1. SAP University Alliances
Version 3.6
Author: Gwamaka Mwalemba
ZC Customizing
Product
SAP ERP 6.07
ESEFA curriculum
Level
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Focus
Customizing
If a company is implementing or expanding the functionality of its SAP ERP system, they must adapt the software to meet their individual business requirements. This course highlights some useful concepts for configuring (or adapting) an enterprise system to meet the requirements of the organization’s structure and business rules.

2. Customizing unit overview
Recap – divided software lifecycle
What is customizing?
Customizing vs programming
The Implementation Guide
System landscape
Change and transport system
Customizing sequence
Workshop

3. Recap – ERP divided software life cycle
Requirements
Design
Build & Test
Release
Support
Optimize
Releases & upgrades
Requirements
Design
Build & Test
Deploy
Operate
Optimize
The ERP
Vendor
The ERP
Adopter
Logged errors, user groups, development requests
Customizing

4. What is customizing?
Customizing involves configuring system parameters to reflect the structure and business rules of the organization implementing the ERP.
In SAP ERP, customizing involves specifying/setting up values in some of its tables to allow the system to perform in accordance with specific business requirements.
Customizing is also referred to as table-driven configuration.
Can be client-specific or cross-client

5. Cross-client Customizing Repository (ABAP objects/reports etc.)
Data structure of a SAP System
Client 201
Client <xxx>
Appl.
data
Appl.
data
User
User
Client-Specific
Customizing
Client-Specific
Customizing
Cross-client Customizing
Repository (ABAP objects/reports etc.)
The SAP System organise data into several groups.
Master data as well as transactional data (collectivelly known as Application Data) is client-specific i.e can only be accessed from a particular client. In addition to application data, most organisation data is also stored at cliet level (Client-specific customizing). Client-specific data types are closely interdependent. Thus, when application data is entered, the system checks whether the data matches the client's Customizing settings. If there are inconsistencies, the application data is rejected. Therefore, application data usually only makes business sense in its specific Customizing environment. User access data and user specific settings data are also client specific i.e users created in a client can can only use those details to log into that particular client.
In addition to client-specific data, the system can have other settings that, once defined, are valid for all clients. This data includes:
Cross-client Customizing, such as factory calender
The Repository, which contains all objects in the Dictionary (tables, data elements, and domains), as well as all ABAP programs, menus, CUAs, and so on
In the case of cross-client settings, an ABAP report that was originally developed in a certain client may be immediately usable in another client.

6. Customizing vs programming
Involves table configuration
Sets system parameters in the customizing menu
Is a required part of system implementation
Is mostly client-specific
Code modification or programming
Involves code modification or creating new code/objects/programs
Objects are available to the entire system (cross-client)

7. Customizing vs programming
Appl.
data
Appl.
data
User
User
Client-Specific
Customizing
Client-Specific
Customizing
Customizing
Cross-client Customizing
Repository
Development
Modifications
Corresponding to the various data types in the SAP System, there are various types of changes and adjustments to data.
The SAP System is delivered in standard form and must be adjusted/customized to the customer's requirements during the implementation phase. This includes both client-specific and cross-client customizing.
Unlike Customizing, enhancements or adjustments to the Repository are not mandatory during SAP implementation.
To adapt the Repository to a customer's requirements, the customer can develop in-house software.
In addition, customer enhancements can be added to the Repository. In this case, customer-defined objects are used to complement the SAP delivery standard. The precise locations where enhancements can be inserted are specified by SAP.
Finally, objects such as reports and table definitions can be modified directly. In this case, the Repository delivered by SAP is not merely enhanced; it is changed. During the next upgrade, these modifications may therefore need to be adjusted before being incorporated into the new Repository. The adjustment can be a time-consuming process.
Customer enhancements

8. The SAP menu Modifications and other programming options
Table configuring (customizing in SAP)

9. Implementation Guide
In SAP customizing is done using a tool called the Implementation Guide (IMG).
The IMG contains the full functionality of all possible customizing settings across all application components (Materials Management, Finance, Human Resources, etc.).
All customizing activities are assigned to one or more components. You choose the functions that you want to implement in your company from the application components.

10. Implementation Guide menu

11. Table locking
In SAP, customizing involves specifying table entries which are then used as system parameters.
To prevent data inconsistency, most customizing transactions use table locking for update access.
Only one person at a time can make changes in a table and until that person exits the transaction, others will only be given display rights.

12. Each system can contain multiple clients.
System landscape
In order to appropriately customize and implement an ERP system a three-system landscape is recommended.
It consists of a development system (DEV), a quality assurance system (QAS) and a production system (PRD).
The development system contains the customizing client (CUST), the quality assurance system contains the quality assurance client (QTST) and the production system contains the production client (PROD).
Make all changes to customizing data and repository objects in the customizing client. When you release the corresponding change requests, they are transported into the quality assurance client. This means that changes to cross-client data only appear in the quality assurance client after the transport. In the quality assurance client you can test whether the transports are complete, or whether any linked changes are missing and are still in unreleased change requests. If the test is successful, the change requests are transported into the production client. The production client is completely separate from the other clients as regards cross-client data.
If you need other clients with additional roles you can set them up in one of the three systems. Set up the development test client (TEST) and the prototype client (SAND) in the development system. Set up the training client (TRNG) in the quality assurance system.
Source:
Each system can contain multiple clients.

13. Change and transport system (CTS)
Used to organise customizing tasks or projects and transport the configuration settings between the SAP systems
Development
system
Quality assurance
system
Production
system
CUST
PROD
QTST
TEST
TRNG
SAND
Record/Save
Import
Import
Transport Request
Transport Request
CTS
Transport Request
Transport Request
Transport Request
Transport Request

14. Customizing sequence
Configure general settings, also known as application-independent system settings. These settings are a prerequisite for handling all business transactions: e.g. creating country and currency settings.
‘Define’ and ‘assign’ the enterprise structure to reflect legal and operational needs of the implementing organization.
Customize the relevant business rules and parameters required to support the business process of the organization implementing an ERP.
Upload master data.
Execute the business process (testing).

15. Explore and make use of IMG. Recreate Zambikes Company Code (ZM##).
Workshop
Explore and make use of IMG.
Recreate Zambikes Company Code (ZM##).
Customize organization data for a new company to meet Zambikes’s requirements (Procurement).
Create relevant master data (Material and Vendor).
Execute the procure-to-pay business process.
Generate and save transport requests.
Please note that although the workshop has been created to give you as much exposure as possible, the reality is far more complex. In this workshop you will not be asked to do any cross-client customizing plus you will occasionally copy (and edit) organization data from existing companies to minimise data entry. In a typical first-time ERP implementation project, one will need to do all the necessary cross-client customizing and there will be no existing organization data to copy from.

16. Unit summary
What is customizing?
Customizing vs programming
The Implementation Guide
System landscape
Change and transport system
Customizing sequence