6 Ways to TroubleshootCommon Issues with SAPBusinessObjects Planningand ConsolidationConfigurationby Prakash Darji, Senior Director ofSolution Management in theEnterprise Performance ManagementArea Within SAP BusinessObjectsRyan Leask, Senior Director, SolutionStrategy for SAP’s Business User andLine of Business Sales OrganizationJuly 7, 2009

SAPexperts/ITDiscover how using a well-plannedapproach for configuring SAPBusinessObjects Planning andConsolidation, version for SAPNetWeaver can also serve as thestarting point for troubleshootingsystem-related problems that canarise.

Key Concept

Troubleshooting consists of theability to apply debugging andlogging techniques to technicalproblems caused by inconsistentconfiguration. If you understandcommon configuration issues, youcan quickly resolve them andoptimize system performance.

Debugging, logging, and tracing are

the tools you need to troubleshooterrors that can disrupt workflow andproductivity. When moving to SAPBusinessObjects Planning andConsolidation, you can help yourcompany avoid common technicalproblems, such as incorrect server ormessage queue configuration, byusing a well-planned andcomprehensive approach to settingup and installing the application. Toensure that SAP BusinessObjectsPlanning and Consolidation performsas desired, we cover six steps tocheck for common issues. These sixsteps cover critical points in theapplication that if configuredincorrectly, can lead to a sub-optimalsystem.

NoteTwo SAP BusinessObjects Planningand Consolidation platforms arecurrently available: SAPBusinessObjects Planning andConsolidation 7.0, version for theMicrosoft platform and SAPBusinessObjects Planning andConsolidation 7.0, version for SAPNetWeaver. For the purposes of thisarticle, we focus on the version forSAP NetWeaver.

The first thing to realize whentroubleshooting is that most issueswithin the system exist because ofimproper configuration. Most of theconfiguration options for SAPNetWeaver Application Serversystems for ABAP (SAP NetWeaverAS ABAP) are pretty well known to

SAP NetWeaver administrators (e.g.,RZ10 default and instance profileparameters). However, because thearchitectural tier of the applicationincludes the Microsoft .NET Servertier, you need to know how toconfigure the Windows operatingsystem parameters and SAPBusinessObjects Planning andConsolidation parameters on thisserver.

When your users encounter problemson the.NET Server tier — for example,the process dimension in the BPCAdmin Console is hanging — youneed to go back to make sure youhave accurately configured the .NETServer. We developed a six-stepchecklist (based on our experience)that guides you logically andmethodically through the existingconfiguration settings:

Step 1. Run server diagnostics viaServer Manager

Step 2. Make sure all the COM+components exist and are running

Step 3. Make sure the librfc32.dll isdeployed

Step 4. Check the Microsoft IIS WebServer port

Step 5. Check theServerConfiguration.config for thecorrect user name and password

Figure 1

Step 6. Check the Windows host filefor a qualified domain name

All system administrators should dothese basic checks to ensure theirSAP systems are installed andconfigured properly.

NoteWe recommend that you read ourother SAP Professional Journalarticles “Configure SAPBusinessObjects Planning andConsolidation for SAP NetWeaver toOptimize System Performance”,“Debug Application Logic MoreEfficiently in SAP BusinessObjectsPlanning and Consolidation”, and“Resolve System Issues Quicklywith Detailed Logging and TracingOptions”.

Step 1. Run Server Diagnosticsvia Server Manager

When a user encounters system problems, your first line ofdefense is Server Manager. Launch Server Manager bylogging in to the Microsoft .NET Server operating system andnavigating to the ServerManager.exe file located in the<BPC_SERVER>\Server Management folder. Select Server >Diagnostic to open the Server Diagnostic window (Figure 1).

Check the first-level system parametersusing server diagnostics

The server diagnostics performs a quick check of the SAPBusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation installation andconfiguration to ensure that all tiers of the architecture(Microsoft .NET Server and ABAP) can communicate witheach other. For example, in Figure 1, SAP Server Connectionhas a green check mark, which means that the Microsoft .NETServer can successfully connect to the back-end SAPNetWeaver AS ABAP. All the configuration and connectionsare green except SAP Components, which is flagged with ared X. To drill into more details about the errors, you canexpand the item flagged with a red X. In this example, theerror might stem from the .NET Server and ABAP systembeing on different Support Package levels, which is anunsupported configuration by SAP.

A log stores the server diagnostics output. To view thediagnostics log, open the log, which is typically located at<BPC Server>\Server Management\OsoftDiagnostic.txt. This isa special log that is not located in the typical logging folder(described in the April 2009 article on logging and tracing).You access the log from the Server Manager folder using atext editor, such as Notepad.

This log file shows the information that is available in theServer Diagnostic window (Figure 1). You only need to launchthis log manually if you have issues launching ServerManager.

Before going to step 2, ensure that all your checks in theserver diagnostics are green. Typically, the resolution to yourissues becomes apparent as you drill into the error.

Step 2. Make Sure All the COM+Components Exist and AreRunning

COM+ is an extension of Component Object Model (COM),Microsoft’s strategic building block approach for developingapplication programs. SAP BusinessObjects Planning andConsolidation uses some COM+ components that are critical tothe product operating as desired.

