Database Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 22
SAP Performance Tuning in the ABAP Stack
This section consists of three chapters, and we will cover performance tuning of ABAP and
Java stacks and SAP sizing. In this chapter we will focus on SAP performance tuning in the
ABAP stack. We will first cover performance tuning concepts followed by discussing some
common performance issues as well as tools and techniques that can be used to analyze per-
formance issues. We will also cover specific examples of performance-tuning parameters to
improve system performance. This chapter will conclude by discussing some of the implica-
tions of outsourcing SAP development work to distributed teams in the world and the import-
ance of conducting performance tests and stress tests.
Significance of SAP System Performance
Good system performance is of paramount importance to the business users. For a newly im-
plemented system, one of the main criteria for end-user acceptance is good response time.
For a system that has been in productive operation for a while, good response times and
availability are critical and have monetary implications if there is any adverse effect on sys-
tem performance. Thus, one of the most important tasks of the Basis administrator is to mon-
itor the system for any performance issues and take remedial actions as quickly as possible.
The best way to provide good response times and meet or exceed system performance ex-
pectations are to incorporate system performance best practices and set up/ tune parameters
starting from the design and through the build, test, and deploy stages of the project. For ex-
ample, if incorrect RAID technology is implemented in the initial stages of the project it will
have an adverse effect on system performance throughout the project lifecycle as well as in
the productive operations of the system. We will, therefore, cover performance tuning con-
cepts such as dialog response times, memory management strategy, and SAP buffers and
study how to incorporate these into SAP systems so that they provide optimal performance to
business users.
Performance Tuning Concepts in the ABAP Stack
The main concepts relating to performance tuning in an ABAP stack are response times,
memory management, allocation sequence of memory areas in dialog and background work
processes, SAP buffers, and avoiding expensive SQL.
Response Times
Dialog response time is the time between when an end user initiates a request and receives
the requested information from the system. The response time is measured at the application
server (instance). Any time spent on network communication is not included in the dialog re-
