Transport (SAP)

An SAP transport is a package which is used to transfer data from one SAP installation to another. This data can range from a simple printer driver to a whole SAP client. It can be considered as an "update", with the only difference being that SAP transports are made by the SAP users themselves.

Uses

Most of the time the SAP transports are used to implement some new features in a production system. Since a production system (especially a business-dependent one) can not be used for development (and testing), the implementation process is divided into several phases:

1. A development and a testing installation is created using backups from the production system2. The new features are implemented into the development installation3. This is imported into the testing (or quality assurance) installation using a transport4. After the new features are thoroughly tested, it is imported into the production system using another transport

The biggest drawback of the transports is that the changes they make cannot be undone i.e. after an import goes wrong, usually full system restore is needed. Despite this fact the transport system is the most convenient and effective way of implementing new features into a production system with a minimal downtime.

Construction

An SAP transport consists of several files. These files are usually located in 5 separate folders within the OS:
*Data files -
*Cofiles -
*Profile files -
*Transport log -
*Support packs -