SAP Note

Header Data
Symptom
You have quest i ons on Uni code

Other Terms
Uni code; MDMP; SPUMG

Reason and Prerequisites
I nf o on Uni code needed

Solution
Thi s SAP not e pr ovi des some hi nt s based on best pr act i ces and SAP exper i ences. Pl ease not e t hat t hi s i s
a consul t i ng not e and answer s can var y dependi ng on speci f i c cust omer r equi r ement s. Ther ef or e we
r ecommend t o cont act your SAP Uni code consul t ant i n case of doubt s.
1. What ar e t he mai n sour ces of Uni code i nf or mat i on at SAP ? What i s t he best appr oach t o get
f ami l i ar wi t h t he t opi c ?
The following Quick Links provide general information on Unicode:
a) ht t p: / / ser vi ce. sap. com/ uni code ( especi al l y t he Uni code Medi a Li br ar y)
b) ht t p: / / scn. sap. com/ communi t y/ i nt er nat i onal i zat i on- and- uni code > Uni code
c) ht t p: / / www. sdn. sap. com/ i r j / sdn/ uni code- conver si on
d) ht t p: / / scn. sap. com/ communi t y/ i nt er nat i onal i zat i on- and- uni code
Collection of specific Info on Unicode:
e) Uni code Def i ni t i on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode
f ) Uni code Conver si ons of SAP syst ems i ncl udi ng pr oj ect i nf o
ht t p: / / ser vi ce. sap. com/ UNI CODE > Uni code Medi a Li br ar y > Uni code WS and gener al Uni code
I nf o > Oct ober 2008: Uni code Conver si on Topi cs
g) Exampl es f or cust omer exper i ences on Uni code Conver si ons
http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC- 5917
http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC- 13493
http://scn.sap.com/people/jim.spath/blog/2008/02/12/unicode- - epi sode- 1000- t he-
f i nal - chapt er - updat ed- 18- f eb- 2008
http://scn.sap.com/people/roger.hoogeveen/blog/2009/02/17/experiences- f r om-
uni code- conver si ons
https://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/unicode/Challenges+in+BI+Unicode+conversion
h) Uni code Techni cal FAQs ( not mai nt ai ned anymor e, but st i l l val uabl e i nf o)
https://service.sap.com/~sapidb/011000358700002820632002E
i ) Uni code Col l ect i on Not e
See SAP Note 1319517.
1322715 - Unicode FAQs
Version 19 Validity: 20.05.2014 - active Language English
Released On 20.05.2014 08:35:57
Release Status Released for Customer
Component BC-I18-UNI I18N Unicode
Priority Recommendations / Additional Info
Category FAQ
j ) Uni code FAQs:
See SAP Note 1322715 (this note).
k) Book: Uni code i n SAP Syst ems
http://www.sap- pr ess. com/ pr oduct . cf m?account =&pr oduct =H1984
l ) Upgr ade and Uni code Conver si on
http://service.sap.com/UNICODE > Unicode Media Library > Unicode WS and general
Uni code I nf o > May 2009: Combi ned Upgr ade and Uni code Conver si ons
m) ABAP Pr ogr ammi ng i n uni code Envi r onment / Uni code enabl i ng Gui de
http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC- 4465
n) MDMP Conver si on Concept
See SAP Note 1037613.
o) Uni code Conver si on Ki t
See SAP Note 1149417.
p) Uni code Conver si on Gui de / Tr oubl e Shoot i ng Gui de
See SAP Notes 765475, 551344, 1051576, 928729 and/or 959698.

2. Shoul d I i nst al l a new syst emon Uni code or non- Uni code?
All SAP Netweaver 7. 0 based systems must be installed on Unicode only.
3. Whi ch SAP gr aphi cal user i nt er f ace ( GUI ) ver si on can be used i n a Uni code syst em?
The recommended version is SAP GUI 7. 30 with the latest patch level.
4. Whi ch r el eases ar e avai l abl e on Uni code?
All current releases of SAP applications based on SAP Netweaver support Unicode.
For information on earlier releases, please send a mail to globalization@sap.com .
For Uni code conver si on avai l abi l i t y, see al so SAP Not e 548016.
