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Customization Change Impact Analysis for ERP Professionals via Program Slicing

The following scientific paper was presented by Panaya's Dror Weiss at the Issta conference in2008. The article describes some aspects of Panaya's core technology which automatically identifies the impact of customization changes, i.e., how changes affect software behavior. As opposed to existing static analysis tools that aims at aiding programmers or improve performance, our tool is designed for end users without prior knowledge in programming.

Written by

Nurit Dor - Ph.D., Chief Scientist, Panaya
Dror Weiss - Senior Programmer, Panaya
Shay Litvak - Senior Programmer, Panaya
Tal Lev-Ami - Ph.D. student, Tel-Aviv University
Mooly Sagiv - Prof, Tel-Aviv University

Read Full Article in .PDF format: pdf impact_analysis_article

How to upgrade SAP Obsolete Functions

What are SAP obsolete functions?

Standard SAP function modules are frequently used by SAP customers for implementing unique functional requirements within their organization. As SAP releases new versions of its ERP such as ECC 6.0, previous versions of function modules are retired from SAP's code base. SAP does so by declaring the old function modules as obsolete.

An example of this is that SAP declares function modules obsolete if they don't support Unicode. If your company undergoes a Unicode conversion then these function modules will require replacements; otherwise you will encounter a definite runtime error.

Example:

1. Search for function: WS_DOWNLOAD
2.Replace with: CL_GUI_FRONTEND_SERVICES

Here are some additional functions that are obsolete in ECC 6.0

- HELP_VALUES_GET
- HELP_VALUES_GET_NO_DD_NAME
- HELP_VALUES_GET_WITH_TABLE_EXT
- HELPSCREEN_NA_CREATE
- K_BUSINESS_PROCESS_READ
- LOG_SYSTEM_GET_RFC_DESTINATION
- NAMETAB_GET

A detailed list of obsolete function modules in ECC 6.0 and their possible solutions is available on the SDN SAP wiki.

How are challenges to obsolete functions resolved traditionally?

Identifying and updating obsolete functions requires reviewing and testing all custom code, searching for updated function modules and recoding where necessary. It's considered SAP best practice to conduct this process with every upgrade project.

How are SAP obsolete function challenges resolved utilizing Panaya?

Panaya's SAP Upgrade Simulation Technology identifies all the custom programs which use obsolete functions, and describes exactly how to adjust the code. These programs can be further analyzed by the customer where they deem necessary.

While all enterprise software customers face the inevitability of upgrading their systems on a periodic basis, many hesitate to follow the upgrade cycles recommended by their vendors. This hesitancy comes from a number of factors, most of which boil down to an essential, industry- wide truth: upgrades have historically been complex, time-consuming, and risky, and have often defied attempts at cost-justification. And with upgrade failures making headlines with all too much frequency - anything from complete business shut-downs to costly but eventually resolved delays - this historical perspective isn't without a rational basis.

There are a number of reasons why companies should undertake a technical upgrade of their SAP system, most of which boil-down to a single essential rationale: technology and businesses evolve, and companies need to maintain a technological infrastructure that can support that change. There are many secondary reasons, including the fact that SAP, like all software vendors, limits the number of years it will actively support a given version of its software. The basic notion of upgrading to support technical and business evolution, however, is a factor behind all other rationales for upgrading core enterprise software functionality like SAP.

TECHNICAL UPGRADE DEFINITION: An upgrade intended to move the system onto the latest technology platform, without implementing new functionality that would change user behavior or business processes.

The Case for the Functional SAP Upgrade

While there is a general consensus that a well-deployed functional upgrade can have a greater overall business benefit than a technical upgrade, quantifying that business benefit is complicated by the vastly different ROI and TCO calculus of a functional upgrade. This difference vis-à-vis technical upgrades is based on an important underlying issue: There is usually a significant change in the overall system use and number of users as a result of a functional upgrade, and that increase in turn can lead to increased deployment costs and, often, hardware and license costs as well.

FUNCTIONAL UPGRADE DEFINITION: An upgrade intended to extend the business process functionality of the existing system. In most cases this involves the adoption of new business processes or the automation of previously un-automated processes. A functional upgrade typically increases the number of users of the system as well.

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