Process Chains-Sap Academy
Process Chains-Sap Academy
Process Chains-Sap Academy
Process Chains
Contents
Design of process chains
Properties of process chains
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Process Chains: Unit Objectives
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Process Chains: Overview Diagram
Architecture and Customizing
Transport Management
ODS Objects
Indexing
Process Chains
BW Statistics
Extraction and Dataload
Reporting Performance
Partitioning
Aggregates
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Introduction: Typical Data Load Cycle
Load into PSA
Data Load
Monitor
Activate
Data in ODS
Drop Indices
Roll up
Aggregates
Build DB
Statistics
Data Target
Maintenance
Build Indices
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Job Scheduling and Monitoring with BW 2.0B/2.1C
Monitoring of entire load process not possible (different logs
for InfoCubes, attribute changerun, drop index, )
Complex event chain scenarios necessary
Complicate restart of terminated processes
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There were certain limitations of event chains (BW 2.x), which have been solved with the
introduction of process chains.
Moving responsibility means that the predecessor process is not responsible to start the successor
process(es). When a process is complete, an event is raised to indicate the completion of the process.
This event triggers the successor process to receive the status of the predecessor, request any needed
additional information, and then execute. The successor process is responsible to gather information
and run correctly.
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Transaction RSPC: Process Chains Maintenence
General Services
Start Process
AND (Last)
OR (Each)
EXOR (First)
ABAP Program
Operating System Command
Local Process Chain
Remote Process Chain
Load Process and Subsequent Processing
Data Loading Process
Read PSA and update data target
Save Hierarchy
Further Processing of ODS Object Data
Data Export into External Systems
Delete Overlapping Requests from InfoCube
Data Target Administration
Delete Index
Generate Index
Construct Database Statistics
Initial Fill of New Aggregates
Roll Up of Filled Aggregates
Compression of the InfoCube
Activate ODS Object Data
Complete Deletion of Data Target Contents
Other BW Processes
Attribute Change Run
Adjustment of Time-Dependent Aggregates
Deletion of Requests from PSA
Start
PC Immediate
Load Data
PC Customer Attributes
Attrib. Change
PC Change Run
Load Data
PC Transaction Data
ODSO Data
PC Activate just loaded request
AND
PC Cube deleted and ODS data activated
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RSPC User Interface: Building a Process Chain
Load Process and Subsequent Processing
Data Loading Process
Read PSA and update data target
Save Hierarchy
Further Processing of ODS Object Data
Data Export into External Systems
Delete Overlapping Requests from InfoCube
Data Target Administration
Delete Index
Generate Index
Construct Database Statistics
Initial Fill of New Aggregates
Roll Up of Filled Aggregates
Drag and
Compression of the InfoCube
Activate ODS Object Data
Complete Deletion of Data Target Contents
Other BW Processes
Attribute Change Run
Adjustment of Time-Dependent Aggregates
Deletion of Requests from PSA
General Services
Start Process
AND (Last)
OR (Each)
EXOR (First)
Start
TR
Load Data
drop
TR Texts
Draw line to
connect
processes
Attrib. Change
TR Characteristics
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When you draw a line to connect processes, you are prompted to indicate whether the subsequent
process should execute based on the success or the failure of the predecessor process. In other words,
it is possible to schedule a process to run only if the predecessor process fails.
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Automatic Insertion of Corresponding Process
Types
If a process is inserted into the process chain the corresponding process
variants are inserted into the process chain automatically:
Example:
You drag and drop a data load
process to your process chain,
the Index drop and the Index
create process are automatically
inserted.
If you want no corresponding
processes to be inserted
automatically, flag the (user
specific) setting in the menu
under Settings Default
Chains
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Collector Processes
Collectors are used to manage multiple processes that feed into
the same subsequent process. The collectors available for BW
are:
AND: All of the processes that are direct predecessors must send
an event in order for subsequent processes to be executed
OR: A least one predecessor process must send an event
EXOR: Exclusive OR
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Collector processes allow the designer of a process chain to trigger a subsequent process based on
whether certain conditions are met by multiple predecessor processes.
