The solutions of SAP Business Suite 7i2010 are based on SAP NetWeaver 7.02 (SAP Enhancement Package 2 for SAP NetWeaver 7.0), which in turn consists of Usage Types.
SAP NetWeaver systems are configured for a certain purpose, as indicated by Usage Types.
• are structuring element for SAP software on a technical level.
• determine the intended purpose of an SAP system.
• are realized by installing and configuring a collection of software components.
• may require other Usage Types in the same SAP system to operate.
The following lists the usage types for SAP NetWeaver:
• Application Server ABAP (AS ABAP)
• Application Server Java (AS Java)
• Enterprise Portal Core (EPC)
• Enterprise Portal (EP)
• Business Intelligence (BI)
• Business Intelligence Java Components (BI Java)
• Development Infrastructure (DI)
• Mobile Infrastructure (MI)
• Process Integration (PI)
AS ABAP is the basis of SAP ABAP systems.
AS Java is the basis of SAP Java systems.
EPC provides full portal capabilities.
EP adds additional capabilities such as knowledge management and collaboration to EPC. Usage Type EPC is therefore a prerequisite for Usage Type EP.
BI provides Business Warehouse (BW) capabilities, such as Enterprise Data Warehousing, Enterprise Reporting, Query, and Analysis, and Business Planning and Analytical Services.
BI Java is used to provide the Java runtime for IT scenarios such as Enterprise Reporting, Query, and Analysis as well as Business Planning and Analytical Services.
It enables variants such as Information Broadcasting and Ad-hoc Query & Analysis.
It also enables Web Dynpro-based BI applications and third party data access via Universal Data Integration. BI Java requires Usage Types EP and EP Core in the same SAP system. BI Java is BEx Web (Business Explorer Web).
DI provides the environment for all processes of Java-based development and Java-based software life-cycle management.
MI is used to enable field personnel to participate in a business process in an occasionally connected mode.
PI consists of core components that model, design, automate, and integrate processes in one or more application systems. For the integration of internal and cross-company processes, PI is used to incorporate several the functions. PI was formerly known as XI (Exchange Infrastructure).
Unicode
Unlike other standard code pages, Unicode defines a character set that includes virtually all characters used worldwide and as a result provides consistent, global character encoding. Unicode is defined by the Unicode consortium (see http://www.unicode.org for more information), which consists of leading companies in the world-wide IT industry.
Figure 8: SAP Unicode and Non-Unicode Solution
Up to and including SAP ERP 2004, SAP has provided multiple language support using single code pages as well as multiple code pages in a single installation with MDMP (Multi-Display-Multi-processing), which permits the application server to dynamically switch code pages according to the logon language and language keys
(see SAP Note 73606). However, even in an MDMP system, an individual user can use only the characters belonging to one code page at a time. To enhance language support for SAP Business Suite systems, SAP considers Unicode the appropriate development direction and strategy because Unicode offers a single, consistent, and standard character set encoding for virtually all languages in the world. A code page describes the assignment of one character to one hexadecimal (HEX) value. One (normal: 1 byte) code page represents 256 characters.
• SAP systems support around 40 different languages.
• Only languages belonging to the same code page are usable without restrictions.
• Up to and including SAP ECC 5.0, SAP supports multiple languages with Multi-Display-Multi-Processing (MDMP) systems.
• Since SAP ECC 6.0 MDMP is not supported any longer. SAP recommends to use Unicode as the standard technology to cover multilingual language requirements.
• Single code page systems (Non-MDMP) are still supported for existing SAP systems, but not any longer for new installations.
Hint: SAP recommends to convert existing SAP systems to Unicode as soon as possible. New installations can only be performed as Unicode installations.
Since SAP ECC 6.0 MDMP is not supported any longer. SAP recommends to use Unicode. An upgrade from an existing SAP system older than SAP ECC 6.0 to SAP ECC 6.0 and above requires a system conversion to Unicode. You can find more information at SAP Service Marketplace, Quick Link unicode and SAP Note 79991, SAP Note 540911, SAP Note 745030 and SAP Note 73606.
Generally single code page systems (Non-MDMP / Non-blended code pages) are still supported (with restrictions mentioned e.g. in SAP Note 858869 and SAP Note 838402). However SAP strongly recommends Unicode (for new installation see SAP Note 838402). New releases of SAP NetWeaver and SAP applications based on SAP NetWeaver, which are released in 2007 or later, will no longer support new installations of Non-Unicode systems. Also see SAP Note 379940.
Unicode is the recommended system type for all SAP systems that deploy Unicode-enabled solutions and components.
Unicode is the mandatory system type for:
• SAP systems requiring a combination of languages that are based on more than one non-Unicode code page
• SAP systems that deploy Java applications (for example Java applications, WebDynpro applications)
• SAP AS ABAP systems that communicate with Java components
Lesson Summary
You should now be able to:
• List the technical processes of an AS ABAP based SAP system
• List the technical processes of an AS Java based SAP system
• Reflect the combination of SAP systems and Unicode Related Information
• SAP NetWeaver
- SAP Library at https://help.sap.com: Documentation → SAP NetWeaver → SAP NetWeaver 7.0 → English → SAP NetWeaver Library
- SAP Developer Network at irj/sdn/netweaver
• SAP ECC and SAP ERP: SAP Service Marketplace, Quick Link erp
• Unicode: SAP Service Marketplace, Quick Link unicode
• MCOD: SAP Service Marketplace, Quick Link mcod