Frequently Asked QuestionsSAP ERP IMPLEMENTING SAP® ENHANCEMENT

PACKAGES FOR SAP ERP

4 Executive Summary 4 Enhancement Packages Deliver

More Innovation, More Quickly 5 What are enhancement

packages? 5 Why is SAP offering enhance-

ment packages? 5 Where can I preview enhance-

ment package contents? 5 What distinguishes an enhance-

ment package from a standard upgrade?

6 How does this impact support packages?

6 Is there a separate license for an enhancement package?

6 How long will SAP maintain a particular enhancement package?

6 When is the best time to install an enhancement package?

6 How can the system remain stable even when new func-tionality is installed?

6 How much end-user training is needed after implementing an enhancement package?

7 Which tests are necessary when implementing an enhance ment package?

7 Will there be a direct upgrade path available from SAP R/3 4.6c to one of the next enhancement packages?

7 When will the next enhance ment package be released?

7 Can I access (or even install) enhance ment packages prior to general availability?

7 Are enhancement packages cumulative?

7 For which SAP applications are enhancement packages available?

7 Does the SAP ERP solution browser include the new func-tions of enhancement packages?

7 What is the difference between SAP ERP 6.0 and mySAP ERP 2005?

8 When component X is upgraded with enhancement package 2 and component Y is upgraded with enhancement package 3, does SAP still guarantee compat ibility between these components?

8 What happens if I install SAP ERP 6.0 and one more support pack-age than needed for enhance-ment package 2? Can I still install enhancement package 2?

8 How should I proceed if I want to activate a business function from enhancement package 3 but haven’t yet installed enhance-ment package 2?

8 Why is the SPAU transaction necessary before any switch acti vation, even though the software is supposedly not yet changing its behavior?

8 Where can I go to find more information on enhancement packages?

8 Once activated, can a business function be deactivated?

8 How can I try out an enhance-ment package?

9 Is the effort for modification adjust ment the same as it was with traditional release upgrades?

9 Will support packages include functional enhancements?

9 Do I have to activate business functions again after imple ment-ing another enhancement package?

9 When does SAP recommend activating a business function?

9 Where can I find support pack-age requirements?

9 Has the downtime of the instal-la tion changed relative to tradi-tional release upgrades?

CONTENT

SAP is committed to delivering innovation to customers of the SAP® ERP appli-cation. For more than 30 years, SAP has honed its tools and methodologies to help customers adopt new functionalities in an evolutionary manner. The SAP enhancement package for SAP ERP is the next evolution in release management strategies, which enables customers to continuously consume SAP innovations without disruption to their ongoing business operations.

Together with the SAP NetWeaver® technology platform and enterprise services composition sets, SAP ERP can serve as a company’s business process platform.

Enhancement Packages Deliver More Innovation, More Quickly

SAP delivers innovations through enhancement packages approximately every 9 to 12 months. Customers no longer have to plan for major releases. They can now choose to selectively implement the business functions that add the value that matters most to their business. SAP uses enhancement packages as a new delivery methodology to quickly and easily deliver business and industry-specific functionality, enterprise services, and other functions that help improve and simplify the use of SAP software through user interface and other end-to-end process improvements. This rapid, nonintrusive deployment of selected improve-ments allows all customers to innovate the way they want to, according to their own timetable.

The first three SAP enhancement packages for SAP ERP were released to our customers between December 2006 and December 2007. This document addresses frequently asked questions about enhancement packages in general as well as the first two SAP enhancement packages for SAP ERP and their innovative features and functionality.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYENHANCEMENT PACKAGES DELIVER MORE INNOVATION, MORE QUICKLY

4 Frequently Asked Questions – SAP ERP

What are enhancement packages? SAP enhancement packages for SAP ERP are optionally installed software innovations for SAP ERP 6.0. They include functional enhancements, industry-specific functionality, and simplifications – for example, to the user interface. With enhancement packages, you can easily adopt ongoing SAP innovations at a lower cost than full upgrades. In addition, enterprise services are delivered with enhancement packages.

Why is SAP offering enhancement packages?

Enhancement packages allow you to get key innovations more frequently and without disruption to your running enterprise resource planning (ERP) business processes. They are more convenient for you, because you can flexibly choose which part of an enhancement package to install and activate. For example, you can choose which functionality to upgrade to best meet your business needs.

Where can I preview enhancement package contents?

