FAQ: Upgrade PREPARE

1. When should I start the PREPARE?

Start the PREPARE as early as possible before the upgrade so that you can set up or carry out the necessary preparations in good time.

2. Can I repeat the PREPARE?

You can repeat most of the PREPARE modules as often as you like without resetting the entire PREPARE. You must reset PREPARE only when you make bigger changes to the source release, for example, if you import software such as SAP Support Packages, languages or add-ons (including add-on updates) after the PREPARE is started. In general, however, you should ensure that the relevant modules are completely executed before resetting the PREPARE as described in the upgrade guide. Keep in mind that resetting only changes the status for the upgrade and does not undo any PREPARE database operations.

3. Must I include Support Packages in the upgrade?

We generally recommended that you include Support Packages; otherwise, depending on the Support Package level of the source release, the system carries out a downgrading of objects. This may cause data losses and/or problems in some upgrade phases. For more information, see Notes 73510 and 119738. Furthermore, this is often the quickest method of importing Support Packages.


4. What should I consider when using adjustment transports?

It is important that the transport in transactions SPAU or SPDD is selected in each case using the "Select for transport" button and that the individual tasks are released after the comparison. You must not release the request itself as R3up does this automatically at the end of the upgrade.
If you want to use adjustment transports for SPDD or SPAU from the first upgrade in a system landscape, you must include the same Support Packages in all upgrades of the 'receiving systems' and the Support Package level of the source release must be the same.
The PREPARE then checks whether or not the specified adjustment transports 'match' the objects to be reconciled that were found in the relevant system. However, a 100% match is very rare, so requests that do not match perfectly can also be used to facilitate the adjustment in the subsequent systems (see also the remaining questions in this note).
If there is no central transport directory for upgrade predecessor and successor systems, Note 51046 enables you to use this function.

5. What should I do if the adjustment transport does not match 100%?

We recommend that you use an adjustment transport not checked in SPDD or SPAU only if it matches exactly. However, if more objects are modified in the system than are contained in the adjustment transport, it is essential that you carry out the adjustment for the additional objects manually. Note 124522 describes what to do if an adjustment transport does not match the modifications in the system 100%.

6. What can I do if I have forgotten to select the transport in SPDD/SPAU?

For more information, see Note 68678.

7.  Should/may I include a 'Single Change Request' in BIND_PATCH?

This is only necessary under certain circumstances, for example, as described in Notes 351202, 351204 and 161795.  It is essential that the creator of a change request included there guarantees its compatibility with the upgrade. This is also mentioned in the upgrade guide.

8. How can I check that all my Support Packages specified in BIND_PATCH were actually included?

The Support Packages to be imported in the upgrade are listed in the PATBIND.LST file in the /bin directory. You can check there whether the entries made were transferred.

9. What should I consider when errors/terminations occur during the PREPARE?

In general, you should analyze and, if necessary, eliminate the errors. For this purpose, the output of the PREPARE as well as the log files of the relevant phases (determined from the phase list in the upgrade guide) are helpful. You can find these in the /log directory. As in the upgrade, you can generally duplicate an individual phase by using 'repeat' after the error has been eliminated. In general, you should not reset the PREPARE if errors occur unless specifically requested to do so by SAP support.

10. Should/may I exchange the kernel, tp or R3trans in the upgrade?

We generally recommend that you update the kernel, tp and R3trans of the source release to the most current version before you begin the PREPARE.

However, the kernel and the tools in /exe should not simply be exchanged for the most recent versions of the target release. Among other reasons, there are certain dependencies between kernel and the SAP_BASIS Support Packages which may result in errors - even in the upgrade - in the case of noncompliance. However, these dependencies are automatically determined by the PREPARE. For more information about released kernels, see Note 2110707.

You must not replace any executables in the preexe, pretools and tools directories in , unless this has been mentioned explicitly in a relevant note. They contain special versions of the tools that are not available using the standard download area of the kernel. Apparently, for individual errors, replacing a tool can cause the relevant phase to be terminated successfully. However, this may cause subsequent errors, possibly requiring a resetting of the entire upgrade.

11. Are there recommendations governing how the CDs are accessed?

For optimum performance and to avoid errors due to NFS mounts, for example, you should copy the CDs onto a local hard disk. For more information, see Note 48550. Doing this also significantly improves the performance of the relevant upgrade import phases.

Source: Saptechies.com