Monitoring Updates (SAP Library - Updates in the SAP System (BC-CST-UP))

Monitoring Updates

Purpose

The SAP system provides the following tools for monitoring updates and eliminating errors:

Alert Monitor (see the tutorial): for displaying update problems in real time

Update Management: for checking update statuses and analyzing and correcting problems

The system also reports many problems automatically (Reporting Update Problems). If a serious database error occurs, the system automatically stops the update: Automatic Update Stop in the Event of Database Problems.

This documentation outlines the recommended strategy for monitoring and reacting to potential problems.

Process Flow

Initial Status Check

Use Update Management (transaction SM13) to check the following:

Is the update active? If not, was it deactivated by the system or by a user?

Have any updates been canceled (with status Error)? (Make sure that you enter "*" in the user field.)

Is there a long queue of pending updates older than 10 minutes?

For further information about this, see Checking Update Statuses.

Monitoring

The graphical Alert Monitor (transaction RZ20) automatically issues warnings about all update problems.

The Alert Monitor is always likely to be active as a standard component of your computer desktop. (The monitor should be started in a separate session since it blocks the SAP session in which it is started).

For further information about this, see Using the Alert Monitor.

Error Analysis

If canceled updates (status Error) are output in the Update Requests screen, or if update problems are reported in the Alert Monitor, you can determine the cause of the error using Update Management and the system log.

For further information about this, see Analyzing and Correcting Update Errors

Restarting Updates

In the event of serious database errors (these can only be corrected by the system administrator), updates are automatically deactivated.

Once the problem has been solved, you can restart the update procedure.

For further information about this, see Deactivating and Reactivating Updates.

Repeating Canceled Updates

Whenever update problems occur, you should check the Update Requests screen (transaction SM13) for canceled updates. Canceled updates are assigned the status Error in the list.

It is essential to repeat canceled updates, otherwise data is not written to the database and is lost. The system automatically prevents repeated processing if the update cannot be repeated successfully, or if the data should be captured by a different means in the SAP system (for example, batch input; for more information, see Batch Input Sessions).For further information about this, see Repeating Canceled Updates.