Checks to be performed before shutting down

Now that we learnt in how to start and stop the SAP systems .There are few checks that we need to do before doing a system shutdown and there are few functionality checks to be done after system start that is explained as below .

SHUTDOWN OF SAP SYSTEMS :-

• The SAP system may need to be stopped due to maintenance purposes.
• These include activities such as : 
• Taking an offline database backup
• Upgrading the SAP kernel
• Activation of modified profile parameters
• Upgrade of the SAP instance
• Restarting due to system performance issues

Sequence of Stopping an SAP system

• Stop all Dialog Instances one by one (there is no sequence to be followed here)
• Stop the Central Instance
• Stop the Central Services Instance if it is on a separate host other than the Central Instance
• Finally , Stop the Database Instance

Checks to be performed before shutting down

• Check transaction SM04 to find out if users are active.

• It is a best practice to post a message on the SAP system informing the active users about the decision to shut down the system.
• You can create a system message using transaction SM02
• To check for all users across all instances , whether it be central or dialog , use the global command AL08,SM04 command will show only the users logged onto the particular dialog instance.
  
• Check SM50 if there are no critical background jobs running before shutdown.If there are such jobs , identify the job owner and inform them about the shutdown reasons.Also plan to restart the jobs after the system is up and running.
• 
• Transaction SM66 is the correct transaction to use , for viewing processes running for different dialog instances. viewing processes running for different dialog instances
• Check using SM37 , for released , ready and active jobs.
• During the course of shutdown , the active and just released jobs might fail , and cause inconsistencies in transaction processing.If so , speak to the Job owner and ask them to reschedule the jobs or cancel the active ones
• Check for Updates – SM13
• It is important to check if there are any open updates pending
• If there are any open updates , check the logs and trace files to identify the reason for the delay. In many cases , the updates may be pending because of excessive database activities.
• Before deleting any open update , always check the SQL analysis transaction ST04.
• Check Batch Inputs – SM35
• Batch inputs are sessions which are recorded by users and can contain a sequence of reports and transactions where certain data is entered.This session is periodically run depending on the business need.Make sure that there are no active batch inputs during shutdown
• Check for outbound and inbound queues in transaction SMQ1 and SMQ2 .So that failed queues can either be saved or executed again if after system restart that does not happen automatically via the SMQS scheduler.

Startup & Shutdown of AS ABAP Systems

Well  i have tried to explain the concept behind the starting and stopping of SAP systems.

SAP has provided 2 tools for start and stop of SAP AS ABAP instances

• On Windows OS , SAP MMC (Microsoft Management Console) is provided
• On Unix OS , the commands startsap and stopsap are provided

Sequence of Startup:-

The SAP System comprises of Database Instance , Central Services and finally the multiple Dialog Instances

The sequence of startup is extremely important. Starting the processes of sequence will result in an inconsistent state and may spawn zombie processes on the OS which will have to be killed.

To startup the SAP system , you should login to SAP with the <sid>adm OS user

The <sid>adm OS user belongs to the Unix Group called sapsys on the Unix OS

The <sid>adm OS users belongs to the Windows Group called SAP_<sid>_GlobalAdmin and Administrators Group

The underlying element of the SAP system is the database instance.Therefore this has to be started first

If Central Services has been setup , this has to be started next.This means that the Enqueue Service and the Message service should be started.

An independent program called SAP OS Collector (saposcol) is started alongwith the remaining ABAP work processes in the Central Instance.The dispatcher work process is started next.

Saposcol collects statistical data from the operating system such as CPU and Memory usage parameters

Finally , the individual dialog instances can be started. There is no dependency between the dialog instances

Role of SAP profiles in STARTUP

Each SAP instance , whether it is application instance or a dialog instance , has three profiles

The three profiles and the sequence in which they are read :

 START PROFILE

 DEFAULT PROFILE 

 INSTANCE PROFILE

The start profile is read by the sapstartsrv process and inputs are provided on the SAP system ID and number , as well the physical filepaths of the sap executables for starting message service and enqueue service

Once the dispatcher work process is started, the Default Profile file is read.This file provides the necessary information to the dispatcher on the memory and sap application performance settings required to run the instance

The instance profile is the last file to be read. Any settings in the instance profile file will override the settings in the default profile file.

Architecture of SAP Netweaver Application Server

Diagram Suggests it all ...but let me know if you need further explanations :-

SAP Overview :The Basic Fundamentals

Hi Guys,

I intended to write this blog to make everyone understand the very basics of SAP in a simple & easy way which already hell lotta ppl have done :).But again this is just an attempt to try to make life easy for my fellow mates .
So lets just understand first,What is actually SAP ...yes of course Business Software,an ERP
It actually is managing Businesses through the software.
What People work on ... so people into SAP would be working at things related to organization or  a business entity .Things like Materials Management,Sales & Distribution Consultant ,a Production Planner, a Financial Consultant,an Abap-er (Coder) , Systems Administrators & Solution Architects are self explanatory  ..ok So there are also Business Intelligence Consultants, which are very much into reporting of all the entities of an organization & there are many more consultants which are involved in managing other structures or parts of an organization.I have included a list of major modules which are provided by SAP in the last section of this blog so you can have a look & try to understand the fundamentals or different roles of people in an organization.
Another Question is Why SAP ? arent there any other Enterprise Resource Planner Softwares (ERP's) so  the answer to it is Yes there are ,But SAP has been a market frontrunner in this department
& reasons are Easily Customisable and Scalable.  For more detail understanding you can check this
 5 Reasons Why SAP Is The Best ERP System Link.
What Technology SAP works On .. SAP is built using primarily the ABAP programming language, but also uses C (programming language), C++, and Java EE
What SAP offers to companies ...that is based upon the size of a company.Below chart might help

So it is actually based upon which size you fit in and accordingly one can choose which of the suite one will go with.