5. What ar e t he advant ages of Uni code ?
a) Uni code i s t he st r at egi c di r ect i on of SAP f or al l appl i cat i ons.
b) Pr oper usage of J AVA i s onl y possi bl e wi t h Uni code syst ems ( f or exampl e, ESS/ MSS or
i nt er f aces t o Ent er pr i se Por t al ) .
c) Pr oper usage of WWWi nt er f aces i s onl y possi bl e wi t h Uni code syst ems.
d) Al l non- R/ 3 sol ut i ons ar e onl y avai l abl e wi t h Uni code ( or possi bl y wi t h si ngl e code page) .
e) SAP ERP 6. 0 i s not suppor t ed anymor e wi t h MDMP ( see SAP Not es 79991 and 73606) .
6. What ar e t he r est r i ct i ons of Non- Uni code syst ems on si ngl e code pages ( e. g. West er n Eur opean code
page) ?
Please have a look at SAP notes 73606, 838402, 975768, 1358929, 1503523, 1513496, 1554717,
1636443, 1700052 and 2016014. SAP consi der s Uni code as t he st r at egi c di r ect i on. Ther ef or e i t i s ver y
l i kel y t hat new t echni cal sol ut i ons wi l l be suppor t ed on Uni code ONLY.
7. How does SAP suppor t ker nel pat ches, Suppor t Packages, and l anguage i mpor t f i l es i n Uni code and
Non- Uni code syst ems?
a) I n case of a Uni code syst em, a Uni code- speci f i c ker nel must be used. Thi s i s one of t he r ar e
exampl e wher e t wo di f f er ent component s ( Non- Uni code and Uni code) exi st .
b) Most ot her ar eas - such as Suppor t Packages, l anguage i mpor t f i l es, Add- Ons, . . . et c. - ar e
based on non- Uni code by def aul t , but can be used f or bot h non- Uni code and Uni code sol ut i ons. A
conver si on i s t r i gger ed dur i ng i mpor t .
8. Whi ch SAP Not es ar e i mpor t ant f or a Uni code conver si on or i mpl ement at i on?
Refer to SAP Note 1319517 and Unicode conversion guides (last section) attached to notes
551344, 1051576, 928729 or 959698.
9. I s i t possi bl e t o t r anspor t bet ween a non- Uni code and a Uni code syst em?
In general, it is possible to transport between non- Uni code and Uni code syst ems.
Rest r i ct i ons appl y f or char act er s or l anguage keys not suppor t ed i n t he non- Uni code syst emand i n case
of an MDMP syst emon t he non- Uni code si de. Tr anspor t s bet ween SAP syst ems on r el eases 4. 6C or l ower and
Uni code syst ems ar e not possi bl e. For det ai l ed i nf or mat i on, r ef er t o SAP Not es 638357 and 330267.
10. What happens when dat a i s t r ansf er r ed bet ween non- Uni code and Uni code SAP syst ems vi a Remot e
Funct i on Cal l ( RFC) ?
RFC automatically converts data if data is transferred in mixed landscapes, whenever this
i s possi bl e ( meani ng t hat t he non- Uni code suppor t s t he char act er ) . Rest r i ct i ons exi st i n t he case of an
MDMP syst em( see al so SAP Not e 745030) .
In addition to the transport behavior (described before), this means that mixed landscapes
ar e suppor t ed as much as t echni cal l y possi bl e. However i n such l andscapes t her e i s al ways t he r i sk of
dat a l oss - t her ef or e SAP r ecommends t o go f or Uni code i n al l syst ems of your l andscape ( l ongt er m) .
11. I s i t possi bl e t o exchange dat a bet ween an MDMP and a Uni code syst emvi a Appl i cat i on Li nk
Enabl i ng ( ALE) ?
There are several restrictions; refer to SAP Notes 656350, 745030 and 991763.
12. I s i t possi bl e t o i nst al l a non- Uni code and a Uni code syst emon one physi cal ser ver ? What about
MCOD?
You can install two different SAP systems (one Unicode and one non- Uni code) on one
physi cal ser ver . However , SAP does not suppor t mi xed non- Uni code and Uni code dat a i n a " Mul t i pl e
Component s i n One Dat abase" ( MCOD) sol ut i on.
13. I s I DES avai l abl e on Uni code?
Yes, SAP ERP 6. 0 IDES is available on Unicode only. For further information see SAP Notes
799639 and 956921.
14. What ar e t he di sadvant ages of havi ng a Uni code devel opment syst emand a non- Uni code pr oduct i on
syst em?