Application processes are the other type of processes these represent BW activities such as
aggregate rollup, etc.
Although the AND condition is implemented for process chains using the event chain functionality
from 2.x, this event chain is internal and cannot be edited.
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Application Processes
Application processes represent BW activities that are typically
performed as part of BW operations. Examples include:
Data load
Attribute/Hierarchy Change run
Aggregate rollup
Reporting Agent Settings
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Start Process
Variant
name and
description
Direct scheduling:
Job BI_PROCESS_TRIGGER will be
scheduled when the process chain
is acitvated.
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Each process chain could be started manually or via RFC connection with the function module
RSPC_API_CHAIN_START.
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Basic Principles
Openness abstract meaning of process: Any activity with
defined start and defined ending
Security founding on the batch administration:
Processes get planned before they run and can be viewed with
standard batch-monitor
Dumps and Aborts are caught and thus can be treated as failures
Responsibility:
Each process have to care for all necessary information and
dependencies for its own, when it is added to the process chain.
Predecessor process is not responsible to start the correct
successors and provide them with necessary information
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Structure of a Process
Attribute Change Run
ps_attrib2_long
PA_ATTRIB2
Execute InfoPackage: ZPAK_4QVBBF65GZONPAP96APH2P3KQ
Variant Configuration
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Variant Configuration
Each process can have one or several variants
Maintenance of variant is specific for every process type
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Example: Structure of a Process Process Type
Other BW Processes
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If standard process types can be changed depending on its name range (transaction SE06).
Dont modify standard process types, but you can create your own process types (see HOW TO
Guides on service.sap.com/bw service&implemation How To ... Guide).
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Example: Structure of a Process Variant
Variant Configure the Hierarchy and Attribute Change run
Execute the specific hierarchy and attribute change run for which
hierarchy, which InfoObject or which data loading process
Variant
ASUG_COST_HIER_CHANGE
ASUG cost center hierarchy attrib...
Object
Hierarchy
InfoObject
Execute InfoPacka.
Report Variants
4 Entries found
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Variants have to be created for the process types. With variant settings the process type gets
necessary information for execution.
For example:
If you assign the process type Attribute Change run to a process chain you must define a variant.
With this variant you have to define the InfoObjects for which you want to activate the master
data. There are four different possibilities:
HIERARCHY: direct selection of the hierarchy which need to be activated
INFOOBJECT: direct selection of the infoobjects which need to be activated
LOADING: indirect selection: reference to an InfoPackage, which must be loaded before in the
process chain. Combined with the meta data of these objects and the instance information the
system derives the affected InfoObjects and hierarchies. If the chosen LOADING object is not
in the process chain, the system automatically inserts the chosen infopackage in process chain.
REPORTVARIANT: indirect selection: reference to a change run variant which you can
define with RSDDS_AGGREGATES_MAINTAIN (SE38) or TCode RSATTR Executing
the Attribute/hierarchy change run with Variant:
Instead of applying the InfoObjects or hierarachies directly to the process variant in RSPC you
can create a central variant for the report RSDDS_AGGREGATES_MAINTAIN. You can
assign InfoObjects and hierarchies to this report variant. This central variant could be used by
several process variants in RSPC. The benefits are central maintenance, ..
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3 Different Views to Process Chains
working
area
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There are three main views in the icon bar with different views:
Planning view (shows if the process chain is active)
- Grey: unplanned processes (e.g. not activated process chain)
- Green: planned processes (process chain is active and start process is released)
- Yellow: planned but unknown processes
- Red: multiple planned processes
Checking view (consistency check like double used start variants, missing index deletion and
recreation, wrong references in variants, ...)
