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Understanding Trace Configuration OptionsLocate this document in the navigation structure

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Here is detailed information on the configuration options you have for ABAP traces.

Should call tree information be included in the trace? Choose Yes if you want to use the Call Tree trace display. Yes creates a non-aggregated trace, in which each trace event is recorded in a separate trace entry. This level of detail makes a trace larger, but is required by the Call Tree.

Choose No if you only need the Hitlist trace display. This is an aggregated trace, in identical trace events that are called identically (such as method calls in a loop) are accumulated in a single trace record.
Which ABAP statements should be traced? The ABAP Trace can record all of the ABAP statements and events that are potentially expensive. But that can result in large trace, and you may not need to see all of the available trace entries. Here, therefore, you can specify what trace events you want to see.
  • Procedural units, SQL: A trace records all of the ABAP modularization statements, such as CALL METHOD and CALL FUNCTION as well as any database activity, such as SELECT or UPDATE operations.
  • Procedural units, SQL, internal tables: As above, but also operations on internal tables are included in a trace.
  • Only procedural units: A trace includes only ABAP modularization statements, like CALL METHOD or CALL FUNCTION.
  • Custom statements: Opens the check boxes under Details. Here, you can switch on or off tracing of the various categories of ABAP statements and events that the ABAP Trace can capture.

    The options not described in the rows above are as follows:

    • Dynpro events traces events in the special processing for traditional ABAP Dynpro Screens.
    • Other ABAP Events switches on tracing of all traceable ABAP statements and events other than those specified above. This includes for example data transfer statements (READ DATASET, TRANSFER) and other statements such as ASSIGN, MESSAGE, and IMPORT. See the information on measurable components in help.sap.com for more information.
    • System and kernel events switches on tracing of ABAP infrastructure code (programs of the ABAP category system programs) as well as calls from ABAP to kernel functions.

The ABAP Trace measures the complete runtime of a program, no matter which statements are traced. What changes with your choices is the level of detail in the trace. The full runtime of a method is always shown in a trace; the number of different trace records within the method changes with your statement tracing choices.
When should the trace start? Immediately starts tracing when you choose Start of the navigation path Profile As Next navigation step ABAP Application End of the navigation path. Usually, you should leave Immediately set.

If the application that you wish to trace runs in the integrated GUI, then you can also choose On explicit action (/ron). With this option, you can switch the trace on and off in the GUI Command Field with the OK codes /ron and /roff. The trace then captures only the discrete operation that you want to trace, and not the entire program execution.

Advanced Parameters
  • Maximum execution time: This option prevents a trace from running forever (or until the file system is full). Traces end when the program that is being traced ends, so an endlessly running program can in theory produce a very large trace. You can leave this option set to its default value.
  • Trace RFC requests: This option lets you follow RFC calls made from the program that you are tracing. If an RFC function module is called, then the trace is switched on in the target server or system in which the RFC runs. You can find RFC trace entries by looking for the keyword RFC. The trace entry does not show processing details; for those you must display the traces made in the target system and client.
  • Measure memory consumption: With this option, you can have the ABAP Trace record the memory in use at entry to and exit from a trace entry. You can for example see the change in memory consumption from the start to the end of a called procedure. At this time you can view the memory consumption data only in transaction SAT in the embedded SAP GUI.
  • Enable SQL trace: This option lets you switch on the SQL trace in addition to the ABAP trace. The SQL trace function records the database activity of the executing program. It allows you to see how the OPEN SQL statements that are used in ABAP code are converted to standard SQL operations and how the parameters with which the SQL statements are passed to the database system.