The reasons for migrating an SAP system can range from the expiration of support for a particular version of the operating system and database software, to a change of platform, to a change of license, often as a result of ownership policies within the company. Moving an SAP system to a new hardware or software platform is called migration. Depending on whether or not the operating system or database is changed during migration, we speak of a heterogeneous or homogeneous migration process. In both cases, migration processes are supported by SAP, with heterogeneous migration (OS/DB migration) requiring registration and conducted in accordance with SAP guidelines by a certified consultant.

Regional Media was using SAP on the Windows platform in a version that was no longer supported by the manufacturer. At the same time, in connection with the planned SAP upgrade, it was required to upgrade the version and change the operating system itself from a 32-bit to a 64-bit version in order to make SAP work better, more stable and more reliably. The situation was not made easier by the interdependencies between Oracle database versions for this OS. In order to avoid performing an OS change as part of the upgrade project, it was decided to migrate the servers to the Linux platform, using immediately the latest currently supported SAP ERP 6.0 version of the SUSE Linux 11 operating system. The project was carried out by BCC (currently All for One Poland) – the work was completed in February 2012.

Since the heterogeneous migration operation requires exporting and re-importing data, Regional Media also took advantage of an additional advantage of the process: the ability to upgrade the database version to the latest supported version of SAP systems in a single step. The migration process also involved reorganizing the database and (if not done before) changing the way Oracle database tablespaces are managed from Dictionary Managed (DMT) to Locally Managed (LMT). Performing all these operations together significantly reduces the total cost of the completed work. A clearly noticeable effect of the database reorganization operation, is the reduction in the size of the database, in the case of the Regional Media ERP system, it was possible to achieve a reduction in database space by almost 40%.

In order to achieve the same effect without performing SAP migration, the following work would have to be done:

  • Changing the way Oracle database spaces are managed from DMT to LMT,
  • A lengthy and time-consuming process of reorganizing the database,
  • database upgrade.

Taking advantage of this scenario, would require much longer time windows and increase the number of planned SAP unavailability.

Preparation for heterogeneous migration

In order to carry out an SAP heterogeneous migration project, it is necessary to prepare the project in advance, ensure that the appropriate resources are available, and have the competence required by SAP. In preparation for the migration of the Regional Media systems, the system administrator (in this case, BCC – the systems are maintained and administered at the BCC Outsourcing Center) performed the following steps:

  • Selection of a consultant certified in SAP OS/DB Migration – the designation of such a consultant is an SAP requirement, without which the project cannot be registered in SAP.
  • Verify the availability of the target hardware platform for the SAP systems environment: check the requirements and ensure the appropriate versions of the operating systems.
  • Verification of the interface environment, in particular the availability of software to replace that previously used to communicate with multiple external systems.
  • Submit the heterogeneous migration project to SAP and order a verification session from SAP after the test migration.
  • Preparation of the target hardware and software platform in accordance with SAP requirements – in this case, the platform had to, on the one hand, allow stable operation of SAP systems in the existing version, but also support the target version in which the SAP system will be used after the upgrade.
  • Preparing the infrastructure of the BCC Data Processing Center, including checking the compatibility of additional IT tools used, such as backup systems, monitoring systems, etc.
  • Download and prepare the appropriate installation media according to SAP’s recommendations.
  • Prepare a detailed schedule for the migration project with division of responsibilities, appoint and book appointments of Basis consultants who are members of the project team.

The course of the migration process

Step 1– Test migration of the production system

As a result of this operation, a quality assurance system was created, which was previously absent from the SAP landscape in Regional Media – after the test migration, a post-migration system verification session was scheduled jointly with the SAP AG service – checking the status of the “new" system, checking for risks and verifying the correctness of the migration operation.

During a test migration, you can accurately predict any problems that may occur during such an operation, and as a result, you can be well prepared for a production system migration.

In Regional Media, adapting interfaces to external databases and ensuring correct communication with these databases was a particularly important issue – the solution required the use of additional software and the capabilities of the operating system itself.

