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How our SAP Basis Team resolved a Deadlock on the SAP ECC server
Sometimes even the most basic SAP functions fail. A user cannot log in into the system. Worse still, already logged in users cannot use any transactions or perform tasks.
This can cause a vicious circle of piled up workload, missed deadlines and of course, money loss and reputation damage for your company.
A Fast, targeted solution
Our customer was faced with this unexpected issue. Users couldn’t log in to SAP and those logged in couldn’t do much with the system. There was nothing users could do; no action or task could be run, resulting in user frustration and a domino effect. Yikes.
Our customer was in need of a targeted solution implemented fast so that vital business operations were back and running.
Our BASIS team to the rescue
What put the entire business on hold was the insufficient configuration of the SAP dialog work processes. The dialog work processes which handle user requests were pre-configured based on the company’s hardware. Apparently, the company had set up less dialog work processes than the company actually needed.
As a result, there was high possibility of all the dialog work process getting occupied unintentionally and unknowingly. This meant two things,
- New users couldn’t get hold of a new dialog work process in order to log in.
- Users already logged in couldn’t perform any transactions because — again — every dialog work process was already in use.
Our targeted resolution brought the client out of the deadlock
Our solution was swift and targeted.
Our basis administrator logged in on the SAP server at O/S level. After connecting to the SAP Management Console, we identified those dialog work processes that were:
- Sapping memory
- Time-consuming
- Abnormal
Then, with the help of Process ID, the processes that were both unnecessary or consuming time and memory without providing anything of value to the user, were terminated. This way, dialog work processes were freed up and up for grabs for other users to engage.
Client gains
Staff was able to catch up on their lagging behind workload and address all high priority projects. As soon as the issue was resolved, the entire company was back on its feet ready to leverage its SAP to the maximum of its capacity.
What might cause this issue?
Inadequate dialog work processes, is not the only thing that doesn’t allow users to log in or perform a task. Other factors might trigger the same issue:
- Issues with the SAP Buffer Stack
- An outdated SAP kernel
- Log file and Data file running out of memory
- Dialog Work processes running in Private mode
To ensure your SAP doesn’t face this issue you need to have in place an adequate number of dialog work processes so that all users can log in and use the system at any given time.
The dialog work processes should of course be assigned SAP parameters to make sure they are running seamlessly. Another way to prevent this issue is to have users run the long-running reports in the background.
Finally, ensure the company uses the latest SAP Kernel and patch.
Next step
If you’d like some help putting these steps into practice, give us a call (or fill the form below and send to us). We’re happy to meet and discuss your situation.
Thanks!
