How to setup and stabilize PaPM prior to Modeling

SAP Profitability and Performance Management (also known as PaPM) being one of the most popular SAP Solutions nowadays have enticed customers by introducing new generation of integrated performance management applications which are further enhanced by continuous developments.  And with new and on-going implementations in different customer sites, this blog was released as an overview of:

• PaPM installation
• Post Installation Steps
• Sample Content Activation

Aiming to help not only system administrators but also new customers while emphasizing the importance of proper execution of the post-installation steps and insights (from first-hand experience in PaPM maintenance) on how to utilize the current solution information base which you can find here:

FS-PER 3.0 Landing Page

As mentioned above, this is the information core for the solution, each segment will direct you to specific helpful topics.

1. What’s New – Information with each support package releases. Ranging from general features, functions and sample content and so on.
2. Sizing Guide – factors that must be considered when sizing hardware
3. Application Help – PaPM’s features, functions’ definition, concepts and How-to’s. If you’re looking for essential information for PAPM Applications, this would be your best bet.
4. Administration Guide – All information about technical implementation of the solution are here. One of the most informative sections that are inclined with  i.e. System requirements, post installation and sample content activation.

Administration Guide

To ensure smooth implementation and operation of PaPM, there are four essential steps that must be performed, as an overview:

(1) Planning → (2) Preparation → (3) Installation → (4) Post Installation

1. Planning:

https://help.sap.com/viewer/a8068ea2f9ba403aa6d8bda3abcdbecd/latest/en-US/4bb0736aad7f49938bcf9329743fb7d3.html

You will find here the hardware requirements of the desired deployment option and system landscape setup. And If you have already installed PaPM 2.0 and planning to upgrade to PaPM 3.0 you might want to consider reading through this first: Upgrade Information.

2. Preparation:

https://help.sap.com/viewer/a8068ea2f9ba403aa6d8bda3abcdbecd/latest/en-US/e7e451686fdd47cd8592c33a5e42d93a.html

This page specifies the correct versions and/or release of relevant components such as: SAP_ABA, SAP_BASIS, SAP_UI and so on. that are compatible based on the deployment option chosen.

3. Installation

https://help.sap.com/viewer/a8068ea2f9ba403aa6d8bda3abcdbecd/latest/en-US/f486587bd61648ed83e49467aa6e87e6.html

Few notes before proceeding with the installation proper. This must be done by the Basis Administrator in client 000 with SAP_ALL rights.

However, even after considering all three steps above, PaPM will unlikely to work properly without performing the Post Installation steps which were given emphasis in the intro. Why? Please refer to more details below:

4. Post Installation Steps

https://help.sap.com/viewer/a8068ea2f9ba403aa6d8bda3abcdbecd/latest/en-US/35fb5f2fc7e4448484b32162cdb1f17c.html

The highlight of this blog and basically, to summarize: Perform all indicated steps from the Administration Guide properly after the successful installation of SAP Profitability and Performance Management will ensure that the solution will work smoothly.

But as mentioned earlier, I’ll give insights particularly for the most common concerns and point you to the post-work step that would likely fix the issue. For easier reference, instead of going through each step, let’s tabulate the items according to their segment as shown in the web page. As an overview:

(I) ABAP Steps → (II) SAP HANA Steps → (III) Default Environment Steps

NOTE: It is still mandatory to perform all the steps according to the Administration Guide. Just in case you encounter similar error as referenced in the items below, corresponding post-installation step/s that you might want to consider revisiting will be provided.

If you’re quite hesitant executing the post-work just by basing on the instructions in the PaPM portal, a Youtube playlist of the Post-installation step-by-step videos are available for you.

