SQL Server Column-Store available for all major SAP BW releases

Last Week SAP released Support Package Stack 5 for EHP1 of NetWeaver 7.3. Hereby all of the following equivalent SPS levels are now available:

  • SPS 27 of SAP BW 7.0 (SAP NetWeaver 7.0)
  • SPS 12 of SAP BW 7.01 (SAP enhancement package 1 for SAP NetWeaver 7.0)
  • SPS 12 of SAP BW 7.02 (SAP enhancement package 2 for SAP NetWeaver 7.0)
  • SPS 8 of SAP BW 7.3 (SAP NetWeaver 7.3)
  • SPS 5 of SAP BW 7.31 (SAP enhancement package 1 for SAP NetWeaver 7.3)

These SP stacks are prerequisites for using SQL Server column-store with SAP BW. We already described the SQL Server column-store in a previous BLOG (https://blogs.msdn.com/b/saponsqlserver/archive/2012/05/23/sql-server-2012-column-store-support-for-sap-bw.aspx).

In the meanwhile we implemented several improvements for the column-store. These improvements are delivered by means of a correction instruction in SAP note 1771177. This note has been released today.

The following improvements have been made since we posted our last BLOG:

  • Report MSSCSTORE. This report is completely new. It has nothing to do with the report ZMSSCSTORE, described in our last BLOG.
  • There is now a system default for using the column-store. There is no need anymore, to define each single SAP BW cube, which uses the column-store.
  • BW Selective Deletion fully supports the column-store.
  • A failed BW Repartitioning does not result in a missing column-store index any more.
  • SAP System Copy and System Migration now fully supports the column-store.
  • The column-store can now also be used for BW Real-Time Cubes.

For using the column-store, you have to perform the following steps:

  1. You first have to apply the minimum Support Package Stack as listed in the table above.
  2. After that, you have to import the correction instruction of SAP note 1771177 using transaction SNOTE. The correction instruction contains report MSSCSTORE and several further improvements.
  3. Finally you have to apply at least cumulative update 2 of SQL Server 2012 (or any newer CU or service pack of SQL Server 2012).

You can download SQL Server 2012 CU2 (SQLServer2012_RTM_CU2_2703275_11_0_2325_x64) from https://support.microsoft.com/hotfix/KBHotfix.aspx?kbnum=2703275&kbln=en-us. Service Pack 1 of SQL Server 2012 is scheduled for November 2012. Once it is available, we recommend to install the service pack rather than applying the CU.

We also published an SAP SCN document, which describes the usage of the column-store with SAP BW in detail. This document is also attached to SAP note 1771177 and to this BLOG.

SQL_Server_2012_Column-Store.pdf