Check Time Zone of SAP NetWeaver system

One more post regarding time zone of SAP NetWeaver system. It is for actual checking of the time zone of the system. To simply find out what is the time zone of the system there is a report: TZONECHECK - Check Time Zone Data for Consistency. By entering client and language on selection screen the real time zone of the system is displayed.

- Update 22/05/2018 –

There is another reports that may help while troubleshooting time zone issues.

 
1. Report TZCUSTHELP and it basically checks time zone settings. 

2. Report TZCUSTDISP it displays settings related to setup of time zone in SAP system

More information:

2006897 - How to compare timezone settings between OS and application server with report TZCUSTHELP

481835 - Analyzing the time zone settings

 

RSM37 - Display of process chains with particular scheduling state

Recently I needed to list all process chains that will be executed in next 24 hours in SAP BW system. I looked to SAP basis tables like TBTCO (Job Status Overview Table) and TBTCP (Background Job Step Overview). But I didn’t succeed. Even custom ABAP report (like advised here) didn’t help me.

Then I found out that actually this requirement is covered by standard BW tcode. It is t-code RSM37. The tcode gives a jobs and corresponding process chains list with its program variants.

On selection screen as Job Name we can enter BI_PROCESS_TRIGGER because it is most common job name for the PC. The name like this comes as default and usually it is not common to change this name. Then by specifying all statuses of the job (like planned, released, ready, active, finished and cancelled) and by giving time interval we get a list which we are interested in. 

In the output screen just filter on column Selection for value equals to CHAIN and list of the PC is here. In mind it is very easy to use and useful t-code.

Example of the RSM37 tcode output:

SAP Application Value (SAV)

Recently there is a lot of noise between SAP customers running their SAP systems on Oracle. In case they obtain their Oracle license through SAP they will pay more for the Oracle license. The thing is that SAP renegotiated their agreement with the Oracle and as per new deal a cost of buying Oracle runtime licenses will be increased from 15 percent of SAV to 19 percent.

In regards to this usually there a term called “SAP application value (SAV)” mentioned. Reason is that the SAP is the basis for calculating database license fees for databases licensed through SAP. What is the SAP then? The SAV is defined as a sum of all named user licenses and all package licenses, excluding certain items defined in the SAP price list…

In case of Oracle SAP sells Oracle license is an Application Specific Full Use (ASFU) or also called as Oracle runtime or OEM license. The license only license allows connect SAP software only to the Oracle DB with exception are 3rd party database admin tools. Oracle Enterprise Edition of the DB is needed for most of SAP apps.

The SAP price list is only known to their customers and partners however closer look to documents available like “SAP List of Prices and Conditions SAP Software and Support” shed at least some light into the issue. There are many types of licenses of SAP software itself. There are options like Package Licenses, Names Users Licenses, etc.

Now back to database cost issue. The price of the database license is calculated as a percentage of the SAP Application Value (SAV). So whatever amount is customer paying for SAP software (the SAV) then percentage of is payed to database vendor.

As Oracle DB is now 19% of the SAV and SAP HANA DB is 15% perhaps for some customers this can be a reason for migration to HANA DB. Perhaps ORACLE will do something about this…

More information:

581312 - Oracle database: Licensing restrictions

740897 - Info about the scope of the Oracle license; Required Oracle options

592393 - FAQ: Oracle

Oracle licensing via SAP

Transport Connection -> Object Changeability

Some of BW objects can be created and also changed directly in production systems. This is a case of most common objects like InfoPackages or DTP but also BEx Queries. Particular BW object can be setup in way that it can be changeable even if the BW system is set to cannot be changed (via tcode SE06).

A function available in RSA1 -> Transport Connection (or directly tcode RSOR) where the setting can be customized. 

I’m not going to discuss the possible settings in here as this is pretty much known to BW folks. However I just want to point to table where the settings are stored. It happened to me recently that I needed to check the Object Changeability but I wasn’t authorized to do so. BTW user has to have an authorization to access SETTINGS wit activity 23 = maintain this is checked by FM RSSB_AUTHORITY_ADMWB_OBJECT.

While debugging I realized that settings are stored in table RSTRACTIVE – “BW CTO Status - Content Can Not Be Changed”. The data from the table are retrieved by FM RSO_MAINTAIN_OBJ_CHANGEABLE.