Cross-Landscape Distribution

The Cross-Landscape Distribution function (XLD function) is used to distribute transports from one landscape to another landscape.

Use

This function can be helpful in several scenarios:

  • Cross-Landscape Functional Developments

    If you develop a custom development package in one landscape and want to distribute the same functionality to other landscapes, for example, functions for the user maintenance or basis reports that should be available in all landscapes.

  • Global Functional Development

    If you have different landscapes that depend on each other, but you do not have a direct transport connection as they differ in some major parts, but you still want to distribute changes from one global development landscape to other local landscape.

Customizing Cross-Landscape Distribution

For cross-landscape distribution, the user has a choice between streamlining all versions of an object or modifying individual versions. In the system-specific settings, the user can select the following options:

  • Strict Mode

    In the strict mode, you can provide a list of development packages and customizing tables for checks that are executed during distribution and change workflows to validate which objects are allowed.

  • Non-Strict Mode

    In the non-strict mode, cross-landscape distribution allows you to distribute any change to any landscape that is configured in SAP Solution Manager. This mode provides flexibility to distribute changes across different landscapes.

  • Target Lock

    For distribution from one system to another, the user can enable target lock to lock the distributed object. If a user attempts to change the protected object, the system shows an error message. This gives the user the choice to receive an object as it was delivered from the source or as a customizable model of the original.

  • Overwrite Original

    Ensures that the distributed object overwrites original versions of the same object in the target system.

  • Overwrite Objects in Unconfirmed Repairs

    Overwrites the object if it has been modified in the target system.

Execution Modes

There are two different execution modes for cross-landscape distribution:

  • Wizard-based execution mode

    You can use a wizard to specify a target change document or a target transport request for the transports.

    In this mode, you can distribute transports to only one target at a time.

  • Automated Cross-Landscape Distribution

    In the automated mode, you do not specify a target because the targets for cross-landscape distribution are configured in customizing.

    The automated cross-landscape distribution only works in the strict mode.

    The automated cross-landscape distribution distributes the transports to several targets at the same time.

Wizard-Based Execution Mode

In the wizard, you can choose to distribute the contents into a change document, or into a transport request. Depending on your customizing settings, only one of these two options may be available.

To simplify the repetition of a successful distribution, you can also reload the previous settings.

Distribution into a Change Document

Prerequisites

  • The source change document has transport requests assigned that contain objects. By default, these transports must be released, but in customizing, you can allow the distribution of open transports.

  • A target change document in the defined status exists (the transaction types and status that are allowed are defined in customizing).

  • The target change document must have an open transport request assigned.

  • You use the business role /SALM/SM_PRO.

Context

You use cross-landscape distribution to copy the content of the transport requests that belong to a change document into a different landscape. The target is a different change document.

Procedure

  1. In the source change document, in the Transport Management assignment block, open the Cross Landscape Distribution wizard by choosing Cross Landscape Distribution. You may need to choose More to see this option.

  2. On the first page of the wizard, choose Next to define a new distribution.

  3. Select the target Change Document of your distribution.

  4. Choose the target change cycle.

  5. Select the target change document.

    If you cannot find your target change document in this list, it might have the wrong status.

  6. Verify the target cycle and the change document selected in the previous steps and start the distribution.

Distribution into a Transport Request

Instead of copying the content of the transport requests assigned to the source change document into a change document in a target change cycle, you can also copy the objects directly into a transport request in the target landscape. In this case, the target of the cross-landscape distribution is an open transport request in the selected target system.

Prerequisites

  • The source change document has transport requests that contain objects assigned. By default, these transports must be released, but distribution of open transports can be allowed in customizing.

  • A target transport request exists and is not released.
  • You use the business role /SALM/SM_PRO.

Procedure

  1. In the Transport Management assignment block of the source change document, open Cross Landscape Distribution and define a new distribution.

  2. Instead of selecting Change Document as target of your distribution, select Transport Request.

  3. Select a target system and client.

  4. Select the target transport request in the selected system and start the distribution.

Repeated Distribution

Prerequisites

  • You have already executed a distribution successfully.

  • You use the business role /SALM/SM_PRO.

Context

To simplify the repetition of a successful distribution, you can reload the previous settings.

Procedure

  1. In the source change document, in the Transport Management assignment block, open the Cross Landscape Distribution wizard by choosing Cross Landscape Distribution. You may need to choose More to see this option.

    The first page of the wizard shows an overview of the previous distributions that were executed for this change document.

  2. Select one of the previous distributions and choose Confirm and Start Distribution.

    All settings from the selected distribution are reloaded.

  3. Verify the target change cycle and change document or the target system and transport request and start the distribution.

Automated Cross-Landscape Distribution

If you use the Automated Cross-Landscape Distribution function, the target transport requests are created automatically and assigned to the current change document. Automated cross-landscape distribution only works in the strict mode.

To execute the automated cross-landscape distribution for the transports of a change document, in the Transport Management assignment block of the change document, choose Automated Cross Landscape Distribution. You may need to choose the More button to see this option.

Automated cross-landscape distribution distributes the transports to several targets at the same time.