During the migration, the MIGMON migration tool was used, so that the target system was created while the export of the source system’s database was in progress. In addition, a function for sending sms messages in case of problems during the duration of the export or import of the database was configured and tested. This minimized the duration of the migration, as well as the potential danger in case of unforeseen problems. In order to ensure adequate process performance and availability of the production system without putting additional strain on it, the production system data export operation was performed on a previously prepared copy of the production system. The process of the copy of the production system itself was carried out during nighttime hours to have the least possible impact on users’ work.

Step 2 – test migration of SAP Content Server

As with the ERP system, the first step involved a test migration of the SAP Content Server software used by Regional Media. This operation made it possible to verify the operation of SAP Content Server on the new system platform and to practice the following steps on a non-production environment:

  • execution of base upgrade
  • installation of HTTP server (apache) and database on the new server
  • database backup
  • restore the database from a previously made backup to a new server
  • Database upgrade to version 7.7.

Step 3 – Productive migration of SAP Content Server

In this step, a production migration of the SAP CS system was performed. Thanks to the test migration performed earlier, the unavailability time of the production system was kept to a minimum.

Step 4 – DEV development system migration

The SAP ERP test and development system, was optimized before the migration was performed – unnecessary mandates were removed, configuration data from the production system was refreshed. As a result, the size of the test and development system’s database was already significantly reduced before the migration, but especially after it.

Step 5 – migration of the PRD production system

All the operations carried out so far were aimed at preparing the team and the environment for the most important task: performing the migration of the production system. The tests were to ensure that the migration process was carried out smoothly, safely and on schedule. This was particularly important due to the need to establish a service window for the SAP system – which involved making the environment unavailable to all SAP Regional Media users. The production migration operation was launched on Friday evening; the production system was ready for use after the heterogeneous migration even before the scheduled time, as early as Saturday evening.

Summary

The SAP system is running on a new operating system platform after the migration. The previously used Windows server was replaced by Linux SUSE. All required interfaces were activated, and in the case of the SAP Content Server system, the solution was additionally upgraded to the latest version provided by the manufacturer. Importantly, from the point of view of end users, the system remained unchanged – employees finished working in it on Friday and started again seamlessly on Monday.

The tasks completed during the migration simultaneously prepared the SAP environment for the planned upgrade – before this operation, there will no longer be a need to make additional changes to the technology, the environment is ready to support SAP in the latest version.

Technologically, the most visible effect of the project is the tens of percent reduction in the size of the SAP database. This is primarily the result of reorganizing the objects in the databases. This change is of great importance for the execution of daily administrative tasks – from the management of objects in databases, to the making of copies of SAP systems or mandates, to the backup time and the time of eventual restoration of SAP databases. Achieving such an effect would not have been possible without close and trusting cooperation between the project team and the customer, as well as a well thought-out and executed SAP migration scenario and schedule.

We reduced the cost of maintaining the systems while reorganizing the database
When the process of migrating our systems to a new platform became a necessity, we considered various options. We finally decided on the solution proposed by BCC (currently All for One Poland). As it turned out, the choice turned out to be the right one. In addition to the migration itself, a reorganization and upgrade of the database was carried out right away – work that we would have had to do anyway, and combining them in one project allowed us to reduce costs and minimize interruptions to users. The execution time of the heterogeneous migration of the production system, thanks to BCC’s good preparation, not only fit into the schedule, but was shorter than planned.
Thanks to the migration from Windows to Linux and the reorganization of the database, the cost of maintaining our systems has fallen. In addition, thanks to QAS, we now have a more secure model for testing changes.
Adam Parysz, Regional Media
Regional Media is one of the leading press groups in Poland. The group, formerly known as Orkla Press Polska, owns nine regional dailies with total sales of more than 248,500 copies. Media Regionalne Group also owns four local radio stations, six printing plants, the Gra and Admis advertising agencies and twelve free weekly newspapers. The brand’s hallmark is not only local, but also innovative. Currently, each of the regional titles has its own web portal. The Group also includes 30 MM MojeMiasto news and community portals. The Group includes an Accounting Services Center (based in Bydgoszcz) – a modern organization serving all publishing companies. Highly qualified employees of the Center support regional publishers with their knowledge in such areas as tax consulting or management of financial resources. The Group is actively developing, using new technologies and enriching its existing offer with other media: free press, regional Internet portals, local radio stations or advertising agencies. The Group is part of the Mecom Europe structure, which consists of three strong units: Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland.