Reading/Writing to SAP or Customer tables using query analyzer thoughts?

[Former Member]

Im trying to find some guidelines for database access to a SAP system using database specific tools such as query analyzer.

Can anyone share any thoughts on the following

- Read/Write access to SAP and Customer Z tables

- Read access to SAP tables, Read/Write access to customer Z tables

- Read access to SAP tables, and customer Z tables

- No access to SAP tables, Read/Write access to customer Z tables

- No access to SAP tables, Read access to customer Z tables

- No access fullstop.

It seems some things would be so much easier to do with query analyzer.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

it doesnt answer my question fully.

What i got from it is it is generally a bad idea to read or write data for SAP tables.

what about customer Ztables. Since this is already a customer customization, the reasons around maintainability, support do not apply. This is also a one off maintenance change.

The scenario is as follows.

Table changes have been made that are being pushed through into productino tonight for a custom Z table, the new fields in the table must updated with certain values. i could do this in a few seconds running a sql update as i did in our test system so we could test.

Do you have any comments on this particular scenario

[lbreddemann · Accepted solution]

> what about customer Ztables. Since this is already a customer customization, the reasons around maintainability, support do not apply. This is also a one off maintenance change.

>

> The scenario is as follows.

>

> Table changes have been made that are being pushed through into productino tonight for a custom Z table, the new fields in the table must updated with certain values. i could do this in a few seconds running a sql update as i did in our test system so we could test.

Well, sure it'll be done in a few seconds, IF no problems occur.

But what's the plan for when errors occur?

Just running an SQL could perfectly lead to serious issues on your database, ranging from performance issues to strange and hard to analyze locking situations.

And do you run this as a script that passed QA is source controlled and isn't modified afterwards?

This definitively is all about maintainability.

Since even Z-Tables are defined and maintained vie NetWeaver, the best way to do this would be to write a ABAP report to do the job for you.

If you ask me - avoid direct SQL access e.g. via SQL*Plus whenever possible.

The benefit of the quick and easy access does not fit the risk you accept to take by using it.

regards,

Lars

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

That solved my problem. I wrote a little abap program that ran two update queries. im not happy that i have a rogue one off program in production now, but if thats the norm in a SAP world i can live with it.

Off to a side question now but still related. Whats the general feeling about accessing tables through direct table access that are not used within SAP at all?

The reason why one would want to do this is to maintain a consistant change management system. Transporting database changes through dev/test/prod would be nice to have for our external developments in .net.

[lbreddemann · Accepted solution]

> The reason why one would want to do this is to maintain a consistant change management system. Transporting database chanes through dev/test/prod would be nice to have for our external developments in .net.

Well, there's surely no problem with that.

Anyhow, the whole tablestructure change management in NetWeaver is only available for tables that are present in the ABAP dictionary.

Since your .net development really shouldn't happen in the ABAP/J2EE schema, this feature won't be available for your stuff there.

In general the SAP tools for change management are quite OK, but just for the SAP stuff...

regards,

Lars

[lbreddemann]

It seems that these questions keep coming up over and over again.

This time it's just in green instead of the usual purple...

I've commented already quite sometime on this and even wrote a blog...

So the easiest way would be to follow the links starting with this:

and this

and this

[Questions to SAP Support: Is ODBC access to the database a good idea|https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/weblogs?blog=/pub/wlg/9742] [original link is broken] [original link is broken] [original link is broken];

Any open questions after reading this stuff?

shoot!

regards,

Lars