Client is the highest organizational unit in SAP. Its a subdivision of the system, enabling separate independent organizations to use SAP system installation. Its also known as a self-contained data area unit with separate master records and a complete set of tables.
At least one client in SAP needs to be defined under which all organizational units are to be configured. Each user must specify a three character key as client name in SAP when he or she log on to the system. By doing this, the user specifies the client in SAP to which he or she wishes to login.
In technical terms client in SAP means the different installation used for a specified purpose. Data can be moved from one client in SAP to another via transports. It’s located within the server and based on functionality it’s divided into many types.
If a company wants to use a client in sap for training, development, testing, quality and production purposes then it has to be created in following manner;
- Sand Box
- Development Box
- Testing Box
- Quality Box
- Production Box
Sand box is a client in sap where you do the initial design of your new implementation project or the new processes that you want to add to an existing SAP system. Here you create the design and test it till the time its working as required. After finalization of the design we move it to development box.
Development client in SAP is where the entire new configuration (i.e. system design) for project are created and transported to other clients. This is also called “Golden Client” as only the design part is done here, testing and transaction processing is not allowed in it.
Once the configuration is finalized in development client, it moved to testing box for testing purpose. All transaction testings are done in it.
In Quality Box client the same configuration moved and tested for integration testing and all the quality parameters checked.
Production client in SAP is where all the day to day business activities occur. Production Client is used in all businesses to perform their daily job functions. Configuration moved to this client after a testing and finalization in different boxes.
All master data is protected in it by which these master data can be seen within it. Master data created under one client in SAP can not be changed from another. As discussed above you can create multiple clients and each such client in sap will have its own set of tables and user data.
Objects are defined as a client dependent or independent. When objects are defined within one client, it’s called client dependent other wise objects will be called client independent. Examples of client independent objects are ABAP programmings.
When you buy SAP it delivers the software with 3 clients by default i.e. 000, 001 and 066.
Client 000
SAP deliver this as a reference client. Its delivered with all default setting but without having any master data. you can copy it by using the copy function and create additional client in SAP as per your implementation requirement.
Client 001
This is initially identical to client 000. when you upgrade SAP from the present version to a higher version then “000” gets upgraded to “001” and after such up gradation 000 will not be identical to 001. This can not be used as a production client.
Client 066
This enables your system to get remotely accessed your SAP system. After buying SAP software, they provides this service to the customer to improve system performance.
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