Description

SAP new release and WFM support FAQ_Final document

Applies To

SAP new releases and WFM

Solution/Immediate Workaround

WFM support FAQ

Ques1: A latest version of SAP S/4HANA is released on October 25, 2021, when will Winshuttle/Precisely provide WFM to support this?

Answer: When SAP releases a latest version of S/4HANA (the on-premises version, not the cloud product), Winshuttle tests the new S/4HANA release for compatibility with only the latest version of the Winshuttle Function Module (WFM) and Studio at the time of the SAP release. Certification from SAP is sought for the Winshuttle Function Module and Studio product because the certification covers the usage of Studio with Connect, Studio with Evolve, or Studio with Studio Manager.

Usually, a minor product version or a hotfix is released by Winshuttle (for Winshuttle Function Module, and occasionally for Studio, Evolve, or Studio Manager) to support a new SAP S/4HANA release. The expected period for the posting of the SAP certification letter -- for a version of Studio for beta software or lab testing, or as General Availability (GA) software -- depends on the extent of the changes in the new SAP product release. The period will vary according to the table below:

Milestone for SAP S/4HANA Release	Minor SAP Release*	Major SAP Release*
Winshuttle beta release Earliest availability of the Winshuttle Function Module (WFM) software and any product hotfixes of the latest product software release for lab testing by a Winshuttle customer. Winshuttle starts the official SAP certification process in parallel.	5 weeks after the SAP release date = November 29, 2021	15 weeks (about 3 and a half months) after the SAP release date = February 7, 2022
Production-level code	9 weeks (about 2 months) after the SAP release date = December 27, 2021	22 weeks (about 5 months) after the SAP release date = March 28, 2022
Certification from SAP for Studio and WFM	11 weeks (about 2 and a half months) after the SAP release date = January 10, 2022	24 weeks (about 5 and a half months) after the SAP release date = April 11, 2022

Ques2: We got the latest beta version of WFM released by Precisely to support the latest version of SAP S/4HANA. What is its impact on the other products like Studio, Evolve and Studio Manager, do we need to upgrade those?

Answer: The beta version of WFM is usually tested and supported with the last released version of Studio, Evolve and Studio Manager. Meaning the customers who want the beta software and are not on the latest version of Studio, Evolve and Studio Manager, they will have to upgrade these products as well.

Ques3: We got the latest version of WFM beta, can I upgrade by existing WFM to this beta?

Answer: If customers have a prior version of the WFM installed, they cannot upgrade it to a beta version. Customer will have to remove the prior version of the WFM and then do a fresh install of the beta version. Also, after the GA version of WFM is released, customers can’t stay on the beta version of the WFM, after the beta program is done, we will provide support only on the GA version of the product.

Ques4: I got WFM Beta, and Precisely release the GA version of it, should I plan to upgrade to the GA version of WFM?

Answer: If the customer opts to go for WFM beta version, then once the WFM GA version will be released, to get Precisely support, customer will have to upgrade to the WFM GA version and will also have to upgrade Evolve, Studio Manager and Studio to the version compatible with that WFM GA version. If reported timely, this GA version will have the bug fixes raised for the WFM beta.

Ques5: Knowing we have dozens of SAP systems with WFMs (Winshuttle Function Module), we need a strategy on upgrading users and systems without affecting user business continuity using Automate products.

Answer: The higher version of Studio works with lower version of WFM. So, to have business continuity it is better to upgrade Studio and Evolve first and then upgrade/re-install WFM. If the intention is to upgrade Basis/Kernel versions of customer’s SAP systems as well, then WFM re-installation might be needed, as we do have separate WFM installers for different Basis/SAP systems.

Ques6: Is it best practice that we upgrade the Studio desktop first? Can we then upgrade the server and WFMs after?

Answer: If the upgrade is planned to have in phases, then in the first phase upgrade Studio and Evolve. In the second phase upgrade the WFM.

Ques7: When is the time to upgrade the Automate Evolve/Studio Manager versus the WFM?

Answer: Automate Evolve/Studio Manager should be upgraded when Studio is upgraded because the Server and Studio versions should be the same. WFM can be upgraded later.

Ques8: What are the effects of some users upgrading Studio and not others?

Answer: If some users upgrade their Studio and others not, and the Automate Evolve/Studio Manager is upgraded then the users on older version of Studio can face issues in login to Studio, completing their tasks and in recording the scripts. We never test this configuration, so we are not sure on the exact list of issues.

Ques9: We upgraded the SAP Basis or S/4HANA, WFM, Automate Evolve/Studio Manager, and Studio. Do scripts need retesting? What updates occur on the server that may need testing?