For a list of enhancement package contents, visit the SAP Service Marketplace extranet at www.service.sap.com/erp-ehp.

What distinguishes an enhance-ment package from a standard upgrade?

With an enhancement package, you have the option to update only specific sub-sets of software components related to specific business functions. Afterward, you select and activate business functions; the system behavior will change only where a business function has been activated. This targeted update process is key within the delivery methodology of enhancement packages. Release upgrades, on the other hand, required that all software components that were installed in an SAP software system had to be upgraded regardless of your specific business needs.

Before activation of specific business functions, the installation of an enhance-ment package has no impact on existing business processes or user interfaces. In the past, customers that upgraded from releases lower than SAP R/3® 4.6c software often experienced a change in system behavior that required end-user training, even when no new functionality was added. This situation has improved greatly over the last few years. Customers upgrading from SAP R/3 4.6c or higher have been able to remain stable as long as they do not implement new functions. However, even customers upgrading from SAP R/3 4.6c or higher must still perform upgrade customization to continue using current functionality.

SAP ERP enables you to select specific business functions. When you activate a switch, the changes and their impact become effective without any unplanned side effects in other areas of your running business process.

To summarize: in terms of effort, SAP enhancement packages are lightweight compared to upgrades. They can be installed unnoticeably as a normal mainte-nance activity, together with support packages (SPs).

5Frequently Asked Questions – SAP ERP

How does this impact support packages?

Support packages – which typically include corrections and legal changes to the software – will be delivered as before. The procedure to implement support pack-ages is also unchanged. Moreover, support packages for enhancement packages will be chronologically synchronized with the support packages for SAP ERP 6.0. Thus, for an SP stack for SAP ERP 6.0, you will always find a corresponding SP stack for your enhancement package. SAP enhancement package 2 for SAP ERP 6.0 is delivered as a delta shipment to SAP ERP 6.0. You thus need a minimal technical prerequisite for installing SAP enhancement package 2 for SAP ERP 6.0, which is SAP ERP 6.0 SP stack 10, as documented in the SAP Notes tool – SAP Note #1052470 and related notes.

Is there a separate license for an enhancement package?

No. Just as release upgrades are covered by your maintenance agreement, enhancement packages are also covered; they simply represent a different delivery methodology. Your license agreement provides you with the right to use particular solutions.

How long will SAP maintain a particular enhancement package?

SAP will maintain an enhancement package for as long as SAP maintains the release upon which the enhancement package is based. For example, enhance-ment pack ages for SAP ERP 6.0 will be maintained as long as SAP maintains SAP ERP 6.0, which is currently scheduled to the first quarter of 2013 (mainstream mainte nance), plus two years of extended maintenance, plus one year of customer-specific maintenance.

When is the best time to install an enhancement package?

SAP strongly recommends installing the enhancement package for SAP ERP when performing a regular SP stack implementation. The installation of enhance-ment package 2 and the application of the SP stack should be done together in one queue in the SAP add-on installation tool (known as transaction SAINT). This reduces the downtime and manual effort for the whole installation procedure. In addition, you can leverage synergies concerning modification adjustment as well as regression testing for all software components at that time.

How can the system remain stable even when new functionality is installed?

Development of enhancement packages follows the stable-core paradigm. This means that if you install parts of an enhancement package, your coding will be processed just as before. The enhancements themselves are processed only if a corresponding switch is activated due to a business function. This reliable tech-nology has already been used for industry reintegration into SAP ERP 6.0.

How much end-user training is needed after implementing an enhancement package?

No end-user training is required for a pure installation (in other words, the loading of the enhancement package). End-user training for activation is required only for changes that are not intuitive. The changes are documented in the corresponding documentation for each business function.

6 Frequently Asked Questions – SAP ERP

Which tests are necessary when implementing an enhancement package?

Installing an enhancement package requires a regression test (the same as the test required when implementing support packages).

Activation of a business function within an enhancement package requires an acceptance test of the business function. A proposal for the scope is documented in the test catalog that SAP delivers with each enhancement package. The test catalog can be reviewed in SAP Service Marketplace or (after installing an enhance ment package) in the switch transaction (/sfw5).

Will there be a direct upgrade path available from SAP R/3 4.6c to one of the next enhancement packages?

SAP plans to deliver a support release for SAP ERP 6.0 in the second quarter of 2008.

