SAP administration · Lesson

Jobs

Quick answer

Background jobs need enough background work processes; too few and jobs queue and delay.

Key takeaways

Many SAP tasks are too long or too regular to run interactively, so they run as background jobs on background work processes.
Cancelled or delayed jobs are a common operational issue, a failed nightly job can leave the business without expected results in…
SM36: define/schedule a job (steps, timing, variants).
Watch out: Not monitoring SM37 for cancelled jobs.

What background jobs are

Many SAP tasks are too long or too regular to run interactively, so they run as background jobs on background work processes. Examples: nightly MRP, periodic billing, data extracts, and interface processing. Jobs have steps (programs to run), a schedule, and a target server.

Defining and monitoring jobs

SM36: define/schedule a job (steps, timing, variants).
SM37: monitor jobs, their status (scheduled, released, active, finished, cancelled) and logs.
Set up job chains and event-triggered jobs for dependencies.

Watching for failures

Cancelled or delayed jobs are a common operational issue, a failed nightly job can leave the business without expected results in the morning. Administrators monitor SM37, investigate cancellations (often via the job log and any dump), and reschedule or fix as needed.

Capacity

Background jobs need enough background work processes; too few and jobs queue and delay. Balancing dialog vs background work processes is part of keeping both interactive users and batch work healthy.

Common pitfalls

Not monitoring SM37 for cancelled jobs.
Too few background work processes, jobs queue.
Ignoring job dependencies, running steps out of order.

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Check your understanding

Which statement is true of Jobs?
- A. Many SAP tasks are too long or too regular to run interactively, so they run as background jobs on background…
- B. OData is the protocol every Fiori app uses to talk to the SAP backend.
- C. SAP is the global market leader in enterprise resource planning software by revenue, and its dominance among…
Show answer
A. Many SAP tasks are too long or too regular to run interactively, so they run as background jobs on background…
Covered in the “What background jobs are” section of this lesson.
Which of these also applies to Jobs?
- A. Reading tables directly instead of using CDS/reports where appropriate.
- B. Examples: nightly MRP, periodic billing, data extracts, and interface processing.
- C. Loose tolerances letting through wrong invoices.
Show answer
B. Examples: nightly MRP, periodic billing, data extracts, and interface processing.
Covered in the “What background jobs are” section of this lesson.
Which part of the Learn SAP curriculum covers Jobs?
- A. SAP navigation
- B. SAP modules hub
- C. SAP administration
Show answer
C. SAP administration
This lesson sits in the SAP administration section of the Learn SAP course.

Frequently asked questions

What does the term Jobs refer to in SAP?

Background job administration manages the scheduled and batch work of an SAP system, month-end programs, interfaces, reports, that run without a user sitting there. Jobs are defined, scheduled and monitored primarily via transaction SM37 (and SM36 to define).

What is worth checking when troubleshooting Jobs?

Cancelled or delayed jobs are a common operational issue, a failed nightly job can leave the business without expected results in the morning.

What is worth remembering about Jobs in practice?

Background jobs need enough background work processes; too few and jobs queue and delay.

What tends to go wrong with Jobs?

Not monitoring SM37 for cancelled jobs. Too few background work processes, jobs queue. Ignoring job dependencies, running steps out of order.