If the initial diagnostics log provides the information you needto address the issue you are troubleshooting, you can move tothe next major area in which you may find incorrectconfiguration ― COM+ components.

To view COM+ components, log in to the operating system ofthe Microsoft .NET Server and then follow menu path ControlPanel > Administrative Tools > Component Services. Next,follow menu path Component Services > Computers > MyComputer > COM+ Applications, and then expand the COM+Applications node to display the list of COM+ components(Figure 2).

Figure 2

COM+ components

You have two checks you can carry out with COM+components:

Check that the required COM+ components exist

Check that the COM+ components can be startedRefer to the Component Services screen — which shows theinstalled COM+ components on SAP BusinessObjectsPlanning and Consolidation 7.0, version for SAP NetWeaver,

Figure 3

List of running processes

Support Package 02 — to check whether the correct COM+components exist (Figure 2). If you see a few of them, thenyou’re OK. If you don’t see any COM+ objects starting withOSoft, then these were not successfully installed during yourSAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation installationand you need to reinstall the application. One of the primaryreasons why they weren’t installed is that a virus checker wasrunning during installation. To fix the issue, disable your viruschecker during the installation.

NoteThe list of COM+ components may change with subsequentSupport Packages.

To check whether the system can start the COM+components, right-click COM+ Applications in Figure 2 andchoose Start from the context menu. The COM+ componentsshould appear in the Running Processes folder (Figure 3).

The COM+ component becomes a running process once ithas been started. If the COM+ component doesn’t become arunning process because it fails to start, then this is mostlikely due to a credentials issue — for example, if someonechanged the password of the administrator that was usedduring the application installation. In this situation, log in toServer Manager and choose Server > Reset COM+Credentials.

Step 3. Make Sure the Librfc32.dllIs Deployed

When you are sure that the COM+ components areconfigured, your next task is to check whether the SAPNetWeaver AS ABAP stack can communicate with the .NETServer. This communication occurs through the SAP-providedRemote Function Call library (librfc32.dll), which is one of theprerequisites for running SAP BusinessObjects Planning andConsolidation. We’ve found that organizations forget to deploythis sometimes, which can be a common cause for errors.

To check whether this is installed correctly on the Microsoft.NET Server, log in to the Windows operating server andsearch for this file to make sure that it exists. Also, search forall dependent DLLs that are described in SAP Note 182805.For more information on this file, see the five-step installationprocess we detailed in our January 2009 article on optimizingsystem performance.

Step 4. Check the Microsoft IIS

Figure 4

Note the TCP port number

Web Server Port

The Microsoft IIS Web Server port is the port for whichcommunication occurs for Web requests on the Microsoft IISWeb Server. You must synchronize the Microsoft IIS WebServer port with the Web.config file for the Web Server.Follow the Windows menu path Control Panel > AdministrativeTools > Internet Information Services (IIS6) Manager to launchMicrosoft IIS Web Server. Right-click Default Web Site andchoose Properties from the context menu.

Select the Web Site tab and look for the TCP port value(Figure 4). In the example, the port value is 1080. Write downthis port, because you need to verify the port number next.

Find the Web.config file at the<BPC_SERVER>\Websvr\Web\Web.config location (Figure 5).Open this file in a text editor, such as Notepad. Make sure theTCP port (e.g., 1080) for the AppServer URL is correct, asshown in Figure 6.

Figure 5

Web.config location

Figure 6

Check to make sure the AppServer URLpoints to the correct TCP port

NoteIf the port is 80, then you don’t need to specify another portin this file, because port 80 is the default port.

Step 5. Check theServerConfiguration.config forthe Correct User Name andPassword

Check the ServerConfiguration.config file to make sure that theuser name set during installation is valid. TheServerConfiguration.config file is located at<BPC_SERVER>\Websrvr\Web\ServerConfiguration.config(Figure 7).

Figure 7

Check the ServerConfiguration.config file forthe correct user name

Figure 8

Edit the ServerConfiguration.config file usinga text editor

Open the ServerConfiguration.config file with a text editor(Figure 8). If you need to change the user name, launch theServer Manager, switch to the Option tab, and then selectReset Login Credentials (Figure 9).

NoteThe connection between SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP and theMicrosoft.NET Server is specified under the <serverHost>tag. In the example, the serverHost is DEMO7A. After theinstallation, the Server Manager does not allow you tochange the server host, client, system number (SID), andlanguage for the connections. If you need to update theconnection, you must edit the ServerConfiguration.config.

Figure 9

Reset the login credentials

Figure 10

Location of hosts file

Keep in mind that the users you enter in Figure 9 must bevalid ABAP service users. Also, they must have thecorresponding roles as described in the BPC InstallationGuide located at http://service.sap.com//instguides > SAPBusiness Planning and Consolidation > 7.0, version for SAPNetWeaver (logon credentials required).

Step 6. Check the Windows HostFile for a Qualified Domain Name

To avoid certain networking-related issues, such as thehostname to IP address resolution, make sure that the hostsfile resolves the fully qualified domain name to the IP addresson the Microsoft.NET Server. Navigate to the folder thatcontains the hosts file, typically<%WINDIR%>\system32\drivers\etc (Figure 10). Open thehosts file and make sure an entry for your host exists in thisfile that points to the IP address of the Microsoft .NET Server.