Scenarios and Recommendations on Using CTS and NWDI (SAP Library

Scenarios and Recommendations on Using CTS and NWDI

Let us compare the following scenarios for transports in an SAP system landscape:

● Using Change and Transport System (CTS) and SAP NetWeaver Development Infrastructure (NWDI) separately.

Using the CTS for ABAP transports and using the NWDI for all Java-based transports.

● Using CTS combined with NWDI.

Using the CTS for transports of ABAP objects, mixed applications (such as PI) and the SAP NetWeaver Portal and using the NWDI for transports during Java-based development.

Using CTS and NWDI Separately

CTS and NWDI are much elaborated transport tools, but there are still some needs to be addressed, for example:

● Synchronization of transports for applications with both non-ABAP and ABAP parts.

● Central management of transports for the usage type Enterprise Portal (EP).

● Central management of transports into all productive systems in one UI.

Using CTS Combined with NWDI

Here, the CTS is used to address the needs described above, so ABAP and Java transports can be combined with CTS to provide:

Automatic synchronization for mixed applications (such as PI); that is, you use a single tool to transport parts of one and the same application instead of using different tools for transporting parts of one and the same application.
Central control of portal transports.
Central control of all transports into productive systems.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text

Transports During ABAP and Java-based Development in the NWDI with and without CTS

SAP NetWeaver transports using the NWDI for transports of Java-based objects and the CTS for ABAP-based objects

The following figure shows the transports in an ABAP-based system landscape in the CTS using CTS’s Transport Management System (TMS). The bottom part shows the transports in a Java-based system landscape in the NWDI using the Change Management Service (CMS).

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text

Combined transports in the NWDI and the CTS

After the assembly step in the NWDI, which produces a Software Component Archive (SCA), the further transport steps can be handled using the CTS TMS. Here, the deployment in multiple test and productive systems can be easily handled:

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text

Note

The CTS is capable also of transporting SDA and EAR files. Therefore, in case you need to transport smaller changes (instead of complete SCAs) very quickly, this is also an option to choose. Later it can be synchronized again with the main transport procedure based on SCAs. This is also true for third-party deliveries (keep in mind the transported files need to be compatible with the Software Deployment Manager (SDM) tool).

Recommendations for Using CTS

The enhanced functionality of the CTS simplifies many transport scenarios in a heterogeneous SAP system landscape. Using CTS is an option, not something you are forced to do. However, its benefits are well worth considering. Have a look at your transport processes to find out how many processes could be simplified:

● CTS and usage type PI.

○ If you are not using the CMS of the NWDI, you should seriously consider using CTS for your PI transports.

○ If you are already using the CMS, you should postpone any planned migration to use CTS up to availability of SAP NetWeaver 7.0 SPS 13, where integration will be enhanced further.

○ In any case, you should evaluate the enhanced CTS options of SAP NetWeaver 7.0 coming with SPS 12 – in the medium and long term, CTS is the best practice recommended by SAP for PI transports.

● CTS and usage type EP.

○ Using CTS is the most mature way to organize EP transports.

○ CTS is the recommended way for these transports starting with SAP NetWeaver 7.0 SPS 12.

● CTS and usage type NWDI.

Usage type DI is by no means invalidated by this scenario; the NWDI is the recommended environment for Java-based development. You can keep the NWDI’s transport management role also in Java-based systems or simply if you are fully content with your processes. You should consider using NWDI in combination with CTS to unify the transports into productive systems.

Note

CTS’s UI has not changed much – an ABAP transport administrator should not need very long to make use of these new functions, while developers who are not experienced in the ABAP world will simply interact with CTS using a Web UI.