To design a backup and recovery (B&R) strategy, taking into consideration:
· Which system components and which data need to be backed up
· Which methods can be used to perform backups
· Whether and in what situations a consistent landscape backup is required
Unlike traditional SAP R/3 Systems, mySAP solutions use several SAP component systems to implement cross-system processes. Data is no longer held centrally in a single SAP R/3 System but is distributed between several SAP and non-SAP systems.
Data is often held redundantly, although each system can also hold originals of some pieces of data. Data transfer between the systems is automated and must ensure that data is always consistent between the participating systems. There may be different input sources for the same type of data in the same system.
· For example, sales orders in the OLTP system can come from the Internet via the SAP CRM server or can be entered directly in the OLTP system.
From a technical point of view, data may be held in databases provided by different database vendors or may even be held directly in files without using a database at all. Because data is constantly and automatically exchanged between the component systems, there is no common point of consistency between them.
To define your B&R strategy, you need to understand your requirements for restores:
· In a very few cases, you need to restore the whole solution landscape.
· In many cases, it is enough to restore the component affected and synchronize it with the rest of the landscape.
There is no single, universally applicable B&R strategy. Your strategy must be based on your implementation of a specific mySAP solution and specific demands with respect to system operation. But there are guidelines for how to implement your strategy. Relevant factors include:
· Current system landscape
· Hardware and software in use
· Amount of data involved
· Processes implemented
· Distribution of original and replicated data over system components
· Replication intervals
· Special service level agreements (SLAs)
Defined SLAs
Defined technical infrastructure
1. Define general backup requirements:
- Components used in the business scenarios
- Short description of the business processes
- Leading system (original system) for each business object
- Systems in which replications of each business object are stored
- Data flow description for the main business objects
- Availability requirements for the system landscape and for each component
- Applicable SLAs and their time restrictions on backups, restores, and maintenance
2. Define specific backup requirements:
- Backup procedure for each system component
- Backup schedule (for full and incremental backups)
- Scheduling procedure
- Control mechanisms to check backup status
- Tape expiration dates
3. Specify restore/recovery procedures:
- Error scenarios with their respective solutions
- Detailed restore procedure for each component
- How to handle exceptional situations (such as point-in-time restore of a component)
- Usage of additional tools or reports for consistency checks
4. Specify additional security measures:
- Hardware redundancy
- Database consistency checks
- Tape checks
- Storing tapes outside of the data center
- Recovery training schedule and test procedures
5. Determine required backup tools:
- Hardware
- Software
6. Review restore/recovery scenarios:
- When are they performed?
- How often are they needed?
- Is the B&R strategy complete?
Defined B&R strategy