What is ANST….and why aren’t you using it?
ANST – also known as the Automated Notes Search Tool, is a powerful application that searches SAP notes for a specific problem based on the issue in your system.
The tool is available if you have upgraded your system to one of the following SAP basis support packages (see Knowledge Base Article 1818192):
Software Component Release Package name
________________________________________________________________________
SAP Basis component
SAP_BASIS 700 SAPKB70028
SAP_BASIS 701 SAPKB70113
SAP_BASIS 702 SAPKB70213
SAP_BASIS 731 SAPKB73106
The transaction to start the tool is named ANST_SEARCH_TOOL.
NEW! By following the instructions in note 1915529, you can utilize the shorter transaction ANST. The functionality is exactly the same as ANST_SEARCH_TOOL, but the shorter transaction name makes it more convenient.
We have been sharing the news about this great tool through multiple channels.
SCN Blogs
Our Newest blog shows how ANST can help you solve billing problems. A special thanks to Tobias Reiner Dolgener for sharing.
Have an idea for new features or functionalities? Drop a comment in the following blog!
Demos/Training
We have a training system set up for you to learn how to use the tool.
Access with S-user ID here
Videos
Here’s an ECC example, where a note to solve a problem is found in less than 2 minutes
User Groups/Events
Most recently, we have been presenting to various global user groups to help spread the word about the Automated Notes Search Tool.
Here are just some of the locations that we have presented. (Photos added if available)
Christoph Haberl presented ANST to DSAG Vienna.
Arvin Chiu presented at the ASUG British Columbia chapter meeting
Miguel Alfaro and Lloyd Goveia presented at the ASUG Ontario chapter meeting.
Mark Richardson blogged about it on SCN. Thanks Mark!
Felipe Fonseca and Tomas Black presented at the Grand Opening event in Sao Leopaldo, Brazil
Carlos Martinez Escribano presented to the AUSAPE (Spain SAP User Group)
Preetpal Singh presented at SAP TechEd in Bangalore.
Enterprise Support Academy
For those of you interested in a more personal approach, we have Meet the Expert sessions on the Automated Notes Search Tool scheduled through the SAP Enterprise Support Academy. You can register for a session (s-user ID login required) here
Upon entering the site, type in Automated in the search box and you will find the session information.
Here is the current schedule:
22.01.2014 16:00 – 17:00 CET (CET) EMEA English
22.01.2014 10:00 – 11:00 CET (CET) EMEA German
Select the one that’s best for you and register to learn more. These Meet the Expert sessions are all recorded, so if you can’t make the date, look in the replay library!
Social Media
SAP Product Support is on Twitter and Facebook!
Stay connected with us via our 2 Twitter channels:
http://twitter.com/SAPSupportCE and http://twitter.com/SAP_Gsupport
Like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/sapproductsupport
Customers Spreading the Word
Nicolas Busson started using the tool and has been kind enough to share his thoughts on it with the community on SCN. Thanks Nicolas!
In the Business Trends 2013 wrap up, Somnath Manna shares how the ANST is a hidden gem for any SAP functional consultant. Very true!
Recap
There is a plethora of information available to help you start using the Automated Notes Search Tool, and SAP Product Support has experts that can help you along the way.
Are you using ANST? Add a comment below and tell us about your experience with it.
If not, what’s stopping you? We want to know!
Hi Kristen
Loved it. Thanks a lot for the extra bit of knowledge which makes life easier. The video was real simple too.
Thanks
Sowmya
Thanks Kristen, nice overview with useful links!
Thank you Kristen for this summary, 2013 has been the year of ANST taking off but during 2014 ANST usage will be generalized. Unfortunately there are still many SAP experts that do not use ANST because they don't even know it exists and it's free. due e.g to language barriers as most of the documentation is generated in English.
SAP Note 1818192 has been translated to Japanese and German.
Also our Owen Liu SAP colleague from China provides a translation to Chinese language. Thank you Mr Liu!
http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-50401
All the best,
Carlos.
I'm not using it, because...none of my current clients boxes is on the required package level yet
Looking forward to trying it in the near future.
Thomas
+1
Same as Thomas
Nice post Kristen!
Same as Thomas and Antonio, but should be upgrading this year and learning to use this excellent tool. Thanks for the information.
Ivan Femia has written a new blog, including a video:
http://scn.sap.com/community/abap/blog/2014/01/10/automated-note-search-tool-anst--quick-and-easy-how-to
It's so nice to see examples on how ANST helps solving issues on different SAP modules. This time in the Basis area.
Regards,
Carlos.
