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Repository Comparison with Copilot

Copilot can create, inspect, configure, and run repository comparison workflows through dedicated ABAP FS language model tools.

You can ask naturally:

  • "Create a repository comparison from DEV100 to QAS100."
  • "Limit the workflow to package ZDEMO* and classes."
  • "Run discovery and compare the inventories."
  • "Show me only objects that exist on the source."
  • "Compare the selected objects with source download concurrency 4."
  • "Prepare an assisted-apply plan and explain what is blocked."

Workflow-changing tools open or focus the Repository Comparison Workflow webview so you can watch progress and review results. Read-only tools do not open it.

Available tools

Tool Purpose
abapfs_list_repository_workflows List workflow IDs, systems, current step, status, and last error
abapfs_get_repository_workflow Read selected state, criteria, summaries, or one filtered artifact page
abapfs_create_repository_workflow Create a persistent workflow for two connected systems
abapfs_update_repository_workflow_criteria Change discovery scope and invalidate existing derived results
abapfs_run_repository_workflow_step Run discovery, retry local inventory comparison, or run combined source comparison
abapfs_open_repository_workflow Open or focus a workflow without changing it
abapfs_prepare_repository_assisted_apply Prepare a non-mutating assisted-apply review plan

Create and configure

Creation requires two different connected system IDs:

Create a repository comparison from DEV100 to QAS100 named "Demo comparison".

Creating the workflow also creates default criteria, but it does not run discovery.

Ask Copilot to update criteria before discovery:

Set package scope to ZDEMO*, include subpackages, and select CLAS and PROG only.

Supported criteria include:

  • include and exclude object-name patterns;
  • package patterns and subpackage expansion;
  • object types, namespaces, and authors;
  • creation-date range;
  • deleted, generated, and $TMP inclusion;
  • source, target, and local verification concurrency.

Updating criteria clears discovery and every downstream artifact. Copilot asks for confirmation before applying the change.

Run workflow stages

The run tool accepts three user-facing operations.

discovery

Queries both SAP systems, persists their inventories, and automatically compares inventory presence locally.

Run discovery for the demo comparison.

It does not automatically continue into source download or assisted apply unless you explicitly request those stages too.

existenceComparison

Retries or rebuilds only the local inventory comparison from persisted discovery inventories. It does not query SAP again.

Retry the inventory comparison without rerunning discovery.

sourceComparison

Performs source selection, verifies reusable snapshots, downloads missing source and target snapshots, then compares them locally.

Omit object keys to select all comparable objects or resume the saved selection:

Resume source comparison using the existing selection.

Supply exact keys to replace the selection:

Compare only R3TR:CLAS:ZCL_EXAMPLE.

Object keys must come from the existence-comparison artifact. Source-only, target-only, empty, and excluded DEVC selections are rejected.

Optional concurrency values:

  • sourceConcurrency: 1-10 SAP downloads from source;
  • targetConcurrency: 1-10 SAP downloads from target;
  • verificationConcurrency: 1-128 local verification tasks.

Read workflow data efficiently

abapfs_get_repository_workflow supports four response sections:

  • state — complete workflow state or one requested step;
  • criteria — persisted scope and concurrency;
  • summaries — compact counts for completed stages;
  • artifact — one bounded result page.

If no section is requested, the tool returns state only. Ask for the smallest useful response:

Show only the source-comparison summary.

Read the sourceDownload step status and last error.

Available artifacts:

  • sourceDiscovery
  • targetDiscovery
  • existenceComparison
  • sourceComparison
  • assistedApplyPlan

Artifact reads accept offset and limit, with a maximum page size of 200. They can be filtered by status, object name, object type, and package. Object-name filtering supports * and ?.

Examples:

Show the first 50 source-only classes from the existence comparison.

Show source differences for objects matching ZCL_EXAMPLE*.

Assisted apply

Ask Copilot to prepare a plan only after source comparison:

Prepare an assisted-apply plan for the demo comparison.

The tool returns ready and blocked counts and opens the webview for review. It does not stage or change SAP code.

Only you can:

  • click Stage in target editor;
  • review the dirty target editor;
  • save and choose a transport;
  • activate the object and related components.

See Assisted Apply for all safeguards and stale-plan checks.

Pausing and resuming with Copilot

When you ask Copilot to continue an existing workflow, it reuses persisted work:

  • discovery continues without re-saving criteria;
  • a failed inventory comparison can be retried without querying SAP again;
  • source comparison resumes with the saved selection and reusable snapshots;
  • completed stages can be inspected without rerunning them.

If you click Pause or close the workflow panel while a Copilot-run operation is active, its result records outcome: paused-by-user, pausedByUser: true, a pauseReason, and the exact current step state. Closing the panel is an intentional safety stop. Copilot must report that you stopped the operation and must not restart it without a new request.

If downloads or comparisons finish with incomplete objects, the tool returns outcome: partial and must not report clean completion or retry automatically. Ask Copilot to explain the failures, then explicitly request a retry when appropriate; verified successful snapshots are reused.

If a step fails, ask Copilot to read that step's state and report lastError before resetting anything.

Safety boundaries

Repository Comparison tools keep these actions outside Copilot's control:

  • creating a missing target object from a source-only result;
  • clicking Stage in target editor;
  • saving staged content or choosing a transport;
  • activating the object or related components.

Criteria changes and expensive stages require explicit confirmation. Discovery, comparison, and plan preparation do not change SAP objects.