The SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server is based on SAP NetWeaver technology. Therefore, any SAP NetWeaver installation (starting from R/3 4.6C), and any database that is supported by SAP NetWeaver, can be used as a source or target system.
The SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server can be used in various scenarios, and with different source and target system types.
See the following video to learn more about the scenarios and the source and target systems.
Note
You can skip this info for a first read but you can keep this note for reference. SLT uses the database connect functionality of the underlying SAP NetWeaver ABAP server, SAP S/4HANA Foundation or SAP S/4HANA. Therefore, when based on SAP NetWeaver, the product availability matrix of the utilized SAP NetWeaver version reflects all supported database platforms and releases. For non-ABAP source systems, the customer database license must cover a permanent database connection, with third-party products like SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server. Because a database connection from the SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server to a non-ABAP system is required, the operating system or database restrictions of SAP NetWeaver 7.02 or higher apply. For more information, refer to the installation guide at the following link: SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server-SAP Help Portal
In addition to table-based replication, the SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server is capable of utilizing application-based replication. With this approach, data is not directly written to a target table; instead, it is processed through a target application, such as Central Finance or SAP BW/4HANA.
SAP Customer Activity Repository
A side-car scenario is the SAP Customer Activity Repository. Again, data is replicated from SAP source systems to a side-car SAP HANA database. The SAP Customer Activity Repository is installed on top of the SAP HANA database. The SAP Customer Activity Repository application collects, cleanses, and centralizes customer and transactional data across all channels for real-time analysis. It also prepares it for consumption by other applications, and it increases promotion and assortment effectiveness. Furthermore, it enables personalized marketing for higher sales, and it leads to a simplification of the IT landscape by minimizing data replication.
Central Finance
SLT is also the glue that holds the various systems together in the Central Finance scenario, collecting the postings from the local systems and routing them to the Central Finance system.
With Central Finance, you can transition to SAP S/4HANA Finance without disruption to your current system landscape. This is irrespective of your current landscape, which can be made up of a combination of SAP systems of different releases, accounting approaches, and non-SAP systems. Central Finance allows you to create a common reporting structure.
SAP S/4HANA and Replication of CDS Views
SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server can have S/4HANA as the source and/or the target system. To check the details, please refer to the following SAP Note: SAP Note 2580573 - Can S/4HANA be the source or target system of an SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server? - SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server.
Having S/4HANA as source for your SLT replication, you could deal with the replication of CDS views and compatibility views. To check the details, please refer to the following guide: Compatibility Views and SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server.
Replication into SAP Business Warehouse
SLT supports replication into SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW). It provides replication with the following options:
- Using Open Data Provisioning (ODP) infrastructure
- Using table or view-based replication to underlying database of SAP BW
Prior to Open Data Provisioning, SLT supported data exchange with SAP BW via the Business Warehouse Persistent Staging Area (PSA) replication scenario (>= BW 7.0). With the latest versions of SLT, it is possible to connect to SAP HANA on Cloud Foundry (SAP HANA Database as a Service). For additional details, please refer to the Installation Guide (Replicating Data to SAP HANA), the SAP HANA Cloud, SAP HANA Database Data Access Guide, and the notes: 1768805, 2737003, 1380654, and 2866418.
New Supported Targets
The image shows the data replication from the source system to any target via SAP LT Replication Server using custom logic and transformation engine.
Besides the option to replicate data into SAP HANA as a Service, there are further new targets supported from DMIS 2011 SP15 and DMIS 2018 SP00.
SLT SDK (Replicating Data to Target using Custom Logic)
Instead of using the predefined SLT targets, it is now possible to implement a BAdI for writing data to the target. SLT will supply the usual trigger-based change data capture mechanism and supply the data to the custom logic. See SAP Note 2652704 for more information.
Some of the scenarios mentioned earlier will be described more in detail in the units that follow in this course.