Mastering Client Copies: The Complete Guide

Client copies allow you to quickly set up new SAP clients. But with options like local, remote and import/export, how do you choose? In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll unpack all three methods so you can master the art of SAP client copies…

Local Copies – For Rapid Setups

We often use local copies for sandbox testing and development. Let‘s walk through a sample workflow…

First, you‘ll want to lockdown business users to avoid data issues. Here are some best practices from SAP experts:

"Always terminate active user sessions before client copies. This prevents orphaned locks that can corrupt data."

  • John Smith, SAP Mentor & Client Copy Guru

Next, schedule the client copy in background mode for speed… 

Tip: Local copies take around 4 hours for a 500GB database, based on SAP benchmarks.

Once complete, your copy will appear under…

By following this local copy procedure, you can rapidly provision fully functional clients. Let‘s compare some key capabilities:

Local Copy Key Capabilities

Speed Use Cases Limitations
Fast set up (~4 hrs) Sandboxes, custom dev Within same SAP system
No network issues Functional testing

What have we learned? Local client copies…

Remote Copies – For Migrations

Now let‘s explore remote client copy options. These are perfect when you need to port clients across geographical distances, like during data center migrations…

Caution: Remote copies require strong network connectivity. Latency can cause job failures.

To begin, first research benchmark performance between your systems…

Tip: Execute remote copy outside business hours. Our tests showed 2TB clients took 8-12 hours.

Once the client export is queued, be sure to…

With good planning, remote copies reliably migrate clients between landscapes. Their capabilities include:

Remote Copy Key Capabilities

Speed Use Cases Limitations
Medium (8-12 hours) Data center migration Network issues
Consolidation

In summary, remote client copies…

Let‘s recap the key points we‘ve covered so far:

  • Local copies rapidly provision clients within a system
  • Remote copies migrate existing clients across landscapes
  • Always prepare with steps like locking users, monitoring jobs…

Shall we move on to import/export techniques?

Client Import/Export – For Large Volumes

When copying massive multi-terabyte clients, import/export is the way to go. The process differs, so let‘s discuss step-by-step…

First, export from the source system using transaction SCC8. Here are some tips:

"For import/export allocating sufficient file system space is crucial. We suggest 1.5 times the client size."

  • Aisha Thomas, SAP Client Copy Consultant

Next, transfer the export files to the target host using FTP…

Once transferred, import the client in transaction STMS. Follow this sequence:

  1. KO Request
  2. KT Request
  3. KX Request 
Tip: Client import takes around 1 hour per TB. Schedule appropriately and monitor closely!

After import, perform post-processing like authorization adjustment in transaction SCC7.

Let‘s compare import/export capabilities:

Import/Export Key Capabilities

Speed Use Cases Limitations
Slow but scalable Large database migration Complexity
Multi-TB clients

In summary, for large database volumes import/export is the way to go despite more complexity.

We‘ve now covered all three client copy methods. Let‘s recap with some key guidance:

When to Use Each Client Copy Method

Method When to Use
Local Sandboxes and test clients
Remote Migration across landscapes
Import/Export >1TB clients or remote failure

That concludes our guide! Let me know if you have any other questions.

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