Answer: Between SAP Basis or S/4HANA versions, we have seen multiple issues due to screen changes in SAP. Scripts re-recording is the only solution for such issues. Our recommendation is to re-test all existing scripts against new sandbox SAP systems, and re-record as needed.

In general, with our past experiences, we have seen customers update their scripts for them to work seamlessly with the newer versions of Studio, the WFM, and the new SAP S/4HANA release.

Ques 10: Do we need to stand up a QA (Quality Assurance) server to thoroughly test and get through this upgrade? If so, can we copy production? What changes need to be made?

Answer: Yes, we recommend first upgrading QA, and test all the scripts, and then upgrading the Prod. If the changes needed on QA are also done on Prod, then there is no need to test all the scripts again on Prod.

Ques 11: What is the ideal plan Precisely would provide and guidance for companies upgrading SAP Basis or S/4HANA, WFM and other applicable Automate products?
Answer: As a best practice, Precisely recommend that all customers should plan to install the latest WFM while they are planning to deploy the new SAP server release (e.g., S/4HANA or ECC) to ensure interoperability with the new SAP server release. Subsequently, they should prepare for a Studio and Evolve/Studio Manager upgrade that will provide more features and/or performance improvements that are tied to the WFM. (For further information, please refer to the Studio Upgrade Guides.)
Customers should validate all the scripts and solutions on QA with prod data copy. The forward compatibility, with latest version of WFM (for 12.x customers), was supported only for S/4HANA 2020, and S/4HANA 2021. For other versions, customers should always upgrade their Evolve/Studio Manager /Studio setups as well to be either equivalent or on higher version than WFM version.

Ques 12: How will we know which version of WFM is compatible with which version of Studio, Evolve/Studio Manager.

Answer: Customers using any supported version of Studio and/or Evolve/Studio Manager can opt to upgrade their WFM to the latest version of the WFM that is certified with the newly available SAP S/4HANA release (see the WFM Compatibility Matrix). If customers run into issues with the mixed version configuration and would like to receive Winshuttle customer support, they need to upgrade their version of Studio to the same version as their WFM. For complex scripts, customers may also need to update their scripts for them to work seamlessly with the newer versions of Studio, the WFM, and the new SAP S/4HANA release.

Ques 13: We uninstalled the old WFM or upgraded to the latest version of WFM, will it have impact on the WFM tables or entries, will those be removed?

Answer: In case we uninstall the Old WFM and then re-install the latest version of WFM, all the table entries which are customer specific and created after the WFM installations will be removed. Although all the pre-shipped values will be re-created once new WFM is installed again, and customer can re-add the customer specific entries if noted down before uninstallation. In case of upgrading to the latest version of WFM, all the WFM tables or entries will remain unchanged.

Ques 14: SAP released a new patch or hotfix, when will Winshuttle supply a WFM to support this.

Answer: Winshuttle does not perform Interoperability testing on the SAP hotfixes usually and reserves the right to decide on a case-by-case basis when SAP patches or hotfixes call for Interoperability Testing before being considered as supported by Winshuttle.

Ques 15: According to the SAP Winshuttle Product Compatibility Policy, classifying an SAP release as Major or Minor for Winshuttle products is at the sole discretion of Winshuttle. What are the criteria to classify SAP release as major or minor?

Answer: The SAP releases are analyzed by the engineering team based on the simplification list provided by SAP. If the changes in SAP and its impact on Winshuttle products is low, then we consider it as a minor release, else it is considered as a major release.

Ques 16: What are the Winshuttle instructions when Customer ask for ACP files to upgrade WFM during SAP upgrade.

Answer: Winshuttle does not supply the ACP files. For the scenario to upgrade WFM during SAP upgrade, customer can reach out to Winshuttle support team along with all the details so that relevant add-on file can be shared which can be further used in SUM (SAP upgrade tool).

Ques 17: How do I check my current WFM version or if the WFM is installed?

Answer: Launch SAP and go to System menu in any SAP screen and select Status (in some systems you will find this option under More in the menu bar).

You should now see the System: Status with Usage data at the top (not shown below).

For the Winshuttle Function Module versions, click on the magnifying glass under Component version in SAP System data

Scroll to the bottom of the list of components to view the version of the Winshuttle Function Module component, beginning WINSHTLQ .

Here WINSHTLQ component reflect the WFM is installed also the Release Number and short description will describe the Installed WFM version.

Ques 18: How do I find the BASIS release version of my SAP system that corresponds to the correct WFM download link?
Answer: Launch SAP and go to System menu in any SAP screen and select Status (in some systems you will find this option under More in the menu bar).