Database-Specific Aspects

In the following, the most important database-specific aspects are described that might have an impact on your overall planning.

Optimizer Statistics

The optimizer statistics values for newly imported tables are updated automatically after the development environment import.

Recommendation

Update the optimizer statistics shortly before and after you update your SAP system.
Database Archiving and Backup

If you deactivate the archiving option at the beginning of roadmap step Execution, the Software Update Manager switches the log mode to OVERWRITE after confirming and checking if a log backup has been created successfully.

After the mode has been switched, the contents of the log are permanently lost. You are then able to recover the database to the state it has at this point in time.

Recommendation

Before you isolate your system, you have to make a complete data backup of the database (Backup Complete) in operating mode ONLINE. Since it is not possible to estimate how long a complete data backup takes, schedule a generous amount of time between starting the complete data backup and isolating your system. Shortly before you isolate the system, make an additional incremental data backup (Backup Incremental).
After you have isolated the primary application server instance, make a log backup (Backup Log).

You need to make a backup after the update. How you back up the database depends on whether archiving was switched on or off.

For more information, see section Changing the SAP MaxDB Database Recovery Mode.