SAP license expiration message

This message is very confusing for users. Once they do login into SAP system there is a pop up informing them that license is about to be expire. Basically it means that users won’t be allowed to logon into the system after expiration date.

You can check at anytime what is your SAP system expiration date in Status menu->System. Expiration date field is available in this screen:

Then it is a task for SAP system administrator to prolong license in TA SLIC.

This operation involves:

1. Get hardware key by running command "saplicense -get" in operation system of server where your SAP application server is running

2. Logon to SMP with credentials belonging into SAP system installation and send a license request to SAP via /licensekeys

3. You get license from SAP by email and you need to install it via command on operation system level: "saplicense -install" or by using TA SLIC.

Trailblazer project

It is been few months that new terms started to be spread through SCN sphere. Its name is Trailblazer project. What is going on with regard to this? Aim is to leverage ABAP on HANA platform. Actually it is a combination of ABAP technology and HANA. What that would mean? Simply speaking today we have following applications (let’s call it like this even this can be disputable) that can run on HANA:

• SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse powered by SAP HANA (7.3 version)
• SAP HANA content (e.g. SAP Sales and Operations Planning 2.0, SAP Smart Meter Analytics 1.0)
• SAP HANA accelerators (e.g. CO-PA Accelerator)

and once Trailblazer becomes reality not only whole SAP Business Suite but even ABAP Application Server (AP) will run on HANA. You might think what is the big deal in here? If it is all SAP software written in ABAP why it should not run in HANA? Here’s it is, HANA is in-memory technology, meaning you do not need really database to run it. Theoretically all take in place in in-memory. Imagine current processing of data in ABAP AS. ABAP programs first read data from underlying database’s tables and afterward performing business logic on this data. Finally data is stored back in database’s tables. Here’s perfect use case for HANA. All data is already in memory no need to read it from DB. So the deal is to “enable” ABAP to work with HANA instead of DB. In other words: ABAP to work with HANA DB. So ABAP’s logic needs to be pushed to in-memory DB which is HANA. SAP calls this approach as “code to data” paradigm.

Notion of features that I’m discussing in this blog post are expressed by SAP in document SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP for SAP HANA. Of course this not near future but this future direction of ABAP Stack looks pretty promising. Not sure what next version of ABAP AS will be (7.4, 8.0?) but we can expect great application coming from thoughts like this.

- update 11-10-2012 -
First Experience with ABAP for HANA – Evolution or Revolution?
Co-Innovation among SAP and its SAP Mentors enables optimization of the ABAP platform for HANA

Usage of Output number of hits / Show Number of Hits in Display Data functionality

While checking data in infoproviders there is a functionality for checking no of records that exists in infoprovider object is available. It becomes very handy in case when you need quickly reconcile no of records in BW reports vs. actual records in e.g. cube.

Functionality is available in selection screen of infoproviders. You can navigate here in TA RSA1->right click on infoprovider->Display data or in Manage screen of infoproviders->Content tabstrip.

All you need is to flag "Output number of hits" check box.

 

While doing so you get a one more column in your output screen. The column is called 1ROWCOUNT and it shows how many rows were used to form record that you see in the list. With this information you can easily do sum on this columns and get total no of records for your selection. In other words how many records were used to made up current record.

To get total no of records in provider do not choose any characteristics nor key figure for selection. Then system gives you total no of DB hits that hits your selection criteria. To get total no of records exist in provider do not specify anything on selection screen.

Not very known transaction codes for lists

There are few transaction codes not very known for processing of list outputs. Actually they are not real transaction codes but are user interface codes (sy-ucomm) instead.

First one is very helpful while you are in screen’s output where no standard System menu is available. If this menu is in place you have a choice to go via System->List->Save->Local file. In case when this System menu is not available you can simple enter %PC into transaction code field:

 










 

Afterwards you get pop-up where you can enter format of the file into which you want to save this particular output. So to sum it up you can you %PC to same any lists as local file.

Furthermore lists can be searched with another transaction field code %SC:

Again it is very helpful in case no standard icon of binocular is available in the toolbar of SAP GUI menu. Also continued search with can be achieved by transaction field code %SC+.

 

Few more command fields related to handling of SAP GUI sessions:

·        /n<t-code> terminates current transaction and calls other transaction indentified by its t-code

 

·        /o<t-code> opens a new session and starts transaction t-code in this session

 

·        /n                terminates the transaction

 

·        /nend          terminates all separate sessions and logs off (same as via menu "System -> Log off")

 

·        /nex            terminates all separate sessions and logs off immediately (without any warning)

 

·        /o0              opens a new session without starting a transaction in it

 

·        /o                lists existing sessions and allows deletion or opening of a new session

 

·        /i                 terminates current session (same as via menu "System -> End session")

 

·        /i1 , /i2 ,...   terminates the session with the specified number

 

·        .xyzw           to support menu navigation so called "Fast path", in situations in which it is not possible to navigate via mouse (faulty mouse device), where "xyzw" refers to the underlined letters in the menu

 

More command fields related batch input processing:

·        /n      terminates current background input t-code and closes it as "Failed"

 

·        /bdel deletes the current background input transaction

 

·        /bend terminates background input processing and sets the session to "Failed"

 

·        /bda  switches from "Display errors only" to "Process in foreground"

 

·        /bde  switches from "Process in foreground" to "Display errors only"

More information:

Resetting buffers: t-codes /$*

Starting up ABAP debugger

26171 - Possible entries in the command field ("OK code")

Do you know basic components of BW from SMP perspective?

Well might be very basic and similarly stupid question... But let me try: Are you familiar with basic components of BW? I mean the components as per OSS notes are categorized. You to mention that knowing proper component can help while searching for OSS note to fix your issue. If not I find a very short OSS note which helps you to get into on it. Here it is: 121067 - Help for BW notes

However the note is quite obsolete (last update 11.06.1999) and is mentioning only 5 basic components. Therefore find below current basic components of BW effective as in mid of 2012:

BW     SAP Business Information Warehouse

BW-BCT        Business Content and Extractors

BW-BEX        Business Explorer

BW-EI           Enhanced Infrastructure

BW-PLA         Planning

BW-SMA        Smart Meter Analytics for Utilities

BW-SYS        Basis System and Installation

BW-WHM       Data Warehouse Management

PS: Be aware that every each of basic components has several sub-components sometimes even going into 5-6^th level (e.g. BW-BCT-CRM-FM-LR - CRM Live Rates).

- update 27/10/2012 - 
For basic components of BusinessObjects software see here.

Inconsistency in delta administration

Recently I encountered following error related to delta mechanism:

Inconsistency in delta administration RSM1363

 

Message appeared in my case when I attempted to browse an InfoPackage. If you get this error message InfoPackage is not accessible at all. I research on this message. I came across interesting site which pointed me into way how to resolve this error.

Basically root cause seem to be in tables on ECC and on BW sides storing information on delta initialization requests. It might be that in BW table RSSDLINIT contains entry for initialization for specific data source. On other hand table ROOSPRMSC in ECC does not contain entries for the same.

According note 852443 - Dump in include LRSSMU36/RSSM_OLTPSOURCE_SELECTIONS there are five scenarios that could happened. Two of them are mentioning ABAP report RSSM_OLTP_INIT_DELTA_UPDATE. This tool can be used to delete init selections in the 'Scheduler/Init selections in the source system' menu in the InfoPackage.

Notice that before you do any changes into the BW system you need to study above mentioned note and also other listed below:

873401 - Consulting: Data mart delta administration/duplicate data

873694 - Consulting: Delta repeat and status in monitor/data target