Knowing Your Upgrades

Upgrades in a public cloud system are essential to ensure that the software remains up-to-date with the latest features, security enhancements, and performance improvements, thereby maintaining optimal functionality and security for users.

Since SAP IBP is a public cloud solution, SAP proactively applies the software updates and patches during the defined maintenance windows, and customers are notified in advance of this information.

The main characteristics of the SAP IBP upgrades are:

• The SAP IBP test system is upgraded first, always during the weekend. Two weeks later, the production system is upgraded.
• During these two weeks, there is a freeze period when transports between the two environments are not possible.
• During the upgrade periods, there will be downtime for your SAP IBP systems. You will receive an email notification once the systems are successfully upgraded.

Here are some activities recommended to prepare in advance for the upcoming SAP IBP upgrades:

1. Review the Preliminary What’s New planned for future versions.
2. Register to attend the "SAP IBP What’s New" webinars. (Registration is needed to access the recordings & presentations).
3. Review the final What’s New on the Help Portal documentation.
4. Familiarize yourself with the required upgrade tasks.
5. Have a plan to adopt the latest innovations that can add value to your planning process or close existing gaps.

What Tasks Do I Need to Perform?

In some releases for certain business topics, there will be mandatory tasks (or must-know tasks) that your administrators or configuration experts need to perform after the upgrade.

To find these tasks:

1. Go to "What’s New in SAP IBP for Supply Chain" section in the What’s New SAP IBP Help Portal.
2. In the column labeled "Type", filter the table for "Mandatory task after upgrade".
3. Filter also by "Must know" to identify disruptive changes that you need to have in mind if you want to set up new processes or create new objects after the upgrade.

Upgrades ensure the SAP IBP system receives the latest features and functionalities, enhancing performance and mitigating potential security risks. They provide access to the newest innovations and improvements, which boost productivity, efficiency, and overall user experience.