Monitoring Database Tables with the Alert Monitor

You can investigate any database tables for any entries in the alert monitor. When doing so, you can specify comparison operations for a table column, which must be fulfilled to report an alert. If the monitoring architecture detects a match, you can choose whether the alert should have an alert with the color red, or a node with the color green.

This data supplier extends the monitoring architecture in an important area, since vital information is often stored in database tables, but there is not a clear display of this information.

Monitoring Database Tables for Any Entries

To start the monitoring of the database tables, you must adjust the parameters of the relevant data collection methods. There are two methods with identical transfer parameters, but which display monitoring tree elements (MTEs) of different colors if the search conditions are fulfilled:

You can use these two definitions as templates for your methods. Use CCMS_GEN_TAB_R if you want to monitor the database tables using alert tracing and observation; otherwise, use CCMS_GEN_TAB_G.

Adjusting the Parameters

1. Choose  CCMS  Configuration  Alert Monitor , or call transaction RZ21.
2. The Monitoring: Properties and Methods screen appears. Select the Method Definitions radio button and choose Display Overview.
3. We recommend that you leave the delivered methods CCMS_GEN_TAB_G and CCMS_GEN_TAB_R unchanged. You should therefore copy a method to a new method by selecting the desired original method and choosing Copy (). Copy the original method for each table that you want to monitor.
4. The system takes you to the screen Monitoring: Methods. Start change mode by choosing the Display → Change () button. Enter a suitable description for the method.
5. When you copy the method definition, the authorizations for the method are reset. Choose the Release tab page and in the Execute Method as group box, select the Data Collection Method radio button.
6. Choose the Parameters tab page. Use the transfer parameters displayed here to determine which table the method searches for and where (see also the example below):

   Parameter Name	Meaning
   TARGET_TABLE	Name of the table that is to be monitored; also the name for the monitoring object
   FIELDNAME	Name of the table column that contains a description; the content of this column can be displayed in the alert monitor
   FIELDVALUE	Name of the table column that is to be monitored
   MAXROW	Maximum number of rows that are to be reported per run of the data supplier
   WHERECLAUSE1	Condition that must be fulfilled for a table entry to be reported to the monitoring architecture; since a logical expression of this type can quickly exceed the maximum length of a parameter (40 characters), there are three parameters available to you that can be combined into one condition The condition is a logical expression in ABAP syntax - therefore note the following: The condition itself must not contain any keywords (such as WHERE, IF…). If you are checking for a character-type in the logical expression, place this value in single quotation marks (such as C='ERROR').
   WHERECLAUSE2
   WHERECLAUSE3
   TOP_FULL_NAME	Monitoring segment in which the monitoring object is to be created; if you do not set this parameter, the object is only created in the Table Content Monitoring monitor
   RESCANFROMBEGIN	Name of the column with a time stamp or other constantly growing content (such as a row number); if this value is set, only those rows whose entry in this column is greater than the last checked entry (so for a column with a time stamp, only the entries that did not yet exist at the last run are checked)
   T100_MESS	Message class and number that are displayed for an alert; you can transfer the value of the columns <FIELDNAME> and <FIELDVALUE> into the message using transfer variable &1 and &2

7. Choose the Control tab page. In the Execute Method group box, select either Periodically in background process (as job) or Periodically in dialog process (short-running program). In the latter case, the method is started significantly more often (every five minutes as opposed to every 60 minutes).

8. In the Startup Method group box, select the Execute Method Immediately After Start of a Monitoring Segment indicator. If you have scheduled the method in the dialog process, you should select Only on the central instance as the execution location to limit the workload due to the method execution.

9. Save your changes, and, if necessary, transport the method.

10. Since the indicator Execute Method Immediately After Start of a Monitoring Segment is now selected on the Control tab page, the method is started for the first time and the nodes created by a restart of the segment. To restart the monitoring segment, on the Monitoring: Properties and Methods start screen of transaction RZ21, select the Segment Overview radio button, and choose the Display Overview pushbutton.

