Maintenance Optimizer 
The Maintenance Optimizer leads you through the planning, download and implementation of new software versons in existing systems. This includes the following actions:
Implementing support package stacks, which contain a set of support packages for your systems.
Implementing enhancement packages and upgrades, for which the Maintenance Optimizer provides the required files.
The Maintenance Optimizer gives you an overview of all maintenance activities in your system landscape.
Integration
This section explains the applications to which the Maintenance Optimizer is connected, and the functions resulting from this integration.
The Maintenance Optimizer is connected to the SAP Support Portal of the SAP Global Support Backbone. It supports you as follows:
It takes you directly to the area of the SAP Software Distribution Center for the product that you have selected for maintenance, in the SAP Service Marketplace.
You must logon with your S-user. The S-user is your SAP Service Marketplace user ID. For more information see S-Users in the Maintenance Optimizer.
It reads the download basket of your S-user.
This is a prerequisite for the approval of selected items in the download basket for download. For further information, see Approve and Download Files in Download Basket.
It gets the confirmed items in the maintenance transaction.
To specify maintenance transactions, the Maintenance Optimizer needs landscape data. This is collected, by default, in the System Landscape Directory, and passed to the Landscape Management Database (LMDB) in SAP Solution Manager, for further processing. It is then available to the Maintenance Optimizer.
You can download the maintenance files provided by the Maintenance Optimizer, with the Download Manager.
The functional scope of the Maintenance Optimizer can be extended by the Software Lifecycle Manager automatic download functions.
You can use the following SAP upgrade tools to import the maintenance files provided:
SAP Add-On Installation Tool (SAINT)
Support Package Manager (SPAM)
Java Support Package Manager (JSPM)
Software Update Manager (SUM)
ABAP Upgrade Program (SAPup)
SAP Java Upgrade Program (SAPJup)
Features
The Maintenance Optimizer helps you to maintain the implementation status when scheduling and performing maintenance. For more information, see Maintenance Transaction Overview, Maintenance Transaction Steps and Maintenance Transaction Scenarios.
To start a new maintenance transaction, choose a product version. The Maintenance Optimizer proposes product systems for the maintenance, based on the information obtained. You can simulate maintenance transactions.
Product systems are groups of technical systems which belong to one or more products. In the Maintenance Optimizer, you create a maintenance transaction for one product. For more information, see Manage Logical Landscape Information.
It leads you through the following scenarios, in guided procedures:
Scenario |
More Information |
|---|---|
Manual selection of maintenance files |
|
Maintenance:
|
Maintenance Transaction with Installation of a Support Package Stack |
Installation of enhancement packages:
|
Maintenance Transaction with Installation of an Enhancement Package |
Upgrade |
|
Include enhancement packages in an upgrade |
Get Maintenance Files
You can get maintenance files in the following ways, with the Maintenance Optimizer:
Manual selection
The Maintenance Optimizer goes directly to the download area of the SAP Software Distribution Center for the product that you want to maintain.
It approves items in the SAP Software Distribution Center download basket. For further information, see Approve and Download Files in Download Basket.
Automatic calculation
The Maintenance Optimizer determines the files to maintain the selected product system landscape, or the components to install an enhancement package. For further information, see Get Download Files Automatically, under Maintenance Transaction Steps.
It supports the automatic download of automatically-calculated files for product maintenance in your product system.
It simplifies the automatic installation of the files calculated for product maintenance in your product system.
General Functions
The Maintenance Optimizer collects all the necessary information in all scenarios, into one transaction. This includes the users, the system/product combination, to be maintained or installed, the technical systems, and the assigned support package stacks.
It manages the downloaded files, in a central directory.
You can create an XML-based simulation file, which simulates your start constellation with the current status of the product systems. You start a maintenance transaction in simulation mode, or a regular maintenance transaction, from this simulation file. For more information, see Simulation-Data-Based Maintenance Transyction.
The Change Management work center shows an overview of all open and completed maintenance transactions for the user.
In the Queries view, you can also specify complex queries for all maintenance transactions. For more information, see Complex Product Maintenance Transaction Queries.