Transport path with multiple QA and one production

[Former Member]

I am hoping you can provide me with feedback on best practices regarding the transport path that is recommended if we have multiple QA clients, but only one production system.   Our system landscape is as follows: one development system (D), one QA system (Q) which contains multiple clients, and one production system (P).  We have multiple clients in the QA system to allow us to separate out production support and enhancement projects into their own spaces.  With this in mind, how should we move our transports?  Should all transports from D move to all clients in Q?  Or once a transport moves from Q to P, should it be copied back down into all Q clients, and then any outstanding code changes merged back in?

Please let me know if I was unclear, or you need more information.

Thanks in advance.

-Dan

[paul_power · Accepted solution]

Hi Dan,

My feedback would be that it seems that a 4th system, betwen QA and prod is needed, a consolidation system. Thus transports go from DEV to the seperate QA clients, then these are transported to a consolidated client in the consolidation system where all elements are tested together. Then transported as a single transport to prod. This would be my thought.

Regards,

Paul

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Paul,

Thank you very much for your reply.  My concern with the method you suggested is that we cannot be sure when changes will move to production.  We could have an existing object (for example, a custom report) being modified as part of a long-term project, and also require multiple production support fixes while the project is going on.  We wouldn't want to hold up the production support fixes waiting for the new functionality from the project. 

Based on this, would it be best to ensure any production support changes that move to production are copied down to all clients?  After that, the project team would be responsible to merge the changes together to ensure that when their copy of the object is moved, it contains the break-fix as well as their enhancements?

Thanks,

Dan

[tomas_black · Accepted solution]

Hi Dan,

I think you'll have to use the Extended Transport Control feature of CTS on this case.

Take a look here: http://help.sap.com/printdocu/core/Print46c/en/data/pdf/BCCTS/BCCTS.pdf

(sorry I know it is old but it is short and user-friendly, plus the basis concept are there). Check page 33 then 25.

You can leave one (or more) of the clients out of the TMS route (to production). That is, you can create a route from DEV to a particular QAS client and do not extend it to the PRD system, this is possible and will eliminate the concern you reported above, regarding transporting or not changes to PRD.

I hope this helps.

Best regards and merry christmas!

Tomas Black