Our usage of SMP dates back to the SUP 2.1 version. We make extensive use of DCNs (Data Change Notifications) to update MBOs (Mobile Business Objects) as as a consequence of changes to ERP data. The UPSERT operation allows a partial update of the MBO, effectively merging some changed fields with the existing record in the cache.
This was still included in the release documentation for 2.3, which is the ‘sidecar’ that’s providing the DCN functionality for MBOs.
The :upsert operation requires:
- All MBO primary key attributes to be present in the payload.
- Any other MBO attributes used in the upsert.
- All columns in the operation use attribute names (not the column names to which they are mapped).
We’re in the progress of migrating from SUP 2.2.5 to SMP 3.0.11 (with the MBO ‘sidecar’). The transition has been fairly painless except for one glaring change that’s been made for which there’s no clear rationale or clear reference in available documentation. Previously, performing an UPSERT operation could be executed on the basis that “the message must contain name/value pairs for every required attribute, and the name must exactly match the MBO attribute name”. If you just wanted to update a single field, then you needed to provide the primary key and just the fields to be changed.
Apparently some customers experience performance issues, although we’ve used it since 2011. But instead of providing advice, or an option to disable the feature, it’s been removed completely and yet there’s no obvious reference within the release documentation.
The deprecation is referred to obliquely in SAP Note 2044873, and is a right royal pain to compensate for!
