Backing Up with the SAP System 

Use

In the SAP system, you can use the CCMS DB Administration Planning Calendar to schedule backups of the database or transaction log. SAP recommends that you use the Planning Calendar to schedule all regular backups that are part of your overall backup strategy. The calendar offers two approaches:

·        You can schedule backups manually entering all technical details yourself.

·        You can schedule backups using predefined planning patterns that automatically set all technical details for the execution of the backup.

A backup that has been scheduled in the Planning Calendar is displayed in the Job List of the Enterprise Manager. However, a backup that has been scheduled in the Enterprise Manager is not visible in the Planning Calendar.

Procedure

Scheduling Backups Manually

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       1.      To access the Planning Calendar in the SAP system, choose CCMS ® DB Administration ® Planning Calendar
Alternatively enter the transaction code DB13.

The Planning Calendar is displayed.

       2.      Double-click on the header of the day on which you want to schedule a backup.

If actions have already been scheduled on the chosen day, these are displayed.
If not, a list of the actions available for scheduling is displayed.

       3.      Choose either Full Database, Differential Database or Transaction Log Backup from the list of actions. Specify a Start time for the backup. In the Period field, specify the time interval in which the backup is to be repeated.
If actions have already been planned on the chosen day, you have to choose the Insert button before you can access the list of available actions.

       4.      Now a series of dialog boxes appears requiring you to enter a number of technical details. Depending on whether you are backing up an entire database, performing a differential backup or transaction log backup, the entries required are different.

Full Database or Differential Database

Dialog Box	Entry
Select database to be backed up (only appears for full and differential database backups)	Select the databases you wish to back up.
Select backup devices	Select the backup device that the backup will be written to. Generally the default device R3DUMP0 is the correct entry here. For parallel backups, you can only choose one devices type, either disk or tape devices.
Further options	Unload Tape The tape is automatically unloaded Initialize Tape The existing contents of the tape are overwritten. Verify backup Ensures that all files that have just been written are readable. Always select this option. Format tape Formats the tape so that the existing contents and header is deleted Expiration Period Accept the default value of 27 days,  if you are performing the backup in the framework of the overall backup strategy recommended by SAP. Otherwise enter a different value.

If you assume that the backup of the database will not fit on one tape, you need to perform a parallel backup. Prerequisite is that you have installed a second tape device. Select both available devices in the Backup Device dialog box. The backup will automatically be written to both selected tapes in parallel.

If you want to write multiple log backups of one day to a single tape, set the following options:
1st backup: Select Initialize Tape and deselect Unload tape
Intermediate backups: Deselect Initialize Tape and Unload Tape.
Last backup: Select Unload Tape and deselect Initialize Tape.

       5.      When you have completed the above steps, the backup is scheduled to run on the chosen day of the week at the specified weekly intervals. To run the backup on every day of the week, repeat the scheduling process for all the remaining days of the week.

       6.      Before the scheduled backup starts, make sure that the correctly labeled tape volume is inserted in the device. The Planning Calendar automatically assigns the volume a label that complies with SAP naming conventions.

See also:

Backup Device Management

To find out which label has been assigned to a volume, double-click on the header of the day when the backup is scheduled. In the window that appears, select the backup in question and choose Volumes Needed.

The backup device and the name assigned to the tape volume are displayed.

If you wish to modify a backup scheduled in the Planning Calendar, do so within the Planning Calendar and not within the Enterprise Manager. Modifications made within the Enterprise Manager are not visible within the SAP Calendar.

The verify option checks whether a tape can be read, however it does not guarantee that it can be used to restore a database. In particular, when a new tape drive or driver is installed, you can never be certain that the backups are being written correctly and can be used. The only way to make sure is to actually apply them to a test system in a trial restore operation. SAP therefore strongly recommends that you regularly perform restore tests for the backups.

Scheduling Backups with Planning Patterns

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       1.      To access the Planning Calendar in the SAP system, choose Administration ® CCMS ® DB Administration ® Planning Calendar.
Alternatively enter the transaction code DB13.

The Planning Calendar is displayed.

       2.      Choose Planning  ® Planning Pattern.

A dialog box with a planning pattern appears:

5 workdays, DB backup + hourly log backup (8am - 6pm) + Monthly Check DB

       3.      Select the pattern. When you are prompted, enter a time for the daily database backups. All other backups that are part of the pattern are scheduled on the basis of this time.

The planning pattern will only be applied, if there are no collisions with existing tasks scheduled at the same time.
All the backups that are scheduled are subsequently displayed in the calendar.

       4.      Check whether the parameter values that have been automatically set for the scheduled backups meet your requirements. To view the predefined parameters, double-click on the header of the relevant day in the calendar. A list of all the activities scheduled on the chosen day appears. Mark the action for which you wish to check the parameters and then select Parameters.

A sequence of dialog boxes appears showing the parameter values that have been set. Confirm each dialog box with OK in order to proceed to the next one.

For more information, see Working with the Planning Calendar