Technically, objects can be transported from a Unicode to a non- Uni code syst em, but
Uni code suppor t s about 95, 000 char act er s wher eas non- Uni code suppor t s l ess - so when a non- suppor t ed
char act er i s t r ansf er r ed f r omUni code t o non- Uni code, t hi s i s conver t ed by def aul t t o " #" . Al so, i f t he
pr oduct i on syst emi s an MDMP syst em, t ext s t hat do not have l anguage keys wi l l be conver t ed on t he basi s
of a si ngl e code page - dat a f r omot her code pages wi l l not be conver t ed pr oper l y. Last l y, t he i nt er f ace
behavi or bet ween non- Uni code and Uni code syst ems i s di f f er ent and t her ef or e t he devel opment syst emdoes
not exact l y r ef l ect t he si t uat i on i n t he pr oduct i on syst em.
SAP therefore recommends this mixed setup for a very limited time only.
15. What ki nd of basi c document at i on do cust omer s need t o conver t an SAP syst emt o Uni code?
a) Rel ease- dependent I nst al l at i on Gui de and cor r espondi ng SAP Not e
b) Rel ease- dependent Syst emCopy Gui de and cor r espondi ng SAP Not e
c) Rel ease- dependent and Basi s- Suppor t - Package- dependent Uni code Conver si on Gui de and SAP Not e
548016 ( See al so not es 551344, 1051576, 928729 or 959698) .
The system- copy pr ocedur e i s t he basi s f or t he Uni code conver si on. Ther ef or e, document s i n
poi nt s 1 and 2 ar e mandat or y f or a Uni code conver si on. Poi nt 3 descr i bes Uni code- speci f i c act i vi t i es
t hat need t o be compl et ed dur i ng t he pr ocess. As t he syst em- copy pr ocedur e i s al so used f or ot her
pur poses ( such as OS/ DB mi gr at i ons) , t hese document s ar e i ndependent f r omt he Uni code Conver si on Gui de.
You must wor k wi t h al l t hr ee gui des l i st ed above; t her e i s no over al l conver si on gui de avai l abl e si nce
some i nf or mat i on over l aps and woul d have t o be updat ed t wi ce or even t hr ee t i mes.
16. What ar e t he bi ggest chal l enges when my company conver t s t o Uni code?
The following points heavily influence the efforts required to perform a Unicode
conver si on:
a) Lar ge dat abases/ st r i ct downt i me r equi r ement s/ sl ow har dwar e
The actual downtime is a result of the size of the database, the performance of
t he har dwar e, and t he pr ocess opt i mi zat i on ( f or exampl e, par al l el i zat i on) dur i ng t he conver si on pr ocess.
I n or der t o r est r i ct t he downt i me as much as possi bl e, i n most cases sever al sandbox conver si ons ( wi t h
t he har dwar e of t he sandbox bei ng i dent i cal t o t he PRD syst em) and det ai l ed knowl edge of t he syst em- copy
pr ocess ar e necessar y.
For further information, see Quick Link /systemcopy
b) MDMP - Uni code i nt er f aces
This type of interface requires much effort, so we recommend that you minimize
t he number of l anguage- speci f i c i nt er f aces f r omUni code t o MDMP syst ems i n your l andscape.
For transferring data in both directions, adapting language- speci f i c ALE
i nt er f aces r equi r es mor e ef f or t t han adapt i ng si mi l ar BWi nt er f aces. The f ol l owi ng r ough cl assi f i cat i on
r egar di ng MDMP - Uni code i nt er f aci ng ef f or t can be made: J AVA > ALE > CRM > BW
Adaptation is necessary in both directions: Unicode to MDMP, and MDMP to Unicode.
For further information, see SAP Note 745030.
c) I nt er f aces i n gener al : Non- SAP and SAP
A detailed analysis of all existing interfaces is necessary.
Unicode availability of third- par t y pr oduct s and add- ons: " SAP cer t i f i ed" does not
aut omat i cal l y mean t hat t he sol ut i on i s al so Uni code- compl i ant . Ther ef or e, you need t o cont act vendor s
as soon as possi bl e i n or der t o eval uat e whet her you can use t he sof t war e i n a Uni code envi r onment .
Ext ensi ve t est i ng mi ght be necessar y. A speci f i c Uni code cer t i f i cat i on i s avai l abl e, and t hose pr oduct s
ar e l i st ed on t he SAP Ser vi ce Mar ket pl ace as Uni code- cer t i f i ed.
d) Uni code conver si on of MDMP syst ems - wi t h l ar ge number of i nst al l ed code pages
In general, the more installed code pages you have, the greater the effort will
be t o conver t . Assumpt i on f or t he st andar d conver si on case i s t hat t he Gol den Rul es f or MDMP syst ems
wer e f ol l owed ( see SAP Not e 73606) . Thi s i s especi al l y i mpor t ant f or t he r ul e t hat t he l ogon l anguage
must be t he same as t he l anguage of t he ent er ed dat a. " Fool - t he- syst em" cases, such as l oggi ng on i n
Engl i sh and i nser t i ng Russi an dat a, wi l l need mor e ef f or t .
Latin 1 and Latin 2 only: The overlap between these code pages is rather high.
For instance, the special German characters ",,," are available in both code pages. Therefore, the
syst emvocabul ar y t ends t o be smal l er when you have t hi s combi nat i on. But , as soon as an addi t i onal code
page l i ke Cyr i l l i c i s added, al l l anguage- i ndependent t ext s cont ai ni ng any speci al char act er s ( i ncl udi ng
t he Ger man ones) ar e added t o t he syst emvocabul ar y.
Latin 1 and one Asian code page: Usually data from - f or exampl e - Lat i n- 1 and
Shi f t - J I S ( used i n J apan) can be i dent i f i ed easi l y. I n most cases, i t i s obvi ous t hat t he dat a i s ei t her
f r omWest er n Eur ope or Asi a. Thi s i s al so val i d f or t he combi nat i on of Lat i n- 1 and Russi an or Gr eek ( or
Lat i n- 2 i nst ead of Lat i n- 1) . Al so i n t hi s case, as soon as you add an addi t i onal code page, i t becomes
much mor e compl i cat ed t o i dent i f y t he t ext s.
A combination of two (or more) Asian code pages, and Russian or Greek: as all
t hese code pages cont ai n onl y speci al char act er s, t he combi nat i on i s r at her compl i cat ed - si nce i t i s
not easy t o di f f er ent i at e bet ween t ext s f r omt hese code pages. The combi nat i on of si mpl i f i ed Chi nese and
t r adi t i onal Chi nese i s one of t he sol ut i ons whi ch r equi r es t he most ef f or t .
Blended code pages
- Unambi guous bl ended code pages: conver si on i s compar abl e t o a si ngl e code- page
conver si on.
- Ambi guous bl ended code pages: conver si on i s compar abl e t o an MDMP conver si on.
But i n addi t i on, at l east Engl i sh ( and Ger man i n t he Eur opean case) needs t o be be t r eat ed as " ambi guous
l anguage. " Thi s means t hat even l anguage- dependent t ext s cont ai ni ng speci al char act er s wi t h EN as t he
l anguage key wi l l be added t o t he syst emvocabul ar y. Ther ef or e t he si ze of t he vocabul ar y wi l l be
si gni f i cant l y hi gher i n t hi s case.
For detailed information, please have a look at the Unicode Conversion Guide.
e) ABAP enabl i ng
The number and size of ABAP objects (such as reports) you use influence the
ef f or t . You can est i mat e ( r oughl y) how much t i me you wi l l need f or your Uni code- enabl i ng pr oj ect based
on t he f ol l owi ng i nf or mat i on: I f you know how many er r or s you have by r unni ng Tr ansact i on UCCHECK, you
can cal cul at e 30 er r or s per day per devel oper . Not e t hat t hese number s can di f f er si gni f i cant l y f or
i ndi vi dual syst ems; t hey hi ghl y depend on how t he er r or s ar e di st r i but ed ( " easy" ver sus " compl i cat ed"
ver sus " non- anal yzabl e" - see t he next poi nt f or f ur t her det ai l s)
Three kinds of problems can be distinguished:
- " Easy" changes l i ke " CS" changed t o " BYTE- CS" : t hese er r or s nor mal l y r equi r e
mi ni mumef f or t .
- Mor e compl i cat ed pr obl ems, such as of f set pr ogr ammi ng on HEX- byt e- l i ke dat a
t ypes: mi ght r equi r e a r edesi gn of t he of f set pr ogr ammi ng.
- Non- anal yzabl e ar eas wi t h dynami c pr ogr ammi ng: I f t he dat a t ype i s det er mi ned
dynami cal l y dur i ng execut i on of t he pr ogr am, UCCHECK cannot det ect er r or s. I n t hi s case, UCCHECK wi l l
show a yel l ow t r af f i c l i ght and ext ensi ve t est i ng wi l l be necessar y.
