Working with SPAU and SPDD during SAP Upgrade

By Sridhar Kasturi, Capgemini India

Support Packs:

These are the upgrades we get for one release of SAP. For example, for component 4.7 you have support pack levels too (you can see this in transaction SPAM). SAP releases support packs for standard corrections which you can also implement separately through OSS notes (if you do not want the import the support pack). OSS notes might not carry all the changes that the SP might bring.  

SAP Note:

When an end user of SAP finds a bug in the SAP product he reports the same to SAP support, SAP developers check the same and develop a correction for the same. This correction is sent to the customer in the form of a NOTE.  

If the same or similar bug is reported by multiple clients or end users, then SAP recognizes such bug corrects them and collects all these corrections in one place and adds some enhancements to the earlier version of SAP and then calls this as a SUPPORT PACK.

Note: In simple words collection of SAP NOTES is a SUPPORT PACK.  

Transaction SPAU:

This is for repository objects (programs, screens, functions, classes, etc.). These have to be compared to the previous versions too and any missing modified code is too re-inserted.

SPAU comes after the downtime phase of upgrade and is carried in normal client.  

Transaction  SPDD:

This is for data dictionary corrections. If any standard tables have been modified, then that object appears in the list and you have to adjust it again after comparing the versions.

OSS note adjustment is also a part of SPDD, where we either reset the OSS note (It will come default with the upgrade version) or apply the OSS note (If OSS note is applicable for our release and if possible note should be applied using SNOTE.)

Working with SPAU

Enter the transaction code SPAU.  

Provide the selection criteria if required and select the necessary check boxes.

Click on Execute (F8).

Following screen will be shown.  

Expand the hierarchy and select your component.  

Open the hierarchy and click on yellow traffic signal.

Then following popup will be shown.

Just click on tick mark of following pop up.

Click here to continue...