More ANST examples!!!, courtesy of our SAP colleagues Miguel Alfaro and Lloyd Goveia
CRM Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o7NclKppzA
ECC Example (This time, a customer code issue is shown):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKsolA8oIus
The examples are published in the new blog:
http://scn.sap.com/community/crm/blog/2014/01/17/anst-a-new-tool-to-help-customers-help-themselves
Thank you guys!
Antonio de Ancos offers his vision in this article written in Spanish:
http://aancos.com/tag/automated-note-search-tool/
and so do the people of provide hcm:
http://www.providehcm.es/sap-hacia-la-actualizacion-automatica-del-sistema/
and David Rueda:
Código de Retorno: ANST - Automated Note Search Tool
All of them in Spanish. Thank you too 🙂
This one is written in English and shows more interesting examples:
ANST – ( SAP ) Automated Note Search Tool | omzcorner
tja..same with me, we do not have the required package level (we always wait until it is completely tested in India
)
But I added a blog in our companies internal social network today and hope that this increases the pressure
Can this be used for Web Dynpro Applications that require a configuration?
We have an FPM based application that uses a particular Web Dynpro Component, which has it's own configuration and application.
If I select Web Dynpro Application and put the name of the application configuration, it simply doesn't know where to begin.
If I put the name of the component it attempts to start but then errors out as it doesn't know what configuration to use.
Hi Roger,
It's currently a limitation but please create an sap incident in component BC-UPG-NA, so that an improvement on the existing functionality can be assessed.(prority low)
Regards,
Carlos.
Carlos,
I have opened the incident and will update this thread appropriately.
Dear Roger,
The following note delivers the improvement requested by you:
1976578 - ANST: Enabling the tool for tracing WD Application Configurations
Regards,
Carlo.s
Is ANST currently down?. I have been trying to use it for some weeks with no luck.
The RFC function that search notes is connecting properly, but SAP side is not returning anything and the function hangs...
Dear David,
I'm really sorry... but you are right...
The RFC that searches the notes is not retirning any notes. Unfortunately this RFC is not under the ANST development team responsibility but ANST is the main affected application by this break down. I hope ANST search notes service will be up as soon as possible.
Regards,
Carlos.
Ok, thanks for the info Carlos.
Dear David,
The Note search service should be up again. Please check it and give us your feedback.
Cheers,
Carlos.
Hi Carlos:
Yes the ANST is working again.
I think it is slower searching notes that the last time it worked, but anyway it is working now. Thanks!.
Concerning the Customer Code Search-Option: Will Explicit Enhancements in form of OO-Redifinitions, for example Classes or WebDynpro Components and Implicit Enhancements be taken into account too in a later release? This is what I'm missing most in this tool aside from the WDYN CC/AC-Option (which is already fixed with note 1976578) now.
Aside from that, it's a really nice and easy to handle complementary search approach!
Cheers, Lukas
Hi Lukas,
We have tried to implement the feature which you have requested for. This does not cover the webdynpro component part but will be useful for you. Note number is: 2057389.
Do let us know your feedback, may be then we can improve further.
Cheers,
Manoj
Hi Manoj,
cool! I'll try this in the next week (we have an upgrade cycle on monday so I can't try it right away) and give you feedback here.
Cheers, Lukas
Hi Manoj,
our upgrade cycle in DEV is finally completed and I found some time to implement note 2057389. Including enhancement spots from SE18 is a very nice supplement, thank you for this! I really hope you will take explicit (OO-wise, i.e. Redefinitions and Delegations) and implicit enhancements into account in future upgrades too, since the enhancement framework supersedes old modification approaches more and more.
To be more precise, what I would like to have, is, for example when opening/tracing WDA Applications like FITE_REQUEST, that ANST would tell me which WDYN-Components I enhanced. In my case, those would be (amongst others) R3TR ENHO Z_FITE_VC_GENERAL_DATA, R3TR ENHO Z_FITE_VC_ITINERARY, R3TR ENHO Z_FITE_VC_MILEAGE. . . .
If you make that happen, that would be the icing on the cake 😀
Cheers, Lukas
Hi Lukas,
Great to hear your feedback. We would definitely like to improve and even better when the ideas come from our customers directly. Will it be possible to have direct communication/call so as to understand the requirement better?
Cheers,
Manoj
Hi Manoj,
if it helps you, of course I'll be at your disposal for a direct communication
It would be best if you follow me and I follow you so we can share contact details via direct message (I don't want to post my contact details publicly).
Cheers, Lukas
Hi Manoj,
I also just "discovered" this great tool, and would like it to report additionally all kinds of enhancements. At the moment, it seems it only reports new (enhancement framework) BAdIs, not implicit or explicit (non-BAdI) enhancements.
