Recording Performance Data (SAP Library - Test and Analysis Tools in ABAP)

Recording Performance Data

Preparation

By default and for performance reasons, the performance trace is switched off in SAP systems. If you want to analyze a report or transaction using the performance trace, you must first establish whether you want to analyze the interaction of reports and transactions, their effects on one another, the behavior of one or more individual reports and transactions, or only program sections.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text As trace records are stored in up to ten circular memory files, trace records can be overwritten. If the memory space of a file is insufficient, the recording continues at the start of the next file. It is therefore a good idea to log important procedures separately. To avoid data being overwritten, you can also reduce the trace interval or extend the circular memory. You can see any errors by choosing Overview of Trace Kernel Errors under Goto. In the following, the term trace file is used in the context of a trace recording, regardless of how many physical files the recording actually covers.

Essential Information

Before you can record trace records, you must switch on the performance trace for an instance of the SAP system.

Here, you can specify which trace functions (SQL trace, enqueue trace, RFC trace, table buffer trace) you want to switch on, and for which user or users they should be activated.

You can then run the reports or transactions that you want to analyze, before switching the trace off again.

This process generates a trace file, containing all logged trace records, which you can then analyze, either immediately or later on. If you decide to repeat the trace or analyze the results later on, remember that the data in the trace file can be overwritten (see above).