Synchronizing Customizing Data (SAP Library

Synchronizing Customizing Data

The set of Customizing data objects to be synchronized in a specific distribution depends on the ALE business process used in that distribution.

Another important factor is your company’s "distribution philosophy". "Centralizers" usually prefer to maintain too much data centrally rather than too little, whereas "individualists" tend to steer away from central control.

SAP provides you with two methods for comparing Customizing objects:

System-wide synchronization of Customizing objects

This is in ALE Administration under (Services ® Customizing data ® Customizing Cross-system viewer)

Note

If one of the participating systems has got a Release status earlier than 4.6A, you have to use an object synchronization tool in the ALE Implementation Guide. (Modeling and Implementing ALE Business Processes ® Synchronization of Customizing Data ® Modeling Before Release 4.6A (with CONDAT) ® Check Consistency of Customizing Data Distribution. Then run a Repository report to get a list of Customizing data objects to be synchronized.

For every setting you make in the Implementation Guide, you can find out from the system what the associated customizing data object is.

When you are ascertaining the control data objects, take account of the following:

You should maintain the entire organizational structure of your company centrally if possible.
You should consider distribution scenarios that you may want to use in the future as early as possible in your planning. Once systems have drifted apart, it is quite difficult to get them back into line.

Once you know which customizing data objects need to be synchronized across the different systems, you have to decide how they will be distributed.
You will probably find that you end up with a heavily centralized view of the system – in other words, you will have a central maintenance system for all the customizing data that has to be synchronized across the systems.