Basis – Page 4 – Saptechnicalguru.com

Data archiving: WM transfer requirements and orders

This blog will explain how to archive WM transfer orders and requirements via objects RL_TA and RL_TB. Generic technical setup must have been executed already, and is explained in this blog.

Objects RL_TA and RL_TB

Go to transaction SARA and select object RL_TA and RL_TB.

Dependency schedule (no dependencies for both):

Main tables that are archived:

LTAK (transfer order header)
LTAP (transfer order item)
LTBK (transfer requirement header)
LTBP (transfer requirement item)

Technical programs and OSS notes

RL_TA:

Write program: RLREOT00S

Delete program: RLREOT10

Read program:RLRT0001

RL_TB:

Write program: RLREOB00S

Delete program: RLREOB10

Read program: RLRB0001

Relevant OSS notes:

Application specific customizing

RL_TA and RL_TB don’t have application specific customizing.

Typically RL_TA and RL_TB will yield 90 to 100% documents that can be archived.

Executing the write run and delete run

In transaction SARA, RL_TA or RL_TB select the write run:

Select your data, save the variant and start the archiving write run.

Give the archive session a good name that describes sales warehouse and year. This is needed for data retrieval later on.

After the write run is done, check the logs. RL_TA and RL_TB archiving has average speed, and a high percentage of archiving (up to 90 to 100%).

Deletion run is standard by selecting the archive file and starting the deletion run.

Data retrieval

Start the data retrieval program and fill selection criteria for transfer orders:

Start the data retrieval program and fill selection criteria for transfer requirements:

In the popup screen select the wanted archive files.

SAP Solution builder

The S4HANA SAP solution builder can be used to generate SAP best practice content in your S4HANA system as a quickstarter.

Questions that will be answered in this blog are:

How to activate SAP solution builder?
How to activate a specific solution building block?

Updating solution builder

By default the solution builder is already present. The content is regularly updated. So before starting with the solution builder, read and follow the instructions:

2914416 – SAP S/4HANA 2020 collective note for content activation

3053781 – SAP S/4HANA 2021 collective note for content activation

3199321 – SAP S/4HANA 2022 collective note for content activation

They will refer to content to be uploaded, OSS notes to apply.

Activation of content

Start the solution builder with transaction /SMB/BBI:

First load the data: menu option Solution/ import / global meta data / From reference content.

Now we want to import reference content for specific country. From menu options choose Solution / import / Solution (XML) / From reference content:

In this case we choose US. Now wait until the building blocks are loaded.

From this template we will make a copy to run with limited blocks. First select the copy button and enter the details:

Important now: set this copy to your favorite with the button!

Double click on the solution. Use the tick boxes to set the desired scope:

You can check if you want by clicking the Building Block Builder button that indeed only this content is present now:

On the empty icon on the right you can see the data is not yet loaded:

Select from the menu option Solution / Import / Installation data / From reference content. Wait again and refresh screen. Data should now be loaded.

With the data loaded we can now click on the button Implementation Assistant to start the activation process.

Select the activate button:

Press enter in this screen:

Activation will run.

Check the results:

In SE10 you can find your transport with the customizing activities performed.

Background reference

OSS note 3126942 – Jump Start Your SAP S/4HANA 2021 Implementation by Activating SAP Best Practices contains an excellent description of all the steps and at the end a detailed list of knowledge OSS notes for specific topics of the solution builder.

For SAP help reference click here.

Linux versions and support for Linux

Many SAP system use Linux as operating system.

It is important that you check you run a supported combination of Linux OS, database and application.

SAP HANA OS support

For SAP HANA database, the master note is 2235581 – SAP HANA: Supported Operating Systems. This note contains the references to all the version specific OSS notes.

Checking kernel and LINUX version in SAP system

To check your kernel and LINUX version, go to System Status and then open the Other Kernel Info button:

Another option is to run function module TH_SAPREL3 in SE37:

Translating the version

You have to use the RedHat or SUSE site to translate the kernel number into the LINUX OS version.

Example:

This version

Translates to:

So RedHat version 8.7.

Data archiving: Financial documents

This blog will explain how to archive financial documents via object FI_DOCUMNT. Generic technical setup must have been executed already, and is explained in this blog.

Object FI_DOCUMNT

Go to transaction SARA and select object FI_DOCUMNT.

Dependency schedule:

No dependencies.