For detailed information, check the following link:
http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/b02d3594- ae48
2a10- 83a7- 89d369b708e5
f ) Conver si on of syst ems wi t h Asi an or non- Lat i n- 1 code page
If Latin- 1 or Lat i n- 2 i s not used i n t he SAP syst em, but Ger man shoul d be used
l at er i n t he Uni code syst em, i t i s necessar y t o i mpor t t he Ger man l anguage af t er t he successf ul Uni code
conver si on( see SAP not e 922783) .
17. How l ong wi l l i t t ake t o conver t a t hr ee- l ayer syst eml andscape?
There is no general answer to this question. Former project times varied from 2- 18 mont hs,
hi ghl y dependent on t he t opi cs l i st ed i n quest i on 16. Some comment s:
a) I f t her e ar e st r i ct downt i me r equi r ement s and t hese cannot be met easi l y wi t h t he avai l abl e
har dwar e, sever al i t er at i on st eps ( sandbox conver si on t r i al s) mi ght be necessar y t o enhance
per f or mance.
b) I f many MDMP i nt er f aces need t o be adapt ed, t hi s wi l l af f ect t he pr oj ect t i mel i ne.
c) ABAP enabl i ng mi ght t ake l onger i f you have many cust omer - speci f i c r epor t s.
d) An MDMP conver si on usual l y means mor e ( manual ) ef f or t s compar ed t o a si ngl e- code- page
conver si on.
e) I n most cases, t he Uni code conver si on wi l l be a pr oj ect . Fr omSAP' s exper i ence, i t i s not
possi bl e f or exi st i ng st af f t o per f or mt he conver si on i n addi t i on t o al l ot her dai l y t asks.
Pr oj ect t i mes ar e al so hi ghl y dependent on t he conver si on pr oj ect bei ng made a hi gh pr i or i t y.
Management commi t ment and suppor t i s mandat or y.
18. What aspect s does my company need t o t ake i nt o account when we conver t an SAP syst eml andscape
wi t h mul t i pl e pr oduct i ve syst ems ?
a) Per f or mABAP enabl i ng as soon as possi bl e ( e. g. i n Non- Uni code syst ems) .
b) Conver t MDMP syst ems at f i r st , i f possi bl e
c) Get an over vi ew of al l i nt er f aces and t ypes of dat a t hat ar e t r ansf er r ed.
d) Eval uat e addi t i onal ef f or t f or MDMP - Uni code i nt er f aci ng.
e) Per f omsandbox conver si ons f or al l pr oduct i ve syst ems.
f ) Check Uni code compl i ance of t hi r d- par t y sol ut i ons as soon as possi bl e.
g) Uni code syst ems suppor t about 95, 000 char act er s, wher eas non- Uni code syst ems suppor t l ess
char act er s - so t her e i s an evi dent r est r i ct i on i f non- suppor t ed char act er s ar e t r ansf er r ed t o
non- Uni code syst ems ( t hese char act er s ar e usual l y conver t ed t o " #" ) . You shoul d t ake t hi s f act
into account when you plan the landscape.Since SAP Business Information Warehouse usually just
r ecei ves dat a, t hi s i s a good f i r st candi dat e f or a conver si on.
19. What shoul d be t est ed af t er t he Uni code conver si on?
We recommend a full regression test with focus on language- speci f i c t ext s ( t ext s wi t h
speci al char act er s) compar abl e t o t he t est s af t er an upgr ade. Cust omer exper i ences do show t hat SAP
st andar d pr ogr ams wor k pr oper l y i n most cases; t her ef or e, t he mai n t est i ng ar eas shoul d be t est s on:
a) Cust omer - speci f i c pr ogr ams
b) Modi f i ed SAP st andar d pr ogr ams
c) Thi r d- par t y sol ut i ons
d) Al l i nt er f aces
In case of an MDMP conversion, the proper language mapping in the system vocabulary should
be t est ed.
20. Can ar chi ved dat a be di spl ayed cor r ect l y af t er a Uni code conver si on?
Archived data is not converted during the conversion project. Non- Uni code ar chi ved dat a i s
conver t ed onl i ne when i t i s accessed f r omt he Uni code syst em. The l ogon l anguage i s used t o det er mi ne
t he sour ce ( non- Uni code) code page of t he ar chi ved dat a. Thi s means t hat even i n t he Uni code syst em, t he
l ogon l anguage has t o " mat ch" t he code page of t he accessed ar chi ved dat a. ( For exampl e, wi t h l ogon i n
EN, ar chi ved West er n Eur opean dat a ( code page 1100) i s di spl ayed pr oper l y, whi l e al l ot her speci al
char act er s ar e not ; or wi t h l ogon i n J A, Shi f t - J I S dat a ( code page 8000) i s di spl ayed pr oper l y, whi l e
anyt hi ng el se woul d not be. ) Thi s i s ver y i mpor t ant i n t he case of f or mer MDMP syst ems. For f ur t her
i nf or mat i on, see SAP Not e 449918.
