INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS AND ADD-ONS

SAP covers both the horizontal and the vertical marketplace, which means it delivers functional software products for general businesses and for industry-specific businesses. This industry-industry-specific functionality is implemented through IS-Solutions, which are additions to the standard “core” R/3. Known IS-Solutions are IS-Oil for the oil and gas industry, IS-Media for the media and publishing industry, and IS-Healthcare for hospitals.

List of IS-Solutions:

SAP for Aerospace and Defense SAP for Media SAP for Automotive SAP for Mill Products

SAP for Banking SAP for Mining

SAP for Chemicals SAP for Oil and Gas SAP for Consumer Products SAP for Pharmaceuticals SAP for Engineering and Construction SAP for Utilities

SAP for Professional Services SAP for Healthcare SAP for Public Sector SAP for High Tech

SAP for Retail SAP for Higher Education and Research

SAP for Service Providers SAP for Industrial Machinery and Components

SAP for Telecommunications SAP for Insurance

There are two types of IS-Solutions: Solutions that modify the standard “core”

SAP and solutions that do not modify standard SAP. IS-Oil, which was one of the first IS-Solutions released by SAP, for example, does modify standard SAP.

This means that standard SAP programs, screens, and tables are modified and/

or overwritten by IS-Oil–specific coding. The result of this is that every time an upgrade is performed or Support Packages are loaded into the system, the system needs to take care of this exceptional situation. When loading Support Packages into the system, CRTs (Conflict Resolution Transports) are loaded with the Support Packages. During upgrades, the IS_SELECT phase will take care of this. However,

you still need a special upgrade-software kit, which does contain the new IS-Solution.

The second type is basically an add-on and is installed on top of the standard

“core” R/3.

Figure 4.44: Two types of SAP IS-Solutions.

An example of the second type IS-Solution is IS-Utilities, which can be installed into an R/3 system that has been already used for several years. . With SAP ERP 6.0 it is possible to use multiple IS-Solutions in a single SAP system.

Next to IS-Solutions, SAP has released all kinds of add-ons to R/3 and other components. These add-ons are, for example, PI, or Plug-Ins, that are used for BW, APO, or SAP Enterprise Portals. Other add-ons are, for example, SAP EH&S (Environment Heath and Safety) for management of dangerous goods and SAP FS-CD (Financial Services Collections and Disbursements) for the insurance companies. The installation process is similar to IS-Solutions and may also modify standard SAP coding. Therefore, you need to know what add-ons are installed in your SAP system. As mentioned in previous sections, as of SAP ERP 6.0 all Industry Solutions are embedded in the system by default. However, it just becomes active after the Industry Solution is switched on.

TIP Use transaction code BAOV or look at table AVERS to see what IS-Solutions or add-ons are loaded on your system.

4.9.1 Installation Using R3up

The installation process of IS-Solutions differs from product to product; certain (recently released) solutions are installed using transaction code SAINT and other products, such as IS-Oil and IS-Utilities, use R3up (same tool as the R/3 Upgrade tool) to install.

The following phases are executed to install an IS-Solution using R3up:

Phase Description Log file

INITPUT Enter all parameters

DBCHK Determine RDBMS release DBINFO.LOG

RFCCHK RFC connection test RFCCHK.LOG

BATCHCHK Check Batch engine BATCHCHK.LOG

VERSCHK Check SAP release ADDSPAREQ Prepare DB space check

EXECIS Check for installed IS-Solutions EXECIS.LOG IS_CHK Display installed IS-Solutions ISOUT.LOG READDATA Read software from CD-ROM

KEY_CHK Enter key from OSS note

PATCH_CHK Check status of Support Packages PATCHOUT.LOG CLNT_CHK Client locked or updated? CLNTOUT.LOG CNV_CHK Check TBATG conversations TBATGCHK.LOG

TRBATCHK Check if TRBAT is empty TRBATCHK.LOG

INTCHK Check if inactive nametab is empty DDXTnCHK.LOG IS_READ Copy IS-Solution to /usr/sap/put

SPACECHK Check DB freespace DBINFO.LOG

FREECHK Check OS filesystem freespace

ISC_IMP Import IS command files ISC_IMP.LOG IS_MERGE Check imported command files

JOB_RDDIT021 Merge add-on in table TODIR RDDIT021.LOG

REPACHK Check for open repairs REPACHK.LOG

ADJUSTCHK Determine DDIC object adjusted ADJUSTCHK.LOG MODPROF Stop system and adjust profiles ALPUPDP.LOG STARTR3 Start R/3 system

DDIC_yy Import of DDIC objects DDIC.ELG

JOB_UMOD20 Adjust BSEG table PSUMOD20.LOG

ACT_yy Activate new DDIC objects ACT.ELG

CON_yy Conversion of DDIC objects CONV.ELG TABIM_yy Import entries in tables TABIM.ELG ADOIM_yy ADO import, conv.matchcodes ADOIM.ELG

XPRA_yy Run XPRA reports XPRAS.ELG

JOB_RDDIT023 Update AVERS table PDDIT023.LOG

JOB_RSSPAM02 Load missing CRTs RSSPAM02.LOG

JOB_RDDIT020 Update AVERS table again PDDIT020.LOG

END Load end ENDCOMS.LOG

ENDCHK Test target system

MODPROFP Modify profiles and start system ALPUPDP.LOG CHK_POSTUP Display P errors

SPAUINFO Display SPAU list EXITINFO Display exit information

Most of the phases and their sequence are exactly the same as with a release upgrade.

4.9.2 Installation Using SAINT

Besides using R3up as an add-on installation tool, SAP also uses another tool to deploy add-ons. The transaction code SAINT will start the SAP Add-On Installation Tool, which is part of SPAM (SAP Patch Manager). When you patch the SPAM tool, you also patch the SAINT tool; therefore, it’s called a “SPAM/SAINT” patch.

Figure 4.45: SAINT SAP Add-On Installation Tool. ©Copyright SAP AG.

The SAINT tool is relatively easy to use. It offers an “installation” wizard that guides the engineer through the entire installation process. The steps the SAINT tool uses to import software into your SAP system are quite similar to the way Support Packages are imported.