Explaining System Landscapes for the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Deployment Options

In August of the year 2022 (release 2208), the 3-system landscape (3SL) became available. The 2-system landscape included a Quality system, where customizations were both created and tested, and a Production system. 3SL includes a Development system, Test system (previously named, Quality), and Production system. This enables developers to build more complex on-stack extensions using stable SAP objects in the Development system, and separates testing activities into a dedicated Test system.

Within a system, there can be one or more client tenants with different purposes. A client is an organizational unit in the system with specific user master records and authorizations. The SAP S/4HANA Cloud Starter and Development systems have two client tenants:

• Development tenant / client 080 is for developer extensibility in the SAP S/4HANA Cloud ABAP environment, where developers have full ABAP development tool access to released SAP S/4HANA Cloud business objects and extension points. The development tenant is client-independent, meaning development objects built here can be accessed from the customizing tenant if permission is granted. This is because development objects are stored in database tables without a client column. Changes are recorded on development workbench requests and are released for transport with the Transport Organizer view in ABAP Development Tools.
• Customizing tenant / client 100 is the main project, used for business process configuration and key user extensibility with the SAP Fiori extensibility apps. The customizing tenant is client-dependent, meaning configurations or extensions made here can only be accessed within the customizing tenant. This is because master and transactional data is stored in databased tables within a client column. Changes to business configuration in this tenant are recorded on customizing requests and are released for transport with the Export Customizing Requests SAP Fiori app. Key user extensions built with the SAP Fiori extensibility apps in this tenant are added to software collections and released for transport with the Export Software Collections SAP Fiori app.

An administrator imports development requests, customizing requests, and software collections with the Import Collection SAP Fiori app, in the Test system to validate business configurations and extensions.

An administrator imports development requests, customizing requests, and software collections with the Import Collection SAP Fiori app in the Production system to make the configurations and extensions available for productive use.

An appliance is a compressed system image that can be rapidly extracted into a regular system instance while preserving everything that was configured for the appliance when it was developed. This system is a prepackaged bundle with SAP standard business processes activated for core SAP S/4HANA functions and additional scenarios for Service, Master Data Governance (MDG), Transportation Management, Portfolio Management, HCM, Analytics, and more. There is an extensive library of prebuilt demo scenarios with sample data sets documented in SAP Best Practices Explorer.

Note

SAP Blog: SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance: Create your SAP S/4HANA system in a fraction of the usual setup time

The Enterprise Management Layer (EML) is the successor of the Model Company for Multinational Corporations and is the golden standard for customers with an international footprint that need to adhere to multiple financial reporting and accounting requirements. EML is delivered with a pre-configured, localized core template based on standard SAP business processes covering 43 local versions and 25 system languages. It has a group ledger representing the leading ledger for the corporation and every country has 4 additional parallel ledgers pre-defined to account for the representation of local accounting principles and deviating fiscal year variants. All pre-configured business processes are fully documented as step-by-step scripts in SAP Best Practices Explorer.

Note

SAP Blog: Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA - Now Available in Cloud Appliance Library

For a new implementation, a fully configured system is deployed via SAP Cloud Appliance Library to use as a demonstration system by partner consultants. Consultants use the sandbox system to deliver Fit-to-Standard workshops to customer business experts in each line of business during the Explore phase of the SAP Activate Methodology. The purpose is to teach the customer experts how to navigate the new system and to gather configuration data and extension requirements. Customization requirements are documented in SAP Cloud ALM to ensure there is a record of each requirements the consultants must implement in the customer's actual system during the Realize phase of the SAP Activate Methodology. You can let the sandbox system expire after the customer's own systems are implemented, as it would not be needed any longer.

For a system conversion, the a copy is made of the customer's existing production system, then converted to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition with the Maintenance Planner tool. The focus of a conversion is on existing processes, SAP S/4HANA Simplification Items, reviewing new functionality and whether the customer's current Workflow, Report, Interface, Conversion, Enhancement, and Forms (WRICEF) can be eliminated by adopting SAP standard business processes.

Within a system, there can be one or more client tenants with different purposes. A client is an organizational unit in the system with specific user master records and authorizations. The Development system typically has two client tenants:

• Development tenant / client 080 is for developer extensibility in the ABAP environment, where developers have full ABAP development tool access and can even modify the SAP source code, although modification is not recommended. The development tenant is client-independent, meaning development objects built here can be accessed from the customizing tenant if permission is granted. This is because development objects are stored in database tables without a client column. Changes are recorded on development workbench requests and are released for transport with the Transport Organizer view in ABAP Development Tools.
• Customizing tenant / client 100 is the main project, used for business process configuration and key user extensibility with the SAP Fiori extensibility apps. The customizing tenant is client-dependent, meaning configurations or extensions made here can only be accessed within the customizing tenant. This is because master and transactional data is stored in databased tables within a client column. To transport extensions, create a software package with the Configure Software Packages Fiori app, and assign the package to a transport request with the Register Extensions for Transport app.

For a new implementation, a fresh development system is deployed with SAP standard business process content, or as a blank system where customizing is done via the IMG (Implementation Guide).

For a system conversion, the customer's existing development system is converted to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition based on the migration approach validated with the sandbox.

The quality system is used for thorough testing before any changes or extensions are transported to production. To make transports available for testing in the quality system, an administrator releases transport requests from the development system with the Transport Organizer (SE09) transaction in the backend.

For a new implementation, the configuration from the development system is transported to the quality system.

For a system conversion, the customer's existing quality system is converted to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, based on the migration approach validated in the sandbox and development systems.

The production system is used for daily business-related operations and tasks. To make transports available for use in the production system, an administrator releases transport requests with the Transport Organizer (SE09) transaction in the backend.

For a new implementation, the configuration from the quality system is transported to the production system.

For a system conversion, the customer's existing production system is converted to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, based on the migration approach validated in the sandbox, development, and quality systems.

Get free access to an integrated, pre-scripted shared demo environment focused on intelligent enterprise solutions. This system is regularly updated and has a growing repository of demo store content largely focused on intelligent enterprise demo scenarios. The demo scripts help partners create a compelling SAP Intelligent Enterprise story relevant to your solution / industry / line of business to support you in demonstrating and selling the solution to customers. There is no cost to the partner for the system, but partners need to qualify to request access.

Learn more in the SAP Partner Portal (partners only)

This is a new offering available to partners that includes SAP S/4HANA Cloud integrated with SAP Central Business Configuration and Developer Extensibility. This is a partner's own environment and has an associated cost.

Learn more in the SAP Partner Portal (partners only)

This tenant is specialized for use only when completing SAP S/4HANA Cloud training courses from SAP Learning Hub. Each course has a dedicated tenant (e.g. the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Finance course has a corresponding system) that is tested and validated to work with the respective training course exercises. Because the system is specific to training courses, an SAP Learning Hub subscription is required.

Learn more about SAP Learning System Access

This system is a free playground landscape to explore SAP S/4HANA Cloud functionality and new scope items from the latest release. Basic company data and master data are preloaded, however the system is not specifically tested to work with the SAP S/4HANA Cloud training courses on SAP Learning Hub (use SAP Learning System Access for this). You can try testing course exercises here, but you may need to complete additional steps, such as creating your own master data, for the exercises to work. You request access for a one-week booking at a time through SAP Learning Hub, therefore a subscription to SAP Learning Hub is required. Detailed instructions to request access to the sandbox is available in the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Implementation Learning Room.