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SAP HANA Cloud: What’s New (and Changed) – System Configuration

dvankempen
Product and Topic Expert
Product and Topic Expert
‎04-23-2020 2:22 PM







In the upcoming days and weeks, we will be publishing new tutorial videos about what's new and changed for SAP HANA Cloud. The focus of this series is on system administration with SAP HANA cockpit.

For the overview blog about What's New with SAP HANA Cloud Administration, see

Questions? Post as comment.

Useful? Give us a like and share on social media.

Thanks!


Video Tutorial


In this video tutorial, we show you how to configure system parameters using the System Configuration app  using the SAP HANA cockpit for SAP HANA Cloud.

What's New and Changed?


Compared to the SAP HANA platform and express editions (on-premise)

  • Configuration file templates (not available); with templates you can clone system configuration from one system to another. As SAP HANA Cloud is a single tenant database environment, this is not applicable.

  • Significant reduction of the number of system parameters (see below)


https://youtu.be/9qwCRx6Sch4

SAP HANA Cloud - SAP HANA Cockpit: System Configuration


System Parameters


SAP HANA systems are configured with system parameters. This is file-based with one file for each service plus some additional config files. These files have the INI extension and are commonly referenced as INI files. Indexserver service configuration is stored in the indexserver.ini, nameserver service configuration in nameserver.ini, etc. Although editable, the recommended and supported way of changing system parameters is with the SQL interface. SAP HANA cockpit (and other tools) provide a graphical interface for this activity. Changing system parameters requires the INIFILE ADMIN system privilege.

To change system parameters for SAP HANA Cloud, we can use the System Configuration app in the SAP HANA cockpit or the SQL Console of the SAP HANA database explorer.

System parameters come with a default value which can be overruled at the SYSTEM, HOST, and DATABASE layer. For SAP HANA Cloud, the host layer does not apply as it is a single host system. Parameters at the system level are managed by SAP (configured in the system database) and this includes for example the restricted features described in the previous post about backups. This leaves only database layer configurable (where permitted).

As a consequence, the number of configurable system parameters for SAP HANA Cloud has been considerably reduced. The latest SAP HANA, express edition (SPS 04) contains 1810 and 1000 parameters for the system and default tenant database respectively. The System Configuration app in SAP HANA cockpit for SAP HANA Cloud displays 109 parameters of which 81 are documented in the Configuration Parameter Reference.

For the documentation, see

Recommended KBA for general information about SAP HANA system parameters (but not specific and not always relevant to SAP HANA Cloud).


System Configuration


The System Configuration app includes a search bar and filter for configuration file and section (host can be ignored).

The following (tenant database) services are configurable but not all parameters (109) editable.

  • indexserver (56)

  • global (29)

  • computeserver (10)

  • scriptserver (12)

  • dpserver (2)

  • statisticsserver (2)


Global applies to the system as a whole, for example auditing, authorization, and authentication. The indexserver configures the tenant database, computeserver the SQL compiler, scriptserver for function library (AFL/PAL, currently not available), dpserver for Data Provisioning, and statistics server for statistics.

The following INI files are also listed but currently do not contain any parameters

  • attributes

  • docstore

  • esserver

  • executor

  • diserver



System Configuration

System Configuration provides the following functionality

  • Change (overrule) parameters

  • Add new parameters (plus) and sections (Add Section) - sections serve to organize parameters

  • Create a snapshot of the current configuration (all files)

  • Compare a parameter to a snapshot value

  • View the change history of parameters



System Configuration - Change history


System Configuration - Compare


System Configuration - Snapshot


SAP HANA Database Explorer


System Monitoring Views


The information displayed in the System Configuration app comes from the system monitoring views which you can query in the SQL Console of the SAP HANA Database Explorer.

  • M_INIFILES

  • M_INIFILE_CONTENTS

  • M_INIFILE_CONTENT_HISTORY


For "online" documentation, see the view CONFIGURATION_PARAMETER_PROPERTIES. Alternatively, check the SAP HANA Cloud Configuration Parameter Reference.


SQL Console - Configuration Parameter Properties


INIFILE System Monitoring Views

To change system parameters, use the ALTER SYSTEM ALTER CONFIGURATION statement.
ALTER SYSTEM ALTER CONFIGURATION ('indexserver.ini', 'SYSTEM') 

SET ('password policy', 'force_first_password_change') = 'false' 

WITH RECONFIGURE;

For the documentation, see

Although not specific to SAP HANA Cloud, the Statement Library of the SAP HANA Database Explorer also contains several scripts related to system parameters.

For the documentation, see

Recommended KBA


Statement Library

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For the SAP HANA Cloud e-bite, see

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