In this blog, we will discuss the 20 most important SAP administration transactions that every SAP administrator should know.

Below is the list of transactions we are going to go through. In my YouTube video, I have shown some practical examples of how to use these transactions using an SAP demo system. If you are interested to learn about how to install SAP on a docker, then please click the link here

SU01 – User administration

SU10 – Mass user administration

SM02 – System messages

SM04 – Active users

SM12/SMENQ – Lock entries

SM13 – Update records

SM21 – System logs

SM36/37 – Background processing

SM50 – Work processes

SM51 – Application servers

SM58 – RFC errors

SMWG – Gateway monitor

SMICM – ICM monitor

ST06 – OS monitor

ST02 – Tuning of main memory of SAP system

ST03N – Workload analysis

DBACOCKPIT – Database management (Backup)

RZ10 – SAP system profile parameters

RZ11 – Instance profiles

SMLG – Dynamic load balancing

RZ20 – System monitoring

Let’s go through the transactions one by one now.

SU01

This particular transaction is more for the security administrators and not for the basis admins but still it is important to know how it works so that you can administer user accounts if required.

This transaction enables you to maintain individual master records. You can use it to create new user master records or make changes to existing user master records, such as assigning new roles and authorization profiles.

SU10

Imagine a scenario where a company undergoes a department restructuring. With SU10, administrators can efficiently update multiple user profiles at once. For instance, changing departmental roles or updating email addresses for a group of users.

SM02

You can display pop-up messages to users who are logged into the system using this transaction. For example, say you plan to shut down the system at 6 pm today and you would like to inform the users who log into this SAP system about that. I can then go to SM02 transaction and write the message as “The system will be down from 6 pm tonight”. Then mention the date from when it must be displayed and when the message should be deleted. Click save and the users that are logged into the SAP system will see the pop-up message.

SM04

This transaction helps you see who has logged into the SAP system. You can see both who has logged into a specific application server and the system as a whole. You can perform other functions such as logging off a user from the system, activating a trace for a user, etc.

SM12/SMENQ

This transaction is used to unlock lock entries in an SAP system. Say for example, I am accessing a record of an employee. The enqueue server in the central instance of the SAP system will place a lock of that particular entry in the table. Once I completed editing that record and click save, the enqueue server must unlock the entry in the table. But for whatever reason if the unlocking didn’t work then others can’t access the same entry. At that time, you can go to the transaction SM12 and unlock it manually.

SM13

This transaction is used to display update requests of an SAP system. So, whenever you fill some details in an SAP transaction and click save, that save process will update the database with whatever data you typed in that transaction. Sometime, there can be an issue in the update process where the data is not properly getting updated. Using this transaction, you can analyse problems pertaining to the update process, test and debug and delete the update requests.

SM21 & ST22

SM21 is used to check system logs. It covers all the system related issues like databases connectivity issue, operating system issue, network timeout, etc.

Whereas ST22 covers the runtime ABAP dumps. If you are executing an ABAP program in the SAP system and it throws an error, then you can go to ST22 and check what caused the error. If it is a standard SAP ABAP program then there might be an SAP note available to solve the issue. And if it is a custom program then the ABAP developer will be able to check what could be the issue.

SM36/37

SM36 is used to create, alter and delete background jobs. For example, if you want to execute a report in the background, then you can set it up as a background job to run during a specific day and time and you can also mention whether it should run in a periodic manner or just one time.

SM37 is used to monitor the status of the background jobs that you have scheduled to run on the SAP system.

There are different status associated with a background job such as..

Scheduled – Job already been defined, but the start condition has not yet been defined.

Released – The job has been fully defined, including a start condition.

Ready – The start condition of a released job has been met. A job scheduler has put the job in line to wait for an available background work process.

Active – The job is currently running. Active jobs can no longer be modified or deleted.

Finished – All steps that make up this job have completed successfully.

Canceled – The job has terminated. This can happen in two ways:

SM50

SM50 transaction is used to manage and monitor work processes.

Using this transaction, you can end a work process, debug a program that is taking too long to complete, restart a work process, etc.

There are different types of work processes available in an SAP system. Such as

• DIA – This is the dialog work process. It includes UI requests, like whatever you execute in the front end of an SAP system and RFC requests.
• UPD – This process executes the update requests and saves the data into the database.
• ENQ – This process executes the lock requests.
• BTC – This process executes the background jobs.
• SPO – This process executes the print requests.

And these are the possible statuses of the work processes.

• Waiting – This means that particular process is waiting for requests.
• Running – This means the process is executing a request.
• Stopped – This means the process is stopped for an individual user.
• Ended – An error has terminated the process.
• Shutdown – Process terminated because of a shutdown.
• Standby – Process is only used in special situation.

SM51

Transaction code SM51 is to display a list of active application servers that have registered in the SAP message server. Further, you can manage & display the status, users, and work processes in all application servers belonging to the SAP System.

SMWG

The Gateway Monitor (transaction SMGW) is used for analyzing and administrating the gateway in the SAP system.

SAP NetWeaver Gateway is a technology that provides a simple way to connect devices, environments and platforms to SAP software based on market standards. It can be installed on an SAP system like ECC or S/4HANA or it can be installed as a standalone system.

