Scheduling failed on Sybase ASE

Error in DB13 while running SAP on Sybase database – “Scheduling Failed”.

These errors are intermittent and not reproducible.

Below I outline some steps to troubleshoot this issue:

Check for errors in log files (<SID>, <SID>_BS, <SID>_JSAGENT> under installation directory:

Ex: “D\:sybase\<SID>\ASE-15_0\install.

If you cannot read these files (Because it is in use), copy it to another directory .

Try to dump the transaction log using below command:

dump transaction <SID> to “<Dump Directory>”.

If you are able to successfully dump or truncate the log file, then try to delete the further schedules and try to reschedule the backup again from DB13.

If you are not able to dump or truncate the transaction log , database might be in a standstill (Root cause explained at the end).

In that case, stop SAP and restart the DB services (SQL Server and Backup Server).

In our case, we found following errors in the <SID> log file when the issue happened.

Error: 8213, Severity: 20, State: 3
server Failed to acquire address lock on object DDLOG

Note: There were no Dump DATABASE or Create INDEX were running on the database during that time.

This is caused by a bug in the ASE database as explained in the SAP Note 2337582.

Database had to be updated to one of the release mentioned in the note to resolve the issue.

Important Notes:

2178977 – Job scheduling fails on DBA Planning Calendar – SAP ASE for Business Suite

 

2477608 – DBA Planning Calendar shows duplicate entries with status scheduling failed – SAP ASE for Business Suite

 

2688308 – How to troubleshoot Job Scheduler issues in Standalone ASE

 

2249796 – Unable to create SAP schedules from DBA Cockpit – SAP ASE for Business Suite

 

2692998 – Unable to schedule database job due to ASE Error SQL4002

 

2099027 – Database Extractor Setup Failed for SAP ASE for Business Suite

 

2494044 – Unable to setup job scheduler Solution manager 7.2

R3trans and hdbuserstore

When you change the password of connecting user of SAP HANA database, same should be updated in the key file of the HDBUSERSTORE on the Application Server.

You should be logged in with <SIDADM> for this procedure.  Take care of this specially if you application server and database are running on same server.

#> hdbuserstore SET DEFAULT <hostname>:3<instance Number>15 <user> <password>

Note: User option -i along with the command if you want to enter the options (mainly password) interactively.

Example:

hdbuserstore SET DEFAULT hanahost:30015 SYSTEM Hana@123

Once updated check the list using the below command.

#> hdbuserstore list

DATA FILE : /home/appadm/.hdb/hanahost/SSFS_HDB.DAT
KEY FILE : /home/appadm/.hdb/hanahost/SSFS_HDB.KEY

KEY DEFAULT
ENV : HANAHOST:30015
USER: SYSTEM

You can now check the connectivity with the DATABASE using R3trans -d.

If R3trans -d reports error, check the connectivity with hdbsql using the key created above.

#> hdbsql -U <KEY>      #Key is “DEFAULT” in our example.

This should connect to the database without any issues.

You might receive error sql code  rcSQL = -10709 in case of connectivity issues. Please check the host name and port again in case of issues.

In case of any issues/questions please leave a comment below. Happy learning.

 

Important Notes:

2250144 – FAQ: SAP HANA Secure User Store

2563762 – hdbuserstore still using old hostname after updating

2399996 – How-To: Configuring automatic SAP HANA Cleanup with SAP HANACleaner

2653777 – Phyton connection to HANA database using hdbuserstore-key fails

2416706 – Check file permissions for SAP HANA client hdbuserstore on application server

2130496 – Application does not start after takeover-HANA Disaster Recovery

 

2709350 – How To set a HANA System License via HDBSQL

 

 

Mass lock of SAP Users

During any maintenance it is always a discussion about how to track the already locked users.

Most easiest way is SU10. But with this it is difficult to keep track of already locked users.

For ECC systems (Also for S/4HANA), you can do this by using transaction EWZ5.

Note that this is not available for other SAP Applications.

Advantage with this method is that the application sets a flag for already locked users.

You can now select the users who should not be locked (Euro Administrator) and save the transaction.

Click on lock user and all the users are now locked.

Notice the Locked flag is still set for users that were already locked.

If you do not select a euro administrator before locking the users, you will get the below warning message.

Important Notes:

2275691 – Unlock users in EWZ5 doesn’t work

 

GDPR for SAP – Are you ready?

Everyone keeping track of GDPR Clock should be already gearing up for compliance. Because the consequences of non-compliance could be damaging.

Under the new law, Personal data of your customers can only be gathered legally under strict conditions. Processing/handling/archiving/deleting this data should also be handled under strict rules.

We are part of Brexit! We do not have offices in EU countries! I do not know if this applies to us! By when should we be compliant!

You can find the answers to these questions at FAQ’s and Timelines.

It applies to everyone who is processing/using any data for customers from EU.

So even if you do not have a office in EU but do business with EU customers, you are in purview of GDPR.

When it comes to SAP, you should be thinking of but not limited to following aspects of Data.

1. Any personal data of your customers should be secured. This includes from their official title (CEO/CFO/Director etc..) to their postal code. Make informed decisions.
2. Be prepared to secure the data in you system already. Prevent unauthorized access to this information. Many might think this only applies to production systems, which is incorrect. Personal data in your Pre-Prod, Test, Development etc.. all are considered sensitive.
3. Data should be archived/deleted unless it is absolutely required. Archived data should be safeguarded from unauthorized access.

This of course is a complicated and time taking process. But the great thing is there are already multiple tools readily available in the market which can completely automate this process.

Since we are talking about SAP, I would like to bring some of these tools to your notice which can help you make your SAP systems compliant.

1. Lets start with Basics and the most crucial aspect. Check your authorization matrix. Ensure that only people who need access to personal data has access. Use tools like SAP GRC to  control authorizations, manage/mitigate/document risks.
2. Protect the data in your non-production systems. Strict authorization controls on your non-production SAP system. Use tools that scramble test data in non-production systems. Some examples include, SAP TDMS and DATA Secure by EPI-USE. Another interesting tool could be SAP Field Masking Solution.
3. Handle the data in your production system wisely. Archive or delete your data that is not necessary. Use tools like SAP ILM to manage the life cycle of your data.

Above are just some actions for compliance. There is much more to this than just using the tools like, appointing a Data Protection Officer (DPO), Legal advise etc..

Please share your experience regarding GDPR under comments.

 

Important SAP Notes:

2616471 – Data Protection and Privacy Features for SuccessFactors Reporting & Analytics

2649596 – GDPR Technical Basic Check

2579631 – GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in HCM