Main tables that are archived:

BKPF (accounting document header)
BSAD (accounting document secondary index for customers)
BSAK (accounting document secondary index for vendors)
BSAS (accounting document secondary index for GL accounts cleared items)
BSEG / RFBLG (cluster for accounting document)

Technical programs and OSS notes

Write program: FI_DOCUMNT_WRI

Delete program: FI_DOCUMNT_DEL

Post processing program: FI_DOCUMNT_PST

Read program: read program in SARA refers to FAGL_ACCOUNT_ITEMS_GL. This program you can use with online data and archive files as data source

Reloading of FI_DOCUMNT was supported in the past, but not any more: 2072407 – FI_DOCUMNT: Reloading of archived data.

Relevant OSS notes:

Application specific customizing

In the application specific customizing for FI_DOCUMNT you can maintain the document retention time settings:

Executing the write run and delete run

In transaction SARA, FI_DOCUMNT select the write run:

Select your data, save the variant and start the archiving write run.

Give the archive session a good name that describes the company code and year. This is needed for data retrieval later on.

After the write run is done, check the logs. FI_DOCUMNT archiving has average speed, and high percentage of archiving (up to 90 to 99%). Most of the items that cannot be archived is about open items.

Deletion run is standard by selecting the archive file and starting the deletion run.

Post processing

It is important to run the post processing of FI_DOCUMNT. After the archiving BSAK, BSAS and BSIS secondary table records are still present with the field ARCHIV marked with ‘X’. See notes 2683107 – Archived items still exist in BSAK and 2775018 – Archived items still exist in BSAK.

Standard SAP will deal correctly with this field. But custom made reports and the average BI data analyst will not.

So run post processing directly after the deletion run.

Data retrieval

For FI_DOCUMNT multiple read programs are available. To select them press the F4 search:

Start the program and select the button Data Source, tick the archive as well and select the archive files to read:

Due to data volume the query might run long. Select the archive files with care.

Most finance programs to list data use this Data Source principle.

SARI infostructure issues

If you get issues for sessions which are in error in SARI for infostructure SAP_FI_DOC_002, read the below potential work around.

The reason we see the errors for the archive session when we attempt to refill is that there are a number of documents that already exist in the infostructures, and there cannot be duplicates in the infostructure table.

The most common cause is that the variant for the WRITE program was set so the same document got archived twice into different archive files.

What can be done? If it is OK to have the same document in different files, you can ignore the archive session entries with error in SARI if the case is as above. To avoid having duplicate keys in the infostructure in future, you can add the filename as an extra key field to the infostructure. This can be done as follows:

SARI -> Customizing -> SAP_FI_DOC_002 -> Display
Technical data
Change the field “File Name Processing” from ‘D’ to ‘K’.

This is untested method.

Parallel processing

There is an option to archive Financial documents in parallel processing mode. This is an advanced development option. It uses archiving object FI_DOC_PPA. For more information read OSS note 1779727 – FI_DOCUMNT: Integrating parallel process with archiving.

If your data volume is manageable and you can archive during nights and weekends, keep it simple and use FI_DOCUMNT.

DST daylight saving time

3277061 – ABAP Date/Time Conversion with DST for SELECT_MESSAGES

DST (daylight saving time) starts in the spring (= a loss of one hour) and ends in the fall (= a gain of one hour ). For clock adjustment, one must remember “Spring forward, Fall back”.

Spring forward:

Fall backward:

Method 1: shut down the system

During the switch, simply shutdown the SAP system, for the entire duration of the double hour, and bring it up only after the double hour has passed. Thus, the SAP Kernel software does not have to deal with any possible mismatch of standard time and local time. The big setback off course is that you have work shutting down and starting up the systems in the middle of the night. And the business cannot work during this time. Long running weekend jobs might be interrupted as well and need to be redone.

Method 2: zero downtime by slowing down the time

Slow down the time by half, during the double hour, so that the 2 hour period is treated as one hour.

In SAP, executing this is easier than it appears by setting the parameter zdate/DSTswitch_contloctime = on which is default in the latest kernel release 6.40 and higher, so that you can make your SAP system see a continuous time with a deviation of 30 minutes.

During the conversion from summer time to winter time, there is a “doubled” hour. In Europe, for example, the summer time is reset to winter time on the last Sunday in October between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.

1:00 1:30 2:00 2:30 2:00 2:30 3:00 official time

–+——+—–x+xxxxx+xxxxxx+xxxxxx+xxxxxx+x—

How to check the time zone at different levels

Run the report from SA38: TZCUSTHELP (trouble shooting time zone)
Run the report from SA38: RSDBTIME (time diagnosis)
Run this function module in SE37: TZ_SYSTEM_GET_TZONE
Run this report fromSA38: TZONECHECK

DST in non-ABAP systems

For DST in non-ABAP systems check these notes:

References

Excellent blog from SAP: Daylight Saving Time and Slowing Down The Time.