How an SAP Enterprise Organisation look ....... This below chart might help

I hope this is self explanatory ,But let me know if you face any problem understanding it.

Some of the Important Modules & Information are mentioned below :-

• FICO - Finance and Control((The SAP FI caters for managerial accounting and monetary needs. Financial managers can use the module to review the financial status of the business in real time as compare to legacy classifications )
• MM - Materials Management(The SAP MM course module is designed to certify someone in the Procure to Pay process. This includes skills and resources for inventory management, invoicing, planning and purchasing.)
• SD - Sales and Distribution (SAP SD ( Sales and Distribution ) is one the largest functional Module in SAP. It handles all the processes from an Order to delivery. The main operations this module handles are Customer Sales Orders processing , pricing, Picking, packing , Shipping, billing and risk management etc)
• QM - Quality Management(SAP Quality Management (QM) assures that products meet stringent regulatory standards, are safe and uniform, and meet company product specifications. SAP QM processes are thoroughly integrated into the manufacturing process)
• HCM - Human Capital Management(The SAP Human Capital Management module helps companies reap certain benefits, such as recruiting and retaining key talent, improving decision making and reducing risk. Businesses can consistently achieve corporate objectives by recruiting, training)
• PP - Production Planning(Production Planning consists of all master data, system configuration, and transactions to complete the Plan to Produce process)
• WM - Warehouse Management(SAP Warehouse Management module handles the management of the entire warehouse. The key operations are picking, putaway, STOs, handling unit management etc.)
• SM - Service Management(SAP R/3 Service Management (SM) module is fully capable to support customer demands more effective and quick service . Expert consultants can configure SAP R/3 Service management (SM) module,excellent reporting functionality is also available for this module . These reports help Management to locate the areas for improvement in their work.)
• AA - Asset Accounting(Asset Accounting (FI-AA) component is used for managing and supervising fixed assets with the SAP R/3 System)
• PM - Plant Maintenance(this component contains the functions for Plant Maintenance.Inspection which establish the actual condition of a technical system,Preventive maintenance,to maintain the ideal condition,Repair which restore the ideal condition of a technical system)
• PS - Project Systems(All Phases of the Project Cycle i.e project planning, budgeting, implementation, invoicing, or reporting, find comprehensive coverage of all project phases.)
• CRM - Customer Relationship Management (Sap CRM is customer relationship management software . It targets business software requirements of both medium size and large organizations)
• PLM - Product LifeCycle Management(Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is all about enabling the process of product development through management of information and resources throughout the extended supply chain)
• SRM - Supplier Relationship Management(SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SAP SRM) provides you with innovative methods to coordinate your business processes with your key suppliers and make them more effective. SAP SRM enables you to optimize your procurement strategy, to work more effectively with your supplier pool, and thus to gain long-term benefits from all your supplier relationships)
• APO - Advanced Planning Optimizer(APO application is at the heart of SCM. It offers planning and optimization functionalities in different business processes of Demand Planning, Supply Planning, Supply and Demand Matching, Production Planning Detailed Scheduling, Global Available to Promise and Transportation Management.SAP APO functionalities enable Plan to Inventory End to End Business Processes)
• WF – Workflow(SAP Business Workflow can be used to define business processes that are not yet mapped in the R/3 System. These may be simple release or approval procedures, or more complex business processes such as creating a material master and the associated coordination of the departments involve)
• BI/BO/BW – Business Information (SAP BusinessObjects business intelligence (BI) solutions simplify data manipulation, allowing users to access, navigate, analyze, format, and share information across a corporate environment. The following products allow a wide range of processes, from search and navigation to advanced analytics, enterprise query, reporting and analysis, dashboards and visualization, and information infrastructure management)
• EPM - Enterprise Portal (SAP NetWeaver Portal is one of the building blocks in the SAP NetWeaver architecture. With only a Web Browser, users can begin work once they have been authenticated in the portal which offers a single point of access to information, enterprise applications, and services both inside and outside an organization. The Netweaver Portal also provides the tools to manage this knowledge, to analyze and interrelate it, and to share and collaborate. With its coherent interface, role-based content, and personalization features, the portal enables you to focus exclusively on data relevant to your daily decision-making processes)
• PI- Process Integration(SAP NetWeaver Process Integration (SAP PI) is SAP's enterprise application integration (EAI) software, a component of the NetWeaver product group used to facilitate the exchange of information among a company's internal software and systems and those of external parties. Before the current version, SAP PI was called SAP Exchange Infrastructure (SAP XI))

I have not included the technical module as they require separate blog for explanation.
There are lot more things to cover in SAP .But i guess this is enough for a starting post :)
Hopefully i might have provided some overview on SAP Practices.Looking forward to your feedback on this post.
Thanks for your time!! :)



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