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Function documentationClient Copier Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

You can use the client copy to create, for example, the following clients:

  • new clients from the SAP reference client 000, during initial installation of an SAP system.

  • Training clients

  • Demonstration clients

  • Test clients

  • Productive clients

The source client can be in the same or another system.

You can copy selected parts of an existing client into another client, e.g. the user master data with the copy profile SAP_USER, with the client copy tools.

Note Note

You should use the profile SAP_CUST to copy client 000 to create your first client, because the consistency of the application data in the SAP delivery client is not guaranteed.

End of the note.

Note Note

You no longer have to transport clients before you can copy them between systems. You can make a remote copy instead. SAP will continue to support the transport function.

End of the note.

Integration

Target client

You can create a new client in the client maintenance (transaction SCC4). You need a user with sufficient Authorizations for the client copy in the target client.

The newly-created client contains the initial user SAP* with the password PASS, which you can use to copy a client.

Caution Caution

The user SAP* is inactive by default in a new client. To activate the user SAP*, set the profile parameter login/no_automatic_user_sapstar to 0, and restart the application server.

End of the caution.

Note Note

You do not need to delete an existing client before the copy.

End of the note.
Resource requirements

Copying clients requires a large amount of system resources. To avoid premature termination due to bottlenecks, ensure that enough resources are available by:

  • Database storage space

    Perform a test run before copying a client. The total of copied and deleted data in kB is at the end of the log file.

    For ORACLE, INFORMIX, ADABAS and DB2/CS databases, you can check the test run log to see whether there is sufficient database space available.

    Caution Caution

    Storage requirements can only be estimated, because space already allocated, but not yet used, is not taken into account. A client without application data needs approximately 500 MB in the database. In most databases, space made free by deleting data is only available after a reorganization.

    End of the caution.

    Note Note

    For pool tables, the estimate is very imprecise, because their extent size is very large. You must assume that a new extent is required for each pool table, which must be added to the estimate.

    End of the note.

  • Runtime

    Copying a client can take several hours or even days. Users or background processes in clients other than the source or target clients, can make the time longer. For example, locks in a third client in the same system can delay the processing of objects. It is technically possible to work in the system during the client copy. However, it is recommended not to, or only to do so in absolute exceptions, as this can cause inconsistencies.

    Caution Caution

    You may have to increase the standard timeout value for these processes if you are working online with slow databases, large clients or clients with a lot of users:

    1. To increase the default timeout value, call the transaction Maintain Profile Parameters (RZ 11).

    2. Specify the profile parameter rdisp/max_wprun_time.

    3. Choose Display.

    4. Choose Change Value.

    5. Specify a new value for the profile parameter.

      We recommend a value of 2000 seconds.

    If you use parallel processes, dialog processes are used even if the job is scheduled in the background. The standard timeout value is usually sufficient. If the database is loaded by additional processes, it can be advisable to increase the profile parameter.

    End of the caution.

  • System load

    Copying or transporting a client can take a long time because large amounts of data are moved. One or more dialog processes are occupied for this time. The database interface is heavily loaded.

Protecting clients against user logon

  • You must ensure that no users logon to the system during the copy. For technical reasons, only the target client is locked. If, for example, the lock is not reset after a copy is cancelled, you can reset it by calling the transaction SCC3 in any client.

    Caution Caution

    Users who are in the target client before the start of the copy cannot be locked automatically, so you must ensure that they leave the system.

    End of the caution.

  • The source and target clients should both be additionally protected by a system message (SM02). Monitor compliance in both clients (for example, in SM04)

  • You should not work in the source client either during the copy.

Clean up

If you want to use SAP Query in the new client, you must do some postprocessing. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter SAP Query.

Restrictions

  • You cannot access archived data in the target client if the target client number is not the same as the source client number.

  • Change documents (tables CDHDR, PCDHDR, CDPOS, and PCDPOS): Change documents of user management and logs of the generic log storage (application tbales BAL*) are not copied.