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SAP BASIS Administration
SAP BASIS is the technical operation of SAP systems: installation, transports, patches, release upgrades, authorizations and monitoring. S/4HANA runs on SAP HANA only, and with mainstream maintenance for Solution Manager 7.2 ending in 2027, monitoring needs a migration plan to SAP Cloud ALM.
Process
From landscape to upgrade in SAP BASIS
Once the three-system landscape is in place, every change travels by transport, and patches and upgrades are planned on top.
- 01LandscapeMaintenance Planner · SWPM
DEV, QAS, PRD and sandbox
- 02Transport routesSTMS · SE09/SE10
DEV to QAS, then PRD
- 03Users and rolesSU01 · PFCG · SU53
Fiori catalogs in the role
- 04MonitoringST03N · SM21 · Cloud ALM
Spot it before users do
- 05Patches and maintenanceKernel · SPAM/SAINT
Notes every 2nd Tuesday
- 06Upgrade and conversionSUM · DMO · SPDD/SPAU
Downtime measured in mocks
Timeline
SolMan, ECC and S/4HANA timeline
These dates shape the roadmap; exact end dates for each release are published in SAP's Product Availability Matrix (PAM).
- Release strategy from 2023A release every 2 years, 7 years' maintenance
- SolMan 7.2 mainstream endsSAP advises moving to Cloud ALM before this
- SAP ERP 6.0 mainstream endsCovers EHP 6, 7 and 8
- Extended maintenance endsECC and 7 SolMan functions; not monitoring
- S/4HANA commitmentAt least one release maintained until 2040
Scope
Jobs our SAP BASIS team handles
Landscape and installation
DEV, QAS, PRD and sandbox with Maintenance Planner and SWPM; client settings (SCC4) and profile parameters (RZ10).
SAP HANA administration
Data and log backups, HANA System Replication, memory sizing and revision updates, managed in HANA cockpit.
Upgrades and conversions
FPS/SPS and release upgrades with SUM; S/4HANA conversion from a non-HANA source in one DMO procedure; mock runs.
Users, roles and security
Fiori catalogs and spaces in PFCG roles, Security Audit Log and the security notes released every second Tuesday.
Cloud ALM migration, monitoring
SolMan inventory with Readiness Check for SAP Cloud ALM; system, interface and job monitors in Cloud ALM for Operations.
System copies and refreshes
Copying production to QAS or a test system, logical system conversion with BDLS, and masking personal data.
Current state
How S/4HANA changed SAP BASIS work
- S/4HANA runs on SAP HANA alone, so Oracle, SQL Server or DB2 know-how gives way to memory sizing, HANA System Replication and revision management.
- Enhancement packages belong to SAP ERP 6.0. S/4HANA has releases with FPS/SPS; from release 2023 a new release comes every two years with seven years of mainstream maintenance.
- An embedded Fiori front-end server is the recommended setup, so OData services, ICF nodes and Web Dispatcher are now part of daily BASIS work.
- In RISE with SAP, kernel and database patches and backups are SAP standard services; executing transports and planning upgrades stay with the customer or go to SAP for an extra fee.
Localization
BASIS topics specific to Türkiye
Test data and KVKK
Copying production to QAS needs a decision on masking or anonymizing personal data; Security Audit Log and Read Access Logging keep the access trail.
Hosting location and BDDK
BTP has no Turkish region, while RISE offers a customer data center option. For banks, the BDDK rule to keep primary and secondary systems in Türkiye decides.
Turkish language pack
Installing the Turkish language pack, running the language fill-up and transporting languages with SMLT belong in every upgrade and system copy plan.
From the field
Observations from SAP BASIS operations
- Out-of-order transports break production. The usual way to correct a change imported in the wrong order is a new corrective transport. That is why dependency checks and import rules should be written down in advance.
- Downtime overruns the window in mock runs. Real duration only shows in a mock run. DMO downtime optimization, archiving beforehand and data clean-up shrink the window; measure again in every mock.
- Production gets copied into development. Copying production into DEV wipes development history and open transports. Refreshes go to QAS or a test system, followed by BDLS and masking of personal data.
- In RISE nobody knows who does what. If the roles and responsibilities document is signed unread, transports, role design and upgrade planning fall between the cracks. Turning it into a RACI table line by line should be the first task of the move.
FAQ
SAP BASIS and Cloud ALM questions
What is SAP BASIS and what does it cover?
SAP BASIS is the technical operation of SAP systems: installation and landscape, transport management, SAP HANA, kernel and security patches, release upgrades, users and authorizations, monitoring and backup. S/4HANA added the Fiori front-end server, Cloud Connector and SAP Cloud ALM to the list.
When does Solution Manager 7.2 end, and what does extended maintenance cover?
Mainstream maintenance ends at the end of 2027. Customers with extended maintenance for Business Suite 7 also get free extended maintenance for SolMan until the end of 2030, but only for seven functions: requirements, project and process management, Test Suite, ChaRM, ITSM and landscape management. Application operations and business process monitoring are not included.
Is SAP Cloud ALM chargeable, and where does the move start?
It is included for customers with an Enterprise Support contract. The move starts with SAP Readiness Check for SAP Cloud ALM, which extracts your current SolMan usage. For complex ChaRM setups and regulated industries, SAP advises waiting until the needed function arrives in Cloud ALM; SAP Focused Run, licensed separately, covers high-volume monitoring.
Is there an EHP in S/4HANA, and how is the system updated?
No. Enhancement packages (EHP) belong to SAP ERP 6.0. S/4HANA uses releases and their FPS/SPS stacks; from release 2023 a new release comes every two years with seven years of mainstream maintenance, and SAP commits to keeping at least one release in maintenance until 2040.
What are SUM and DMO?
SUM (Software Update Manager) is the SAP tool for upgrades and conversions. Its DMO option (Database Migration Option) combines the software update with the database migration to SAP HANA in one procedure. The source database keeps running unchanged, so a fallback stays possible throughout.
Do we still need a BASIS team after moving to RISE with SAP?
Yes, with a different job. In the SAP roles and responsibilities document dated July 2025, kernel and database patches and backups are standard services. Executing transports and planning and coordinating upgrades are "Packaged Services": the customer does them or pays SAP to.
Sources12 sourcesSAP Support, SAP News Center, SAP Community +2
SAP Support
- SAP Solution Manager support.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Questions & Answers support.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Transition to SAP Cloud ALM support.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Guidance for typical customer situations support.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- SAP Cloud ALM for Operations support.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Database Migration Option (DMO) support.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- Maintenance 2040 support.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- SAP Security Notes & News support.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
SAP News Center
SAP Community
SAP
Resmî Gazete
Sources checked as of October 2026. SAP Notes require an SAP for Me account.
SAP Consulting
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