Remove “Copy From” in Solman title
Do you wish to remove the “Copy From” prefix of a document title in Solman?
When copying a document in Solution Manager, the original title gets “Copy From” as a prefix for the new title. When the length of a document title approaches the limit of 64 characters, relevant parts at the end can get truncated by putting this prefix at the beginning.
To solve this you can simply remove the prefix by using a simple SAP note - 1605780. This correction avoids the prefix and thus keeps the original title for the copied document.
How to unprotect a variant
Quite often, program variants are protected to avoid any unauthorised users from changing them.
For example, if this variant is for a program which is part of a batch plan, you don’t want to this variant to be modified as it will disturb your automatic processes. So you protect your variants. But a protected variant can only been changed by the user who has protected this variant.
The issue could arise when the original user has left the company or the variant is required to be changed for an urgent issue?
The solution – Go to transaction SE38, execute program RSVARENT, “Cancel Variant Protection” enter the program and the variant you want to unprotect and execute. The program variant is now available for any changes.
Submitted by Robin Ferali – Thank you for contributing to the webs largest database of SAP tricks!
Place your image in the right-hand side of the initial screen
You can place your image/company logo in the right-hand side of the initial screen, simply proceed as follows:
Transcation SMW0 – Create and import the picture/logo in the database with the transaction SMW0 and radio button “Binary Data For WebRFC applilcations” e.g. in “.GIF” format.
Transaction SM30 – with table SSM_CUST – Enter a record with the picture name in the key “START_IMAGE“.
If you wish to resize the image – Transaction SM30 – with table SSM_CUST – You can use values of ”YES” or “NO” with parameter key “RESIZE_IMAGE“.
If you wish to hide user specific picture display settings – Transaction SM30 – with table SSM_CUST – You can use values of ”YES” or “NO” with parameter key “HIDE_START_IMAGE“.
- I have heard that an HTML page may also be included, however have not tested it – If anyone has used an HTML page with hyperlinks please tell us as this would be great functionality to use.
Execute a Function Module without using SE37
A number of companies restrict the execution of function modules in quality, pre-prod and prod environments, for good reason. Therefore you may find you do not have access to the transaction code SE37. Generally experienced developers may however have access to SE38.
So how do you execute or test a function module in a system/client but wish to get around the authorization issue? Simply use SE38 with program RSFUNCTIONBUILDER.
TIP – You can sometimes use the same technique by using SE93 with the problem transaction and using the program name however do not expect to be able to bypass all authorizations.
Change SAP menu
Do you know you can set the default area menu that all users will go to when opening a new session, system wide. This is beneficial should you wish to create a specific area menu for your company. If no setting is made, the standard entry point (area menu S000) is used.
The SAP menu entry point is specified in the transaction SSM2.
SGEN – The SAP Load Generator
The SAP Load Generator is executed through transacion code SGEN. SGEN may be required to be executed after a large upgrade or release of functionality in a system. If you don’t run SGEN and try to access specific objects the programs may start to be compiled as they are individually accessed.
Quick Overview
- SGEN is used to “compile” ABAP programs.
- It can be used to re-generate all the SAP programs after you change version of your SAP kernel, upgrade your SAP system or apply support packages.
- It is best to execute it during a period of time with very low user activity.
- SGEN is a client independent transaction.
- SGEN can also be used to re-generate objects within a Transport Request from SGEN menu–>Regenerate Existing Load
- If you want to regenerate loads, make sure that there is enough space available in the database. The space required can be several hundred MB. Generation over all components requires around 2 GB of free space.
- The runtime depends on the type of hardware configuration and number of objects being generated. (It would not be uncommon for this to take 5 hours.)
- You can limit the components to be generated, in order to reduce the runtime.
- You can schedule RSGENINVLAS to automatically regenerate invalidated loads. (Note this report has no selection screen)
Use
1. Select the generation task.
On the initial screen of transaction SGEN you can select the task that suits the purpose of the generation:
Generate all Objects of Selected Software Components
Choose this strategy if you want to generate the loads of all objects of certain software components. This may be the case, for example, if your system has been reinstalled. Here, the loads that are required for operation are not yet available and must be regenerated.
After selecting this task, the Selection of the Generation Set by Software Components screen appears. Here, you can restrict the amount of objects to be generated by selecting software components. Use the pushbuttons to select the software components you require.