I. ABAP Steps

Focuses on setting up PaPM in application server and/or R3 system wherein the solution is installed. Common concerns are as follows:

• • A 500 Internal server error occurs when the user tries to launch FS-PER Modeling Environment (transaction code: /NXI/P1_MODEL) or any of the FS-PER Applications

Recheck these steps:
Activate NXI Services
Create Local SAP System Alias
Assign Local SAP System Alias to NXI Services

• • A transport error Logical RFC Destination not found upon when user tried to perform a transport for example: piece list indicated in Default Environment Steps

Recheck this step:
Create RFC Destination

• • The user tries to create/delete Environment or Functions in the modeling environment but results to dump:

Runtime Error: ASSERTION_FAILED and/or CALL_FUNCTION_REMOTE_ERROR
Recheck this step:
Set Number Range Intervals

• • The user tries to Run a Writer function in the modeling environment, however, encounters the following run errors:

Program error in class SAPMSSY1 method : UNCAUGT_EXCEPTION
Recheck these steps:
Create Tool BW Client (1949194 – How to Modify Table RSADMINA)
Activate Planning Function Type
Activate Query Element Variables
Implement Important SAP Notes

• • The user launches FS-PER’s Manage and Deploy Processes application but no processes were displayed, similar to what is shown below:

Recheck this step:
Maintain User Groups

II. SAP HANA Steps

Now everything is fine front-end wise, but there’s still an error from activation and run results, you might want to look at below items:

• • The user tries to perform activation of a certain function in PaPM’s modeling environment but encounters the following activation:

Error: Insufficient privilege: Not authorized
Recheck these steps:
Create DBCON Database Connection
Create NXI Schema in SAP HANA Studio
Grant Full Authorization to SAP DB Connection User in SAP HANA Studio
Grant SELECT and EXECUTE Authorizations to _SYS_REPO User in SAP HANA Studio

• • User would like to consume a HANA Table or View using Model View function for example. However, the Authoring Schema wherein the table is stored is not visible in the list for selection.

Recheck this step:
Maintain Schema Mapping for NXI Schema

• • The user tries to perform activation of a certain function in PaPM’s modeling environment but encounters the following activation error:

Error: Logical System for database schema X does not exist
Recheck this step:
Create SAP HANA Source System

• • The user has a .csv file of data records he would like to import. Using PaPM’s File Adapter function, he tries to upload this file but upon consuming results to activation error:
    General error: Cannot open CSV file

Recheck this step:
Adjust SAP HANA DB Parameters

And if you want to know more about File Adapter setup, do check this awesome blog from one of my colleagues.

III. Default Environment Steps

https://help.sap.com/viewer/a8068ea2f9ba403aa6d8bda3abcdbecd/latest/en-US/edb38ebb297c43dbb864ad7b0d17b500.html  

Finalizing post installation work.

• • SAP/1 template environment doesn’t exist in modeling
  • Creating new environment result to a dump

Make sure that the corresponding Piece List has been transported successfully, see step 3 of this section.

At this point, we have gone through the three main categories for PaPM Post Installation Steps but since you’ve read all the way here, I’ve cited some of the usual concerns with Sample Content activation as a bonus.

Sample Content Activation

https://help.sap.com/viewer/a8068ea2f9ba403aa6d8bda3abcdbecd/latest/en-US/ed5ce16098fb43b8b6d02a85dc26845a.html

If you’re having trouble with Sample content, the following items can be of help:

• Sample content latest X version doesn’t exist in my environment

Make sure the corresponding Piece List has been transported successfully, see step 6 of Install the Standalone Content in Other SAP Profitability and Performance Management Clients in Your System

• Sample content has no data

Make sure activation of objects, post import steps and instructional sapnote has been performed for the corresponding sample content refer to step 8 of Install the Standalone Content in Other SAP Profitability and Performance Management Clients in Your System

I hope that some of the insights above helped you somehow with your PaPM concerns. Should you have additional questions pertaining to items above feel free to post a comment below. While for other PaPM related queries, I encourage you to ask them through https://answers.sap.com/questions/ask.html kindly use primary tag: SAP Profitability and Performance Management or user tag: PaPM before submitting.

Cheers!