SAP Note 763561 - Service Data Control Center (SDCCN) - FAQ

Symptom


For the planned execution of a service session at SAP, you want to
provide SAP with statistical data on the use of the R/3 System.  For
this purpose you want  to use the Service Data Control Center (SDCCN)


Other terms
RFC Download, EarlyWatch, GoingLive Check,  EarlyWatch Alert,SDCC,SDCCN,Service Data Control Center, Data Collection, Data Transfer, SAP Solution Manager, Remote Service


Reason and Prerequisites
While using the Service Data Control Center (SDCCN) for preparation of a pending service session you have encountered problems.


Solution
Below you will find some answers to questions which are often raised in connection with transaction SDCCN (Service Data Control Center).

1. Q: What authorisations are needed to work with SDCCN? A: The following authorisations exist:      Profile (in Basis rel 40*-46D)             -  S_SDCC_READN    Read authorization             -  S_SDCC_SERVN    Collect and send data             -  S_SDCC_ADM_N    Admin authorization      Roles (as of Basis Release 6.10)             -  SAP_SDCCN_DIS  Read authorization             -  SAP_SDCCN_EXE  Collect and send data             -  SAP_SDCCN_ALL  Admin authorization When assigning the roles for the first time please ensure that they contain the corresponding profile.

2. Q: I am currently using transaction SDCC. How can I get SDCCN? A: Note 792941 documents the availability of SDCCN.

3. Q: I want to activate SDCCN - do I have to deactivate SDCC? A: Yes. If you have used the old transaction SDCC this must be deactivated prior to the activation of SDCCN. To do this please delete any future background jobs connected with SDCC: AUTO_SESSION_MANAGER, SESS* , SASM*

              Then you can. locally activate SDCCN via 'Utilites -> Activate'.SDCCN in a satellite system can also be activated from a connected SAP Solution Manager system. Both methods are described in the attached documentation (see below )

4. Basic use of SDCCN The functionalities in this tool are described in the documentation at service.sap.com/instguides -> SAP Components -> SAP Solution Manager -> Release 3.2 -> Service Data Control Center. This is also available as an attachment to this note. There are also several I Tutors which demonstrate the use of SDCCN. You can find these via Remote/RKT-Solman -> SAP Solution Manager 3.2 -> Technology Consultant and System Administrator -> Technical Configuration and Solution Maintenance. Additionally below some information regarding the basic set up of SDCCN Q: What is the minimum set up needed for SDCCN? A: To ensure that SDCCN can continuously monitor your systems for sessions created in connected SAP Solution Manager systems as well as sessions ordered from SAP a number of prerequisites must be met. SDCCN must be activated as described in the documentation. After a succesful activation the customizing in Goto -> Settings -> Task specific settings is filled with the SAP proposed default values. In Goto -> Settings -> Task Processor you should see that the Task Processor job is 'active'. Two tasks should have been created: Service Preparation Check This is an interactive Task which you can start by clicking on it. This leads you to RTCCTOOL, which gives you an overview of tools and notes needed for the correct preparation of any service session. More information about RTCCTOOL is in note 69455. Note 91488 documents the various preparations for a service session. The Service Preparation Check is a periodic task, i.e when the original task has been executed, the next task of the same type is scheduled as per the customizing in the 'Task specific settings'. Maintenance package The maintenance package is a periodic task, which should run every day. It consists of 3 'housekeeping' tasks, which each get executed when necessary. The frequency of the individual tasks is based on the customizing in the 'Task specific settings'.

• Session refresh

           The session refresh which is triggered by a maintenance task checks all destinations known in the list of RFC destinations
           (Goto -> Settings -> Task specific settings -> RFC destinations)
           Destinations from SM59 can be added to this list manually.

• Service definition refresh

           The service definition refresh is also based on the above list of destinations. It uses either the destination for which the 'Master' flag has been set, or if this flag has not been set, SDCC_OSS.

• Delete data

           This task is executed as per the customizing in the task specific setting.


              When the Task Processor is active, and Service Preparation Task and Maintenance Task have been created succesfully, no further tasks are needed. For control purposes individual tasks can be created, but these should generally created with mode 'runs once'.
The old transaction SDCC should now be locked.

5. Q: SDCCN is activated, but SDCC can still be called. How can SDCC be locked? A: Most likely you have activated SDCCN when the system was on basis release 4.x, and then upgraded to basis release 6.x This has to do with the change of the namespace for the old SDCC , from /BDL/* on basis release 4.x to BDL*. When SDCCN was activated on 4.x SDCC was locked via table /BDL/CUST.  In 6.x the relevant table is called BDLCUST and does not yet have the lock entry. It must be created manually, with report BDLSETUP: KEY    = LOCKED VALUE  = X Delete = unchecked

6. Q: When trying to create a task in SDCCN an error message appears: ' No action possible '. Why can the task not be created? A: SDCCN has not yet been initialised correctly, and so the customizing for the tasks has not been filled yet. SDCCN can be initialised locally by following these steps:

• Ensure that the task processor job is deactivated, via
  SDCCN -> Goto -> Settings -> Task processor

• Then initialise the tool via SDCCN ->Utilities -> Activate.

