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Procedure documentationSetting Up Monitoring Objects

 

You use Business Process Analytics or Monitoring and Alerting to monitor systems that are relevant for core business processes. To do so, you assign monitoring objects and respective key figures to logical components, business process steps, or interfaces. Monitoring objects collect data periodically in the production system and then report the data or alerts into the SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse. Business Process Monitoring allows you to define alerts based on this data.

The alerts in the Business Process Operations Dashboard, and the thresholds they are based on, do not relate to the alerts in the Business Process Operations Alert Inbox.

For background information and examples, see SAP Service Marketplace at Start of the navigation path http://service.sap.com/bpmInformation published on SAP site Next navigation step Media Library Next navigation step Technical Information Next navigation step Setup Guide – Business Process Monitoring End of the navigation path.

Prerequisites

  • You have created a solution containing logical components and business processes for which you want to set up the monitoring.

    If you want to use Business Process Analytics (for analyzing business documents) only, logical components are sufficient. For this, you do not have need to create business processes.

  • The latest release of software component ST-A/PI is installed in the managed systems.

  • You have authorization for the Business Process Operations (New) work center.

  • Optional: You have created a monitoring concept and defined the business requirements for the monitoring of business process steps or interfaces. For more information, see Specify and Display Technical Requirements.

Procedure

Caution Caution

The collection of data may affect the performance of production systems.

To keep the system load of the managed systems as low as possible, specify which key figures to analyze, and which must not necessarily be analyzed.

End of the caution.
  1. Call the Business Process Operations (New) work center.

  2. Check the solution content and ensure the following:

    • To use Business Process Analytics, you have created at least one logical component

    • To use Monitoring and Alerting, you have created at least one logical component and a scenario containing a business process with at least one process step.

    Check the solution content as follows:

    1. Under Related Links, choose Maintain Solution.

      In the Solution Directory screen, select the solution to be monitored.

      For more information about working with the Solution Directory and its structure, see Business Blueprint.

  3. Under Related Links, choose Set up Business Process Monitoring.

  4. Under the Context Navigation, expand a solution.

  5. Ensure that SAP Solution Manager knows which monitor version is currently used in the managed system. For this, load or update the monitor definitions as follows:

    1. Select the Logical Components node.

    2. Under Logical Components, choose the Load Monitor Definitions pushbutton.

      Monitor definitions are displayed in the table.

      If no monitor definitions are displayed (the software component ST-A/PI is not installed in the managed systems or the RFC connection to the managed system is not working, for example), contact the administrator.

  6. Create monitoring objects:

    To use Business Process Analytics, you have to create a monitoring object for the respective logical components

    To use Monitoring and Alerting, you have to create a monitoring object for the business process steps or interfaces to be monitored.

    Proceed as follows:

    1. To select the logical component, business process step or interface, expand the Logical Components node or the Business Scenarios node, respectively.

    2. Select the logical component or business process step to be monitored.

    3. Choose Create.

      A dialog box appears.

    4. To filter the possible monitors collecting the key figures, select the respective monitoring types, Extended Warehouse Management, Procurement, Sales & Services, for example.

      The monitors of the selected monitoring types are displayed in the Monitor field.

    5. In the Monitor field, select the monitor.

      Note Note

      For more information about available monitoring objects and related key figures, see SAP Service Marketplace at Start of the navigation path http://service.sap.com/bpmInformation published on SAP site Next navigation step Media Library Next navigation step Customer Information Next navigation step Business Process & Interface Monitoring – Part 2 End of the navigation path.

      The list of available application monitors depends on the ST-A/PI add-on release. If monitors are missing, make sure that the latest ST-A/PI add-on release is installed in the managed systems.

      End of the note.
    6. In the Name field, enter a name for each monitoring object. If no name is entered, the name of the monitoring object is used. You can later change the name.

    7. Confirm.

      You have created a monitoring object you have to configure. The monitoring object is displayed under Current Context.

  7. Configure the parameters of the monitoring object:

    1. To do so, in the Monitoring Object column, choose the monitoring object.

      You go to the Edit Monitoring Object screen.

    2. To analyze or monitor key figures, on the Monitoring Configuration tab page, select the key figures to be collected.

      Caution Caution

      The number of key figures selected affects the performance of production systems.

      To prevent overload, select only the key figures that are necessary for your analysis.

      End of the caution.
    3. To configure key figures, create at least one parameter set.

