System Monitoring

SAP BASIS Consultant’s Role

Introduction
• In SAP Basis, we need to perform health checks for SAP systems in order to keep
systems clean (Error free) and highly available.
• System monitoring is a daily routine activity which Involves proactive
monitoring of:
• Application servers
• Monitoring Work Processes for System-wide and Individual Instances
• Monitor Active Users
• Monitoring log files
• Monitoring Lock Entries
• Database space 
• CPU utilization
Agenda : T-codes (System monitoring)
• SM51 (Application servers status) • DB01 (Oracle lock monitor)
• SM50 (Process Overview) • DB02 (Database Performance)
• SM66 (Global process overview) • DB12 (Backup logs)
• SM04 (Users list)
• DB13 (DBA Planning calendar) 

• SM12 (Lock entry list) • Al08 (Global users)

• SM13 (Update Requests overview) • SCC3 (Client copy logs)
• SM21  (System log) • SP01 ( Check Spool status)
• SM37 (Job status overview) • RZ20 (CCMS – Computing Centre Management System)

• ST02 (Tune summary)

• ST04 (Database alert logs and performance)
• ST06 (Performance analysis)
• ST22  (ABAP Dumps) 
 T-codes (System monitoring)
• SM51 (Application servers status)
• SM50 (Process Overview)
• SM66 (Global process overview)
• SM04 (Users list)
SM51 : Application servers status
Transaction code SM51 is to display list of active application servers with
hostnames that have registered in the SAP message server.
To figure out different Message types (Dialog, Batch, Update, Upd2, Spool, ICM
etc) configured for the respective servers.
SM51 : Application servers status
Further, you can manage & display the status, users, work process in all
application servers belonging to the SAP System.
• Processes: Display & control work process. [SM50]
• User: Display & manage user sessions. [SM04]
• SNC Status: Display SNC status.
• Release Notes: Display detailed release information for an application server.
• Remote Logon: Log on by any server in the system; you can see the server
where you are logged on in the status bar in the second entry from the left.
• System Log: System logs. [SM21]
SM50 : Process Overview
Transaction code SM50 is used to monitor and manage work processes. In the work
process overview, you can:
• To view the currently running and free work processes.
• End an ABAP program that is running.
• Debug an ABAP program that is running.
• Cancel a process (with or without core) – long running jobs
• End a session
• Activate/deactivate the restart option after an error
SM50 : Process Overview
Various Status types:
• Running (executing a request)
• Waiting (idle and waiting for work)
• Hold (held for one user) – Can be held for various reasons.
• Stopped (aborted with Restart set to No)

If all the work processes are in running state and no work process is idle it means
that wait times will increase for the processes that are waiting in the dispatcher
queue leading to performance degradation.
If you find that there are no free work processes for maximum times that you may
consider, increasing the number of work processes.
SM50 : Process Overview
SM66 : Global process overview
Transaction code SM66 is used to quickly investigate the potential cause of
a system performance problem by checking the work process load. You can use
the global work process overview to monitor the work process load on all active
instances across the system.

Using the Global Work Process Overview screen, you can see at a glance:
• The status of each application server
• The reason why it is not running
• Whether it has been restarted
• The CPU and request run time
• The user who has logged on and the client that they logged on to
• The report that is running
SM66 : Global process overview
SM04 : Users list
Displays all the users who are logged in at local level of active instances along with
other information.
• Client: SAP Client.
• User: User logged on to server (SAP user name).
• Terminal: Terminal at which the user is working.
• TCode: Last executed SAP transaction (transaction code).
• Time: Time at which the user last initiated a dialog step by entering data.
• Sessions: Number of external sessions (session) opened by the user (up to 6). You can display
detailed information on a session by selecting a user and choosing the Sessions button.
• Ty: Connection type (GUI, RFC or Plugin (HTTP or SMTP request).
• MByte: Size of the memory allocated to the user in megabytes.
SM04 : Users list
 T-codes (System monitoring)
• SM12 (Lock entry list)
• SM13 (Update Requests overview)
• SM21  (System log)
• SM37 ( Job status overview)
SM12 : Lock entry list
• SAP provides a locking mechanism to prevent other users from changing the
record that you are working on. In some situations, locks are not released. This
could happen if the users are cut off i.e. due to network problem before they are
able to release the lock.
• This transaction code will be useful to view all the sap locks that are present in the
system.
SM12 : Lock entry list
SM13 : Update Requests overview
• To monitor update processes, use this transaction code.
• This transaction is useful to figure the status of update system. In case an update is
inactive we can figure out the same from this transaction and necessary action can
be taken and update can be activated again.
• In SM13, you can select status (canceled, to be updated, v1 executed, v2 executed,
all) and time interval during which you would like to view the status execute to
check the overview of updates as per the status and time interval selected.
• In case of cancelled updates, analysis to be done whether to repeat update.
SM13 : Update Requests overview
SM21 : System log
• This transaction is useful to view the system logs of the sap system.
• Set date and time before the last log review. Check for:
Errors
Warnings
Security messages
Database problems
SM21 : System log
SM37 : Job status overview
• This transaction will be useful to have an overview of jobs with different statuses.
• As part of daily monitoring, SAP basis administrator should use this transaction
to find out cancelled jobs and active jobs (for example: long running - more than
24hrs etc).
• In case of cancelled jobs, root cause for the failure to be figured out from the logs
of the respective job.
• Incase of long running jobs, we need to figure out the reason for long running and
action them accordingly.
• In SM37, using extended job selection option, we can even select the jobs based
on start condition, steps (like abap program, external command or external
program), period etc
SM37 : Job status overview
SM37 : Job status overview
 T-codes (System monitoring)
• ST02 (Tune summary )
• ST04 (Database alert logs and performance)
• ST06 (Performance analysis)
• ST22  (ABAP Dumps) 
ST02 : Tune summary
• This transaction will be used to monitor
•  Buffer statistics like hitratio, swaps, db access details, size of buffer and free
size of buffer etc
•  Important statistics related to  Roll area, Page area, Extended memory and
heap memory
• Call statistics like select, insert, update and delete.

