Performance
Quick answer
Baseline with the monitors, find the real bottleneck, change one thing, re-measure.
Key takeaways
- SAP provides rich monitoring, ST03 (workload analysis), ST04 (database), SM50/SM66 (work processes), ST22 (dumps) and SQL trace…
- On HANA, in-memory column storage removes many traditional bottlenecks and lets analytics run on live data.
- Database: the usual bottleneck, indexing, expensive SQL, and (pre-HANA) missing aggregates.
- Watch out: Tuning by guesswork instead of measurement.
Where performance is won or lost
- Database: the usual bottleneck, indexing, expensive SQL, and (pre-HANA) missing aggregates.
- Application-server buffers: caching programs and data to avoid database hits.
- Work-process configuration: the right mix of dialog vs background processes.
- Custom ABAP: inefficient code (SELECTs in loops) is a top cause of slowness.
Monitoring tools
SAP provides rich monitoring, ST03 (workload analysis), ST04 (database), SM50/SM66 (work processes), ST22 (dumps) and SQL trace (ST05). These let you see where time is actually spent rather than guessing, the golden rule of tuning.
HANA changes the picture
On HANA, in-memory column storage removes many traditional bottlenecks and lets analytics run on live data. But it also rewards pushing logic down to the database (code-to-data) and punishes old habits like row-by-row processing.
A tuning method
Baseline with the monitors, find the real bottleneck, change one thing, re-measure. Most dramatic gains come from fixing bad custom SQL and right-sizing the database and buffers.
Common pitfalls
- Tuning by guesswork instead of measurement.
- SELECTs inside loops in custom ABAP.
- Under-sized buffers or database.
Want to learn this properly?
Our live, instructor-led SAP Training covers this hands-on, with real projects and a certification path.
Check your understanding
Which statement is true of Performance?
- A. SAPUI5 (and its open-source core, OpenUI5) is the JavaScript framework Fiori apps are built with.
- B. These let you see where time is actually spent rather than guessing, the golden rule of tuning.
- C. MM01 is the SAP transaction code for Create Material (MM).
Show answer
B. These let you see where time is actually spent rather than guessing, the golden rule of tuning.
Covered in the “Monitoring tools” section of this lesson.
Which of these also applies to Performance?
- A. Confusing profit centers with cost centers.
- B. On HANA, in-memory column storage removes many traditional bottlenecks and lets analytics run on live data.
- C. Designing the structure carelessly, it is very hard to change later.
Show answer
B. On HANA, in-memory column storage removes many traditional bottlenecks and lets analytics run on live data.
Covered in the “HANA changes the picture” section of this lesson.
Which part of the Learn SAP curriculum covers Performance?
- A. SAP tables
- B. SAP architecture
- C. SAP troubleshooting
Show answer
B. SAP architecture
This lesson sits in the SAP architecture section of the Learn SAP course.