2835061 - SAP SuccessFactors Learning - Automated Refresh Process IRT

As opposed to the standard refresh requests which require Learning administrators to carry out several tasks pre and post refresh, the automated refresh tool namely Instance Refresh Tool (IRT) eliminated many of these to simplify the task (please see the resolution section for details on the automation).

Image/data in this KBA is from SAP internal systems, sample data, or demo systems. Any resemblance to real data is purely coincidental.

• SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite
• SAP SuccessFactors Learning 

IRT tool is now available for all the customers who meet pre-requisites

Pre-requisites:

• Prior to using the tool, you may need to contact the SAP SuccessFactors Learning Technical Support team to verify that you are eligible for the tool to be enabled from the BizX backend (provisioning).
• Also required:

1. 1. Enable Generic Object, if the feature is not enabled in your instance, you can upgrade your instance in Upgrade Center >
   2. Role-based permission, if your instance is using legacy permission please contact SAP Support, for information on migrating your instance to role-based permission.

• You can review the SAP Help Portal Pairing the Instances area and the KBA 2791468 (end to end details from setting up permissions to generating tokens and pairing instances for the refresh). But since the tool is already available for HCM core you have more likely all the configurations done already.

Which BizX company ID should be paired with source?

Please refer KBA 2655655 - How can SuccessFactors end users find the company ID - SuccessFactors to find exact BizX company ID.

To find out the Learning environment URL associated with BizX Company ID, please use the steps below:

1. Login into BizX environment >

2. Navigate to Admin Center -> Learning -> Learning Administration >

3. From the Learning Administration URL, check for https://[companyname].[depends on DC but commonly it's plateau].[depends on region but this would be .com or .eu as an example]. Example: https://salesdemo123.plateau.com. This will be associated with the Learning URL for your BizX company ID.



LIMITATIONS:

• IRT does not support cross DC refreshes currently, for example DC2 to DC4, etc.
• We have DC70 Learning tenants integrated with DC68 BizX tenants which are not considered as cross DC refresh. IRT is supported in this scenario.
• Production environment (production tenant type ZH421 & ZH525 only) cannot be selected as a target instance.
• Both Tenants must be under 500GB. {Best way to determine is by scheduling IRT for Learning since it will notify you if not eligible due to size limitation}.
• Refresh slots are available Monday-Thursday 8pm-8am based on datacenter timezone; noting there are fixed number of refresh slots available per day, at data center level. Once all the slots for a day get booked, that specific date will become unavailable for further refresh scheduling.
• See KBA 2791468 for other limitations.

The following configuration tables are automatically backed up and restored from the target instance after a refresh:

• All System Configuration Property Files, including Content Deployment Locations (so you will be able to navigate to Learning from HCM post refresh without having to update the configuration, for example).

• All the configurations that you would be seeing under "System Administration>>Configuration>>System Configuration" are restored.

  Along with these, Content deployment locations, Entity configuration, External Learning Request and VLE configurations that are in System Administration> Configuration are restored from the target instance.

  • Note: While the Content Deployment Locations and internal iContent configurations are copied over to the new tenant and then restored, the iContent SFTP data such as files and folders are not modified in any way.
• Report Developer Role (Preview only).
  • Note: The REPORT_DEVELOPER role will need to be reapplied to the Learning administrator accounts.
• Internal (backend) Configurations.

The following actions are automatically performed in the target instance after a refresh:

• PA Mail table is cleared of all queued up emails.
• Mail Archive table is cleared.
• All email addresses are cleared from the system as to not send out erroneous emails.
• Previous background job results table is cleared.
• All recurring APM jobs will be disabled post-refresh in the Target instance except background, auto-scheduled APM Jobs. These APM jobs are those which the customer cannot see in the Learning Administration UI under the System Administration -> Automatic Processes. In other words, all the customer-facing APM jobs will be disabled in the Target instance post-refresh.
• Recurring Report jobs will be disabled by default after the refresh.
• The Target instance will have its OAuth Client Secret overwritten by the Source's. If OData API is used in the Target instance, it's mandatory to generate a new client secret to avoid any issues.
• A post-refresh user sync via an ad-hoc run of the User Connector-SF (SF user connector in Learning) will be run to ensure employee data is synchronized between BizX and Learning
  See KBA 2716723 regarding warning: "The user export job cannot be found." & ensure jobs exists which can be performed through Partner Provisioning or through Scheduled Job manager (Employee Import and Export Jobs Supported in Scheduled Job Manager | SAP Help Portal)
  Note: The ad-hoc connector runs even if selecting Platform only within IRT and should exist even if using Integration Center or other jobs for user syncs.
• The Mail Configurations: Admin Email Address, Student Email Address, and backend configurations such as the Mail Server. 
  • Email notifications will be restored in Target instance post-refresh, and status of "Enable Email" will be set as it was prior to refresh in target. 
  • We clear all emails from target environment, but User synchronization job will be executed post refresh to synchronize user data from BizX to Learning which could update user email addresses in the target.
• All information from PH tables (including PH_STUDENT) will be deleted on Target environment. The IRT will automatically trigger the SF User Connector to sync the data from BizX to Learning. All the PH tables in Target will now have data from the refresh date onwards.