• As a basis administrator, it is our responsibility to ensure there is more hit ratio for
the buffers and less swaps to ensure efficient performance of the sap system. In
case you see there are more swaps and less hit ratios for most of the buffers, then
tuning buffers to be carried out to ensure optimal performance.
ST02 : Tune summary
ST04 : Database alert logs and
performance
• This transaction will be useful for (oracle) database administration. In this screen,
go to Alerts and drill down further. Click on "Database Check" to find out any
errors or warnings related to database like MISSING_STATISTICS,
STATS_TOO_OLD, LAST_BACKUP_FAILED, LAST_ARCHIVE_FAILED etc.
After going through the error or warning in details take necessary corrective
actions based on the error like running update stats again, re-triggering backup etc
• Under Alerts, you can view Alert monitor which will summarize status of the
database under different heads like
• Space Management
• Performance
• Backup/restore
• SAP Consistency
• Health
ST04 : Database alert logs and
performance
• Drill down on each of these to find out potential problems. These are color coded
for ease of administrator (Red for errors, yellow for Warnings and Green for OK
status)
• For Eg: If PSAPSR3 tablespace is >90%, you can see Space management in red
color. Then it is the responsibility of Basis administrator to take necessary actions
on the same.
ST04 : Database alert logs and
performance
ST06 : Performance analysis
• SAP transaction ST06 for performance analysis.
• Use SAP ST06 to do CPU workload analysis
• Use SAP ST06 to do SAP system memory load analysis.
• Other analysis.
ST06 : Performance analysis
ST22  : ABAP Dumps
• This transaction code will be useful to view all the abap dumps that have occured
in the system on a given day. As part of daily monitoring, it is the responsibility of
the basis administrator to analyse the dumps and take necessary actions to avoid
issues.

• Some of the examples of abap dumps are timeout issue, database space issue,
spool overflow issue etc
ST22  : ABAP Dumps
 T-codes (System monitoring)
• DB01 (Oracle lock monitor)
• DB02 (Database Performance)
• DB12 (Backup logs)
• DB13 (DBA Planning calendar) 
DB01 : Oracle lock monitor
This transaction code is useful to find out the database locks that are present in the
SAP system.
DB01 : Oracle lock monitor
DB02 : Database Performance
Transaction code DB02 is to analyze and monitor database statistics (DB growth,
table space size , missing index & etc.).
1. Check Tablespace size.
2. Check missing indexes.
DB02 : Database Performance
Space Overview:
DB02 : Database Performance
1. Check Tablespace Size
DB02 : Database Performance
2. Check Missing Indexes
DB02 : Database Performance
Navigate from DB02 to DB12
DB12 : Backup logs
This transaction is useful to check the details of 
• last successful backup
• overview of database backups
• Archiving directory status
• Overview of redo log files
• Overview of redo log backups
DB12 : Backup logs
DB02 : Database Performance
Navigate from DB02 to DB13
DB13 : DBA Planning calendar
Transaction DB13 is used to plan backup schedule and useful to check the status of
following :
• Database backup
• Redo log backup
DB13 : DBA Planning calendar
 T-codes (System monitoring)
• Al08 (Global users)
• SCC3 (Client copy logs)
• SP01 ( Check Spool status )
• RZ20 (CCMS – Computing Centre Management System)
AL08 : Global Users
• Displays all users of active instances.
• Users who are logged are displayed for all instances.
AL08 : Global Users
SCC3 : Client copy logs
• This can be used to monitor the process of client copy that is running in
background or check the log of front end process.
SCC3 : Client copy logs
SP01 : Check Spool Status
• This transaction is useful to find out the status of spool request and output request.
In SP01 transaction, you can list the spool requests or output requests between a
given interval.
• In the list generated, you can check out the status of spool requests and find out
any errors by drilling down further.
• For eg: if so many spools are in waiting status, find out whether output device is
available or not.
• If many spool are in error status, figure out if there is any network issue and take
necessary actions.
SP01 : Check Spool Status
SP01 : Check Spool Status
RZ20 : CCMS (Computing Center
Management System)
• Use the CCMS to analyze and distribute client workloads and report on resource
consumption for system components.
• The CCMS also provides graphical monitors and management utilities.
• CCMS provides 24-hour unattended system management functions from within
R/3 through operation modes and instances.
• The Computing Center Management System (CCMS, an integral part of SAP
Basis).
• CCMS provides tools for managing:
• R/3 System and performance
• Database and archiving
• Workload
• Output
• Security
RZ20 : CCMS (Computing Center
Management System)
RZ20 : CCMS (Computing Center
Management System)
RZ20 : CCMS (Computing Center
Management System)
THANK YOU