11. The Monitoring: Display Technical Topology screen of the Topology Browser appears. Start change mode by choosing the Display → Change () button. Select the segment of the central instance (since the startup method is only executed there in accordance with the method definition), and choose Reset Segment to WARMUP Status.

Monitoring the Size and Number of Database Table Entries

To start the monitoring of the database tables, you need to adjust the parameters of the relevant data collection methods.

There is a standard method template, CCMS_TAB_DS_S. You can copy it, create your own collection method, and adjust the parameter values.

Adjusting the Parameters

1. Choose  CCMS  Configuration  Alert Monitor , or call transaction RZ21.
2. The Monitoring: Properties and Methods screen appears. Select the Method Definitions radio button and choose Display Overview.
3. We recommend that you leave the delivered method CCMS_TAB_DS_S unchanged. You should therefore copy a method to a new method, such as CCMS_TAB_DS_S_<target_table>, by selecting the desired original method and choosing the Copy () button. Copy the original method for each table that you want to monitor.
4. The system takes you to the screen Monitoring: Methods. Start change mode by choosing the Display → Change () button. Enter a suitable description for the method.
5. When you copy the method definition, the authorizations for the method are reset. Choose the Release tab page and in the Execute Method as group box, select the Data Collection Method radio button.
6. Choose the Parameters tab page. Use the transfer parameters displayed here to determine which table the method searches for and where (see also the example below):

   Parameter Name	Meaning
   TARGET_TABLE	Name of the table that is to be monitored; also the name for the monitoring object
   MTE_CLASS_NR	Optional parameter with which you can specify the name of the MTE class that you want to use for the node for the number of entries (by default, DB_Mon_target_table_num_rec)
   MTE_CLASS_TS	Optional parameter with which you can specify the name of the MTE class that you want to use for the node for the number of entries (by default, DB_Mon_target_table_tab_size)
   MAXROW	Optional parameter with which you can limit the maximum number of entries to be taken into account. If the table has more entries than MAXROW, the rows over MAXROW are ignored for the MTEs table size and number of records. This ensures that the performance of the data collector remains acceptable even for very large tables. Note that MAXROW should be equal to or larger than the threshold value for Yellow to Red. Otherwise, you will never receive a red alert.
   Client	Optional parameter with which you can restrict the monitoring to precisely one client.

7. Choose the Control tab page. In the Execute Method group box, select either Periodically in background process (as job) or Periodically in dialog process (short-running program). In the latter case, the method is started significantly more often (every five minutes as opposed to every 60 minutes).

8. In the Startup Method group box, select the Execute Method Immediately After Start of a Monitoring Segment indicator. If you have scheduled the method in the dialog process, you should select Only on the central instance as the execution location to limit the workload due to the method execution.

9. Save your changes, and, if necessary, transport the method.

10. Since the indicator Execute Method Immediately After Start of a Monitoring Segment is now selected on the Control tab page, the method is started for the first time and the nodes created by a restart of the segment. To restart the monitoring segment, on the Monitoring: Properties and Methods start screen of transaction RZ21, select the Segment Overview radio button, and choose the Display Overview pushbutton.

11. The Monitoring: Display Technical Topology screen of the Topology Browser appears. Start change mode by choosing the Display → Change () button. Select the segment of the central instance (since the startup method is only executed there in accordance with the method definition), and choose Reset Segment to WARMUP Status.

12. After the start, the monitoring tree elements with default customizing values (in particular, threshold values). You can change these MTE properties in the alert monitor in accordance with your requirements.

After you have set up table monitoring by adjusting the method definition and starting the method, you can use the subtrees in the relevant monitors (by default, in the Table Content Monitoring monitor of the SAP CCMS Monitors for Optional Components) monitor set. The Database Monitoring subtree for monitoring database tables has the following structure (see also the example below):

In systems with the Oracle database, there is a table SDBAH, in which data backups are logged. The table contains the following columns, which are relevant for the monitoring:

All new terminations are to be reported.

You must therefore assign the following values to the parameters in the method definition: