Goal of this blog: to address where to begin if you are concerned about any perceived system performance optimization related issues while using Interaction Center functionalities or transaction processes. Another goal is to inform SAP customers of a OSS (Online Support Service) component to use for any customer messages specifically for performance concerns which is offered as part of SAP’s Enterprise Support.
We all know that troubleshooting a perceived performance issue can be a challenge. Where does one even begin? There are a number of things that can cause system performance issues. Fine tuning any system landscape can be a book in itself, as in the SAP Press book: SAP Performance Optimization Guide.
Topics to review while researching such issues could be:
- Workload Analysis
- Workload Distribution
- SAP Table Buffering
- Memory Management
- Optimizing SQL Statements
- Performance Analysis and Checklists
- Performance in ABAP or JAVA programs (ABAP trace, etc.)
- Ongoing Monitoring Tools
- Search Indices/Indexing
- Server load balancing
- Network bandwith and quality of service
- Wireless network cards (if applicable)
- Computer hardware, operating system and browser versions
- User Error/Training Issue, i.e. use of wild cards or especially leading wild cards in a search field causing a resource intensive search
Every large scale software implementation in the world, including SAP CRM implementations, should be aware of the possibilities of system optimization challenges or performance related issues, and therefore test end-to-end processes before going live. This is nothing new. However, there should be a way for customers to reach out to SAP for help if there are consistent issues or lack of progress in identifying the root cause(s). For specific guidelines on how to reach out to SAP, please continue reading the short FAQ below.
The following are frequently asked questions about the topic of performance:
What should I do if I notice what I consider to be a performance related issue while live or while implementing SAP CRM Interaction Center?
The first thing every customer should review is what support options are available with Enterprise Support. If any customer is unfamiliar with Enterprise Support, please check out the following link: www.service.sap.com/enterprise. Within that link you can first review escalation procedures and priority information regarding reporting specific issues. Also in this document is a description of the MaxAttention program if newly improved Enterprise Support does not fit your needs.
Secondly and most importantly, open an OSS message with the appropriate priority and component based on the guidelines given in the link above and following below in this FAQ.
What if I need to open an OSS message regarding a perceived performance issue? Is there a component I should be using?
Yes. The correct component to use for CRM performance related issues is SV-BO-CRM.
How is this related to Enterprise Support?
Most customers are under SAP’s Enterprise Support coverage. Customers with MaxAttention have purchased it above and beyond Enterprise Support. Therefore opening an OSS message with component SV-BO-CRM is your right if you are an SAP Enterprise Support customer.
During an implementation, how can customers like me set ourselves up for success from the beginning?
It’s true -- performance optimization and monitoring can often be a low priority during high stress implementations. Tasks like monitoring and performance tuning should be considered as important as testing itself, and should even be part of the implementation and testing process from the beginning. SAP’s Solution Manager is the tool to use in order to avoid possible performance headaches later.
Are there already notes related to performance for CRM, and specifically the Interaction Center?
There are some notes already published concerning various topics for system optimization. SAP provides notes to guide customers to ways to address various topics like the bullets mentioned at the beginning of this blog. However, many times the higher level task ends up being more of an effort to ‘narrow down’ possible causes to a specific area that could need an adjustment based on the implementation or landscape. That is why implementing wide scale enterprise software should always include testing for performance. Here are some helpful notes to be aware of as you begin researching specific SAP CRM Interaction Center WebClient and SAP CRM WebClient topics:
- 1375170: Agent Inbox: Performance Email Search
- 1146659: Agent Inbox BT Search: Performance Improvements
- 1276708: Shared Memory Performance Improvements
- 1162605: Network performance for CRM 2007 WebClient
- 990867: CRM Web UI: Performance improvements
How can I reach out to fellow customers to network about solutions since my system landscape and implementation is unique?
Always remember the power of online collaboration with your fellow customers and consultants. Check out SAP CRM’s Business Process Expert (BPX) forums! From this link, reach out to individual SAP CRM forums for specific issues related to your project or implementation. Your post will surely draw a response from a customer or consultant who perhaps has or had a similar experience.
