Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Nice uses for SAP Change Requests

Two useful tasks that can be performed with a SAP request comprise:
  • Transport of DB table data (customizing, client-dependent)
  • Transport of ABAP program variants (workbench, client-independent)
For obtaining database (transparent) table data do the following:
  1. Txn: SE10: Create new request (F6) of type: Customizing
  2. Assign various properties in the next screen (Description, Project, Target, etc). SAVE
  3. Assume that request is assigned name: R3SK600099. The next screen shows the request tree.
  4. Delete the customizing task belonging to the request! You will not need it (click and SHIFT+F1)
  5. Double-click on the request R3SK600099. You will get a display of the request objects.
  6. Press to edit the objects.
  7. Append objects of type {"Program ID", "Object Type"} = {"R3TR", "TABU"}. Give the name of the transparent table you would like to transport contents for in the "Object Name" column. Press enter to submit values
  8. Click on the key-like button that appears on the "Function" icon. In the "Table Key", insert a star ('*') if you would like all the contents of the table (client-dependent). Play with it if you would like to filter data.
  9. Press enter and SAVE. Use the blue "Table Contents" key in order to confirm whether wanted data is selected (option "Table contents specified by request")
  10. Repeat for each table you would like to export. SAVE each change
  11. When finished, go back to the request display. The request tree now should show the table names and the given key expression. Any entry not having a key at all will import no data.
  12. Release the request (F9).
  13. Use Txn: STMS to transport the request, if available. Otherwise, the /usr/sap/trans/{cofiles, data} directories contain files to be used for transfers to other R/3 systems.
Note for the above-mentioned procedure, that Txn: SM30 achieves similar results in a simpler way.

For transporting variants of selected programs, a simpler procedure can be used:
  1. Use Txn: SE38 to run program RSTRANSP (Select Report and Variants for Transport).
  2. In the provided selection screen, insert wanted program names associated with wanted variants
  3. Insert the filter for variants if required.
  4. In the resulting list, compiled by R/3, check if all wanted variant data is selected
  5. Proceed with assigning a (Workbench) request (you can re-use one if required)
It's so much fun!