SAP SYSTEM PROFILES

A profile in SAP system is an operating system file which contains parameters and configuration information of Instances.• The profiles are essential part of the system and the parameters they contain play a prominent role in fine tuning the system, starting and stopping the system because they are in charge of allocating and deallocating necessary resources as specified in the profile parameters.• The profiles are located under the directory /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/profiles. (The path is same for UNIX and Windows).• The types of profiles available in SAP are as follows:-• DEFAULT PROFILE• STARTUP PROFILE• INSTANCE PROFILE• All these profiles are generated automatically by SAP when the system is first installed. DEFAULT PROFILE

• The SAP default profile is an operating system file which contains parameter setting common to all instances across the system.• For example it contains parameters like hostname of database server, message server which is common for all instances in the same SAP system.• There is always only one active default profile in the entire SAP R/3 system. • The default profile is also known as SYSTEM PROFILE.• The default profile like startup and instance profile is located in the profile directory of SAP system /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/profiles• The name of the default profile file will always be DEFAULT.PFL.

STARTUP PROFILE

• The startup profile is a parameter file which is read by the startsap.exe program when we are starting the instance.• The startup profile initiates starting of services like message server, gateway, and other locally defined programs.• There may be as many startup profiles as the number of instances.• The naming convention for startup profile is as follow: - START_<INSTANCE_NAME>_Hostname. For example: - START_<DVEBMGS02>_COMPANYSAP where DEVBMGS02 is the instance

name and Companysap is the machine name of the instance. START_<D22>_MYS-705894 where D22 is the instance name of the dialog instance.

INSTANCE PROFILE

• The Instance profile is the third profile and is a important profile wit lots of parameters for configuring the instance and fine tuning the performance of the instance.• The instance profile normally contains parameters like how many work processes should be define for a instance and others like allocation of buffer and so forth.• The naming convention of instance profile is as follows <SID>_<INSTANCE_NAME>_HOSTNAME.• For example QAS_<DVEBMGS02>_COMPANYSAP where QAS is the SID of the instance, DVEBMGS02 is the instance name and COMPANYSAP is the host name of the instance.• Like startup profile, there may be as many instance profile as the instances

MAINTENANCE OF PROFILES

• The profiles in SAP R/3 can be maintained by transaction RZ10. You should always edit the profiles from the SAP R/3 using the transaction code RZ10. We can also edit the profiles at operating system level.• The profiles which are edited with new parameter values will come in to affect only after restarting the instance.• If you are editing a profile at SAP level using RZ10 we need to first save and activate the profile and next restart the SAP instance. Then only the new value will come in to affect.• If you are editing the profile at Operating system level then we need to import the edited profile in to SAP system first and then restart the instance for new value to come in to affect.• The SAP profiles can be maintained in three ways: - Administration Data, Basic Maintenance and Extended maintenance.• Administration Data:-The administration data includes information such as name and location of operating system file, date and time of modification and user name who changed it. Simply to say the administration modes gives only the text information and no changes can be made in this mode.• Basic Maintenance: - The basic maintenance mode presents the profile parameter in a very convenient and modifiable form with push buttons and so on. This mode gives the basic and most important profile parameters.• Extended Maintenance: - The extended maintenance mode allows you to maintain individual parameter setting in each profile and it is also possible to create additional new parameters that are not set in the profile in extended maintenance mode. • After we install the SAP system, we need to activate the profiles in SAP using the transaction code RZ10. This RZ10 is also used for maintaining the profiles. The initial screen of RZ10 will be as shown below.

DELETING A PROFILE

• To delete a single profile, execute RZ10 and on the initial profile screen enter name and version in the corresponding input fields and then select profile|Delete|Individual profile.• To delete all versions of a profile select profile|Delete|All Versions| of a profile.• The system will remove the entries from the database and will display a dialog box requesting whether you also want it to be deleted at the operating system level. If you want it to be deleted, say yes or no as shown in the below exhibit.

SAP SYSTEM PROFILES

• Before going to creation and activation of profiles, let’s see the three modes of profile maintenance. Here, I have taken the example of Instance profile. As told in earlier slides, the administration data of a profile just gives information like path of profile at OS level and details like date, time and username when last modified

The Basic maintenance mode provides the profile parameters in a easy modifiable form with push buttons as shown below

• The third mode extended maintenance mode allows us to maintain individual parameter setting and to create a new parameter in change mode.

ACTIVATION OF PROFIES

• To create a profile execute transaction RZ10. Specify the name of the profile to be created and choose Profile|Create or click on the create button the toolbar.

• Enter a short description of the profile, the filename into which the profile should be activated, a reference server and the profile type. Then choose Copy. After this you will return to initial screen of RZ10. Here it is DEFAULT profile.

• Similarly as default profile we need to create startup and instance profile.

• After creating the profile, save and activate the profile first and then we need to import parameters from the OS level. For that again execute RZ10. Give the name of the profile which we need to import and then click on import button on toolbar or choose Profile|Import.

• After installation of the system, we can import the profile one by one or we can import all the profiles of active servers. For this go to RZ10. Then choose Utilities|Importprofiles|Of Active Servers. This will automatically import the profiles in to database of all actives instances.

• Once you give the profile name and click on Import button, it will display a dialog box asking for the path for file at OS level. Select the appropriate path and click ok. Here it is for default profile.

• Similarly as default profile, we should import values in to startup and instance profile after creating them. And for these profiles to get in to affect the instance need to be restarted. • The profile parameters can be edited at SAP level and also at OS level. But it is always recommended to edit at SAP level. • If we are editing the parameter value of a profile at SAP level we need to save and activate the profile again and restart the instance for the changed values to take affect.• If we are editing the profiles at OS level, we need to import profile again and then save, activate and restart the instance.• Now suppose, you have changed a parameter value and it should come in to affect immediately without restarting the system, then you can do so by using dynamic parameters from the table TPFYPROPTY. These parameters do not require restart and value will come in to immediate effect. But when you restart the instance later, this values which you have set will come back to original value.

• If you want the information about a particular parameter go to RZ11, enter the name of parameter and choose Edit|Information and TCode TU02 will give you what are the active parameters in the system.

SAP SYSTEM PROFILES PARAMETERS

• Some of the profile parameters are listed below.• PHYS_MEMSIZE• SAPDBHOST• abap/buffersize• abap/heap_area_dia• exe/disp+work• login/disable_cpic• login/disable_multi_gui_login• login/min_password_diff• login/min_password_digits• login/min_password_lng• login/password_expiration_time• Login/system_client• rdisp/btctime• rdisp/max_wprun_time• rdisp/wp_no_dia

Note: - When ever, we are changing the value of a parameter in any of the profile, first we need to check if there are any dependencies of that parameter. i.e., there are some parameters which depend on each other. In that case we also need to change the value of all that dependant parameters. For example, if we want to change the parameter value of abap/heap_area_diag or abap/heap_area_nondiag then we need to change its dependant parameter abap/heap_area_total.