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Procedure documentationDebugging Processes Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

Debugging processes enables you to go step-by-step through a running process to locate and analyze errors that occur. When debugging a process, you set certain points in the process you model, called breakpoints. The breakpoint is a mark in the process, which you can set at any time, that is to say during modeling or at runtime. When the running process reaches a breakpoint, the process execution stops and you can analyze problems occurred up to that breakpoint. You can manage the breakpoints you set in a process in the Breakpoints view in the Debug perspective in the SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio. You can define breakpoints on the following flow objects in the process:

  • Events

  • Activities (human, automated, subprocess)

  • Gateways

To start the process in debug mode, you create a reusable debug launch configuration and then use the Debug perspective to start debugging and analyze the process. In the launch configuration you specify the following information:

  • AS Java server to run the process in debug mode

  • Project, containing process(es) to be debugged

  • Process to be debugged

To debug a process, you build and deploy the process, start debugging in the Debug perspective and then execute the process that you want to debug.

When you debug a process, you can also analyze the data flow in the process. The data flow shows how data objects are used in the process and how the data mappings are performed. You can see the data objects used in the process in the Variables view in the Debug perspective.

Prerequisites

  • You have configured the AS Java to connect to in the Developer Studio.

    For more information about configuring the server, see Configuring the Application Server in the Developer Studio.

    Caution Caution

    Debugging processes in cluster mode is not possible.

    End of the caution.

  • You have the SAP_BPM_SuperAdmin role assigned to your user, to be able to debug processes. For more information about Business Process Management (BPM) roles, see Authorizations and Roles.

  • You have modeled a process in the process composer.

Procedure

1. Set Breakpoints

  1. Choose   Window   Open Perspective   Other...   Process Modeling   and choose the OK pushbutton.

  2. Expand your project in the Project Explorer view.

  3. Expand Process Modeling, then expand Processes.

  4. In the context menu of a process, choose Open.

  5. In the context menu of a flow object in the modeling surface, choose Toggle Breakpoint.

    The breakpoint appears next to the flow object.

  6. (Optional) If you want to remove a breakpoint, in the context menu of a flow object with a breakpoint, choose again Toggle Breakpoint.

    Note Note

    You can later manage the breakpoints you have set. To do that, you use the context menu of a breakpoint in the Breakpoints view in the Debug perspective. For example, you can choose to disable a breakpoint. This means the process execution does not stop at that disabled breakpoint but goes directly to the next enabled breakpoint.

    End of the note.
2. Build, Deploy and Execute a Process

For more information about building and deploying a process, see Building and Deploying a Process.

3. Create a Launch Configuration

  1. Choose   Window   Open Perspective   Other...   Debug   and choose the OK pushbutton.

    The Debug perspective opens.

  2. Choose   Run   Open Debug Dialog...  .

  3. In the dialog that appears, select Process and in the context menu choose New.

    A new configuration to launch the process in debug mode is created.

  4. (Optional) On the Main tab page specify a name of the launch configuration in the Name field.

  5. In the Server field, choose one of the following options:

    • Use default server:

      You use this option when you want to debug the process on the default server you have configured.

    • Use specific server:

      You use this option when you want to debug the process on a server that is different from the default one.

  6. Choose the Browse... pushbutton in the Project field to specify the project containing the process to be debugged.

  7. Choose the Search... pushbutton in the Process field to select a process to debug from the list.

  8. Choose the Apply pushbutton and close the dialog.

4. Manage the Debugged Process

For more information, see Managing the Debugged Process.