Should I open an SAP ticket so you can work on this?
Best regards,
Edo
Hi Edo,
Apply the following note:
2408785 - ANST- Detection of Implicit and Explicit enhancement as customer code
and ANST will be able to detect implicit or explicit (non-BAdI) enhancements.
Thank you for your suggestion.
Carlos.
Hi Carlos Martinez Escribano,
I am trying to use ANST for Web Dynpro Application/ WD Application Configuration, I have enables the trace and click on start recording. After clicking on several buttons in Webdynpro screen then clicked on stop recording button. The system giving popup message tracing is canceled by the user. but nothing has been getting saved in the trace.
We are in below version. Please suggest if there any notes already available to fix this trace issue.
SAP_BASIS 740 0016 SAPKB74016 SAP Basis Component
SAP_ABA 740 0016 SAPKA74016 Cross-Application Component
Screenshots of the steps that I performed.
Note: Testing performed by the user who has SAP ALL role, so no authorization issue.
Trying to perform analysis on PO error
Starting ANST with the WDA configuration option
Clicked on Check button in PO
After stopping the tracing getting the below message
After click on the GREEN TICK, it does not show the trace and also verified in open trace option but nothing there
Really appreciate your help on this. Thanks
Took me over a year to finally get a chance (and possibility) to use it. This is definitely helpful, very surprised SAP didn't even try to charge extra for it.
Miracles do happen!
Hi Jelena,
Yes this is definitely free of cost. An effort such that helps our customers to resolve issues on their own. We also use this as a debugging tool. Really helpful.
Please share your feedback on this. Your suggestions are always welcome to help us improve.
Cheers,
Manoj
HI Experts,
is there any possibilities to restrict the usage of ANST tool in SAP landscape only to basis consultants.?
Hi Aravind.
ANST checks authorizations to transaction SNOTE.
Regards,
Carlos.
Tired of demos in the HCM area?
Brought by our own MM SAP Support colleagues; More examples as to how ANST is useful in the MM area.
2245466 - ANST example in Purchasing
Hi All,
can we ANST tool in Solution Manager if possible ?
Hi ASA,
I think so... why not?
Carlos.
Hi Kristen,
What if the transaction itself dumps?
This cannot be traced by ANST...
Is there any other means that I can trace this?
Regards,
Jyoti
Hi Jyoti,
If ANST dumps, you cannot use it. In that case search for notes with search terms ANST + dump and if there are no notes, report an incident to SAP. Component for either note search and incident must be BC-UPG-NA.
Alternatively, ST22 offers a note search button:
https://blogs.sap.com/2014/12/05/searching-for-sap-correction-notes-from-transaction-st22/
Regards,
Carlos.
Hello Carlos,
I was trying to use the ANST tool. I get different results for different searches. For example ANST has created a trace with a class and method and there are no notes for when you select only the class, there are no notes when you select only the method, but when you select both the class and method together, it gives out notes which are not even relevant to the application area I have selected. The RFC FM /SPN/RFA_BB_API_SEARCH. Have created a message with SAP but haven't heard from them on this. Is there you can do something to help me?
Regards
Prashant Kamat
Hi Prashant,
We are doing improvements to ANST as we are aware that lately note search based on objects has had some issues.
It's important to have note 2469123 - ANST: Remove identification of irrelevant SAP Notes implemented in your system
The rest of the fixes are progressively coming and are made directly in our note repository so to get the fixes you won't need to update your system. Next transport will be next Thursday and hope things will get much better thereafter.
Regards,
Carlos.
Hi,
Very nice blog. Thank you. Would be nice to use it...:)
Note 1909768 - checked
Note 1818182 - checked
Note 2444586 - checked
We are on Netweaver 7.0 without enhancements; SAP APPL/EA HR and EA_APPL on EHP3.
New RFC connection SAPSNOTE created.
TC ANST gives this error:' Search service temporary not available' on /SPN/RFP_CX_OPEN_API.
cal function /SPN/RFA_BB_API_SEARCH on form explicit_search (LSEARCH_SRVCF01) returns sy-subrc = 0, but internal table l_t_log retuns ' Search service temporary not available'.
Can you please help?
Thanks.
Regards,
Maria João Rocha
Hi,
Solved with the change on the user to OSS_SNOTE in RCF connection SAPSNOTE.
Thanks.
Regards.
Maria João Rocha
Great article. I have mentioned this in by post where I talk about SAP features for automated SAP note search: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/automated-sap-note-search-quicker-incident-resolution-tamás-holics/