• If the initialisation was succesful you should get the following messages:
  
  Local initialisation of new Service Data Control Center
  Activation successful
  Destination to SAP created
  AUTO_SESSION_MANAGER descheduled
  Settings filled
  Service Data Control Manager tasks created
  Task processor scheduled
  Jobname                        /BDL/TASK_PROCESSOR

7. Q: A task in SDCCN appears 'active' in the 'To do' tab, but the corresponding back ground job /BDL/TASK_PROCESSOR* has been cancelled. The apparently 'active' task cannot be cancelled. A: At the moment only a workaround can be offered: Highlight the task -> right click -> select 'Start now'. The icon should change to 'match stick' while the task searches for a free background job. Now you must immediately delete the task (if you wait, the task will actually be re-started).

8. Q: Can I switch back to SDCC? A: It is not advisable to switch back to SDCC, as there is a danger of both tools trying to run data collections for the same sessions if the below steps are not followed correctly.

              Should you need to do this you must:

• Deactivate the 'Task Processor' in SDCCN, via
  Goto -> Settings -> Task processor -> Change mode -> Deactivate

• Unlock transaction SDCC :                                    In SE38 run report /BDL/SETUP with the following parameters:
  KEY    = LOCKED
  VALUE  = space
  Delete = unchecked

• In SDCC, schedule the Automatic Session Manager as per note 207223.

              To switch back to SDCCN please follow the instructions in Q2.

9. Which destinations are used by SDCCN ?

a) Destination to connect to SAPNet R/3 frontend (OSS) When SDCCN is first activated destination SDCC_OSS gets created automatically. It is a copy of destination SAPOSS, which gets created with 'Load distribution' set to 'Yes'. SDCC_OSS uses its own logon details:

• User: SDCC_NEW

• Password: DOWNLOAD

• Client: 001

                       To ensure SDCC_OSS can be created correctly, SAPOSS itself has to be maintained correctly. The best way to maintain SAPOSS is via settings in transaction OSS1, as described in note 33135.
It is recommended that SAPOSS also use 'Load distribution'; to achieve this use note 766505.


Is there a template against which I check these destinations:

• Target host: /H/X1/S/sapdp99/H/X2/S/sapdp99/H/oss001
  with
  X1 = customer saprouter IP address
  X2 = IP address of sapservX ( sapserv1 = 194.117.106.129,
  sapserv2 = 194.39.131.34, sapserv3 = 147.204.2.5,
  sapserv4  = 204.79.199.2, sapserv5 = 194.39.138.2,
  sapserv6 = 194.39.139.16, sapserv7 = 194.39.134.35 )

• System number = 01

                       When SAPOSS is updated, the copy SDCC_OSS must be updated manually. The best way to do this is to delete SDCC_OSS in SM59 and then recreate it, via
SDCCN -> Goto->Settings-> Task Specific -> RFC destinations
-> Change Mode -> Create destination to SAPNet R/3 Frontend

a) Destination to connect to SAP Solution Manager The connections between satellite system and SAP Solution Manager are described in the configuration guide for SAP Solution Manager.

10. Q: What is the purpose of the 'Master' flag in SDCCN -> Goto -> Settings -> Task specific -> RFC destinations -> Settings -> Destinations. A1: If the 'Master' flag is set the satellite system refreshes the service definitions from the selected SAP Solution Master system. A2: The 'Master' flag enables the collection of data from the selected SAP Solution Master system into the SDCCN data collection in the satellite system. This concerns

• Data of non-ABAP components

• CPU utilization data of virtual servers

11. Q: Why does the Self Diagnosis in a SAP Solution Manager system check SAPNET_RFC, even though SDCCN is used and SDCC is locked? A: During the initial activation of SDCCN SAPNET_RFC is created in the background, for the purpose of forwarding sessions to SAP This is why the Self Diagnosis checks this destination. If there is a problem with SAPNET_RFC, it should be deleted and recreated. If SDCC_OSS tests ok ( Utilities -> Test -> Authorisation) in SM59, SAPNET_RFC can be created as a manual copy of SDCC_OSS. User + password see previous question. If SDCC_OSS also does not test ok, delete it and follow the instructions in the previous questions. Then fix SAPNET_RFC as described above.

12. Q: Testing a destination to SAP in SM59 returns  error message " service 'sapdp99' unknown " or " error opening an RFC connection ". How can this be fixed? A: The services file may not be maintained correctly. There are several options:

a) Add the entry sapdp99    3299/tcp  in the 'services' file of the customer system, which is usually UNIX: /etc/service , NT: <windir>\system32\drivers\etc\services. ( 3299 is the port number and tcp is the protocol) This method should be preferred to option b).

b) (ii) Alternatively you can change from 'sapdp99' to '3299' directly in the destination. If this information is not sufficient to fix the problem please open a message in component XX-SER-NET.

