What i gather on SAP HANA Database Backup and Recovery

Some updates in SAP HANA don’t just tweak the interface—they actually reshape how you manage critical operations like backup and recovery. Recently, I’ve noticed a few changes that genuinely improve how I handle database protection and restoration.

🛡️ Backup Retention: More Control, Less Risk

One of the most practical changes is the ability to flag backups as retained. This means you can mark certain backups so they’re protected from automatic deletion—whether by scheduled cleanup jobs or manual catalog commands. It’s a safeguard I find especially useful for compliance or milestone backups that you absolutely don’t want to lose.

Before this, I had to rely on external storage policies or naming conventions to protect key backups. Now, SAP HANA lets me lock them in place directly within the system.

🔐 Encrypted Backup Checks: Smarter Validation

Another improvement is with the hdbbackupcheck tool, which now supports encrypted backups. That’s a big deal. Previously, checking the integrity of encrypted backups required extra steps or workarounds. Now, I can validate them just like any other backup, which makes my audit process cleaner and more secure.

🧠 Diagnostic Tools: More Transparency

SAP also enhanced tools like hdbbackupdiag, which help me inspect individual backups in detail. These tools give me a clearer picture of what’s inside each backup file—especially useful when troubleshooting or verifying recovery readiness.

🔄 Recovery Options: Still Robust, Now More Flexible

The core recovery modes—like point-in-time recovery and most recent state—haven’t changed drastically, but the integration with cockpit and command-line tools feels smoother. I can now navigate recovery scenarios with more confidence, knowing that the system tracks backup history even across upgrades.

That’s something I rely on heavily. If a software update goes sideways, I want to be sure I can roll back without losing continuity in my backup catalog.

🧩 Why These Changes Matter to Me

These aren’t just technical tweaks—they’re quality-of-life upgrades. They reduce the risk of accidental data loss, simplify validation, and give me more control over how backups are managed and restored. In a high-stakes environment where downtime isn’t an option, these changes make a real difference.

My take on SAP HANA Performance Monitoring and Analysis (New and Changed)

Some days, performance tuning in SAP HANA feels like detective work. You’re not just looking at numbers—you’re trying to understand behavior, spot patterns, and anticipate bottlenecks before they become real problems. Recently, SAP has made some thoughtful updates to its monitoring tools that make this process more intuitive and efficient.

🔄 Capture & Replay: Now More Transparent

One of the standout improvements is in the Capture and Replay functionality. You can now start or stop workload captures directly from the cockpit interface, and it shows you useful details like the name of the workload, when it started, and how long it’s been running. That kind of visibility used to require extra steps or manual tracking. Now, it’s right there—clean and accessible.

Exporting replay reports has also been streamlined. You get both the original workload data and the replay results bundled together, which is super helpful when comparing performance before and after a configuration change.

🔐 User Authentication: Less Hassle

Managing user credentials during replays used to be a bit of a headache. Now, you can reset passwords for all replay users in one go, or use secure keys to authenticate them manually. It’s a small change, but it saves time and reduces setup errors—especially when working across multiple environments.

📊 Performance Monitor: More Insightful Visuals

The Performance Monitor now includes a more detailed legend. You can see KPI units, y-axis scaling, and even minimum, maximum, and average values. That extra layer of granularity helps you interpret trends more accurately, especially when you're comparing metrics across time or systems.

🧠 SQL Analyzer: Smarter Views

The SQL Analyzer has gotten a visual upgrade. You can toggle between physical and logical execution plans, and even color-code nodes based on type or location. It’s a subtle but powerful change—it makes complex query plans easier to digest and debug.

📈 Workload Analyzer: Better Navigation

Another neat addition is the ability to jump straight from the Workload Analyzer to the Current Table Distribution page. That’s a big win when you’re trying to understand how data is spread across nodes and whether that distribution is affecting performance.

🧩 Why These Changes Matter

These updates aren’t just cosmetic—they genuinely improve how you interact with the system. You spend less time hunting for data and more time making informed decisions. Whether you're troubleshooting slow queries, testing upgrades, or just keeping tabs on system health, these enhancements make the whole experience smoother and more productive.

SAP HANA System Copy- Homogeneous Backup/Recovery Method - I choose this way

There’s something satisfying about setting up a fresh SAP HANA system that mirrors an existing one. The homogeneous system copy method—using backup and recovery—is one of the cleanest ways to do it, especially when both the source and target systems are running on the same platform and architecture.

🧱 What It Means

“Homogeneous” simply means the source and target systems are technically alike—same operating system, same database version, same endianness. So you’re not converting anything, just replicating.

This method is ideal when you want to:

• Create a test or development system from production

• Refresh an existing system with updated data

• Clone a system for training or sandbox purposes

🔄 How I Usually Approach It

Here’s the general flow I follow:

1. Prepare the Source System I start by making sure the source SAP HANA system is stable and backed up. Using HANA Studio or Cockpit, I perform a complete data backup of the tenant database. I choose a clear naming prefix and make sure the backup directory has enough space.

2. Transfer the Backup Files Once the backup is done, I copy the files to the target system’s backup directory. This part’s straightforward, but I always double-check the path defined in the global.ini file under persistence -> basepath_databackup.

3. Install the Target System Using Software Provisioning Manager (SWPM), I begin the installation of the target system. During the process, I select the Homogeneous System Copy option and point it to the backup files I transferred earlier.

4. Schema and Credentials One thing I always pay attention to is the schema name. If the source system used SAPPRD, I need to enter that same schema during the recovery—even if the target system is called SAPDEV. It’s a common mistake to mismatch these.

5. Recovery and Validation After the system is installed, SWPM uses the backup to recover the database. I monitor the logs to ensure everything restores correctly. Once done, I validate the system by logging in, checking data integrity, and confirming connectivity.

🧠 Why This Method Works Well

It’s reliable, predictable, and doesn’t require fancy migration tools. Plus, it preserves the structure and data exactly as it was. For environments where consistency is key—like QA or staging—it’s a go-to method.

Of course, it’s not plug-and-play. You still need to handle post-copy tasks like:

• Changing system IDs

• Adjusting RFCs and logical system names

• Reconfiguring interfaces and background jobs

But overall, the backup/recovery method gives you a solid foundation to build on.