Reference OSS notes:

ABAP programming DST specific notes:

3277061 – ABAP Date/Time Conversion with DST for SELECT_MESSAGES

SAP profile parameters

This blog will give tips and tricks for SAP profile parameters.

List of all profile parameters

Program RSPARAM will list all profile parameters:

The system default, the user defined value and the description is listed.

Program RSPFPAR can be used for a selective set of parameters.

Explanation note: 3202666 – The RSPARAM report usage.

Changing profile parameters

Transactions RZ10 and RZ11 can be used to change the profile parameters. If lost after restart, check OSS note 2228845 – RZ10: New or changed value is not active after restart.

Check also OSS note 2789094 – Maintaining ASCS profiles using RZ10.

Checking history of profile parameters

Transaction TU02 will list the profile parameter changes:

A different way to check the history is using SAP Focused Run configuration validation. Read more on this feature in this blog.

Technical tables and routines

Table TPFET contains the current parameters.

Table PAHI is keeping the history of parameter changes (if not updated, read note 3205243 – PAHI Table data is not updated).

RFC enabled function module TH_GET_PARAMETER can be used to read a profile parameter value.

Period end shift

The finance module works with periods. Mostly this is a calendar month, but it can also be a period of 4 or 5 weeks.

In a productive system the business Finance team will take care of month end closing and opening of new financial period.

In a sandbox or development system this might not be done. As a result logistical postings might fail with a message that the financial period must be opened.

Initialization of financial periods: MMPI

To initialize the periods in a newly installed system, start transaction MMPI:

Only run in newly installed systems!

Background and warning notes:

Period shift: MMPV

The shift the period with one month, start transaction MMPV:

MMPV relevant OSS notes:

Test slow network speed for FIORI and web developments

If you are working with users across the globe you will be faced with performance complaints for your FIORI apps and web developments.

To analyze these user complaints you need to throttle you network speed so it is behaving like a far way computer:

Lower bandwidth
Higher ping response times

The applications you develop close to the server on fast network can become very sluggish when used by distant users. It is your job as developer to analyze this issues and to improve your design to have less roundtrips.

Network throttling in Chrome

The full details of Chrome network throttling can be found here.

Short instruction:

Open the developer tools with F12 and go to the Network settings

2. Select the No throttling and create a new profile:

3. Now select your profile:

Enjoy the new end user experience. Don’t forget to switch back to your normal speed!

Network performance tips & tricks

One of the most irritating and annoying things in the basis area is when the network gives issues. For whatever reason.

This blog will give hints and tips on how to recognize network issues and options to analyze them.

SAP notes on network performance

Main OSS note is: 1100926 – FAQ: Network performance.

Main SAP wiki on network performance can be found via this link.

Detailed analysis notes:

500235 – Network Diagnosis with NIPING

2512846 – How to perform a Network analysis – Guided Answers

3099550 – How to analyze network issues in ABAP environments

Specific issues with application to database server issues:

2543171 – Latency issue between application server and Database
Use the ABAPMETER: 2879613 – ABAPMETER in NetWeaver AS ABAP and this blog

Check if database is the issue, or network:

Network issues on Azure:

2931465 – When to use Proximity Placement Groups on Azure to Reduce Network Latency – 3 Tier NetWeaver or S/4HANA architecture

LAN check

Check by ST06: start the LAN check by Ping:

Or directly via transaction OS01:

SAP GUI network issues

If the user is far away from the server, network issues can be cause of slow transactions for the end user.

SAP GUI slow connection can be set on creation of GUI entry, or by right clicking on the GUI entry and then selecting the network option:

FIORI and web developments

FIORI tiles and web developments might be slow with users further away from the server. If the application has many round trips built in the increase network latency will definitely kill the end user performance.

Read more in this blog on how you can simulate a distant user in Chrome to analyze the issue.

ODATA V4 activation

This blog will explain how to activate ODATA V4.

Questions that will be answered in this blog are:

How to activate ODATA V4 on your SAP system?
Does SAP support ODATA V3?
Do all consuming applications support ODATA V4?
What are the differences of ODATA V2 and V4?

ODATA V4

In the typical FIORI use case you will activate ODATA V2. SAP has skipped ODATA V3. ODATA V4 is supported by SAP.

Constraints of SAP ODATA V4 are listed in OSS note 2322624 – SAP Gateway SAP_GWFND OData V4 protocol – Known Constraints.

Filtering is powerful in ODATA V4. Read more on this in OSS note 2305033 – SAP Gateway OData V4 $flter Consulting Note.

Keep in mind not all application fully support all aspects of ODATA V4 or might not be able to consume ODATA V4 at all. Check first with the consumer before publishing an ODATA on V4.