MIT SAP Transport Request Process FAQs
Production Transport Request
What is the Transport Request Process?
What is a Transport Request?
What is ZUTTREQ?
Who completes ZUTTREQ?
What are the MIT SAP R/3 environments?
What is the default transport path?
How do I request a transport from Development (SF2) to Quality Assurance (SF5)?
How do I request a transport from Quality Assurance (SF5) to Production (PS1)?
What information should be communicated
to fellow developers regarding validation rules or configuration changes?
When is a Technical Code Review by the ABAP Review Team necessary?
When is a transport considered critical?
What is the submission deadline for a transport request?
When are transports processed?
What happens when the scheduled transport day falls on a holiday or end-of-month processing?
Production Transport Request
What is the Transport Request Process?
The transport request process ensures software development is successfully applied to the appropriate SAP environments. This process involves the release of SAP transports containing the software changes and the submission of the transport request using MIT's custom request program, ZUTTREQ. An ABAP code review is needed if this is new custom development. A completed ZUTTREQ with the necessary approval from the Business Process Owner is required for all modifications or changes transported between SAP environments. See MIT SAP Transport Request Process.
What is a Transport Request?
A transport request created in the SAP Development environment (SF2) keeps a record of the related modifications, corrections, configuration, objects, and documentation. It is used to support customizing and development changes and to ensure application consistency among all the MIT SAP environments.
What is ZUTTREQ?
ZUTTREQ is a custom transport request utility developed within SAP to streamline the transport request process and to ensure that all parties are notified when a change is made that may affect their area. For information on how to run ZUTTREQ, see: ZUTTREQ.
Who completes ZUTTREQ?
The developer or a team member with transport privileges uses the utility to initiate the transport process from the development environment.
When the utility is executed, email is sent to the Information Systems R3-Change Management team, R3-chmgt@mit.edu, the Business Process Owner(s) and the Business Analyst(s).
What are the MIT SAP R/3 environments?
MIT mainly uses the SAP environments listed below; other environments are dedicated to long-term projects.
| Environment Name: |
System:Client
|
Purpose: | Used by: |
| Staging |
SF3:030
|
Where OSS Notes are applied for testing before being implemented in other environments and where the SAP Project Teams introduce new functionality for evaluation | R3-Admin SAP Project Teams |
| Development |
SF2:025
|
Where new development and system maintenance is created and tested before being imported to the Quality Assurance environment (SF5) | Developers Business Analysts |
| Quality Assurance |
SF5:030
|
Where all system development and modifications are fully tested before being transported to any other environments | Developers Business Analysts MIT Community |
| Practice & Training |
SF6:030
|
Where the MIT community can familiarize themselves with the SAP functionality without affecting the Production environment (PS1) | MIT Community |
| Training |
SF7:100
|
Where hands-on exercises are performed during MIT-offered SAP Training courses | Trainers and their students |
| Production |
PS1:030
|
Where MIT's daily business is conducted. System of record | MIT Community |
What is the default transport path?
SF3 
SF2 used for OSS Notes.
SF2
SF3 and SF5 used for configuration, customizing, and development changes.
SF5
PS1, SF6, and SF7 used for fully tested and approved changes.
How do I request a transport from Development (SF2) to Quality Assurance (SF5)?
The developer with SF2 transport privileges completes ZUTTREQ in the development environment by entering the transport numbers, the required request information, and executing the utility that sends email to the Information Systems R3 Change Management team, R3-chmgt@mit.edu.
If the developer does not have SF2 transport privileges, a person from the team with SF2 transport privileges should complete ZUTTREQ.
Alternatively, the developer can complete ZUTTREQ and send it to a person with SF2 transport privileges for review and approval. The approver should be someone closely associated with the project or functionality affected by the changes in the request. This person reviews the request for completeness and emails the request to R3-chmgt@mit.edu with a cc: to the developer and other interested parties.
How do I request a transport from Quality Assurance (SF5) to Production (PS1)?
After testing is completed in the Quality Assurance environment, the Business Process Owner has the opportunity to update their copy of the ZUTTREQ email with the test results, their approval comment, and then forwards the request to the Change Coordinators, sap-chg@mit.edu. This indicates the change is ready for production implementation and is approved by the Business Process Owner.
What information should be communicated to fellow developers regarding validation rules or configuration changes?
Whenever a proposed change affects configuration, alteration of a field on a transaction screen, or changing the status of a field, inform the developers via a message to mit-abap@mit.edu to avoid problems where one change unexpectedly affects another business area or SAP module.
If possible, explain the circumstances in which the validation or substitution rule is invoked, what transpired prior to the rule change, and the expected effect of the rule change. Also, inform developers of the transactions, screens, or programs that are affected by the change.
When is a Technical Program Review by the ABAP Review Team necessary?
A Technical Program Review is required when the transport involves any of the following new:
- report programs
- online programs
- includes (regardless if main program is old or new)
- function modules
- form routine pools
To arrange a review, send email to ABAP-REV@mit.edu containing the program name and a brief description. It is recommended that reviews be requested when transporting the program from the development environment to the test environment. Adherence to the development standards and changes that affect program performance must be addressed before submitting a ZUTTREQ for production implementation.
When using ZUTTREQ to generate the transport request for the Quality Assurance environment and new programs are within the transport, a prompt automatically displays asking if mail should be sent to ABAP-REV. When you select yes, ABAP-REV@mit.edu is added to the cc:list. The team replies to the email with their review comments and ABAP programming suggestions.
When is a transport considered critical?
A transport is considered critical when it contains a resolution for any of the following business issues:
- The application processing has halted.
- The calculation or formula for a business process is affected.
- SAP OSS Notes critical to system processing are applied.
A transport prioritized as critical can be requested at any time for production implementation. Whether the transport can be processed during the day or after business hours depends on the effect of the changes. These requests require the developer's availability in case R3-Admin needs clarification or has difficulty with importing the transports or with getting the Business Process Owner's approval.
A request that does not meet any of the above criteria will be considered normal priority, and processed accordingly.
What is the submission deadline for a transport request?
Normal transport requests from the Quality Assurance (SF5) to the Production (PS1) environment must be submitted to the Change Coordinators by 3:00 pm Thursday afternoon.
Critical requests can be made at anytime, depending on the effect to the Production environment. The Change Coordinators, sap-chg@mit.edu, should be notified as soon as possible whenever a critical request is in progress.
When are transports processed?
Transports to the Quality Assurance (SF5) environment are processed daily, and transports to Production (PS1) environment are processed between 6:00 pm Thursday evening and 9:00 am Friday morning. Transports to the Training (SF6 & SF7) environments are processed after being imported into Production.
What happens when the scheduled transport day falls on a holiday or end-of-month processing?
If the scheduled transport day (Thursday) falls
on a holiday, the production transport process occurs on the preceding
day.
If the scheduled transport day is the last business day of the month,
the production transport process occurs on the preceding day. If
the transport request is critical for end-of-month processing, the
transport can be imported that evening with proper notification.
For more information regarding the MIT SAP R/3 Transport Request Process, please contact .
