Effective in version 6.1, the Prepare SAP for Retirement job is deprecated. The physical database preparation of special SAP tables is no longer required. Special SAP tables are pool tables, cluster tables, transparent HR tables, transparent STXL table, tables that store data in SAP encoded format, and attachments.

The Import Metadata job and the retirement jobs changed to perform the necessary steps to retire an SAP application. The Import Metadata job reads metadata directly from the SAP database. During the extraction process, the retirement job logs in to the SAP application to process data for tables that need special processing.

Previously, you ran the Prepare SAP for Retirement job before you imported metadata from the SAP database. The Prepare SAP for Retirement job created physical tables for SAP tables that require special processing. After the job created the physical tables, the job copied the table data from the original table to the physical tables. Then, you could import metadata from the physical tables and retire the data from the physical tables.

Effective in version 6.1, the SAP Retirement Staging Requirements job is deprecated. Staging space on the database is no longer required.

Previously, you needed staging space on the database to store the physical tables that the Prepare SAP for Retirement job created.

Effective in version 6.1, when you import metadata from SAP applications, you do not have to exclude any tables.

Previously, you used a regular expression to exclude tables that had a slash (/) in the table name.

Effective in version 6.1, the retirement job transforms SAP encoded data into XML format for the HR PCL1-PCL5 cluster tables and the STXL text table. The retirement job logs in to the SAP application to read and decode the SAP encoded data during the extraction process. No temporary storage is required for the XML transformation.

Previously, the Prepare SAP for Retirement job created physical tables for all tables that store data in an SAP encoded format. This step was required because you can only read the SAP encoded data through the SAP application layer. The job logged in to the SAP application to read the encoded data, transform the encoded data into XML format, and copy the transformed data to the physical table that the job created.

Effective in version 6.1, the retirement job uses the SAP Java Connector to log in to the SAP application to archive data from attachments, ADK files, and special tables. Special tables are pool tables, cluster tables, transparent HR tables, and tables that store data in SAP encoded format.

For special tables that require additional processing, such as pool tables, cluster tables, transparent HR tables, and tables that store data in an SAP encoded format, the retirement job uses the SAP Java Connector to log in to the SAP application and to call a function module. The function module reads, decodes, and extracts the data from the tables and moves the data to the BCP staging area as compressed BCP files.

Previously, the Prepare SAP for Retirement job used the SAP Java Connector to log in to the SAP application and to prepare the special tables. The job converted the data to a staging space. The retirement job archived all data directly from the database without logging in to the SAP system.

Effective in version 6.1, the retirement job processes attachments. The retirement job logs in to the SAP system to read and decode the attachments that are stored in the SAP database. Then, the job compresses the attachments in gzip format to the attachment staging area. Depending on your configuration, the retirement job can also move attachments that are stored in an external file system to the attachment staging area.

Previously, the Prepare SAP for Retirement job processed attachments. The job downloaded and compressed all attachments to a an attachment staging area. For attachments that are stored in an external file system, the job moved the attachments from the file system to the attachment staging area. For attachments that are stored in the SAP database, the job decoded the attachments and moved the attachments to the attachment staging area.

Effective in version 6.1, it is not mandatory to move attachments that are stored in an external file system to the attachment staging area. The run procedure parameters for the attachment entity controls whether the retirement job moves attachments that are stored in an external file system. Because the attachment entities are standard, you must copy the entity before you make changes.

You can leave the attachments in the external file system. Or, you can move the attachments to the attachment staging area. You need to move the attachments to the attachment staging area if you want to archive the attachments to the optimized file archive or to third party storage such as Enterprise Vault.

Previously, the Prepare SAP for Retirement job moved all attachments that are stored in an external file system to the attachment staging area.

Effective in version 6.1, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Informix, and Sybase source connections include SAP-specific properties. You configure properties to connect to the SAP application and the location of the attachment staging directory. The retirement job uses the connection details to log in to the SAP application. The retirement job logs in to the SAP application to read and transform SAP encoded table data, to move attachments that are stored in the SAP database, and to archive ADK files.

Previously, you provided the connection details and attachment staging directory in the Prepare SAP for Retirement standalone job.

Effective in version 6.1, the SAP GUID columns are created as VARCHAR datatype.

Previously, the SAP GUID columns were created as BLOB datatype.