Client Compare and Client Maintenance Tools

When several SAP systems and clients are being implemented, it may be necessary to compare and adjust customizing settings between different SAP systems and clients. The Client compare function enables you to compare and adjust the contents of a table or view in two different clients, using RFC destinations.

You can use the client compare for example to:

• Compare a client with a reference client, such as a customer-owned client or the SAP delivery client 000. This is especially useful after an SAP system upgrade or a language import, since only client 000 is provided with data from tables belonging to delivery classC.

• Compare clients during a roll-out scenario. For example, if subsidiaries want to adjust their customizing with respect to the reference customizing of a master client.
• Compare cross-client customizing before combining different clients into one SAP system in a roll-in scenario. For example, if subsidiaries want to receive customizing changes from the reference client which might be the master client of their parent organization.

Customizing Client Compare with Transaction SCU0

To use the compare function, choose transaction SCU0.

To select the objects to be compared in a client compare, you can use a project-oriented approach using the Project Implementation Guide (Project IMG) to define the objects. You can also select from application components' customizing object lists and from transport requests, or select the objects manually.

To start a client compare, use transaction SCU0 in background processing. From the initial screen, select what the comparison will be based on and choose Create (see the figure above). In the dialog boxes that appear, make the appropriate entries. The client compare can be restricted to, for example, client-specific data.

Transaction SCU0 first displays an overview of the tables belonging to views for the selected IMG, application component or transport request. Next, the comparison itself is performed. The SAP system creates a list of differences and indicates whether these differences are encountered in the table structure or in the table contents (see the figure "Customizing Client Compare – Difference List").

To display the differing table entries, select an object. This enables you to perform a detailed comparison.

Note

The comparison client is generally an external environment, so you must access it through an RFC destination.

Hint

For information on client compares, see also SAP Note 91096 – Table Compare: Info about Cust. Cross System Check.

The result of each comparison run is an overview of existing differences between the log-on client and the comparison client. This overview serves as a starting point for subsequent processing of differences. The comparison runs are stored in a work list or difference list.

Enhancements as of SAP_BASIS 754

Starting with SAP_BASIS 754, the client copy procedures have been changed and enhanced.

To set up a new client by client copy, the structures of all tables to be copied must be identical in the source and the target system. To perform a consistency check, you can perform a cross-table comparison with transaction SCC_COMP_LOCAL (if both clients are based on the same SAP system) or a cross-system check with transaction SCC_COMP_REMOTE. With SAP_BASIS 754 SP 03, the new transaction SCC_COMPARE replaces transactions SCC_COMP_LOCAL and SCC_COMP_REMOTE.

To compare tables, proceed as follows:

1. Call transaction SCC_COMP_LOCAL / SCC_COMP_REMOTE/SCC_COMPARE.
2. Enter the clients that you want to compare and an RFC destination (in case of a remote comparison).
3. Select the tables that you want to compare, such as:
   • Explicit table selection by table name or package.
   • Explicit selection of tables using the time stamp of a previous client copy.
4. Define the table comparison mode (Simple or Detailed comparison).
5. Adjust the processing settings, for example, Exclude Known Table Deviations or Split Large Tables.
6. Specify the number of parallel processes.
7. Decide whether you want to execute the client copy as batch job (Execute as Tasklist) or start it immediately (Direct Execution).

After running the comparison, you can check the result (see the figure "Data Client Comparison – Result (new)"). The log provides Log Header information, Comparison Results, a list of Compared Tables together with the result of the comparison, Runtime of the Exit-Methods, and the selected Options.

Note

You can access the client comparison result of all runs from transaction SCC3.

For each compared object in a client comparison run, the objects compared are listed along with a Description. The most important information is the status indicators. The comparison status indicates the existence and nature of any differences and is set automatically.

In transaction SCU0, the Processing status allows you to distinguish between the objects that have already been processed, that is, have been made identical in both clients, and those that have not. This kind of processing is also referred to as adjusting the respective object. The processing status is indicated by a traffic light, where red indicates not processed (Open), yellow indicates the objects in both clients are In process of being made identical, and green indicates the completion of this adjustment process (Completed) – see figure "Customizing Client Compare – Difference List" above.

For a detailed analysis of a comparison run, choose Comparison. This leads to a screen similar to the one shown in the following figure.

You can adjust one object at a time. The objects that can be adjusted are some of the tables and views that can be maintained using transaction SM30. You can also use the SAP Reference IMG (transaction SPRO) or a Project IMG. All other objects can only be compared.

To perform an adjustment, from the Comparison screen of transaction SCU0, choose Edit → Interact. Copy. The Overview Adjustment screen is displayed, showing the details of the differences between the two clients, record by record. To the left of each record in this adjustment work list there is the comparison status, which indicates whether or not each respective entry in the record exists in the comparison client and the log-on client (see the figure above).

The client option Protection level regarding client copy and client comparison can be set to prevent a client from being overwritten by the client copy or from a client compare and client adjustment. It can also be set to ensure that sensitive data is not viewable from another client during a client compare. Client Maintenance Maintaining customizing settings of one client according to the customizing settings of another client, based on a client compare via RFC.

To set this option, choose transaction SCC4 and select the client in question in change mode. Select a protection level:

Protection level 1: No overwriting

This protection level ensures that the client cannot be overwritten by the client copy tools. This setting should be used if customizing is being performed in this client or the client contains critical settings or data that should not be overwritten.

Protection level 2: No overwriting, no external availability

This protection level also protects the client against overwriting. In addition, it protects the client against read access from another client during a client copy or customizing comparison. This setting should be used if the client contains sensitive data, for example, all production clients should use this setting.

There are several reasons why you might want to compare the repository of two SAP systems. For example, in the one SAP system business processes are working in a different way than in a second SAP system, although the business processes should work the same. You have already compared the corresponding customizing but didn't find the difference. This might be because of differences in the repository.

Another reason for comparing the repository would be that, before performing a remote client copy, you should compare the repository of the source and the target SAP system. If the two repositories differ too much, data will be corrupted after the remote client copy in the target system from point of view of the repository of the target system.

With transaction SREPO, you can compare the repository of two SAP systems. SREPO performs a mass comparison of the repository objects between two SAP systems.

Prerequisites for a comparison are:

• Both SAP systems must have the same release and SAP Support Package level
• The package SCTS_COMP_SYS must exist in both SAP systems
• An RFC destination must be configured (transaction SM59)

You can compare the following sets of objects:

• Objects from a package
• Objects in a transport request or piece list
• Objects of a user
• Objects in an application component
• Objects in a name space
• All customer objects
• All modified SAP objects
• Freely selected objects

The comparison is done in two steps (see the figure "Comparing the Repository"):

1. Intersection is created. The objects are selected and their existence in the two SAP systems is checked.
2. Versions are compared. The objects are compared.

The object list contains information about the version comparison, with indicators as follows:

• Green indicates that the object is identical in both SAP systems,
• Yellow indicates that the objects can't be compared directly. This is because certain objects can't be compared by transaction SREPO.
• Red indicates that the objects are different.

More details and instructions are available in SAP Note 1529391 – Revision of comparison tool SREPO.