Monitoring Log Files in the Monitoring and Alerting Infrastructure 
The Monitoring and Alerting Infrastructure (MAI) can monitor selected log files, even with default settings. SAP delivers various data providers. You can enhance these default functions by creating metrics and alerts in your own templates, based on the delivered data providers. You have the following monitoring possibilities:
Monitor log files in various SAP standard formats, for the number of messages of specified severity, and containing specified search patterns.
Monitor the contents of any files for the number of occurrences of specified search patterns.
Monitor the general attributes, such as size, and when changed, of files identified by a name pattern.
This process describes how to enhance the standard MAI scope with monitoring of other log files. Create metrics based on the delivered data providers, and assign values to the input parameters of these metrics.
Prerequisites
To be able to enhance MAI with the monitoring of special log files, the basic SAP Solution Manager Configuration (transaction SOLMAN_SETUP) must be finished, i.e. you have completed the System Preparationg, Basic Configuration and Managed System Configuration. At least the System Monitoring in the Technical Monitoring configuration must also have been performed.
Process
To enhance log file monitoring with your own metrics and alerts, proceed as follows:
Decide which files to monitor for which contents or attributes, and ensure that they are not already monitored by standard SAP templates.
NoteThe SAP standard monitors, for example, the following log files:
For ABAP instances and systems, the number and frequency of short dumps, and the number of error messages in the ABAP system log, generally, and for selected messages.
For Java instances and systems, the number of error messages in the Java standard trace (for servers and dispatchers).
End of the note.You create your own metrics and alerts for technical monitoring, in your own template. Templates have a type and belong to a release of a managed object (e.g. technical instance for ABAP 7.00 – 7.03). SAP delivers templates with meaningful default settings. You can base your own templates on these SAP templates.
Determine in which context your metrics and alerts are to be displayed in technical monitoring, whether they belong thematically, for example, to the host level, or to an SAP instance. Create your own template for this type of a managed object. For detailed information, see Create, Assign and Activate a Customer Template.
Create the metrics or metric variants of metric groups which contain the new monitoring functions, in your template (see Creating a Metric).
The assignment of the appropriate data provider for your metric is decisive. SAP delivers various data providers to monitor log files. Their input parameters determine which files are to be monitored for which attributes. Determine which data provider to use to monitor your log files, from the information under Data Providers for Log File Monitoring.
When you have created a metric, create a corresponding alert type so that an alert is raised when a specified threshold is exceeded (see Create Alerts).
NoteYou do not technically have to create an alert type, but this metric is only monitored in the Alert Inbox if you do so.
End of the note.When you have created the required metrics and alerts in your template, assign it to managed objects, and activate. For further information, see Create, Assign and Activate a Customer Template.
You have now performed all necessary configuration steps. Your metrics and alerts are displayed in the Technical Monitoring work center, in both System Monitoring and Alert Inbox for the assigned managed objects in the assigned category (usually Exceptions).
Example
There is an example of monitoring additional log files, from the creation of a customer template the creation of metrics and alerts, to data display in technical monitoring, under Log File Monitoring Example.