Scenarios and Recommendations on Using CTS and NWDI 

Recommendations for Using CTS and CMS

We recommend that you use CM Services together with CTS.

We recommend that you use the enhanced CTS integration in SAP NetWeaver Development Infrastructure (NWDI) in the Assembly Step in CMS only if it offers benefits for your use cases and if you are already using this option. However, you can still continue using CMS as normal if you are already using it.

The enhanced functionality of the CTS simplifies many transport scenarios in a heterogeneous SAP system landscape. Using NWDI in combination with CTS is an option that can be configured in the track definition. Have a look at your transport processes to find out if CTS is beneficial for managing your system landscape.

Usage type DI is by no means invalidated by this scenario. NWDI is the recommended environment for Java-based development using NWDI’s DTR for source control and CBS for build support. You can keep the NWDI’s transport management role also in Java-based systems if it meets your transport requirements.

The NWDI CTS integration provides an enhanced transport tool, the ABAP CTS to manage and control all transports centrally – the ABAP and non-ABAP transports. The non-ABAP objects provided by NWDI are the assembled SCAs which are automatically attached to a CTS transport request. This transport request can contain other objects, ABAP or non-ABAP objects. After release the transport request is waiting for import into the target system of its transport route. This is done in the ABAP CTS UI.

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.

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

●      Using CTS and CM Services for tight integration of NWDI and TMS

Using CM Services for managing development configurations and TMS for maintaining Transport Landscapes and executing transports.

●      Using CTS combined with NWDI.

Using the CTS for transports to quality and productive systems, using NWDI for source control, build support and transports to development and consolidation systems.

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

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

Using CTS and CM Services for tight integration of NWDI and TMS

For more information about CM Services, see Using CM Services.

Transports of ABAP and Java-based Development with NWDI integrated in CTS

Combined transports of ABAP and Java objects using NWDI in combination with CTS

Using enhanced CTS combined with NWDI address the needs described above, so ABAP and Java transports can be combined with CTS to provide:

●      Automatic synchronization for mixed applications (for example, Web Dynpro Java application together with Portal iView); 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 all transports into productive systems.

●      Traceability of transports, flexible transport routes, scheduling

The CTS integration in NWDI is implemented during the assembly step in the NWDI, where a Software Component Archive (SCA) is produced that is attached to a TMS transport request. The further transport steps can then be handled using the CTS TMS. Here, the deployment in multiple test and productive systems can be easily handled:

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.

Transports of ABAP and Java-based Development with NWDI and CTS separately

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

CTS and NWDI can be used separately. The enhanced CTS is used for transports of ABAP and non-ABAP objects, such as EP content, PI objects, SLD. NWDI is used for Java based development objects. They 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 system landscape.

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

●      Traceability of transports, flexible transport routes, scheduling.

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).