Cutover strategy depends upon how the organizations design their data load strategies. Normally, you decide the sequence of Data loads for Configuration settings, Master data, Transaction data which follows whom and then you make a copy of the system as a Production system a day before and after checking the successful data loads, you go-live 100% or partial again depending upon organizational setup and policies.
Cutover planning is highly site specific. There's no thumb rule. The stock data as on the date of going live should be correctly entered. But stock being a highly dynamic quantity, the strategy for loading should be crystal clear. Then you have to load all the back dated transaction on the stock. Some stock comes into your plant/storage location as return and some stock is actually delivered to your customer through sales orders of various kinds.
The final phase before going live with SAP is often referred to as the cutover phase, which is the process of transitioning from one system to a new one. The organization needs to plan, prepare and execute the cutover, by creating a cutover plan that describes all cutover tasks that have to be performed before the actual go-live. Examples of cutover tasks are:
Review and update all systems-related operations procedures like backup policies and system monitoring
Assign ownership of SAP’s functional processes to individuals
Let SAP AG do a Going Live check, to get their blessing to go live with the system
Lock down the system, i.e. do not make any more changes to the SAP system
Cut-Over Activities:
Cutover Plan - The details of how to move to the production environment and go live. Ensuring that all master data to be loaded to production server is ready & in correct format. User training is conducted & user is in a comfort or atleast managable position to work on production server. Preparation of user manual. All go-live preparatory activities.
Open Client activity:
The activity or configuration to be done in production server, by opening an client should be ensured that it is done before go-live.
Cutover Activities
At the end of Phase 4, it is necessary to refine and validate the cutover plans generated in the Realization phase. Among other things, this includes tasks such as the reviewing of the runtime of test runs to estimate runtime for the complete data size. A conversion checklist for transporting all changes into the productive system is provided for all the configuration settings to be imported.
At this stage, it is important to verify that required tasks have been successfully completed, for example, that the technical environment is in place, the cutover programs are ready and the application data is verified. Approval is now sought from project management and company senior management to start the cutover process.
Here you can also refer to the Data Transfer Made Easy Guidebook created especially for this purpose. It is located in the Knowledge Corner of the ASAP CD.
The help desk is particularly important in the first weeks after going live, but you will require help desk support throughout the productive life of your R/3 System.
An internal help desk should be staffed and supported mainly by employees of the enterprise. Setting up a help desk involves, among other things, installing office and technical equipment and defining OSS users. Problems which cannot be solved by this internal help desk are forwarded to SAP via the OSS system.
As soon as you know when you will go live with the R/3 System or with new R/3 applications you should inform SAP. Thus you can ensure that SAP can provide optimal support throughout your going-live phase. For the last weeks before and first weeks after the go-live date, SAP offers the R/3 GoingLive Customer Care Service, accessible via SAPNet and OSS.
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