What is SAP Basis and what changes with RISE with SAP
SAP Basis is the technical layer that keeps SAP running, and also the name of the team that administers it. With RISE with SAP, many people assume Basis goes away because SAP runs the cloud. In reality it gets split: part of it is done by SAP GCO (Global Cloud Operations, formerly SAP ECS) and the rest stays with your company.
What SAP Basis is
Every SAP system has two layers. On top are the functional modules the business works with, such as finance, procurement, sales or maintenance. Underneath is the technical layer that makes those modules work, and that layer is called Basis. It includes the SAP application server with its kernel, the database, communication between systems and the tools that move changes between environments.
By extension, Basis is also the team that administers that layer. A Basis consultant or administrator makes sure the system is available, fast, current and secure, so the business can close the month, invoice and supply its plants without thinking about the technical side.
Functional layer
Finance, procurement, sales, production, maintenance and warehousing (FI, CO, MM, SD, PP, PM, EWM)
Technical layer: SAP Basis
On RISE with SAP it is split between two owners:
SAP GCO (formerly ECS)
- Infrastructure and operating system
- HANA database and backups
- Kernel and technical patches
- Execution of what it is asked to do
Your Basis team
- Code notes and Support Packages
- Transports, interfaces and jobs
- Third-party add-ons
- Requests, tickets and Top Issues with SAP
What a Basis team does
In a traditional system, on-premise or in a cloud contracted by the company itself, the Basis team handles everything technical:
- Installation and updates: kernel, Support Packages, upgrades and security patches.
- Database: administration, backups, growth and performance.
- Transports: the orderly movement of changes from DEV to QA and from QA to PRD.
- Interfaces and jobs: connections with other systems and scheduled processes.
- Monitoring and performance: reviewing alerts, EarlyWatch Alert reports and bottlenecks.
- Infrastructure: servers, operating system and disaster recovery.
What changes with RISE with SAP
With RISE with SAP, SAP takes over the infrastructure through SAP GCO (formerly ECS). That frees the customer from servers, operating system and part of the database work, but it does not remove Basis. It splits it like this:
| Basis task | SAP GCO (formerly ECS) | Your Basis team |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure and operating system | Runs it | No longer administers it |
| HANA database and backups | Runs it, as contracted | Watches growth and decides what to clean up |
| Kernel and technical patches | Applies them | Requests the window and validates afterwards |
| Code notes and Support Packages | Executes the update it is asked for | Decides what applies, implements with SNOTE and tests |
| Transports, interfaces and jobs | No | Manages them |
| Third-party add-ons | Does not support them | Maintains them and coordinates with the vendor |
| Relationship with SAP | Receives requests and incidents | Opens requests, follows up on tickets, Top Issues and risk letters |
The result is that the Basis role changes in nature, with less infrastructure to administer and much more coordination. On RISE, the customer's Basis team becomes the technical bridge between the business and SAP: it translates what operations need into requests GCO (formerly ECS) can execute, and makes sure what GCO executes does not disrupt the business.
What you notice when nobody does Basis
When a company moves to RISE thinking Basis is no longer needed, the symptoms show up in the first months after Go-Live:
- Security notes from SAP Security Patch Day pile up with nobody deciding which ones apply.
- Dates set by SAP, such as the mandatory application of the OVERPASS patch, arrive without anyone seeing them coming.
- Top Issues stay open and turn into risk letters.
- The database grows until the only way out is a capacity expansion.
- Tickets with SAP go back and forth because nobody provides the technical information GCO (formerly ECS) needs.
Frequently asked questions
What is SAP Basis in a few words? It is the technical layer that keeps SAP running and the team that administers it: kernel, database, transports, interfaces, jobs, updates and monitoring.
Is SAP Basis still needed with RISE with SAP? Yes. SAP GCO (formerly ECS) runs the infrastructure and technical layer, but application-side tasks and coordination with SAP stay with you. We explain it in what GCO (formerly ECS) does and doesn't do.
What profile does a Basis team need on RISE? Beyond technical knowledge, someone who knows the RISE responsibility model, knows how to request services from SAP and can explain what is happening to the business in plain language.
If your company runs RISE and you want a Basis team that bridges with SAP day to day, let's talk.