conditions of release and support package, but if you upgraded to recent version, most of the improvements will be installed. Some improvements are always active, some need extra activation steps. This is documented per improvement item.
New security parameters
After an upgrade (not support packs) new security parameters can be introduced to SAP. Prepare already which ones might impact you. For S4HANA upgrades and new security parameters read this dedicated blog.
An upgrade from ECC to S4HANA requires a different approach. In this upgrade also the simplification items and custom code migrations must be done. Read more in this dedicated blog.
For more S4HANA conversion preparations, read this blog.
Aftercare after upgrade
For aftercare after upgrade or support package read this blog.
This blog will explain the normal aftercare that needs to happen after an SAP system is upgrade or has been patches with support packages.
Questions that will be answered:
What is the normal processing sequence in SPAU?
What is the new SPAU_ENH transaction?
Which aftercare is needed when using embedded search via TREX or HANA?
Which aftercare is needed for the authorization team?
What are the general sanity checks after an upgrade?
How to regenerate SAP_ALL and SAP_NEW?
How can I check for new or altered security parameters?
What other things to do after upgrade?
SEGW issues after upgrade, how to solve them?
How do I check for new security parameters?
SPAU processing
For extensive explanation on SPAU, read the dedicated blog. The below is a summary.
When starting transaction SPAU in a netweaver 7.50 or higher system the screen will look as follows:
First thing to do is to hit the Reset OSS notes button or Prepare OSS notes button (the name can differ bit per version):
This will download all OSS notes again and automatically mark the obsolete ones and will remove them from the list. Wait until the batch job doing this job for you is finished. This will save you a lot of time.
In a 7.50 or higher system look at OSS note 2532229 that solves a bug with notes in adjustment mode.
Second step is to process all the OSS notes. Don’t start the other activities until the OSS notes are done.
Third step is to process the tab With Assistant. Only when this is done continue with the tab Without Assistant.
The steps Deletions, Migrations and Translations are optional, but best to do as well. Deletions can be many, but here you can select all and reset to SAP quite quickly.
SPAU_ENH to process enhancements
Often forgotten is the post processing with transaction SPAU_ENH.
If there are changes in enhancements made by SAP conflicts with customer implementations can occur. SPAU_ENH will list them, and you can process them. If forgotten the customer implementation might not be called, which can lead to functionality giving errors.
After any upgrade/support package the basis person must run the RTCCTOOL program. This will check and list any needed updates.
In almost all cases the actions behind the button Addons&Upgr must be triggered by the basis person.
DMIS plug in OSS notes
If you are using the DMIS plugin for SLT, then you need to run the DMIS note analyzer program(s) again after the support package or upgrade. More information: read this blog.
Scenario
Report name
Object Based Transformation (OBT)
CNV_NOTE_ANALYZER_OBT
ABAP Integration for SAP Data Intelligence (DI)
CNV_NOTE_ANALYZER_DI
S4HANA Migration Cockpit (MC)
CNV_NOTE_ANALYZER_MC_EXT
SAP Landscape Transformation (SLT) Replication Server
CNV_NOTE_ANALYZER_SLT
Near Zero Downtime Technology (NZDT)
CNV_NOTE_ANALYZER_NZDT
Embedded search post processing
With an upgrade or support package SAP will deliver new improved version of embedded search models. If you are using embedded search you have to do post processing to make use of these new improved versions.
By default SAP will keep using the old model to make sure the search function keeps working. The basis administrator can then update the search models at their convenience.
To update start transaction ESH_COCKPIT:
Then from the Other drop down select the option Model modified:
Note: if there are no Model modified present, but you do get the message like "update in background started", then wait until the model update background job is finished. This job can take long time. If finished restart transaction code ESH_COCKPIT again.
Select all to be updated (or in case there is a lot a subsection). Then select from Actions menu the Update option:
Then you have to wait (a lot). Even on HANA this will take a long time.
You might get a message that you yourself are locking the update process: in this case, wait until your processes in the background are done (SM66 monitoring) and then try again, or use smaller selection.
Alternative is to delete the search model after the upgrade and redo completely. For setting up search model in S4HANA read this dedicated blog.
The authorization team needs to do post processing in the SU25 transaction to update profile generator.
Upon starting this transaction after the upgrade or support packages it will prompt you for having checked OSS note 440231 (SU25 preparation FAQ note).
Do download the most recent version (redownload the OSS note!) and read the content. The note cannot be applied automatically (it will say cannot be implemented). This is because it is a FAQ note. If you open the content scroll to your version and check the OSS notes. Make sure the notes listed there are applied to your system before continuing with SU25.
Then startup SU25 again and process steps 2a, 2b and 2c:
After any SAP support package or upgrade, SAP will improve and/or change the standard clean up jobs.
To do this: go to SM36 and click the button Standard Jobs. Then select the Default Scheduling job. Then the system will tell you which jobs will be stopped (no longer needed), changed and new jobs there will be planned. See also the technical clean up blog.
If you use custom IMG nodes, you have to re-integrate your node into the main IMG using transaction S_IMG_EXTENSION. For more information see the blog on setting up custom IMG nodes.
Updating requirements and formulas
After an upgrade or support package the requirements and formulas might need to be regenerated via program RV80HGEN. More details: read this blog.
Updating ABAP where used list
After an upgrade or support package the ABAP where used list must be regenerated again. Read this dedicated blog.
Security parameters
With an S4HANA upgrade, the is a program to run to check for new security parameters: RSPFRECOMMENDED. Read this dedicated blog for details.
General sanity checks after an upgrade
The basic sanity checks after an upgrade actually start before the upgrade!
Before the system is being upgraded, you should check following items:
If you check this at regular intervals before the upgrade you get a good mental picture (you can also take screen shots before the upgrade) of the issues already present in the system.
After the system upgrade and/or support package you check these items again. Because you checked before it is easy for you to see and filter out new items. New items can be analyzed for solution (can be SAP note that is needed, custom code that is not properly updated, changes in functionality, etc).
SGEN code generation
After support pack or upgrade you can use transaction SGEN to generate all ABAP code (standard SAP and custom) and check for errors in code generation. More information in this blog.
After a support pack most security parameters remain the same. After and upgrade you need to check for new or altered security parameters. For S4HANA upgrade there is special note and program to quickly check for new and altered security parameters including the SAP recommendation: read more in this blog.
Other things to do after an upgrade
After an upgrade you can scan and check for new or enhanced functions you can use.
Examples to check:
Update the SCI variants delivered by SAP (see blog)
SAP audit logging will deliver new checks, but these are deselected after the upgrade
If using enterprise search: check if SAP delivered new search models that might be interesting for the business
