Workload Monitor (Transaction ST03 or ST03N)

The ST03 Workload Monitor is the central access point for analyzing performance problems in the SAP system. ST03N is a
revised version of transaction ST03. In current SAP Releases transaction ST03N replaces transaction ST03 and is
automatically started when you enter transaction code ST03.
Here you can compare the performance values for all instances, and compare the performance of particular instances over
a period of time. Due to the number of possible analysis views for the data determined in transaction ST03, you can quickly
determine the cause of performance problems.
You can use the workload monitor to display the following, among other things:

 Number of instances configured for your system

 Number of users working on the different instances
 Response time distribution
 Distribution of workload by transaction steps, transactions, packages, subapplications, and applications
 Transactions with the largest response times and database time
 Memory usage for each transaction or each user per dialog step
 Workload caused by RFC, broken down by transactions, function modules, and destinations
 Number and volume of spool requests
 Statistics about response time distribution, with or without the GUI time
 Optional: table accesses
 Workload and transactions used by users, broken down by users, accounting numbers, and clients
 Workload generated by requests from external systems

The following are important analysis views in transaction ST03:

 System load overview: general response time distribution across different task types
 Time profile: How does the response time react over the day? Are there peak times with bad response times?
 Transaction profile: Can you observe response time problems in general or only in certain transactions?

ST03 Workload Overview:

In the Workload Monitor you can also determine which transactions have accessed which database tables and how often.
Since the number of statistics records greatly increases by logging table accesses of this type, this option is deactivated by
default.

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Report or Transaction Name

Name of a transaction or program/report executed within a dialog step.

In the workload statistics, the following special names are used for special reports and screens:

 Login_Pw: SAP System logon screen

 Login_Ok: Copyright dialog box after logon
 Logoff: Security dialog box at logoff
 New Pswd: Screen for entering new password
 MainMenu: SAP Easy Access menu
 B.Submit: Background processing dialogs
 System: System-internal dialogs (user SAPSYS)
 Aborted: Leave dialog due to external termination
 (B)xyz: Background processing steps
 (B)SCHDL: Time-based background scheduler
 (B)STRTR: Program to start background jobs
 (B)ZOMBI: Program to remove background jobs
 (B)EVDRI: Event-driven background scheduler
 (B)EXTSC: Enhanced scheduler of background jobs
 (B)AUTOD: Auto-delete function
 (B)SWTCH: Operation mode switch
 (B)OTHER: Other background functions
 RFC      : Remote Function Call
 ALE: IDOC processing through CPIC interace
 CPIC: Other CPIC communication
 Buf. Sync: Buffer synchronization
 AutoABAP: Automatically processed reports (such as for monitoring tools)
 <adm message>: ABAP system (internal communication)
 <no buffer>: ABAP system (load number range buffer)
 <update administration>: ABAP system (update administration)

Number of Steps

Number of steps in the ABAP system. The exact meaning of a step is dependent on the task type:

DIALOG: A transaction step corresponds to a screen change, that is, a request that the system executes for a user.

BACKGROUND: A background job can consist of one or more transaction steps.

UPDATE: An update request that was started by a call from the dialog or background processing, corresponds to one
transaction step, even if multiple updates are processed.

SPOOL: Multiple print requests are usually processed in one step.

The SAP R73 kernel generates a statistical entry for each transaction step. You can evaluate these in the business
transaction analysis.

Only the task types DIALOG (without RFC, ALE, CPIC), UPDATE, and UPDATE2 can be evaluated in the transaction
detail analysis.

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Total Response Time (s)

Response time per dialog step

The response time of a dialog step is the time required for requesting the dialog from the dispatcher work process to
the processing of the dialog through the ending of the dialog in the dispatcher and the transfer of the data to the
presentation layer.

This also includes the time used for "roundtrips" to transfer data from the front end to the application server and back.
This time is recorded as roll wait time on the application server, while it is displayed as GUI time on the frontend. For
inefficient networks, such as WAN connections, this time can contribute significantly to the response time, although it
uses no resources on the application server, as the context is rolled out and the work process is released.

The response time is usually split into wait time and execution time. The SAP response time is made up of the
following components:

Response time = wait time + execution time

Where execution time =

Generation time during the runtime +

Load times for programs, screens, and GUI interfaces +

Roll times for rolling in work data +

ABAP processing times +

Database time +

Enqueue time for logical SAP locks +

Roll wait time (not including task types RFC/CPIC/ALE).

The CPU time is not an additive component of the response time, but rather the sum of the CPU time used by the
individual components. The CPU time is therefore an independent additional piece of response time information.

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Average Response Time per Dialog Step (ms)

Response time per dialog step

The response time of a dialog step is the time required for requesting the dialog from the dispatcher work process to
the processing of the dialog through the ending of the dialog in the dispatcher and the transfer of the data to the
presentation layer.

This also includes the time used for "roundtrips" to transfer data from the front end to the application server and back.
This time is recorded as roll wait time on the application server, while it is displayed as GUI time on the frontend. For
inefficient networks, such as WAN connections, this time can contribute significantly to the response time, although it
uses no resources on the application server, as the context is rolled out and the work process is released.

The response time is usually split into wait time and execution time. The SAP response time is made up of the
following components:

Response time = wait time + execution time

Where execution time =

Generation time during the runtime +

Load times for programs, screens, and GUI interfaces +

Roll times for rolling in work data +

ABAP processing times +

Database time +

Enqueue time for logical SAP locks +

Roll wait time (not including task types RFC/CPIC/ALE).

