Solution manager demo system

This blog will explain about the free available SAP solution manager 7.2 demo system. If you are looking for a Cloud ALM demo system, read this blog.

Questions that will be answered are:

  • How can I access the free available SAP solution manager 7.2 system?

SAP solution manager 7.2 demo system

To promote the use of SAP solution manager 7.2 SAP has made a system available for everybody to test drive.

Follow this link to go to the main page. Then scroll down to the access link:

This will bring you to the launchpad by using one of the roles (with user ID and password on the site):

After logon you reach the launchpad, for that specific role (example here is Business Process Expert):

This will enable you to test drive the new functionality for Solution documentation:

This is just one of the examples. You can also test drive Focused Build and Focused Insights functionality. Both are free to use as of 1.1.2020 (see blog).

The system that SAP offers does have regular updates and resets of data. Read the SAP blog for the actual dates.

I18N internationalization

This blog will explain about the I18N internationalization transaction.

Questions that will be answered are:

  • How can I see which languages are installed in my system?
  • How is my system configured for internationalization?

Transaction I18N

Almost all internationalization topics in SAP are centrally maintainable from transaction I18N:

In the menu on the left you can select all the topics and tools. More background on the transaction itself can be found in OSS note 848036 – Transaction ‘I18N’ (Internationalization).

Installed languages

By selecting the installed languages tool you can see which languages are installed in your system and which ones are allowed for logon:

Current internationalization configuration

By selecting the troubleshooting tool Current I18N system configuration, you can list all the related current system settings:

Time zones

For internationalization of time zones read this dedicated blog. For daylight saving, read this dedicated blog.

Webservice message monitoring

This blog will explain about webservice message monitoring.

Questions that will be answered are:

  • How can I display webservice messages?
  • How can I set the deletion retention timing for webservice messages?

This blog assumes that you have correctly activated the basic SOAP webservice runtime. See separate blog on this topic.

Webservice message monitoring

You can start the webservice message monitoring with transaction SRT_MONI. In the selection screen fill out filtering parameters are per need:

Result will look like:

By clicking on the message itself you can see the content in XML format.

Monitoring OSS notes:

Web service error log

Use transaction SRT_ELOG to go to the web service error log.

Setting retention period of webservice message deletion

Webservice messages will get deleted automatically in the SAP system. The default value is one week. You might need to keep the messages longer. The setting that controls this retention period is quite hidden. To change the setting, you need to start transaction SXMB_ADM and then select the option Schedule Delete Jobs:

Then you change the retention settings as per need:

Web service tracing

Web service tracing can be activated in transaction SRT_UTIL.

Be careful when switching the trace to on, on a productive system: it can generate a lot of load. Do apply and read OSS note 3084970 - SRT_UTIL: Show disclaimer when enabling tracing for URIs.

Payload trace is explained in OSS 3195367 – ESI – How to use the SRT_UTIL Payload Trace.

OSS notes for tracing and SRT_UTIL:

Generic search frame work

SAP has create in S4HANA 2020 extra search framework. Transaction code SRT_MONI_GSF starts up a specialised search frame work:

To get this new framework you need to apply these 4 OSS notes:

Bug fix OSS notes

SAP buffers and buffer refreshes

This blog will explain the SAP buffer setup and the SAP buffer refresh process.

Questions that will be answered are:

  • What is the use of table buffers?
  • Which tables are buffered?
  • How can I check on my productive system which buffered table is using a lot of memory?
  • How to force a buffer refresh in general?
  • How to force a buffer refresh for a specific table?
  • How to force a buffer refresh on a specific application server?

Background of table buffers

The primary reason of a table buffer is pretty simple: performance improvement.

SAP has a 3 tier setup of:

  1. Front end GUI
  2. Application server
  3. Database server

If data is read from the database server it is processed on the application server. This data is buffered on the application server. If a user asks the same data twice, the application server already has the data. Also very frequently read tables (like company code and plant data) are buffered on the application server.

In transaction SE11 in the technical settings of a table you can see if a specific table is buffered or not, and the type of buffering. Example is for table T000, which is fully buffered:

When to set buffering?

Buffering is extremely useful on small and infrequently changing tables, which have a lot of read access. For these tables buffering will help a lot. That is why a lot of customizing table have buffering activated. You can do the same for your Z tables if they are used for customizing like purposes.

How to check buffering in productive system?

Follow the instructions from OSS note 2806927 – Remove table buffers to check table buffering in production.

Go to transaction AL12:

Then select menu option Monitor, Buffers, Table buffer, All Generic tables. Then sort by size:

How to reset table buffers?

In some specific case you might want to force a buffer reset.

For this reason you can enter specific commands (enter same way like transaction code or the famous /h for debugging):

/$TAB – Resets all the table buffers on the application server

/$TAB <table name> – Resets the TABLE buffers on the application server for that specific table (also consider program TOUCHTAB after transporting a table definition)

/$SYNC Resets the buffers on the application server

/$CUA Resets the CUA buffer of the application server (the CUA buffer is not for central user admin, but holds screen elements like menus, buttons, etc)

/$DYN Resets the screen buffer on the application server

/$ESM Resets the exp/imp shared memory Buffer on the application server

/$PXA Resets the program (PXA) buffer on the application server

/$OBJ Resets the shared buffer of the application server

ST02 buffer overview

You can use transaction ST02 to get an overview of the buffers:

By clicking the button Current parameters you get an overview of the currently set relevant parameters:

Explanation notes:

Other buffer and caching resets

There are other buffer and caching resets:

  • User buffer reset: go to transaction SU53 and select menu Authorization Values / Reset User Buffer
  • User role combination refresh: transaction PFUD, see dedicated blog.
  • FIORI buffers, see dedicated blog.

Security patch day

This blog will explain more on the SAP security patch day.

Questions that will be answered are:

  • What is security patch day?
  • Where can I find the recently released security OSS notes?
  • Where can I find more background information on security patch day?
  • Where to find more information on the CVSS scoring mechanism?
  • What is a practical approach to security patch day and security OSS notes?

Security patch day

Security patch day is every second Tuesday of each month (for more on security patch day itself, you can read the FAQ). The actual OSS notes as summary can be found at the Security response at SAP support security notes page. The patch days themselves are planned and published on this page.

The wiki pages also include a suggested process for dealing with the security patch day OSS notes.

SAP uses the CVSS scoring mechanism to determine the risk a security leak. The scoring mechanism is explained in this blog.

SAP solution manager system recommendations

If you setup SAP solution manager system recommendations, than you will get an always current overview of security notes. With the system recommendations you can mark notes as reviewed, so they don’t appear any more. Applied ABAP notes will be automatically be removed by the tool. Newly released security notes and updated are added to the overview. For setup information on SAP solution manager system recommendations, read this blog.

SAP Focused Run configuration and security validation

SAP Focused Run configuration and security validation can be used to check the application of security notes in your system landscape. For more information, read this blog.

Practical approach to security notes

A pragmatic approach for security notes is the following:

  • Every 6 to 12 months update your SAP kernel
  • Apply every 3 month the ABAP OSS notes which can be done automatically (don’t look at the score, just apply them). Leave them on your test and/or acceptance system. This will normally make sure you have no negative side effects. Then move them to production.
  • Apply every 3 month the ABAP OSS notes with manual actions for the processes you use and for CVSS score you deem high enough to justify the effort of the manual actions

Feel free to increase the frequency of the above proposal.