Regenerate After an SAP System Upgrade
After an upgrade, you have to regenerate the ABAP object load in the system.
Regenerate the Objects of the Last Run
This task is suitable, for example, in the following cases:
- The generation of objects of the generation set that was used in the previous run was terminated and you want to regenerate the remaining objects.
- You want to regenerate all objects of the generation set that was used in the previous run.
After selecting this task, the following two options are available to you:
- Restart
The generation set that was used in the previous run in transaction SGEN is used. Only those objects that were not generated in the previous run or whose generation was terminated due to a system error, are generated.
- Generation:
All objects of the generation set used in the previous run of transaction SGEN are generated.
Regenerate Existing Loads
This task allows you to regenerate all ABAP loads and invalidated loads that exist in your system, and to generate loads for objects of a Support Package queue. You have the following options:
- Generate all Objects with Existing Load
- Generate Objects with Invalidated Load Only
An object load is invalidated if, since the time the load was generated, activated changes were made to the object or to objects used by this object, such as includes or tables. This may occur by importing a Support Package (SPAM) or a kernel patch.
If you want to generate loads for objects from a Support Package queue, start the task after importing the queue. The task determines the generation set using the invalidated loads in the system. Unlike the Generate objects of a transport request task, this task also takes into account ABAP loads that were invalidated by modified Dictionary objects.
Note: You can also periodically schedule an automatic regeneration of invalidated loads (every night, or at other times when the system load is low, for example). To do this, schedule the RSGENINVLAS report for the relevant time and period. The report then determines the invalidated loads for every type of host in your system at the specified time, and regenerates them.
Generate Objects from a Transport Request
You can use this generation task to regenerate the ABAP load for all objects in a transport request that can be generated. However, this task does not take into consideration ABAP loads that were invalidated by modified Dictionary objects. To include these loads, choose Regenerate Existing Loads -> Generate Objects with Invalidated Load Only.
After choosing this task, a screen appears that allows you to search for the name of the transport request using the selection button, or to specify it directly.
Generation of BSP Applications
This task enables you to generate BSP applications of selected software components.
Each Business Server Page is realized technically by an ABAP object class. When BSP applications are generated, these classes and their ABAP loads are generated. BSP applications are not included in the generation sets of the Generate All Objects of Selected Software Components, Regenerate After an SAP System Upgrade and Regenerate All Existing Loads tasks, since they are optional. You can use this task to deal with these.
After selecting this task, the Selection of the Generation Set by Software Components screen appears. Here you can restrict the amount of BSP applications to be generated by selecting software components. Use the pushbuttons to select the software components you require.
If you quit the generation of BSP applications before it has finished, or if the system terminates generation, the Regenerate the Objects of the Last Run task allows you to resume the generation.
2. Select the servers for parallel generation.
The generation is based on a method where the generation set is divided into small subsets that are processed by parallel processes. Depending on resources, available servers are included in the parallel processing, whereby multiple parallel processes run on one server.
From the Selection of Servers for Parallel Generation screen, you can select the servers that are to be used in the parallel processing. Note that loads depend on the machine type (MT) of a host. This means that it only makes sense to parallel process the generation set of servers of the same machine type.
The default selection uses the server that you are logged on to. It corresponds to your logon server and all servers on your system that have the same machine type. If you want to use the default selection, choose Continue.
If you want to exclude individual servers from the generation, or if you want to generate the load for a particular machine type that is different to that of the logon server, then use the pushbutton to select the corresponding servers and choose Continue.
Note: The parallel servers are depicted via the logon groups in transaction RZ12. For transaction SGEN, logon group ‘parallel_generators‘ is created. Do not use this group for your own purposes, as transaction SGEN uses and continually redefines this group.
After you have selected the servers, the system starts to define the generation set dynamically, and stores it in the database (database table GENSETC). This can take several minutes.
Job Monitor Pushbutton
This function allows you to call the job process control directly, without redefining the generation set. By choosing Job Monitor -> Job Overview -> Spool or Job Log, you can display logs from previous generation jobs.
The New SCN is on its way
With over 2 million users of the network and more than 8 000 active bloggers, the SAP Community Network is SAP’s professional social network, orchestrating connections between SAP customers, partners, employees, and experts.
The SAP Community Network - is releasing its latest user interface at the end of November. There will be a lot of focus making this the “Social Network For SAP Professionals“. – Here is a YouTube video - It is highly recommended that your profile is up to date to leverage from this new release.
