Exception Management

In today's business scenarios, processes are often distributed cross-system and over multiple application components. Thereby customers use SAP components in combination with self-developed and legacy components which are based on Non-SAP Technologies. SAP Exception Management includes the proactive monitoring of mission critical components that are required for a smooth and reliable flow of the core business processes in heterogeneous cross-technology landscapes. In addition, it provides tools for deeper error analysis, processing and documentation.

SAP Exception Management Cockpit (SAP EMC) is the central place to monitor and analyze critical multiple step as well as single exceptions. Multiple-Step Exceptions (currently only configured on project basis) are exceptions which happen at a specific location but have influence on predecessor steps within one application component. In case of such an exception, usually different processing steps have to be rolled back. Single exceptions happen at one location and have only influence for this location. This means all predecessor steps are not influenced by the exception.

 The SAP EMC overview shows a summary of all retrieved broken process flows and technical exceptions cross-system and cross-technology. Exceptions are thereby distinguished by type and category and customers have the possibility to adapt the POWL over-view to their own needs. For single exceptions the following categories are currently sup-ported by default:

  • ABAP Syslog, Dump, Joblog, Update, Application log and WS errors
  • JAVA Application Log and Default Trace errors
  • SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration and Integration add-on
  • SAP SuccessFactors and integration add-on
  • SAP Concur Integration add-on
  • SAP Hybris Cloud for Customers
  • SAP Cloud Platform
  • SAP Cloud Platform Integration
  • SAP Cloud Platform Integration for data services
  • SAP Integrated Business Planning
  • SAP S/4 HANA Cloud Edition
  • ByDesign

the below figure shows the overview display of the Exception Management Cockpit.

Figure: Exception Management Cockpit

By selecting a specific category all related exception instances are shown. For a specific exception instance, it is possible to perform follow-up activities:

  • Export: The list can be exported to Microsoft Excel.
  • Detail: Show exception details for a deeper error analysis (see example below)
  • Assign: For Multiple Step Exceptions a responsible processor can be assigned as well as a processing status.
  • Create Notification: Create manually an Email (and/or SMS) which can be sent to one or several persons. Links to the error details and related Guided Procedures are included automatically in the Email.
  • Create Incident: Integration into IT Service Management in SAP Solution Manager
  • Guided Procedures: Context sensitive Jump-in to the Guided Procedure Browser. All Guided Procedures which are assigned to the Exception Category and Subcategory are shown and can be executed. Also new Guided Procedures can be created from here.
  • Alert Inbox: This button offers a Jump-In into the Alert Inbox for Technical Monitoring. If the Monitoring and Alerting Infrastructure is coupled with Exception Management.

The error details of the selected exception instance contain e.g. the error messages, a detailed error context, the call stack and the payload of the processed unit as well as related exceptions.

One of the most important features of Exception Management is provided via the button: Correlated Exceptions.

In a new popup links to all related exceptions in all involved components are shown. The SAP Passport technology is used to identify error messages which belongs to the same transaction. SAP Passport is an information which is transferred to each call in all involved components. It contains the transaction ID and sender-receiver information.

When you click on a specific link a new popup shows the details of the correlated exception (if it has been collected by the Exception Management).

Figure: Details for Single Step Executions

Within the details of a selected exception you can start deeper analysis via the button Exception Source.

The related tool (e.g. transaction ST22 for runtime errors, SM21 for syslog errors) will be started in a new Web-Gui Browser session.

Now all individual exceptions can be analyzed in detail to find out the root cause of the problem.

Benefits

Central pro-active monitoring - With Exception Management Cockpit, you can monitor critical single exceptions (ABAP dumps, Web Service exceptions ...) as well as mission critical components and/or instrumented process flows.

Detailed Exception Analysis - To analyze exceptions in Exception Management Cockpit, the detailed error description comprises not only the error message but also the error context, the call stack, the payload of the processes unit as well as related exceptions.

Central Exception Documentation and Correction - Exception Management uses the Guided Procedure Framework to systematically reprocess exceptions, document error handling centrally and to search for related documentation and predefined solutions already available.

Integration - Exception Management is tightly integrated with other solution manager tools such as Interface Channel Monitoring, System Monitoring and Root Cause Analysis, Alerting Infrastructure, Notification and Incident Management 

For further information about configuring the Exception Management, check out the:
Best Practices for Monitoring of Integration Scenarios