Working with the Central Workload Monitor

You call the initial screen of the workload monitor via the following menu path:
TOOL • ADMINISTRATION • MONITOR • PERFORMANCE • WORKLOAD • AGGREGATED STATISTICS RECORDS - GLOBAL

Alternatively, you can use Transaction ST03G. This takes you to the main screen of the workload monitor, GLOBAL SYSTEM LOAD ANALYSIS. The design of this monitor is very similar to that of the workload monitor for a single SAP system. The screen is divided into three subareas.

Workload data

The top-left area of the screen contains the WORKLOAD node, where you can find the components for which load information is available. The load data is structured in the following hierarchy :

->Component type
The component type describes the type of component. The type SAP R/3 is displayed for an ABAP-based component, SAPJ2ENODE for AS Java, and SAPJDBI for the database to which AS Java is connected. For ABAP-based components, the SID is also displayed .
-> Component
Describes an actual component, such as the instance name of an ABAP or Java instance name.

->Period
You can view workload data on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. To do this, expand the relevant time unit and select the concrete period by double-clicking it.

Analysis views

The lower-left area of the screen contains a list of analysis views. The analysis views for the ABAP server a re similar to those analysis views already introduced in the context of the local workload monitor. The analysis views of other components are similar to those of the ABAP server; this means they also contain workload profile, time profile, transaction profile, and so on.

Load Profiles in the Central Workload Monitor for N on-ABAP Components

Profile	Description
Workload overview	Shows the aggregation of the statistics records according to task types; on SAP NetWeaver AS Java, for example, Web Request, EJB Request, System
Action profile	Shows the aggregation of statistics records according to actions; on the SAP NetWeaver AS Java, for example, specific actions in Web Dynpro, RFC calls, and so on
Time profile	Shows the aggregation of statistics records according to the hours of the day
User profile	Shows the aggregation of statistics records according to users
Load from external systems	Shows the aggregation of statistics records according to external systems
Response time distribution	Shows the distribution of response times
Availability	Shows the distribution of components' availability, measured by the agents

Analysis data

The right-hand screen, which presents the analysis data, also has the same structure as the one you already know from the local workload monitor: the upper-right area of the screen contains administration information, the instance name of the component, and the period for which statistical data is available.

The lower part of the right-hand pane displays the actual workload data, depending on the analysis profile selected in the lower-left pane. In the first columns, you will find the dimensions of the load profile, for example, the action and the action type. The other columns contain performance key figures. These include:

->Number of dialog steps
->Response time
->CPU time
->Call or roll wait time
->Wait time in the component

With this information, you can quickly find out which components had long wait times. High CPU time means the application on this component must be analyzed further. A high wait time in the component means an overload situation exists in this component. Depending on the type of component (ASAP or Java instance), you must carry out a component based analysis, which will be described in the following chapters. A high call/roll wait time means the performance problem cannot be found in this component, but can be found in a component that has been called by this one.

Making components known

When you call the central workload monitor in your SAP system, you initially find only statistical data for the ASAP instance of the system you are currently logged onto. To access the statistics data of other ABAP or Java instances, you must make these components known centrally. Proceed as follows:

1. Expand the SETIINGS AND LOG sub-tree in the upper-left pane of the central workload monitor.
2. Select SYSTEM SELECTION. The system displays the list of connected systems.
3. You can work with several sets of systems. To switch between the sets, select an entry in the SYSTEMS DROPDOWN menu.

4. If necessary, you can make changes to the displayed list- that is, integrate or remove systems.
5. To start the consistency analysis for a system list, click the APPLY button. The analysis is then performed for each activated entry. Prior to that, the system carries out a consistency check of the destination to the system. If the consistency check fails for a specific entry, this entry is deactivated and a message is generated for the application log. The list specified when you click the APPLY button thus contains the systems that the global workload monitor displays.

Last minute's load

Under the WORKLOAD node in the upper-left window, you will find the function DISPLAY LAST MINUTE'S LOAD. Use this function if you want to analyze the last minute's load. The workload monitor essentially determines the workload data once per hour on the basis of statistical data for the individual components. Therefore, you cannot view any data that is less than one hour old because it hasn't been written to the database yet. The DISPLAY LAST MINUTE'S LOAD function, however, enables you to
request data that refers to a specific period within the last hour, such as the past 15 minutes. Note, however, that this can take several minutes, depending on the size of the system.

Technical settings

For the global workload monitor, as for every system monitoring tool. you must also find an optimal solution somewhere between the requirement for an exact monitoring of the system and the requirement for monitoring that doesn't affect overall system performance. The parameters that control statistics data management are located under the CONTROL DATA and SETTINGS & LOG sub-trees. You can find further information on this subject at SAP Help.

Workload analysis enables you to make detailed statements about the distribution of response times not only across different system components such as the database, hardware, and ABAP and Java servers, but also across different transactions and programs. By performing a workload analysis, you can determine the system areas in which you require further analysis and tuning. Always remember to compare the results of your workload analysis with the observations of users. This helps you avoid jumping to wrong conclusions if a superficial analysis of the workload monitor indicates a performance problem where, in fact, there is no real problem. It also avoids the opposite situation of not noticing that the workload monitor is indicating a performance problem that is readily apparent to users.

Most Critical Steps in Workload Analysis in AS ABAP for a General Performance Problem

If your transactions extend over several SAP systems, end-to-end workload analysis is significant. This can be performed with the global workload monitor, which you can find in the NetWeaver AS ABAP, or with SAP Solution Manager.