Subscription to updates of SAP notes

Have you read some SAP note at one certain point of time and once you return back you wondering it has been changed over time being? Yes, SAP notes are very often updated. Notice field version on header of note. To get notified when note is changed you have possibility to subscribe to note.
Following see procedure for subscription:

1. First you need to check if you added your email into your profile. Check this under service.sap.com/support -> MyProfile (in the header) -> My personal data -> e-mail.

2. Browse SAP note that you want to subscribe for; e.g. Note 886102 - System Landscape Copy for SAP BW and NW BI. On the header of note notice a link called Subscribe. Finally by clicking on it you get popup to confirm subscription.

- update 07/02/2011 - 
See in this post how email with subscribed SAP Notes look like.

Few more BEx messages 2

After posting probably the most re-occurring BEx’s error – related to lib32rfc.dll I collected few more messages that programs of BEx Suite’s used to throw.

1. Message given by BEx while backend BW system is not accessible. E.g. you got disconnected from network.

 

2. This message you usually get only once when you connect to BW backend for first time via BEX Web Application Designer. System does download all metadata from the ABAP Stack of BW server. Download directory is following:
X:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SAP\BEx\WAD\MD\\WADMD\\.

Folder can be customized by setting value to BEXWAD_METADATADIR environment variable in your operational system.

  

3. Once you are trying to open BW query created in BEx version 7.x on older version of SAP BEx Query Designer, e.g. version 3.x.

 

4. In case you are running corrupted installation of SAP GUI:

Error message "missing ActiveX component: SAP business explorer open/save dialog".

You have to reinstall it again.

5. Web Application Designer or BEx Query Designer used to thrown message indicating that standard transport system of BW has been activated for BW BEx’s objects. This means that objects are not automatically put into $TMP development package but system asks for transport request no. each time you create new object. You can switch on/off Standard Transport System of BW within following path:

TA RSA1->Transport Connection->menu Edit->Transport
->Switch-On Standard
->Switch-Off Standard
 

 

 
Thinking of other BEx's messages? Keep visiting this blog they are coming soon :-)

SAP GUI visual designs

In addition to one of my very first posts (Short history of SAP GUI) related to SAP GUI I’m posting some more information about SAP GUI themes that are available as of mid 2009. A term theme is used by SAP to describe so called skin or visual design of its front-end components.
To continue where I stopped in post of Short history of SAP GUI I would like to focus on version of 6.x and 7.x of GUI. 
 
In version 6.20 following designs were added to complete so called "Classic" and "EnjoySAP" themes: "Streamline" and "Tradeshow".

 
Within version of 7.10, a brand new Signature Design was added.

To get it all together see following overview:
 

1. Classic or Accessibility theme: Probably the most know version. Comprises of design that was standard for OS Windows 95 based applications. Includes advanced features for keyboard access.

 

2. MS Windows theme: Is reused Classic or Accessibility theme.

 

3. EnjoySAP: A design produced specially for SAP by Frog Design company. First was offered within GUI 4.6 based on ZEN design. It is excellent to Classic theme from an ergonomic point of view.

 

4. High Contrast: Based on EnjoySAP theme as its variant. Dedicated to users requiring an especially heavy contrast with high contrast colors: like dark foreground and bright background colors.

 

 

5. Streamline: Yet another EnjoySAP theme that is adjusted to the design of the Enterprise Portal. It is mostly in decent blue color and brighter blue bottoms.

 

6. Tradeshow: Based on refinement Streamline theme. Again mostly in blue color for better output on projectors.

 

 

7. SAP Signature Design: The new SAP design that is to be provided unified face for all SAP UI technologies intended to harmonize those UIs. Since screenshot fo TA RSA1 is provided in this post here see TA SE38.

 

8. System Default theme: Also known as System Dependent. Theme is determined by system into which GUI is getting to be connected. Customizing of this feature is done by parameter sapgui/theme of system profile. Following values are available:

"ENJOY"          = SAP GUI New Visual Design from 2000DEFAULT
"STREAMLINE" = NetweaverVisual Design from 2003
"TRADESHOW" = NetweaverVisual Design from 2004
 

New Signature Design for SAP GUI

Are you aware that SAP GUI is re-designed in brand new fashion design? To be honest I wasn’t for quite a log time. I suddenly found that why I was roaming in Control Panel of my Windows installation. Here under settings of “SAP Configuration” I found new item related to SAP signature Design.

 

According SAP this new design of SAP GUI was introduced in 3rd quarter of 2008 (approximately around end of November 2008) due to GUI 6.4 end of maintenance. New design is valid only for versions 7.1 and higher. Actually I was able to recognize it after I installed patch 11, 7.10C3.  

 

The purpose of new design is to align with state of the art visual designs similar to Microsoft products like Windows Vista or Office 2007. Other reason is to unite all previous design of SAP’s front-end components to one User Interface layout. This is so called harmonization of look and feel SAP applications. For more information see official SAP Note 1233328 - SAP Signature Design for SAP GUI for Windows.

For hose who are curious how Signature design look like see TA RSA1 in all its beauty: