2287597 - SuccessFactors HCM - Patch and Product release information / Contractual Maintenance

1. What is the Contractual Maintenance Window (CMW)?
2. How does SAP SuccessFactors deliver code changes and fixes?
3. What is the difference between a patch and a Product Release?
4. What does SAP SuccessFactors consider when deciding how and when the fix will be released?
5. How can I find out which issues were fixed during the latest patch and what are the future patch dates?
6. Where to find the list of Known issues for the current release?
7. Some useful information about the customer notifications 

SAP SuccessFactors HCM

1. What is the Contractual Maintenance Window (CMW)
   

   SuccessFactors performs maintenance in the Contractual Maintenance Window that is agreed with the customer. The maintenance can be disruptive in nature. The maintenance activities in the CMW are typically performed on the application, database, infrastructure components.
   
   

2. How does SAP SuccessFactors deliver code changes and fixes?
   

   Code changes are delivered in a standard pattern to all customers across all data centers. The changes are packaged in either patches or Product Releases and all are made in accordance with our approved Software Engineering and Product Management procedures and standards.
   
   

3. What is the difference between a patch and a Product Release?
   
   
• Product Releases
  

  New features, existing feature updates as well as fixes to the existing code. This is the main vehicle of delivery and almost all our engineering efforts are directed at delivering the Product Releases.

  Product Releases are applied to Production following a deployment to Preview 4-5 weeks earlier. This period allows customers to assess the upcoming Production release against their specific configurations.

• Patches
  

  Smaller fixes to the code set delivered every week or two weeks depending on the patching schedule. The patches address issues reported by customers and are designed to have no downtime impact to customers, whilst also addressing high risk items which cannot wait until a Product Release. New features are not delivered in patches. Only Fixes are handled in Patches.

  Occasionally, a code fix will be urgent and must be applied immediately, this will be incorporated in an emergency patch which will be applied as soon as possible.

  Any patch fix will be applied to Preview at least two days before being applied to Production.
  
  

4. What does SAP SuccessFactors consider when deciding how and when the fix will be released?
   

   Only high business impact incidents / fixes can be considered as patch candidates. However, this does not mean that all the fixes will be included in patches.

   (See KBA 2287393 for details about the business impact statement and how it can help us prioritize your issues.)
   
   

5. How can I find out which issues were fixed during the latest patch and what are the upcoming patch dates?
   

   For the latest patch schedule and the fixes included in the patches, see the Customer Community SAP SuccessFactors Patch Process Overview page which has a link to the latest release.
   
   For the Product Release schedule see the Customer Community Product Release and Road Map Information page.
   
   

6. Where to find the list of Known Issues for the current release?
   
   The list of the top-reported known issues for the current release is published in KBA 2692971 - SAP SuccessFactors Known Issues.
   In the spirit of transparency and mutual success, we sincerely appreciate your partnership as we, together, identify and report the status of issues associated with these releases.
   
   

7. Some useful information about the Customer Notifications:

   Impact notifications for maintenance, major release upgrades and patching are sent out for production systems only, when a service disruption is required during implementation. For more details on Contractual Maintenance Notifications, refer to KBA 2871614.

   To subscribe, add or remove a user from e-mail notifications for downtime, outages, data center maintenance, or release information of SuccessFactors applications, refer to KBA 2115584.

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