Troubleshooting Procedures

Errors, by their very nature, always occur in places where they should not occur. Consequently, we can only present a general approach here.

The figure Troubleshooting: Approach lists steps for a possible troubleshooting approach.

Isolate the problem area: First, attempt to isolate the error. Where did it occur, when did it occur, and in what context did it occur? If an end user in the SAP system complains, that their output could not be printed, the problem description would be too imprecise. "Front-end printing on front end xyz does not work with any SAP system" is more exact. If you also know that front-end printing works on other front ends, you have already isolated the problem.

Problem analysis: Check the scenario to find out whether all required settings, and so on, are correct. Check the application logs, the system log, and the traces (the developer traces will usually be helpful here) to see whether they provide any clues for correcting the error.

Gain additional knowledge: To interpret the results from the first problem analysis, it is, of course, necessary for you to be familiar with the processes and functions of the area in which the error has occurred. If your experience and previous knowledge are insufficient, you can search for SAP Notes on the SAP Support Portal with the keywords from the system log or the trace files. You may find a solution there, or additional information that helps you find and correct the error. If you do not find any suitable SAP Notes or search terms, search for composite SAP Notes for the topic area (for example, with the terms front-end printing and composite SAP Note). For additional background information about the topic area, see the online documentation and course materials. If you still cannot solve the problem with this information, compare the process with errors against an error-free process.

Compare error-free and erroneous processes: You can use this approach to determine where there are differences between an erroneous and an error-free process. This information helps you to further isolate the problem area and may help you to solve the problem or to perform new, more targeted problem analyses. If it is not possible to perform another problem analysis, contact the SAP Support by creating an incident. Enter the information from your troubleshooting (such as a trace and/or system log information) when doing so.

SAP provides a special web-based function called Guided Answers to support customers and partners with an interactive documentation. It is designed to help troubleshoot issues, navigate processes and guide through tasks.

The start page provides a Search field and is complemented by Filter options based on Products and Components. As a result of a search a Guided Answers Trees will be shown, which can be customized by using Settings.

In case of a specific troubleshooting issue, use the Guided Answers function by providing search terms which best fit and describe the given problem. Depending on the amount of results, further filter options increase the accuracy concerning the problem and help to identify the relevant solution.

The output of a search is called Guided Answers Trees. By default the name of the Guided Answer is shown, as well as the Product Information, the Component Information, and the Release Status. In addition, the Guided Answers ID, the Search Rank Score, and the useful Details Button can be activated, individually by the user.

For experts the Details Button may be useful, because a specific selection of an action can be done. Beginners may want to be guided through the actions in a recommended sequence. This is done with a kind of roadmap. All actions documented by SAP to analyze and solve the problem are listed. The customer or partner runs through and answers the predefined questions by analyzing, verifying, and/or configuring specific topics. In this way you are guided through the problem-solving solutions.

At the end, the same Q&A is covered for beginners and experts. It is only a question of what you prefer, being guided through with the advantage that all relevant topics are taken into account, or selecting specific topics based on your experience.

Within the results list there are two main approaches to check the proposed solution(s):

Strategic Approach for Beginners

Use the small arrow icon at the right hand side of the corresponding result, which guides you step-by-step through the proposed solution(s) in a predefined sequence with links to the SAP online documentation, SAP Notes, SAP-recommended documents, and Q&A for further guidance.

Strategic Approach for Experts

Use the Details button (hamburger icon with an arrow) below the title of the respective Guided Answer in the results list. This function opens a popup listing (in most of the cases) different potentially problem-solving steps. This enables a specific selection of steps based on the given issue or your experience. For example, you can skip steps, which you have already checked before. Take care about the necessary display settings mentioned below.

Every Action provides information as text, sometimes enhanced by screenshots and/or links. At the end of the explanation there is a question, which provides predefined answers. By selecting an answer (using a pushbutton), a follow-up Action is provided. In this way a complete chain of Q&A is build, which even allows to use Back one step or Start over. Moreover, an overview of the already performed steps is given at any time with the help of the navigation pane (called command-field) at the left.

Further information on how to use the function Guided Answers in an effective way, can be retrieved by attending the following Learning Journey online:Demonstrating Effective Guided Answers Problem-Solving