NetWeaver Gateway is usually used to enable the communication between Fiori apps and the backend SAP system.

SMICM

This transaction is used to monitor the Internet Communication Manager or also known as ICM. ICM is part of the NetWeaver application server and it enables the communicated between the application server and the outside world with the internet via the protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS and SMTP.

The status of the ICM will show as either running, maintenance, not running or available.

ST06

This transaction is used to monitor the operating system on which the SAP system is running.

You can gather details about things like

Virtual memory

Physical memory

CPU

File system administration

Physical disk

and Network performances.

ST02

SAP Memory Configuration monitor checks the SAP Buffers and SAP Memory areas for problems such as swapping.

It is a snapshot of the utilization of SAP shared buffers.

ST03N

The ST03 Workload Monitor is the central access point for analysing performance problems in the SAP system. ST03N is a revised version of the transaction ST03.

Here you can compare the performance values for all instances, and compare the performance of particular instances over a period of time. Due to the number of possible analysis views for the data determined in transaction ST03, you can quickly determine the cause of performance problems.

You can use the workload monitor to display things such as…

• Number of instances configured for your system
• Number of users working on the different instances
• Response time distribution
• Distribution of workload by transaction steps, transactions, packages, sub-applications, and applications
• Transactions with the largest response times and database time
• Memory usage for each transaction or each user per dialog step
• Workload caused by RFC, broken down by transactions, function modules, and destinations
• Number and volume of spool requests and much more.

DBACOKPIT

the DBACOCKPIT transaction code is used to access the DBA Cockpit, a central tool for monitoring, controlling, configuring, and administering your database.

Some of the key functions of the DBACOCKPIT are

• Monitoring: Check system status, analyze performance metrics, identify potential problems, and troubleshoot issues.
• Controlling: Start and stop database instances, manage user sessions, and adjust configuration parameters.
• Configuring: Set up database parameters, configure tablespaces, and manage backup schedules.
• Administration: Perform tasks like user management, backup and recovery, space management, and job scheduling.

RZ10

RZ10 in SAP is used to manage system profile parameters. These parameters control various aspects of the system’s behaviour, such as performance, memory usage, and security.

These parameters are initially populated when the SAP system is installed. Then you can make changes to those parameters using this transaction.

Here are some key things to know about RZ10:

• You can view, edit, and delete profile parameters for three main profiles:
  • Instance Profile: Defines settings for a specific application server instance.
  • Start Profile: Used during system startup.
  • Default Profile: Serves as a template for instance profiles.
• Analyze parameter values and their impact on the system.
• Export and import profile parameters.

Changes don’t immediately affect the system. You need to restart the relevant SAP instance or system for them to take effect.

RZ11

RZ11 in SAP serves a purpose similar to RZ10, but with key differences:

Function:

• Dynamically change profile parameters for the current running instance of the application server.
• View parameter values across multiple profiles (instance, default, start).
• Access parameter documentation and technical details.
• Changes are temporary: They last only until the application server is restarted.

If you want to compare the transaction RZ11 with RZ10 means, then

• Dynamic vs. permanent: RZ11 offers temporary changes, while RZ10 edits are permanent until the next restart or profile import.
• Scope: RZ11 affects only the current instance, while RZ10 can modify parameters for multiple instances and profiles.
• Authorization: RZ11 typically requires less authorization compared to RZ10.

SMLG

Transaction SMLG stands for “Configure Logon Groups”. It allows you to manage settings for groups of application servers that users can connect to through the SAP GUI or RFC calls.

The main Purpose of this transaction is to

• Create and manage logon groups: Define groups of application servers users can access through a single entry in their SAP GUI configuration.
• Configure load balancing: Distribute user logins across the available servers in a group based on various strategies like round-robin, best performance, or weighted round-robin.
• Set server preferences: Specify preferred servers within a group, allowing you to influence how users are routed.
• Manage user access: Restrict access to specific servers and logon groups based on user roles and authorizations.
• Monitor performance: View statistics on server load and response times to help optimize your configuration.

Benefits of using SMLG:

• Improved user experience: Faster logins and more balanced distribution of workload across servers.
• Increased system performance: Efficient use of system resources by distributing logins optimally.
• Enhanced security: Control user access and restrict connections to specific servers.
• Simplified administration: Centralized management of logon groups and server configuration.

RZ20

Transaction RZ20 in SAP stands for “CCMS Monitoring – Central Monitoring System”. It’s a central platform for monitoring and analyzing the health and performance of your SAP system.

The main purpose of using this transaction is to

• Display alerts and messages: View current and historical alerts generated by the system, indicating potential issues or performance bottlenecks.
• Monitor various components: Track the status and performance of key system components like application servers, databases, network connections, and background jobs.
• Analyze trends and identify problems: Use graphical representations, tables, and statistics to identify trends, analyze performance data, and troubleshoot issues.
• Perform root cause analysis: Drill down into specific alerts and messages to uncover the underlying causes of problems.
• Manage alerts and messages: Acknowledge, suppress, or forward alerts as needed.

These are the most commonly used SAP administration transactions. These transactions are based on the SAP NetWeaver application server and are common across all SAP systems that are based on the SAP NetWeaver platform.

If you clearly understand how and when to use them, administering an SAP system will be much easier.

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