The CPU time is not an additive component of the response time, but rather the sum of the CPU time used by the
individual components. The CPU time is therefore an independent additional piece of response time information.

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Total Processing Time (s)

The processing time of a dialog step is defined as:

Processing time = Response time -

wait time -

Load and generation times for programs, screens, and GUI interfaces -

Roll times for rolling in work data -

Database time -

Enqueue time for logical SAP locks -

Roll wait time (except task types RFC/CPIC/ALE).

Processing Time per Dialog Step (ms)

The processing time in which the ABAP program code is not directly measured, but is rather calculated as the
difference of measured values as follows:

Processing time = response time less the following time components:

Wait time Waiting in the dispatcher for a free work process (=dispatcher queue).
Load/Generating time for loading/generating screens, ABAP programs, and CUA elements (not in the presentation)
DB time For access to and waiting for the database interface and therefore the underlying database
For the roll-in of the roll area context of a dialog step and possibly waiting of a dialog step for
Roll In time
RFCs
Enqueue time For setting a SAP logical enqueue
DB Procedure time Time for processing DB procedures in the database (as of SAP R/3 4.6C; such as in liveCache)

Average CPU Time per Dialog Step (ms)

The CPU of the application server is used during a dialog step for processing. This includes, for example, loading and
generating objects or database queries as well as processing ABAP commands.

The operating system determines the CPU time. At the end of a transaction step, the ABAP work process queries the
operating system for CPU time used. The CPU time is not an additive part of the response time (unlike wait, roll in,
load, and database times).

Total Database Time (s)

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A large portion of the execution time of a dialog is due to the reading or changing of data in the underlying database.
This field stores the time required for processing logical database calls (calls to the SAP database interface).

Various factors influence the logical database access time. This means that read requests can be responded to either
by the database buffer or the fast local SAP buffer. The buffer efficiency, the number of the required accesses, and
the proportion of accesses that change the dataset all influence the total access time.

The database access time is measured in the database interface in the application server. This is why this also
includes part of the application server CPU time and the network transfer time.

Average Database Time per Dialog Step (ms)

A large portion of the execution time of a dialog is due to the reading or changing of data in the underlying database.
This field stores the time required for processing logical database calls (calls to the SAP database interface).

Various factors influence the logical database access time. This means that read requests can be responded to either
by the database buffer or the fast local SAP buffer. The buffer efficiency, the number of the required accesses, and
the proportion of accesses that change the dataset all influence the total access time.

The database access time is measured in the database interface in the application server. This is why this also
includes part of the application server CPU time and the network transfer time.

Time for DB Accesses by DB Procedures (ms)

As well as SQL statements, database procedure calls can be sent to the database interface. In a database
procedure, part of the processing logic can be performed by the database itself.

Ø Time for DB Proc. Calls per Dialog Step (ms)

As well as SQL statements, database procedure calls can be sent to the database interface. In a database
procedure, part of the processing logic can be performed by the database itself.

A transaction starts with the entry "/n" and normally ends with an update step. The average response time for each
transaction is the total of the respones times of all dialog steps divided by the number of transactions.

Total Roll Wait Time (s)

During processing of some dialog steps, the user context may be rolled out; for example, during RFCs when the
client is waiting for a response from the server. This wait time until the dialog step can continue is called the roll wait
time.

For task type RFC, the roll wait time is not included in the response time.

Average Roll Wait Time per Dialog Step (ms)

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During processing of some dialog steps, the user context may be rolled out; for example, during RFCs when the
client is waiting for a response from the server. This wait time until the dialog step can continue is called the roll wait
time.

For task type RFC, the roll wait time is not included in the response time.

Average Wait Time per Dialog Step (ms)

Under normal conditions, the dispatcher should immediately dispatch a dialog step to the work process, whereby the
average wait time in the dispatcher is a few milliseconds.

If there is a high load on the application server or the entire system, wait situations occur in the dispatcher queue.
Factors particularly influencing wait times are the number of work processes on the application server and the CPU
load (see transaction ST06)

Avg. Frontend Network Time per Dialog Step(ms)

A dialog step may include several communication steps between the application server and the local front end.

The front end network time is made up of the following components:

 The time for the first data transfer from the front end to the application server

 The time for the last data transfer from the application server to the front end

 The time used at the front end after the last data transfer for data and screen formatting

Average GUI Time per Dialog Step (ms)

A dialog step may contain several communication steps between the application server and the local front end.

The GUI time is the time used in the network and the local front end for these communications steps (not the time in
the application server, however). The GUI time does not contain the front end network time.

Data Requested from Database (KB)

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A range of interfaces provide the SAP application with data. The requested data set is differentiated with regard to the
following interfaces/data types:

 Sources for screens

 Sources for graphical user interfaces
 Sources for ABAP programs
 Generated code of screens
 Generated code of graphical user interfaces
 Generated code of ABAP programs
 Nametab interface
 CPIC interface
 DDIC interface
 DSQL interface (user data from the database)

Ø Data Volume to Application Server (Byte)

Transported data volume per step from the frontend to the application server.

Ø Data Volume to Front End per Step (Byte)

Transported data volume from the application server to the frontend. The data stream is described from the point-of-
view of the server, and is therefore entered as output.

Short text
Small description.

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