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Purpose

SAP's client concept allows you to split an SAP System into multiple logical sub-systems - or clients. You can isolate these sub-systems and operate them as separate business units. The following discussion is based on the case in which each customer is mapped to exactly one client. This document focuses only on the production client role, and does not discuss other client roles, such as test, training, or quality assurance (QA).

Multiclient Compliance

All data in a system with multiple clients is located in a common database. A mySAP.com solution can operate with multiple clients if each customer has exclusive access to his or her data in an installation with a shared system platform, database, and central services.

Integration

These requirements lead to three basic questions:

  1. What consequences does the common storage of customer data have on the security and protection of business information? Can the system forbid unauthorized access to data by other clients, particularly with regard to accidental or intentional deletion of data?

    2. For more information, see Data Administration Requirements.

  2. What consequences does having more than one client active simultaneously have for system response times? What effects does the extra client have on performance?

    3. For more information, see Influence on Processes and Runtime.

  3. What consequences do multiple clients have on administration and the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) guaranteed by the service provider?

For more information, see Multiclient Administration.

The multiple client analysis of an mySAP.com solution must answer these three questions. The specified sections discuss these questions in detail.

Since the way in which we answer these questions often depends on the strategy of the basic business scenario, we need to differentiate between two different scenario types:

Provider operations

The provider sets up a preconfigured system solution, customized according to the needs of the industry. In this way, customers buy a complete solution ('ready-made software'). They are not usually authorized to customize the solution themselves, except for a small number of settings. It may also be necessary to differentiate between the following groups of customers:

In this case, each subsidiary has a strictly defined field, and is not in direct competition with the other subsidiaries.

IT service operations with independent companies (group subsidiary scenario)

Unlike ASP operations, the services offered by the provider are restricted to the technical infrastructure, with the application only partly preconfigured by the provider, if at all. The customizing of the solution is left to the customers, there being no difference whether they use the service of a host provider, or organize the application themselves. In this case, customers must be allowed to make customizing changes.

You must take into account the guidelines for multiclient operations that apply to cross-client changes. It is safe to say that systems operating with many different types of customers will place higher demands on how they coexist, than for customers with standardized profiles and little need to make changes.

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