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Chapter 7
System Landscape Concept
For an ERP implementation, SAP recommends a system landscape like the one shown in
Figure 7-18. In this system landscape, there are three completely separate SAP systems,
designated as Development (DEV), Quality Assurance (QAS), and Production (PROD).

DEV QAS PROD
210

Transport directory

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FIGURE 7-18 System landscape for SAP ERP implementation

The Development (DEV) system is used to develop configuration settings for the
system, as well as special enhancements using ABAP code. These changes are
automatically recorded in the transport directory, which is a special data file location on
the DEV server. Changes recorded in the DEV system are imported into the Quality
Assurance (QAS) system, where they are tested to make sure they function properly. If
any corrections are needed, they are made in the DEV system and then transported again
to the QAS system for testing. Once the configuration settings and ABAP programs pass
testing in the QAS system, all settings, programs, and changes are transported to the
Production (PROD) system, which is the system the company will use to run its business
processes.
The use of separate systems is important during the initial implementation of an SAP
ERP system, and it is even more important after the Go Live phase. All software packages
have occasional updates, and having systems available to test these updates before
applying them to a Production system can prevent problems. If a company wants to
use features of the SAP ERP system that were not included in the initial project
implementation, then the company should have a process like the one SAP provides
to manage future changes to the production system in a controlled fashion.

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