13. Q: Can I force the Task Processor background job to run on a particular instance? A: Yes, provided the below conditions apply. To execute a Task Processor job succesfully an instance has to fulfill two conditions

• a background process of class 'C' has to be available

• the connection to the target system has to be functional from this instance.

              To identify which instances can be used to succesfully run the Task Processor background job you can follow this path:
SDCCN -> Goto -> Settings -> Task Processor -> Job settings -> Check hosts. Select the destination you wish to check against -> Confirm
The check will bring back a list of instances.For each you can see if a 'ping' was succesful, and if background processes exist.
At the bottom of the list instances which meet both prerequisites are listed.
In SDCCN -> Goto -> Settings -> Task Processor -> Job settings -> Target host you can use the F4 help to choose a host which fullfills the above prerequisites.
Deactivate the Task Processor. Maintain the target host as described above. Reactivate the Task Processor.
All future tasks will be executed on the maintained target host.

14. Q: In the log for the task 'Service Preparation Check' I find errors about a failed attempt to connect to SAP. What should be done? A: Destination SAPNET_RTCC is used by RTCCTOOL, which executes the 'Service Preparation Check'. SAPNET_RTCC gets created automatically when RTCCTOOL connect to OSS the first time. After an update of SAPOSS via TA OSS1  SAPNET_RTCC does NOT get updated automatically. The easiest way to ensure it is updated correctly is to delete the destination and then to recreate it via: SAPNET_RTCC: SE38 -> RTCCTOOL or executing a task 'Service Preparation Check' .

15. Q: A task 'Data request' was performed. The log for this task shows warnings and/or error messages for some function modules. Where can I find information about these? A1: In the log please double click on the exception for the     function module. Many function modules provide a helptext. A2: For some function modules the responsible developer has documented     the problem in a note, which can be found by a note search. A3: For some function modules documentation has been provided in note     781680.

              Q: A task was not processed at the time it was scheduled for. Why?


A: How close to the scheduled time a task can be processed depends on the frequency of the 'Task processor'. The Task processor can only process tasks in the past. If, for example,the Task processor is scheduled to run only once a day, at 21:14, all the tasks in the to do list , which are in the past, will be processed after 21:14. The sequence in which they are processed is determined by the time they are scheduled for;  the task scheduled for the earliest time is processed first.

16. Q1: In SDCCN->Task Log, the following message can be seen: Another task processor in same category is running Enqeue for category failed Q2: In SDCCN -> To do you can see that tasks have not been processed A: While tasks are running lock entries have to be set to prevent the same type of task from running at the exact same time. If a task is cancelled it is possible that the lock entry doesn't get deleted, even though the corresponding task isn't running anymore. In such a case, the solution is to delete the lock entry manually. Check if there are any lock entries in sm12 with the following criteria:

• Table name: /BDL/*

• Client: *

• Username:*
  
  If you find a lock entry, delete it and check if tasks are correctly processed the next time the task processor runs

17. For security or infrastructure reasons the system does not exchange RFC calls with the outside world. The system cannot use RFC to communicate with the SAP Service System. As a result

• the session overview cannot be loaded into the system, so that the session list remains empty

• collected data can't be transferred

• a Service Definition Refresh can't be performed

              Q: Is there a way out of this?


A1: Yes. If the session is to be performed in the customers own SAP Solution Manager, in a satellite which has no connection to that SAP Solution Manager, the process is described in SAP Note 657306.
Concerning the Service Definition Refresh:
Please follow note 727998, which explains how to completely replace the service definitions for all possible combinations, with the relevant transport.


A2: Yes. If the session is to be performed at SAP  ( OSP):
The data can be sent to sapservX, the Service Engineer performing the session then creates an IT/IBC message to get the data transferred to the system he performs the session in. Please note that the Service Engineer will have to give you the session number as it is
defined at SAP.

a) Create a task 'Request session data' (non-periodic) of the same type as the upcoming service session. Schedule this to be executed 'now'. Make a note of the session number that is allocated.

b) When this task has been executed, create a second task 'Export data to file'. For the 'Original session number' use the session number of the above data request task. For the 'Target session number' you should use the session number that is defined for this session at SAP ( The Service Engineer can supply this. Use a prefix of 000). An information window will pop up which documents the location of the new file with the exported data. This location is also documented in the log for this task 'Export session data'. g) Now the file has to be transported to the SAP system. Please contact the Service Engineer performing the session. She will provide a link ( via SAPMats) to which you can upload the file. The process will then be continued internally; the Service Engineer can use note 588128 for information on how to continue the process. If there are problems with performing the ftp to sapservX you should make the data available to  the Service Engineer performing the session, so that he can then perform the ftp himself. Please note that from this point on it takes 24 hrs to get the data into the correct system at SAP, so the process must be started in good time before the session. Please note also that this method is not primarily meant for customers with 'bad' lines. In case of such a line, please try to solve the problem first by reducing the RFC packet size using 'Maintenance -> Customizing -> General -> Block size for one RFC'

c) Concerning the Service Definition Refresh: Please follow note 727998, which explains how to completely replace the service definitions for all possible combinations, with the relevant transport.