      Example Example

      You may want to create alerts based on various conditions. For plant A, the appropriate threshold value for confirmed production orders might be 1000, the appropriate threshold value for the smaller plant B might be 500. You create two parameter sets, accordingly.

      End of the example.
      1. Select a key figure.

      2. Depending on the selected key figure, you can specify filter parameters, for example, the shipping point or delivery type.

        Caution Caution

        The granularity of the data affects the performance of production systems.

        To keep the system load of the managed systems as low as possible, you can, for example, exclude countries that are not relevant for your analysis.

        End of the caution.

        Note Note

        If you want to use Business Process Analytics, consider the following:

        1. If you analyze throughput data, select Active in the Data from previous day field.

          Note Note

          To provide relevant throughput data, you must collect the data from the previous day to make sure that the data covers the complete business day.

          End of the note.
        2. Depending on the selected key figure, to specify the dimensions of the data collection runs, you can select Group by check boxes. You must select at least one dimension.

          Note Note

          An analysis of the distribution is possible only for those fields, for which the Group by checkbox is selected.

          If you want to analyze, for example, the distribution of overdue outbound deliveries across shipping points, the Group by checkbox must be selected for the Shipping Point field.

          In the analysis, such fields are available as so-called dimensions.

          End of the note.

          Caution Caution

          The granularity of the data affects the performance of production systems.

          To keep the system load of the managed systems as low as possible, carry out one-dimensional data collection runs.

          End of the caution.
        End of the note.
    4. If you want to use Monitoring and Alerting, enter threshold values.

  8. Specify the execution time of the data collection

    Note Note

    Data collection for business process monitoring puts load on the monitored system. Consider how often a data collection (monitoring, for example) makes sense. For technical monitors or critical jobs, a frequency of 5 minutes might be reasonable, but for backlog key figures, even weekly schedules might be sufficient.

    End of the note.

    The scheduling options depend on the monitoring object.

    • Simple schedule: You define on which week days, with which frequency and in which time window (start time and end time), the monitoring is to take place

    • Extended schedule: You define on which work days the monitoring is to take place. You can refer to a factory calendar (on the SAP Solution Manager system or on the monitored system).

  9. Optional: If the data collection is supposed to take a lot of time, select the Data Collection in Background field.

    In the following cases, choose this option:

    • The alerts generated are not time-critical.

    • You use the monitoring object for throughput and backlog key figures.

    Note Note

    It cannot be guaranteed that the background job (BPM_DATA_COLLECTION*) is executed on time, according to the schedule.

    End of the note.
  10. If you use monitoring and alerting, you can carry out the following optional steps:

    • To be informed about alerts via e-mail or SMS, for example, configure an automatic notification. For more information, see Setting Up Alert Notifications.

    • To enable the user to analyze the root cause of an error in the Alert Inbox, assign a tool set. For more information, see Assigning Analysis Tools.

    • To configure a solution support organization, define various monitoring teams with the respective monitoring roles. For more information, see Assigning a Monitoring Team.

    • To ensure effective monitoring and efficient problem resolution, you assign a responsible person, monitoring team, and problem resolution procedure. For more information, see Assigning Monitoring Activities.

    • To define the retention time of alerts in the Alert Inbox, or the language of messages, adapt the default Alert Inbox parameters. For more information, see Adjusting the Alert Inbox Parameters of Alerts.

  11. Repeat steps 6 to 10 for all logical components or business process steps to be monitored.

  12. Activate the monitoring and alerting:

    The activation is required for the data collection (subsequently the monitoring and alerting) to start. You can activate single or multiple monitoring objects.

    1. Under the Context Navigation, select a logical component.

    2. Select the monitoring object(s).

    3. Select the monitoring objects you want to activate.

    4. Choose the Generate pushbutton.

    5. Choose the Activate pushbutton.

    6. Load the SAP Solution Manager BW master data:

      1. Select the Logical Components node.

      2. Choose the Load BW Master Data pushbutton.

        A dialog box appears listing all the semantic IDs for which master data is required to use the Analytics function.

      3. Confirm.

  13. Exit the function.

Result

The monitoring objects are assigned to the logical components, business process steps, or interfaces.

The system collects the key figures and loads them into the SAP NetWeaver BW. Alerts are displayed in the Alert Inbox. Business Process Analytics can access the key figures and you can perform analyses.

To carry out mass changes (of threshold values, parameters or monitoring schedules, for example), in the Context Navigation navigate to the Monitoring Object List node assigned to the respective solution.