SAP BI/BW - SAP LANDSCAPE

LandScape is nothing but setup or arrangement the sap servers.SAP has divided the landscape into three different servers.

1. DEV    - Development Server.
2. QAS    - Quality Assurance Server.
3. PROD - Production Server.

Development Server (DEV) 

This is the place where all the functional/technical consultants would work.All the development has done here only.

It has multiple clients  : Sandbox,Golden,Unit test.

Sandbox : The word sand means draw something on it and rub it if do not match or meet the correct figure.This is the place we can do anything  and doesn't effect on other servers or clients.In the Initial stage of the implementation project you have given a sandbox server to do all the configuration or customization based on companies requirement.

Golden client :In this place the real configuration has done as per the requirement.If satisfied with configuration,they transport it to the quality server for testing and if not they re-do the configuration to meet the requirement.This is very clean and neat client we cannot use it for rough usage like the sandbox.Master data cannot configured in golden server.

   If you configure/customize the work and when u save the work the system generates the Alpha-numeric number is called Transport Request (TR).

Unit test : Here we test the development and configuration changes before we transport them into the another system or server.

Quality Assurance Server (QAS) 

Quality server is where the Sap QA people will test the customization.

It has clients : Integration test,Training.

Integration testing : If we done a transaction on one module (ex : MM) it will be affected on other function modules of sap server.So to identify the affected modules based on the transaction we do Integration Testing.

Production Server (PROD) 

This is the client where the business people will work after project Go-Live.It is a live system where business processes are executed.

The below diagram can give the summary information about the 3 servers.

Functional/Technical consultants can have direct access to development sever .Some times they will have chance to access Quality server.

         Sap QA people can work on Quality server only.

         Business people can have access to production server only.

Apart from this, We have 3 types of  System Landscapes.

1. One System LandScape 

Sap do not recommend one system landscape containing all clients (Development,Quality and Production) in a single system.If the system is used  productively,you can no longer develop in it and test in it unless you stop productive operation.

2. Two System LandScape 

         In this land scape system Quality assurance clients also included in the development system DEV.The disadvantage of two system landscape is cross-client data is used in both customizing and quality assurance clients.This means that any changes in the cross-client data customizing client can affect the tests in the quality assurance.

So SAP recommends Three System LandScape

3. Three System LandScape :

            If we do change the data in Customizing (Golden) client ,the transport(Change) request will be generated .When you release the transport request , then it is transported to Quality assurance client.In the QAS the testing will be done by the QA people.If the test is successful then the TR will be transported to Production client.