- Green: Error-free processes
- Yellow: Process with warnings
- Red: Process with errors
Log view
- Grey: Not yet run
- Green: Finished without error
- Yellow: running
- Red: aborted or failed
note that the log information is a usually mixture of
- log information of maintenance activites (e.g. new process, change of design, activation)
- log information of WHM activites (like previous executions of process chains)
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Different Object Trees for Process Chain
Administration (1)
For easy administration on process chains different object trees
can be displayed.
Display
component
Process Types
Available process
types
Process
chain
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For mainentance of display components you have to use process chains attributes display
components.
For reassignment of process chain to different display component
For creation of new display component
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Different Object Trees for Process Chain
Administration (2)
For easy administration on process chains, different object trees
can be displayed.
Log
Display the log tree
InfoAreas
InfoSources
Search in
InfoProvider tree
Search in InfoSources
tree for InfoPackages
In InfoPackage reference to
process chain is displayed
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Maintain Process Chains Detail View
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When collector processes are built into a process chain, there are actually several background jobs
scheduled with events in order to construct the conditional nature of collector processes.
The simple view displays the processing chain as it exists logically. The detail view displays the
processing chain with the extra collector processes.
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Maintain Message
Planning view
context menu
[email protected]
[email protected]
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Monitoring Features of the Log View (RSPC)
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Process Chain and Data Target Administration
You can call the administration of the current data target
by using the context menu for the following processes:
Construct Indexes
Delete Indexes
Construct database statistics
Roll-Up filled aggregates
Compress InfoCube
Activate ODS object data
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Process Chains: Facts
Process chains are transportable
There are icons for writing to a change request when maintaining a
process chain in RSPC
Process chains can be selected from the transport connection
wizard within the administrator workbench
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Activation, Execution and Runtime
Activation of process chain (Pressing activation button)
Process chain is copied to active version
No scheduling of any batch jobs (since SP 5, BW3.0B)
Event triggered
As program RSPROCESS with type and variant given as
parameters
With job name BI_PROCESS_<TYPE> (except AND-process,
which is BI_EVEN<GUID>)
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Activation:
process chain is set to version active
RSPCVARIANT, RSPCVARIANTATTR, contain information about the configuration
Execution:
Start process is set to direct scheduling:
BI_PROCESS_TRIGGER is released with configured start options
Subsequent application processes are scheduled and released as event triggered jobs.
Start process is set to Start Using Meta Chain or API
No BI_PROCESS_TRIGGER is scheduled or released. You have to start the process chain via
other process chain or API (Function module: RSPC_API_CHAIN_START).
Subsequent application processes are scheduled and released as event triggered jobs.
All scheduled jobs are using ABAP Report RSPROCESS with certain parameters
Separation between Activation and Execution with two buttons available since BW3.0B SP5
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Polling Flag
With setting the polling flag you can control the behavior of the
main process when you have distributed processes (Process
Chain Attributes Polling).
The main job run all the time in parallel (flag is set) or is only
triggered by a finished process of the process chain (flag is not
set: default).
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With setting the polling flag you can control the behavior of the main process when you have
distributed processes. Distributed processes, such as the loading process, are characterized as having
different work processes involved in specific tasks.
With the polling flag you determine whether the main process needs to be kept as long as the actual
process has ended.
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Monitoring of Individual Process Chain
right
Execution of
process chain
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With the log view of a process chain, monitoring of special BW processes (like infopackages, change
run, precalculation) and common activities (like drop/create index) is possible. Right mouse click on
a process icon gives you the available log functionality.
Different processes are clearly arranged in one view and directly linked to the corresponding logs.
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Restartability of Process Types
For each process type (self defined
or standard) re-starting is a feature
which is set in table:
RSPROCESSTYPES
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Overview:
Systemwide Monitoring of Process Chains
BWCCMS
Metachain
AWB-Monitoring of
individual
InfoPackages,
monitoring of
application log via
Tcode SLG1
External monitoring
tools
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Four different ways for monitoring all process chains are possible
Via CCMS (either T-Code: RZ20 or BWCCMS)
Via Metachain: create a matachain including all your different process chains of your company.
