Performance
Performance administration keeps an SAP system responsive by monitoring workload, tuning buffers and work processes, and finding expensive operations. It uses SAP’s workload and database monitors and, above all, a measure-first discipline.
On HANA, many traditional bottlenecks vanish, but performance work shifts to pushing logic to the database and avoiding row-by-row processing.
- ST03 (workload analysis) shows where time is spent, response time broken into database, CPU, wait and other components, by…
- Baseline with ST03, drill to the worst offenders, use SQL trace (ST05) or ABAP runtime analysis (SAT) to find the cause, fix one…
- Buffers (ST02): ensure program and table buffers are well-sized to avoid database hits.
- Watch out: Tuning without measuring (ST03 first).
The workload monitor (ST03)
ST03 (workload analysis) shows where time is spent, response time broken into database, CPU, wait and other components, by transaction and time period. It is the starting point for performance work: it tells you what is slow and why, rather than guessing.
Key tuning areas
- Buffers (ST02): ensure program and table buffers are well-sized to avoid database hits.
- Database (ST04, ST05 SQL trace): find and fix expensive SQL and missing indexes.
- Work processes (SM50/SM66): right mix and enough of each type.
- Custom code: the frequent culprit, SELECTs in loops and the like.
A disciplined method
Baseline with ST03, drill to the worst offenders, use SQL trace (ST05) or ABAP runtime analysis (SAT) to find the cause, fix one thing, re-measure. Most big wins come from fixing bad custom SQL and right-sizing buffers/database.
HANA context
On HANA, many traditional bottlenecks vanish, but performance work shifts to pushing logic to the database and avoiding row-by-row processing. The measure-first principle still rules.
Common pitfalls
- Tuning without measuring (ST03 first).
- Ignoring expensive custom SQL.
- Under-sized buffers hammering the database.