Motivation

If you want to migrate an existing SAP system (running on anyDB) to an SAP HANA database, required steps may be a dual-stack split, a Unicode conversion, a database upgrade of anyDB, an upgrade of your SAP software, and a database migration to SAP HANA. The Software Update Manager (SUM) includes an option that combines the upgrade with the database migration “database migration option” (DMO) for SUM. It is sometimes referred to as the one-step migration procedure, compared to the classical migration (i.e. heterogeneous system copy,  using Software Provisioning Manager).

The DMO is an in place-migration (instead of a new installation): it upgrades and migrates the existing system while keeping the system-ID, PAS hostname, and connectivity settings stable.

DMO for SAP NetWeaver BW and for SAP Business Suite systems

DMO is available with Software Update Manager 1.0 SP09 and higher and can be used for systems based on AS ABAP. It can be used for other target database types meanwhile as well, see respective SAP note for details (see below).

DMO processing overview

The processing sequence is based on the shadow system functionality of SUM: the SUM creates the shadow repository on the traditional database until downtime phase, while in parallel the SAP HANA database is setup (client, schema, …). Then the shadow repository is copied to the target database,  the database connection of the SAP system is switched to the target database, and then the downtime starts. After migration of the application data (including data conversion), the upgrade is finalized and the SAP system runs on the target database. The source database continues to run and the application data in it are not modified, so it remains a fallback throughout the complete process.

Further information

• SAP Note 2426315 on Database Migration Option for SUM 1.0 SP 21
• SAP Note 2472850 on Database Migration Option for SUM 2.0 SP 01

Check the following blog to learn about SUM 2.0:
https://blogs.sap.com/2017/08/10/sum-in-the-family-way/

DMO Guide

• Use quick links http://support.sap.com/sltoolset and navigate to section System Maintenance
• SAP First Guidance – Migration BW on HANA using the DMO option in SUM

Blogs on DMO

• Migration to SAP HANA: Overview Video of Database Migration Option DMO
• DMO: technical background
• DMO: background on table split mechanism
• DMO: comparing pipe and file mode for R3load
• DMO: table comparison and migration tools
• DMO: Handling table comparison checksum errors
• DMO, SAP HANA and the Target DB SID
• Short history of DMO

Blogs on other DMO use cases:

• DMO without software change
• DMO with System Move – the use case to change PAS host during DMO
• Your SAP on Azure – Part 2 – DMO with System Move

Blogs on DMO downtime aspects:

• Optimizing DMO Performance
• DMO: optimizing system downtime …
• DMO: introducing the benchmarking tool
• DMO: downtime optimization by migrating app tables during uptime (preview)
• Phases behind DMO R3load parallel export/import during UPTIME and DOWNTIME to target HANA DB

Blogs on related topics

• Migration of SAP Systems to SAP HANA
• Comparing SAP migration procedures to SAP HANA database
• A better way to migrate your SAP NetWeaver BW from any database to SAP HANA
• Decision Matrix to Choose Best Migration Option of ABAP Systems to SAP HANA
• Software Update Manager (SUM): introducing the tool for software maintenance
• Best Practice Guide – Classical Migration of SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP to SAP HANA

SAP Education offering

• HA250: “Migration to SAP HANA using DMO” – two days classroom training