When upgrading to SAP ERP 6.0, the new upgrade tools included in this support release allow you to optionally include parts of an enhancement package. Thus, you can upgrade in one step – for example, from SAP R/3 4.6C to SAP ERP Central Component (SAP ECC) 6.0, including SAP enhancement package 3 for SAP ERP 6.0.

When will the next enhancement package be released?

SAP enhancement package 2 for SAP ERP 6.0 has been in unrestricted shipment since late November 2007. SAP enhancement package 3 for SAP ERP 6.0 has been in ramp-up since early December 2007. One further enhancement package is planned to be shipped in 2008.

Can I access (or even install) enhance ment packages prior to general availability?

Yes, but you need to apply and be accepted into the SAP Ramp-Up program.

Are enhancement packages cumulative?

Yes. Each enhancement package includes all the functionality and technology enhancements of previous packages as well as all the new enhancements contained in the current package.

For which SAP applications are enhancement packages available?

Currently, enhancement packages are available for SAP ERP. Enhancement packages for the other SAP Business Suite applications are in preparation and are planned for shipment in late 2008 or early 2009.

Does the SAP ERP solution browser include the new functions of enhancement packages?

Yes. The SAP ERP solution browser includes the new functions of enhancement packages. Updates are available with the general availability of each enhancement package.

What is the difference between SAP ERP 6.0 and mySAP™ ERP 2005?

Nothing. The mySAP™ ERP 2005 application has simply been renamed SAP ERP 6.0.

7Frequently Asked Questions – SAP ERP

When component X is upgraded with enhancement package 2 and component Y is upgraded with enhancement package 3, does SAP still guarantee compatibility between these components?

Enhancement packages are cumulative, so when component Y is upgraded with enhancement package 3, component X is also upgraded to the same version. This ensures compatibility of all components. The maintenance optimizer function of the SAP Solution Manager application management solution identifies the installa-tion packages automatically according to this rule.

What happens if I install SAP ERP 6.0 and one more support package than needed for enhancement package 2? Can I still install enhancement package 2?

Yes. The maintenance optimizer feature in SAP Solution Manager identifies the installation packages automatically. After the installation procedure, your software system includes enhancement package 2 and the corresponding SP level. This ensures that no former corrections are lost.

How should I proceed if I want to activate a business function from enhancement package 3 but haven’t yet installed enhancement package 2?

Because enhancement packages are cumulative, enhancement package 3 includes all the business functions of previous enhancement packages.

Why is the SPAU transaction necessary before any switch activation, even though the software is supposedly not yet changing its behavior?

Updating software components means that new versions of development objects are brought into your software. If you have changed those objects in your soft-ware as well, you must adjust your modifications in the newly applied development object so as not to lose your changes. This is independent of any switch activation.

Where can I go to find more information on enhancement packages?

You can find all relevant information on SAP Service Marketplace at www.service.sap.com/erp-ehp.

Once activated, can a business function be deactivated?

No. It is not possible to deactivate a business function. For further information, please see: http://help.sap.com/erp2005_ehp_02/helpdata/en/42/fbded750e61febe10000000a422035/frameset.htm.

How can I try out an enhancement package?

If you wish to try out a business function, we recommend activating it in your sandbox software system that has been created as a copy of one of your existing software systems.

8 Frequently Asked Questions – SAP ERP

Is the effort for modification adjust ment the same as it was with traditional release upgrades?

The effort for SPAU is lower because of the following reasons:• Only selected software components are updated.• Only changed objects are part of the shipment.

The effort is very similar to that usually invested in a support package. By com bining the enhancement package installation with the SP installation, the additional SPAU effort for the enhancement package is minimal.

Will support packages include functional enhancements?

No. The new strategy allows SAP to ship new functionality on a regular basis with enhancement packages. Only corrections and legal changes will be delivered via support packages.

Do I have to activate business functions again after implementing another enhancement package?

No. Once activated, business functions remain activated.

When does SAP recommend activating a business function?

You may do so at any time that is convenient for your business. The activation can take place any time after the installation – whenever it suits your IT and business planning.

Where can I find support package requirements?

Please see SAP Notes #1052522 and #1095233.

Has the downtime of the installation changed relative to traditional release upgrades?

The average duration is significantly lower. The installation duration depends on the number and size of the software components needed for the selected business functions (mapping via “usage type”; please see SAP Note #1052470).

9Frequently Asked Questions – SAP ERP

10 Frequently Asked Questions – SAP ERP

11Frequently Asked Questions – SAP ERP

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