21. What ar e t he har dwar e r esour ce r equi r ement s on a Uni code syst emcompar ed t o t hose on a non-
Uni code syst em?
Please have a look at SAP note 1139642.
22. I f my company conver t s t o Uni code, do we have t o adapt our non- Uni code pr i nt er l andscape?
a) The pr i nt i ng mechani smi s t he same i n Uni code and non- Uni code syst ems. Ther ef or e, af t er a
Uni code conver si on, exi st i ng pr i nt er s wi l l wor k si mi l ar l y as t hey di d i n t he non- Uni code syst em.
But , non- Uni code pr i nt er s wi l l be st i l l r est r i ct ed t o pr i nt onl y dat a f r omone " ol d" code page.
I f t hi s i s accept i bl e f or you, t hen no f ur t her act i on i s needed. For non- Lat i n- 1 code pages, t he
pr i nt er wi l l need t o suppor t t he cor r espondi ng f ont ( i n non- Uni code and Uni code) . Thi s i s
nor mal l y pr ovi ded by a car t r i dge.
You could also use a Unicode printer; with it, you can print special characters
f r omdi f f er ent " ol d" code pages on one pr i nt out . For det ai l ed i nf or mat i on, see SAP Not es 215015 and
750219.
In addition, SAP notes 83502 and 1097990 provide additional info.
b) Especi al l y f or Non- Lat i n- 1 l anguages, shi f t i ngs can occur . pl ease have a cl ose l ook at t he
used f ont , whi ch can be di f f er ent bet ween Uni code and Non- Uni code syst ems. Check SAP not e
952050.
c) See al so: ht t p: / / ser vi ce. sap. com/ Uni code > Uni code Medi a Li br ar y > Uni code I nf or mat i on on
speci f i c Topi cs > Pr i nt i ng i n Uni code Syst ems
23. What har dwar e opt i ons do I have f or per f or mi ng a ( st andar d) Uni code conver si on of my pr oduct i on
syst em?

There are at least two possibilities to convert a production system to Unicode:
a) One- ser ver sol ut i on: Do t he expor t , del et e t he non- Uni code syst em, and i nst al l t he Uni code
syst emon t he same ( ol d) ser ver
Advantages:
- No addi t i onal har dwar e needed
Disadvantages:
- Non- Uni code dat a i s no l onger accessi bl e af t er t he conver si on; no compar i son
possi bl e
- No par al l el expor t and i mpor t possi bl e
- I f t he ser ver i s not enhanced, t he per f or mance ( f or i nst ance, r esponse t i mes)
of t he Uni code syst emmi ght be pr obl emat i c
b) Two- ser ver s sol ut i on: Do not del et e t he non- Uni code syst em, but i nst al l t he Uni code syst emon
a second, new pr oduct i on ser ver
Advantages:
- Downt i me can be r educed by execut i ng t he expor t and i mpor t i n par al l el usi ng
t he Mi gr at i on or Di st r i but i on Moni t or
- Non- Uni code syst emi s st i l l accessi bl e af t er t he Uni code conver si on f or
compar i son pur poses
- Non- Uni code syst emcan be used as i nst ant back- up syst emat any t i me dur i ng t he
Uni code conver si on
- Possi bl e t o use bet t er har dwar e f or t he Uni code syst em; t hi s wi l l al so r educe
downt i me dur i ng t he i mpor t pr ocess
- Uni code dat abase i nst ance can be bui l t up and pr epar ed i n advance dur i ng upt i me
Disadvantages:
- Addi t i onal har dwar e needed
SAP recommends the two- ser ver s sol ut i on - especi al l y f or Uni code conver si ons of MDMP
and/ or ver y l ar ge syst ems.
24. Can my company per f or mABAP enabl i ng i n a 4. 6C syst em?
No, this is not possible. You need to perform ABAP enabling in a SAP Web Application
Ser ver ( SAP Web AS) 6. 20- based syst em( or hi gher ) . Many Uni code- speci f i c ABAP synt ax enhancement s do not
exi st i n 4. 6C. Al so, t he t r ansact i on UCCHECK used f or Uni code enabl i ng i s onl y avai l abl e i n SAP Web AS
6. 20 or hi gher .
