Data Refresh Operator
The alternative to SAP TDMS for S/4HANA
For years, many companies used SAP TDMS to build lean test systems for SAP ECC. In the SAP S/4HANA context, TDMS is not supported by SAP. The Data Refresh Operator takes on this task – developed from the ground up for S/4HANA.
SAP TDMS and S/4HANA
The SAP Test Data Migration Server (TDMS) was developed for SAP ECC landscapes. It fills test and quality assurance systems with a reduced extract of the production data, for example with the data from a specific time frame.
According to SAP Note 2696183, SAP TDMS is not supported in the SAP S/4HANA context. The note concerns generation errors in the TDMS 4.0 components DMIS_CNT and DMIS_EXT during the installation of or upgrade to S/4HANA 1809 and 1909: SAP classifies them as ignorable precisely because TDMS is not supported there.
Anyone moving to S/4HANA therefore loses their tool for lean test systems. What remains are the standard SAP client copy and the system copy. Both bring the complete history with them, and in S/4HANA that history occupies expensive HANA main memory – again in every test and QA system.
With the end of mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC at the end of 2027, this affects many landscapes at the same time.
What you are used to from TDMS – with DRO in S/4HANA
- Lean test systems
- DRO copies a time slice and automatically adds all dependent objects, including those from earlier years, until nothing is verifiably missing any more. You size target systems according to their purpose rather than according to production.
- Anonymised test data
- Masking is integrated. Rules are maintained centrally and applied during export or import. Data Protect helps you find data that needs masking.
- Customer-specific tables
- You include Z tables and enhancements via your own business objects, in the system or by documented JSON import. The model is fully open to view.
- Repeatable refreshes
- Playbooks automate the process around the copy: announcement, ramp-down, import, follow-up tasks and ramp-up.
- Control over every run
- Simulation beforehand, pause & resume, manifest and audit trail: you can see why every table is copied.
Built for S/4HANA, not ported
DRO is not an ECC tool with S/4HANA adaptations. Data model, processing and parallelisation are aligned with S/4HANA and SAP HANA: ABAP-native, without additional infrastructure, controlled via a central control system.
DRO deliberately does not support SAP ECC. As long as your production system runs on ECC, your current approach can stay in place. DRO comes in as soon as test systems are supplied from a production system on S/4HANA 2023 or later.
From TDMS to DRO: how the switch works
Demo
We discuss what you have used TDMS for so far and show DRO using your own use cases. We also clarify how you can get to know DRO in your landscape.
Basic setup
Source and target systems are registered in the control system. If the contacts are available, the technical side can be in place in one day.
Include your own objects
Customer-specific tables and dependencies from your existing scenarios are added to the business object model.
Training & first runs
The employees involved are trained, followed by the first test runs.
In-house operation
Your team carries out the refreshes itself. Our support is on hand, and if you wish, we take over operations.
Questions about TDMS and DRO
Does SAP TDMS support S/4HANA?
No. SAP developed TDMS for ECC landscapes. According to SAP Note 2696183, SAP TDMS is not supported in the SAP S/4HANA context. You can find the current status for your release in the SAP Support Portal.
Is DRO the successor to SAP TDMS?
DRO is not an SAP product and not an official successor, but an independent product of Velvet Mind GmbH. In S/4HANA, it takes on the task for which many companies used TDMS: lean, consistent test systems with production-like data.
We extended TDMS with our own tables. Is that possible with DRO too?
Yes. You maintain customer-specific tables and their dependencies in DRO’s business object model, directly in the system or by documented JSON import. In the demo, we clarify which of your existing enhancements you need for this.
When is the right time to switch?
DRO runs on SAP S/4HANA from release 2023. As long as your production system runs on ECC, your current approach can stay in place. Plan DRO for the test systems that will be supplied from your S/4HANA production system after the switch.
Do we need additional infrastructure?
No. DRO is an S/4HANA-native ABAP implementation and runs in your existing landscape. The central control system controls all runs; bulk data flows directly between the source and target system.
SAP, SAP S/4HANA and SAP ECC are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. The Data Refresh Operator is a product of Velvet Mind GmbH and not a product of SAP SE.
Want to discuss moving from TDMS?
In a free demo, we show you DRO live using your own use cases – remotely and with no obligation. We discuss where the benefits lie for memory, refresh time and operating costs, and how you can try DRO in your own landscape.
- Benefits specific to your use cases
- A live look at time slice, dependency resolution, export and import
- Answers directly from the team behind DRO