If you are not a member of the SAP Community Network – you can become a member here.
These communities play an integral role in the SAP Ecosystem. Members use the power of social networking to tap into a broad network of peers to gather advice and knowledge to help solve their business problems.
How to Scan ABAP Sources for Specific Strings
It is simple to locate a string within a program but have you ever wondered how to find all programs where a specific ”string”, or line of text, or object name, is used.
There is a wonderful report which is I use to find ABAP programs related to specific search terms.
- The Report name is – RPR_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN
- You can execute it from transaction SA38 or SE38.
Some useful benefits of this report are:
You can limit the search range of the programs for example to your custom built developments only for example all programs starting with Y* or Z*.
Tip - Another similar program is RKCTSEAR.
Where Customized in the IMG
Today someone asked me how do they find the place an object is customized if they only have the table or view name. The technique is very simple you can do the following:
- Transaction SM30
- Enter the table or view name and select the button “Customizing”
- You will then see a dialogue box where you may enter a project – or simply select “Continue without specifying project”
- You will then see a list of place in the IMG where that table/view is edited/customized. Simply select the entry.
You can view which tables are customizing tables, by looking at the table in SE10 and then selecting the button “technical Settings”. You will see the “Data class” as APPL2 – Organization and customizing.
So which system is connected?
I work on a large landscape of 110 SAP systems (not clients). Every now and then someone asks if a specific system is connected to another, there is no way I can remember which systems are connected. Depending on what system they are referring to one may be able to execute a system specific transaction. However as a dependable alternative one may simply use SM59 and view the connected systems.
Here you can view the following connections:
- R/3 connections
- HTTP Connections to R/3 System
- Internal connections
- Logical destinations
- TCP/IP connections
- Connections via ABAP/4 driver
Tip – Depending on your settings (If the logon data is saved on the Logon/security tab) you may even be able to login to a connected system remotely from within SM59, simply select the R/3 connection and selecting “Remote logon” button.
SAP Table Editing Function
This is a SAP Trick that is possibly too powerful, if authorizations are not in place in your system you dont want to use this too liberally:
To edit the contents of a table (Virtually any table from customizing to database records):
- Use transaction SE16n or in some systems transaction n.
- Enter the table name and see the records. (Sometimes you may be able to change a tables contents depending on its attributes.)
However if you wish to change most tables regardless of table attributes/control you can do the following:
- Use transaction SE16n or in some systems transaction n.
- Then enter &sap_edit in the command field.
- You will see a message “SAP editing function is activated”.
- Now enter the table name and execute to see the records. You will now be able to change the contents of the table.
This SAP technique may be useful to maintain faulty data in your system. But should only be used by a very experienced person.
SM12 – Lock Entries Tips
If you check SM12 you may find some lock entries – this is not a problem. Locked entries are required in standard SAP processing. In most instances the entry will remain in SM12 for a few seconds milliseconds, however they could remain in SM12 for a lot longer depending on the logical unit of work.
Factors which can impact the entry in SM12:
- Sizing and performance of the enqueue server.
- Sizing and performance of the application server/number of available processing sessions. (indirectly related)
- Program logic being executed on the application server.
What you may not know is that there is a hidden menu path for SM12 analysis. To activate this menu path you can do the following:
Run SM12, then enter OK code “test”. You will now see the top menu path has included a new Menu Option labelled “Error Handling”.
This menu option has many parameters and test functions which you can use to analyse the enqueue and dequeue processes.
If you require advice on how to use this new functionality you can refer to OSS note 5424 which is the SM12 FAQ! Success!
SAP Change Logs
Use
To view the changes made to a table or a configuration node in the IMG, you can use transaction SCU3.
To view the changes, you must first have activated the change log for the required tables.
The system will read each change to an existing data record for example (Update/delete) and record it is table log.
Pre-requisite
In order to use table logging you need to do 2 steps:
Step 1:
Activate the system/client parameter. Check your systems value with RZ11 with the value: rec/client
Some options:
- rec/client = ALL - Log all clients.
- rec/client = 001,002,003 - Log the specified clients. (Note you can specify up to 10 clients.)
- rec/client = OFF - Do not log.
- TIP – make sure this parameter is the same for all servers of a system.
Step 2:
The Table then needs to be active for logging – you can do this in transaction SE13.