Therefore, our recommendation in this case is to build up a sandbox system, upgrade this
syst emt o a SAP Web AS 6. 20- based syst em( or hi gher ) , and check t he exi st i ng cust omer - speci f i c r epor t s
wi t h UCCHECK.
25. What i s t he pur pose of t he pr of i l e par amet er abap/ uni code_check and how can you use i t i n a
conver si on pr oj ect ?
You can use the profile parameter abap/unicode_check to 'simulate' a Unicode system for
t he ABAP obj ect s i n a non- Uni code syst em. I f you t ur n t he pr of i l e par amet er on, t hen al l obj ect s t hat do
not have t he Uni code i ndi cat or set wi l l not wor k i n a non- Uni code syst em( nor mal l y t hese obj ect s woul d
st i l l wor k f i ne i n a non- Uni code syst em) . You can set t hi s par amet er i n t he l andscape ( f or r el eases >=
WAS 6. 20 onl y) af t er t he Uni code enabl i ng i s f i ni shed and aut omat i cal l y gener at ed pr ogr ams have been
r egener at ed ( see Uni code Conver si on Gui de) . Thi s ensur es t hat you wi l l det ect mi ssi ng Uni code i ndi cat or s
bef or e t he act ual Uni code conver si on t akes pl ace. Pl ease al so have a l ook at t he document at i on of t hi s
par amet er i n t r ansact i on RZ11.
26. What ar e t he advant ages and di sadvant ages of a combi nat i on of an Upgr ade and a Uni code
conver si on ?
a) Advant ages
- Wi t h a combi nat i on of bot h Upgr ade and Uni code conver si on, cust omer s can
benef i t f r omsyner gi es i n t est i ng. I nt egr at i on t est i ng i s needed onl y once.
- Cust omer s need t o schedul e one si ngl e downt i me onl y.
- Many pr epar at i on t asks r egar di ng upgr ade and Uni code conver si on can be done i n
par al l el - t her ef or e t he over al l aver age pr oj ect t i mes of Upgr ades wi t hout Uni code conver si on ar e
t ypi cal l y not much l ower t han t hose wi t h t he combi ned appr oach.
- Feedback f r omcust omer s i ndi cat e t hat a combi nat i on of bot h pr ocedur es has been
done sever al t i mes.
- Over al l ef f or t i s t ypi cal l y smal l er i n case of combi nat i on.
- Based on exper i ences made i n t he past , many cust omer s have successf ul l y done a
combi ned appr oach ( bot h MDMP and si ngl e code page) .
b) Di sadvant ages
- I n case of a combi ned appr oach, cust omer s mi x t wo maj or pr ocedur es. I n some
cases i t can be a chal l enge t o di st i ngui sh er r or s due t o t he Upgr ade and t he Uni code conver si on of each
ot her .
- Downt i me f or combi ned appr oach mi ght be l onger t han avai l abl e downt i me wi ndow.
27. What ar e t he opt i ons t o combi ne an Upgr ade wi t h a Uni code conver si on ?
a) Combi ned Upgr ade & Uni code Conver si on ( Abbr evi at i on: CU&UC)
- Descr i bed i n SAP not e 928729
- Rel eased f or " st andar d MDMP" syst ems ( see SAP not e 928729)
b) Twi n Upgr ade & Uni code conver si on ( Abbr evi at i on: TU&UC)
- Descr i bed i n SAP not e 959698
- Rel eased f or " st andar d MDMP" syst ems ( see SAP not e 959698)
- Used f or MDMP syst ems - f or a " st andar d si ngl e code page syst em" , TU&UC does
not make sense.
c) Sequent i al appr oach ( f i r st Upgr ade, t hen Uni code conver si on)
- Wor ks f or Si ngl e code Page syst ems onl y ( Non- MDMP / Non- Bl ended code page)
- Logi cal l y separ at e t he Upgr ade and t he Uni code Conver si on. However bot h mi ght
be combi ned i n one downt i me, as i n si ngl e code page conver si on t he t i me f or pr epar at i on j obs i n downt i me
does not t ake t oo much t i me.
- A t ypi cal exampl e i s t o use t hi s met hod i n case of Non- ERP / Non- R/ 3 si ngl e
code page syst ems
28. I s i t possi bl e t o combi ne an OS/ DB mi gr at i on wi t h a Uni code conver si on ?
Yes, it is possible to do this (also with CU&UC and TU&UC procedures). Moreover it is
hi ghl y r ecommended t o consi der a Uni code conver si on when doi ng an OS/ DB mi gr at i on on a Non- Uni code
syst em.
