Saturday, May 31, 2008

Change SAP System and Default User Time Zone...

It is pretty simple. Just run transaction STZAC and change the System Time Zone and the User Default Time Zone to the correct 3-digit code. You will ave to do the User Default Time Zone in each client. Then just save it.

By the way, the client has to be set to Modifiable in order to make the change.

Friday, May 30, 2008

SAP User Administration

I just thought I'd share an entry from my personal collection for those new to SAP User Administration...

SAP User Administration

This document is intended to help with basic SAP user administration functions (creating, copying, changing and dropping users). Keep in mind that all user changes are client-dependent, meaning that the changes made to users in one client on a system will not be reflected in the other clients on that system.

Create a User
Before you create a new user, you will have to decide on a User ID for that user. The user name should follow whatever naming convention in place at your company, but it is most commonly a combination of the user’s first initial and last name or first name and last initial. Remember that it is a violation of the SAP license to create generic users, or user ID’s that more than 1 person has access to login as. The steps for creating a user are as follows:
1. In transaction SU01, enter the user ID in the user field that you wish to create.
2. Hit the Create button (F8).
3. Enter the user information in each tab.
4. Save
There are nine information tabs that you can enter information about the user in. The only requirements to create a user are an entry in the Last Name field on the Address tab, and a Password on the Logon Data tab. You can choose to have these users as detailed or basic as you like.
The tabs in the Maintain User screen are as follows:
Address: Personal, Communication, and Company information about the user.
Logon Data: Alias information, User type, Password, Groups, Validity period, and cost center information.
Default Data: Start menu, Language, decimal/date formats, default printing device, time zone.
Parameters: Certain fields in SAP transactions can have a default value set for a user, this is tracked here.
Roles: Authorization roles assigned to this user will populate here, but this is not the correct place to add a user to a role.
Profiles: Authorization profiles assigned directly to this user. An authorization role is made up of one or more authorization profiles.
Groups: All groups, if any, that this user is assigned to will show up here.
Personalization: Advanced settings for user personalization.
License Data: Contractual user type is set here, but is not necessary.

Copy a User
If you have a new user to create, but you want to make him a copy of an existing user, you have the capability to do just that. When copying a new user you can choose to copy as much or little data as you wish, depending on which tabs you want to copy. The steps are as follows:
1. In transaction SU01, enter the user ID in the user field that you wish to create.
2. Hit the Copy button (Shift + F5).
3. Enter the user you wish to copy from and to.
4. Select the tabs that you wish to copy.
5. Enter, set the Last Name and Password
6. Save

Change a User
Making a change to a user is simple after you know how to create and copy users. The steps are as follows:
1. In transaction SU01, enter the user ID in the user field that you wish to create.
2. Hit the Change button (Shift + F6).
3. Make the desired user information changes in each tab.
4. Save

Drop a User
When somebody leaves the company or no longer needs access to SAP, there are several ways you may lock access to the user:
Lock the user: In transaction SU01, enter the user name and hit the lock/unlock button (Ctrl + F5)
Set an expired validity date: In the Logon Data tab under transaction SU01, there is a field called Validity Date. In here you can assign a date in the past that invalidates the user and prevents him from logging in.
Delete the user: In transaction SU01, enter the user name and hit the delete button (Shift + F2)
Typically when a user leaves a position or no longer needs access to SAP, somebody else needs an equivalent level of access to fill that position. If this is the case, you do not want to delete the current user account; otherwise you will have to create the new user from scratch rather than copying the old user. It is recommended that you use one of the first two options to deny login rights to the existing user, but keep the user account in the system in case you want to copy it. After an acceptable period of time has passed and the position has been filled, then you can clean up the system and delete out old user accounts.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

SAP Adobe Document Services (ADS) Issues...

For the past several days, I have been struggling with an issue at a client site with configuring Adobe Document Services (ADS). After following all the configuration guide steps meticulously, I was still unable to get the thing to work correctly.

To make a really really long story short: always verify the Java support pack level is appropriate and that the ADS version is current. After pulling much of my increasingly-gray hair out, it was suggested by a colleague that I verify the SP levels on the Java AS. Okay! Kudos to her. That fixed it!

So, if you ever find you are having trouble with ADS, make sure to check the Java SP and ADS version first, and save yourself the headache of fruitless troubleshooting...

Hope this helps someone out there.