Additional Info
The data is stored in tables DBTABPRT and DBTABLOG.
If you have too much data in these tables:
- As of Release 4.5A you can use Transaction SCU3 to start a deletion program (Menu “Edit –>Change Docs –>Delete”).
- Or you can drop the table on database level and recreate it with transaction SE14.
History of table logging
- Report RSTBSERV was used prior to 3.0
- Report RSTBHIST was used between 3.0 and 4.5
- Report RSVTPROT is used after 4.5
Work Faster in the IMG – Restrict Selections
It is possible you may be in a configuration screen which either has too many entries from which you wish to select to analyse, or you may need to select specific entries based upon values which are not part of the key of the table/configuration screen.
You could navigate to the table and do checks in SE16N or SQVI etc. Or…… the next time you are in a configuration node of the IMG, try the following tip:………
Select the following from the Top Menu Navigation Bar: Selection–>By Contents
Then select the Fields you require to filter the configuration entries.
Default SAP User SAP*
The User SAP* is a “hard-coded” user that does not have a user master record in the delivery system, it is not subject to any authorization checks (and therefore has all authorizations), and has an unchangeable default password.
The User SAP* is not treated like a “normal” user until a user master record is created for it. Once the user master record exists, SAP* is subject to authorization checks and can be assigned a different password.
In most systems people assign the user all authorizations.
Some default passwords used for SAP* are:
06071992
PASS
But in most cases these should have already been changed in any system/client you are working in. However as the password is system and client specific it could be that the password change has not been carried out in a specific client, for example the SAP Earlywatch client of “066″. So if you feel like experimenting you could try access client “066″ with user “SAP*” and password “PASS “.
2 Click Hard Copy Screen print
Did you know that you can generate an instant Hard Copy printout of any SAP screen by simply selecting:
Customizing of Local Layout (Rainbow Icon top right of navigation bar) (Alt+F12)
Followed by “Hard Copy”.
This is a simple method of capturing information on your screen, without needing to open applications and configure special settings.
How to change Servers on a System
So you login to server X on a system and you would like to move to server Y on the same system without logging off and back on again – How do you do it?
You can do this a number of ways – the method I follow is:
- Go to transaction SM51. (see server overview)
- Double click on a server to see the processes.
- Then open a new session, you will now be on the new server you double clicked.
Be careful NOT to use the back arrow from the work process overview or else you will move back to the old server.
Command Line “OK-Codes”
Direct call of transactions, session handling:
/nxxxx
- This terminates the current transaction, and call transaction “xxxx”, for example, “sa38″ for reporting.
/n
- This terminates the transaction. This generally corresponds to going back with F15.
/nend
- This terminates all separate sessions and logs off (corresponds to “System -> Log off”).
/nex
- This terminates all separate sessions and logs off immediately (without any warning).
/oxxxx
- This opens a new session and starts transaction xxxx in this session.
/o
- This lists existing sessions and allows deletion or opening of a new session.
/i
- This terminates the current session (corresponds to “System -> End session”).
/i1 , /i2 ,…
- This terminates the session with the specified number.
.xyzw
- “Fast path”: “xyzw” refers to the underlined letters in the menus. This type of navigation is uncommon and is provided more for emergencies (such as a defective mouse).
Background input:
The following commands can be entered in correction mode (“Process in foreground” or “Display errors only”) when processing a background input session: Read more 
Great SAP Tip – Specify Default Directory
Did you know that you can specify the default download location for files?
No longer do you need to download to or navigate away from the sapworkdir whenever you wish to download files from SAP. Simply use transaction SO21.
SAP Solution Manager – Bullet Point Overview
SAP Solution Manager – Bullet Point Overview
- The ASAP methodology has been moved into Solution Manager. Solution manager is not only focused on implementations of projects, but also focuses on operation and continuous improvement.
- The latest version of SM is 7.0 as of May 2008, in order to align the release number with that of SAP NetWeaver.
- SM 7.0 will not be updated annually, as SAP has moved to continuous enhancement, through Integration packages and specific extensions.
- SM is mandatory for all businesses with SAP Business Suite 2005 and beyond. Read more
ASAP Roadmap Methodology
The Accelerated SAP (ASAP) Roadmap, which originated in 1996, is still the backbone of more advanced and similar project methodologies – it can be downloaded as a PDF Here
Or referenced as an overview below:
