Consistency of database disk blocks - stopping I/O activities or executing DATABASE BEGIN ONLINE BACKUP command, flushing cache, etc.
Challenges with SAP system copies
You should also create a delta list for all transports that have not yet reached the production system. Software contained in open transports is lost during the upgrade, which may seem useful for cleaning up the system, but can have dire consequences for development projects. That's why you should take a close look at delta transport lists before proceeding with the upgrade. UC4 Automated System Copy allows you to automate the above steps. If necessary, you can add additional steps without losing testing capabilities.
Internationally active companies that operate systems with several terabytes of data and hundreds of users in different time zones depend on high system availability. If necessary, the system is copied incrementally, table by table, on weekends and at night. Complete shutdown of the production system is best avoided altogether.
Before shutting down the target system
There are various ways to tame this time robber and reduce run times. For example, through parallelization or the automatic generation of secondary indices.
Of course, time savings also mean money savings. In addition, these processes for system copying using such automation tools can be planned, standardized and always run at a high level of process quality. Especially the latter is of great importance in SAP Basis departments (and of course also for service providers).
With "Shortcut for SAP Systems", a mature and yet very cost-effective product is available that offers useful functions for system copies. For example, SAP system users can be backed up and restored. Likewise, system-specific tables can be backed up before the system copy and restored after the system copy. And all this can also be automated.
UC4 Automated System Copy can automate and accelerate this transaction by analyzing the underlying processes and executing them in parallel.
For example, when it comes to creating system copies of a production environment on the test and quality assurance (QA) system.