29. How t o check i n ABAP i f a syst emi s based on Uni code ?
Please have a look at:
http://wiki.sdn.sap. com/wiki/display/Snippets/ABAP+-
+How+t o+check+i f +t he+syst em+i s+Uni code
30. Wher e can I f i nd i nf or mat i on about SAP Uni code conver si on Ser vi ces ?
Go to Quick Link /unicode > Service Offerings
31. According to SAP note 928729, CU&UC is not available for an enhancement package upgrade in SAP
ERP 6.0 (e.g. EhP5 > EhP7). Is it possible to combine the enhancement package upgrade and the
Uni code conver si on i n one down t i me ?
See point 27. c) of this SAP note (#1322715). In many cases both Upgrade and Unicode conversion
can be combi ned i n one down t i me, al t hough CU&UC i s not avai l abl e.


I f you have f ur t her quest i ons, pl ease send a mai l t o gl obal i zat i on@sap. com.
I n addi t i on, i t mi ght be possi bl e t o get answer s vi a Uni code f or umi n SDN / SCN:
ht t p: / / scn. sap. com/ communi t y/ i nt er nat i onal i zat i on- and- uni code

Validity
This document is not restricted to a software component or software component version
References
This document refers to:
SAP Knowledge Base Articles
SAP Notes
1990240 Support of mixed landscapes (Unicode <=> Non-Unicode)
1896539 Questions about compatibility and end of support to non-unicode systems
1790232 FAQ: Unicode - Technical FAQs
1431088 Globalization FAQs
1375438 Globalization Collection Note
1319517 Unicode Collection Note

This document is referenced by:
SAP Notes (28)

Attachments
1139642 Hardware Requirements in Unicode Systems
1112206 Converting the workflow destination to Unicode
1097990 List of Printer Vendor Wizard Notes
1051576 Conversion of Single Code Page Systems to Unicode
991763 IDoc communication between Unicode and MDMP systems
959698 Twin Upgrade & Unicode Conversion FAQ
956921 IDES ERP 2005 ECC 6.0
928729 Combined Upgrade & Unicode Conversion (CU&UC)
922783 Rescue language files for DE / EN
799639 IDES - General Information about the usage of IDES systems
777944 Message: Different character length in R/3 and CRM
750219 Unicode UTF-8 printing with HP printers
745030 MDMP - Unicode Interfaces: Solution Overview
710720 SAP GUI for Windows 6.40: Delivery and new functions
656350 Master Data Transfer UNICODE <==> MDMP Systems with ALE
638357 Transport between Unicode systems and non-Unicode systems
551344 Unicode Conversion Documentation
548016 Conversion to Unicode
449918 Reading archived data in Unicode systems
330267 Transports between Basis Releases 4.6* and 6.*
215015 Unicode UTF-8 printing with a Lexmark printer
83502 Printing Support for Native Languages
79991 Multi-Language and Unicode support of SAP applications
73606 Supported Languages and Code Pages
922783 Rescue language files for DE / EN
928729 Combined Upgrade & Unicode Conversion (CU&UC)
959698 Twin Upgrade & Unicode Conversion FAQ
1051576 Conversion of Single Code Page Systems to Unicode
745030 MDMP - Unicode Interfaces: Solution Overview
750219 Unicode UTF-8 printing with HP printers
1375438 Globalization Collection Note
638357 Transport between Unicode systems and non-Unicode systems
1097990 List of Printer Vendor Wizard Notes
1112206 Converting the workflow destination to Unicode
777944 Message: Different character length in R/3 and CRM
548016 Conversion to Unicode
799639 IDES - General Information about the usage of IDES systems
551344 Unicode Conversion Documentation
73606 Supported Languages and Code Pages
83502 Printing Support for Native Languages
79991 Multi-Language and Unicode support of SAP applications
215015 Unicode UTF-8 printing with a Lexmark printer
330267 Transports between Basis Releases 4.6* and 6.*
449918 Reading archived data in Unicode systems
1319517 Unicode Collection Note
656350 Master Data Transfer UNICODE <==> MDMP Systems with ALE
1139642 Hardware Requirements in Unicode Systems
710720 SAP GUI for Windows 6.40: Delivery and new functions
956921 IDES ERP 2005 ECC 6.0
991763 IDoc communication between Unicode and MDMP systems
1790232 FAQ: Unicode - Technical FAQs
1431088 Globalization FAQs
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