With status colour green, yellow or red you get a quick overview to the overall status of processes
on your system
Via monitoring different processes in process chains for themselves
Via external monitoring tools (alias: softwarepartner on service.sap.com)
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Systemwide Monitoring BWCCMS
Recommended way:
Monitoring via SAP-central computing center management system (CCMS):
Menu path: Tools CCMS Control / Monitoring Alert Monitor SAP BW Monitors
BW Monitor (Tcode: BWCCMS)
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Systemwide Monitoring BWCCMS
Advantages and disadvantages of BWCCMS
Advantages:
Self-definition of alerts possible
Clearly arranged
Alerts linked to detailed monitors
Application log and BW log combined
Disadvantages:
Maintenance not easy
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Systemwide Monitoring Metachain
Meta chain means = chain with process type process chain
Start process
Process chains
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Advantages:
Graphical view
Easy to find the logs
Disadvantages:
It is not possible to filter the terminated parts of the metachain. Therefore, the view gets confusing
if you build a complex scenario with too many different process chains.
Performance is influenced by graphical design (to much navigation to see the detailed logs)
Sometimes low performance in execution log views
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Systemwide Monitoring AWB Monitor, Appl.log
Not using the new BW 3.0
functionality of process
chain for analyze the BW
processes means checking
different logs areas
manually:
Load monitors (AWB)
Changerun monitor (AWB)
Application log (AWB)
(SLG1),
...
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Advantages:
Fast access to detailed logs
Disadvantage:
Each log is only part of the entire process. You have to look for the different logs yourself.
Monitoring of the entire process not possible
Very complex in large environments
Detailed expert knowledge about the different log areas necessary.
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Migration (1)
Process Chains are new functionality
Old Event-Chains, InfoPackages and InfoPackage Groups still
working, even after migration
In process chains automatic flags (auto rollup, auto drop index,
auto activation) are not working anymore
It is recommended to switch to process chains
If an InfoPackage is started via a process chain, the flags for
automatic processing within the BW are ignored even if they are
set, thus the respective task must be added to the process chain
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Old Event-Chains, InfoPackages and InfoPackage Groups continue to work, even after migration
You do not have to migrate.
New 3.0 projects shall be modeled with process chains, as there will be no more Support via the SAP
Service Marketplace for problems with the automatism-flags like automatic rollup, automatic
ODS-activation
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Migration (2)
InfoPackage Groups
From within the InfoPackage Group maintenance the button
Process Chain generates a process chain similar to a group, but
manual ajustment is necessary.
This can be executed manually with the function module
RSPC_MIGRATE_INFOPACKAGE_GROUP
Event Chains
The Event Collector (formerly also called Event Chain) is now the
AND-Process of the process chain
Migrating a manually created chain of events into a process chain is
difficult and fuzzy
There exists a report RSPC_MIGRATE_EVENT_CHAIN which
browses the system for reports planned waiting for an event and
reports raising an event, however the generated process chain may
differ from the existing event chain
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Openness: Implementing a Process
If you ...
... have a simple, stand alone program to run in a chain
... have a program, which is planned in batch by another program or
user
... then you can use the process type ABAP to run your
program in a chain.
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It is possible for the customer project to custom build a process. An entirely new type of task can be
created and included in the chain. Use of ABAP OO is required to implement this.
For building your own process types, please check HOW TO-Guide: service.sap.com/bw
service&implemation How To ... Guide.
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Process Chains in BW: Unit Summary
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0.37 Exercises
Unit:
Process Chains
Topic:
1-1
1-2
1-2-2
1-2-3
1-3
1-4
1-5
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Unit:
Process Chains
Topic:
1-2
Values
Process Chain
PC_GR##
Long Description
Values
Process Variants
startpr##
Long Description
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1-2-2
1-2-3
1-3
1-4
1-5
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