System Builder™

Build a new system shell quickly

You need a new clean system (with minimal effort)

Whether it's a new sandbox or training system you're after, or whether you're looking to realign the non-production repositories with production, building that new system usually implies lots of time and effort, not to mention extra disk space and careful transport management. Not so with System Builder!

Our answer

Our solution is to build a new non-production system, with a repository exactly the same as that of production, but without the production client. DSM System Builder provides a standard, extendable solution for making a complete copy of all repository objects and client-independent data in production. The extract can be created quickly, and has a small footprint.

Use this export to create a new non-production system 'shell', with client 000 (contains the basic client-dependent customization supplied by SAP for new clients), client 066 (used by SAP for support), and optionally, client 001 (customization copy of client 000). You can use the standard SAP tools (sapinst) to do this.

The new shell will be in sync with production and is the perfect target system for a Client Sync . You can then use Object Sync to add only the specific data relevant to your purpose (such as training or testing). The result is a system with a smaller footprint, and up-to-date data

System Builder benefits

Create a new SAP system shell using a fraction of the disk space of a complete copy.
Exports the complete repository of your system in minimal time, using parallel processing and table-splitting techniques to improve performance if necessary.
Includes Client 000 and 066 and optionally Client 001 – this means that the system shell is ready for use.
The repository objects and client-independent configuration of the new system are in sync with production.
Add up-to-date data with Client Sync or Object Sync.
You can test or train on the program versions used in production.

FAQs

I usually do a full system copy and then delete the client when we need a new system. How can System Builder improve this process?

For some customers this is a valid alternative to System Builder, but once the system is above 500GB the deletion can take a long time. Also, the disk space has to be paid for in the first place and cannot be returned until the deletion is complete. The process of renaming the database afterwards is also not trivial. With System Builder you copy less data, so it is quicker and more secure, and uses minimal disk space. It is a simple process – you will never look back.

I need to create an empty copy of the Production system in a short amount of time. Can you help?

Yes! That is exactly why you need System Builder. With System Builder you can quickly create a system shell without your Production data – no need to do a full installation. You don't need to spend hours loading all the support packs and transports, and risk missing something.

How much disk space do I need to create a new system shell with System Builder?

You need a similar amount of space to what you would need for a standard vanilla SAP installation of just the repository and client-independent data. With System Builder you don't copy the client-dependent data, so the new system shell is much smaller than the original system.

When using System Builder, do we need downtime on the source (PRD) systems?

No, you don't need any downtime, since only client-independent data will be copied.

System Builder is part of EPI-USE Labs Data Sync Manager (DSM) product suite. It can function independently or together with other products in the DSM suite.