Administration: System Copy vs System Refresh

What is System Copy: To build a SAP system similar to Production data

1) Homogeneous system copy: source and target system using the same operating system
and database system (using database backup/restore)
2) Heterogeneous system copy/migration: source and target system using different
operating system or database system (using SAP specific tools*). Additional info:
http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-8324
What is System Refresh: Refresh existing system data with production data (target system
is online)
1) Database Specific method (database backup/restore)
2) SAP specific method*
*SAP specific tools/method: R3load (for ABAP) and Jload (for JAVA)

Create new DEV/QAS systems

CLIENT COPY VS CLIENT REFRESH

What is the difference between a client
copy and client refresh?
Some times these are the same, For
example, if you are performing a copy to an
existing client for the express purpose of
updating the data, then it is called Client
Refresh.
If you are copying to a newly created client
then it is more appropriate to say client
copy.

Update existing QAS system with latest data

Another way of thinking about this is that a

client copy from production to a QA server
or from production to DEV server is really a
client refresh

Usually Client copy and client refresh both are similar, we say client copy when it is a newly created client and if the
client is already built(i.e, client have some data) we say client refresh.

What is sap system refresh when and

why it is done?

System refresh and client copy can be the same thing. Normally when you want to refresh a
system this normally means refreshing the clients using a client copy like SCCL or SCC8.
A system "copy" is very different as this is far more involved than a simple "client refresh"
Imagine you have a DEV and a PRD system and after 6 months the data in DEV is very old so
you would perform a client copy SCC8 from PRD to DEV using a profile that copies the
application data from PRD to DEV - it actually deletes the data and replaces it with data from
PRD. If however your DEV system died and needed to be completely rebuilt, you would use
"Homogeneous System Copy" - you install the OS, Database and SAP and then process the
system copy - which makes a complete copy of PRD (all clients)
Client copy - a single client refresh from PRD to DEV - can be just application data, or user
data, or configuration or any combination you choose system copy - all clients 100% copied PRD
to DEV

The system refersh is nothing but the deletion of the client and replacing the data from other
client.
For example : you have clients 100, 200 and 300. Suppose when you want to refresh the
client 100 you remove the client 100 and replace it with 200 0r 300 as per your requirement.
Mostly the refresh of clients will be happen at the time of development stage.
System Refresh is a simplified term to Client Copy. Client Copy means copying the production
client on to the quality to test the real data. As recommend by SAP this need to carried out every
3 months.

The process to carry out the same is as follows:

1. Create a client on quality system using txn scc4
2. Create a RFC between Production system and Quality System (need to create on quality
system)
3. Login to the newly created client using sap* and pass as a password
4. Txn sccl to start the client copy. You can test the client copy by selecting the test run option.
(test run will estimate the time taken for the activity).