by Jessy5246 » Sat Aug 09, 2003 4:38 pm
Dear all:
I don't see what the problem is. SAP has platform independence built in and allows for the OS in logical file name, external commands and other areas where the OS matters. In most other respects the OS does not matter, therefore should not make a difference.
That is why a good programming style is important. E.g., I noticed that a UNIX and an NT installation stored integers differently internally, but it should not affect you if the coding is right. And in UNIX you can do OPEN DATASET on a directory, in NT you cannot (may vary with system).
The most common mistakes are excessive CALL SYSTEM commands with very specific UNIX scripts, hardcoded file names or paths bypassing the logical file names, using an OPEN DATASET with FILTER. Whenever you code for a specific platform, you introduce problems with the next upgrade. The big strength of SAP is, that you can switch DBs and OSs with little effort and some additional configuration, IF you follow the guidelines.
Of course, every installation has cases where the consultant or employee either took a short-cut or did not know better. Some companies even make you put a hard file name as a parameter, so the variant can contain it. It is a little bit more work to do it right, and unfortunately it pays off after the contractors left. Some folks appear to enjoy job security by ongoing maintenance of what they wrote in the first place.
I wish you luck and success with the migration. Focus on the Y* and Z* programs, they are most likely to fail during such an exercise.
Regards,
Wolfgang