Navigating SAP Menus Details

The menus displayed depend on the application that you are working in. These menus contain cascading menu options. The icons in the standard toolbar are available on all SAP screens. Icons you cannot use on a particular screen are grayed out. If you hover over an icon, a tool tip appears with the name or function of that icon and the corresponding function key settings. Knowledge of the vocabulary of the various menus is particularly important for documentation, but also for collaborative troubleshooting.

1. Menu bar

   This menu bar is the first bar shown in the preceding image, with the menu options Menu, Edit, Favorites, Tools, System, and Help.

2. System toolbar

   The system toolbar is located below the menu bar in the second row. It consists of a range of icons with general GUI functions and the command field. The command field is used to enter a transaction code.

3. Application toolbar

   The selection of buttons available in the application toolbar depends on which application you are calling up. For example, transaction PA20 has Display and Overview buttons.

4. System messages

   System messages display to the left of the status bar. There are different types of messages:

   • A cross on a red background identifies an error message.
   • A check mark on a green background identifies other system messages.
   • Some notes and information about the actual maintenance process can display in yellow.
5. Status bar

   The status bar is situated at the bottom right of the screen. It provides general information about the SAP system and the transaction or task that you are working on. There are three fields on the right-hand side of the status bar – one with server information, the other two with status information.

What options are there to access transactions even more effectively and quickly during normal work processes? It makes a difference whether you have just logged into the system or are already working on a transaction. You have different options to navigate through the system via transaction codes.

You can call transactions via the tree structure or through your favorites:

1. Calling with the SAP Easy Access Menu
   1. Folders and subfolders
   2. Favorites

   In addition, you can access a transaction by using the command field. However, the use of the command field depends on the current processing and interface. There are basically three variants:

2. The command field in the system toolbar:

   1. The command field in the SAP Easy Access menu.

   2. The command field by starting in an actual application/transaction
   3. The command field by launching from a current application/transaction and entering a new session

Command field shortcuts

The command field is used to call a specific transaction or function.

Selected command field short cuts include the following:

You can create up to sixteen independent sessions per log on. Each session you create is as if you logged on to the system again. For example, closing the first session does not cause the other sessions to close.

Too many open sessions can result in slower system performance. For this reason, your system administrator may limit the number of sessions you can create to fewer than sixteen.

As long as you remain logged on to the SAP system, you can leave a session for as long as you like and resume working on the session at any time. You can move among sessions as often as you like without losing any data.

To move from one session to another, click any part of the window that contains the session you want to go to. The window you choose becomes the active window and It moves in front of all other windows on your screen.

If you have several sessions open, you can minimize the sessions you are not using. When you need to use one of these sessions later, you can restore it by clicking the appropriate symbol in the status bar, making it the active session. By minimizing the sessions you are not using, you can significantly reduce the system load.

After you finish using a session, it is a good idea to end it. Each session uses system resources that can affect how fast the system responds to your requests. Before you end a session, save any data you want to keep. When you end a session, the system does not prompt you to save your data.

To create multiple sessions using the standard toolbar, select the Creates New Session icon. Alternatively, you can create multiple sessions by choosingSystem→Create Session.