Before the refresh:

Before initiating an Instance Refresh (IRT) or Manual Refresh, customers using SAP SuccessFactors Learning must ensure their system is properly prepared to avoid validation errors. Please refer to Module-Specific Considerations to Remember Before Refreshing the Target Instance | SAP Help Portal for more information.

What You Need to Know

AI-based recommendations and library search capabilities may not function as expected if the Employee export job does not exists even if using integraiton center user syncs; to avoid refresh failures, it's important to check whether a key job—Employee Export Job—exists in your target instance.

This applies specifically to customers using Learning with either:

• Platform (PLT).
• Employee Central (EC).

1. For Learning + Platform (PLT) Customers

✅ If the Employee Export Job exists in the target instance and is scheduled with a future date: You’re all set. No action is needed.

❌ If the job is missing or not properly scheduled: Use the Scheduled Job manager (Employee Import and Export Jobs Supported in Scheduled Job Manager | SAP Help Portal) to create one time Future Dated (End date should be greater than Refresh Schedule date) / Recurring (No End date) scheduled Employee Export in Target Instance 

2. For Learning + Employee Central (EC) Customers

⚠️ A valid Employee Export Job must exist in the target instance for the refresh to proceed.

Without this job, the refresh will fail.

This applies to both IRT and manual refreshes, including full and partial refreshes. This requirement is in addition to any existing Employee Export Job you may have scheduled in Integration Center, as the current refresh process does not recognize those jobs.

🛠️ For setup guidance, please refer to: KBA 2716723 – How to Create the Employee Export Job. to avoid this error as a placeholder Employee Export Job can be created in the target instance to bypass the validation.

If you have a different logo or images for each of your instances, please be aware of the following:

• QuickGuide images, Company logos and custom thumbnails are not backed up nor stored in the Learning database, therefore you need to have these files available to upload them in the Learning target instance after the refresh.
• If you have any custom labels or custom reports unique to the target instance, you should export them before the refresh to keep a back-up.
• You should also have your OData API secret already backed up in case you use this functionality in Stage and should ensure you have it to replace.
• Disable any APM you do not want to be running in target or perform change post-refresh.
• Disable any recurring report you do not want running in target; Please note that those will be copied over and can only be accessed by the admin who scheduled them (Reports > Report Job tabs) or from BizX proxy, see KBA 2250223.

After the refresh:

• Test accessing Learning from BizX (both user and admin UI).
• Review your configuration files (system administration > Configuration > System Configuration) to confirm the backup were properly applied (correct SFTP, deployment location ID etc...).
• Upload your images if needed.
• To enable emails in the target instance please navigate to system administration > configuration > global application settings > Mail tab > check 'Enable Email' and populate the 'Admin' and 'User Notification Email' fields (mandatory).
• Connectors will not be disabled in the target system post refresh, if you do not need them to run then please make sure to disable them once the refresh is completed (system admin > Connectors > open the desired connector and uncheck "Schedule this process").
  However the Connector configuration property file of the target system is backed up and restored after the refresh is completed (for example SFTP location and file path).
• Disable any APM as needed.
• Disable any recurring report jobs not needed, see 2250223.
• The Custom Labels and Customization on the User Landing Pages (including Custom Tiles) are not copied from the source to the target Learning environment and will need to be restored manually. We recommend that customers take screenshots and copy any source code they need for custom tiles from the source environment to re-create these post refresh.
• At the end of any refresh, the Introduction Panel ID is automatically set to 'DEFAULT_ADMIN_INTRO' under Learning Administration > System Administration > Configuration > Global Application Settings > Introduction Panel ID. This introduction panel does not use the default system image that is displayed above the welcome text on the Learning Administration home page. Consequently, no image will be displayed on the LMS Admin home page. If you want the default system image to be displayed, please change the Introduction Panel ID to 'DEFAULT_LEARNING_ADMINISTRATION_INTRO', which uses the default system image.

Performing Refresh only on Learning:

• IMPORTANT: Before proceeding with a partial Learning refresh, please go through KBA 3682524 - Impact of Partial Refreshes on Learning Data. 
• When doing a Learning Refresh, you will not see the Learning URLs as options. Instead, what you will see are the HCM IDs.
• Please note checkbox for "Learning Management System" will appear only after selecting target environment and if Learning Management System refresh has been enabled in both source and target environment.
• When performing a refresh only on the Learning Management System you will get the following Warning Message:

• If you do not have access to Provisioning, you can run this Employee Export via Scheduled Job manager (Employee Import and Export Jobs Supported in Scheduled Job Manager | SAP Help Portal) without contacting SAP Support and then run the SF User Connector afterwards to sync the Users in Learning.
• This will sync the Users across BizX and Learning.

What if the refresh fails or I receive some errors?

• Please review this KBA 2791468 along with the Reference section of the KBA for some additional documentation on errors and validation messages.
• If you still need assistance, you can either reopen the case where you requested us to enable the tool (if not confirmed) or please submit a new case (LOD-SF-PLT-REF)

Please provide:

• BizX Company ID and support access (KBA 2088892) for both the source and target instance.
• Notification received with validation or error.
• Error logs (see here how to collect them).
• Screenshot of the error if the message happens when scheduling the refresh and prevents you from proceeding.

Using the Instance Refresh Tool

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SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite all versions ; SAP SuccessFactors Learning all versions