SAP NetWeaver - Interview Questions

SAP NetWeaver is technology platform for all SAP applications and is ABAP based foundation for many SAP products. This allows you to manage different applications using a single platform and hence reduce the cost of product management to significant amount. SAP NetWeaver has modules in all the SAP products from SAP BI, SAP Enterprise Portal, and also in SAP system integration.

• SAP NetWeaver is known as open integration and application platform.

• SAP NetWeaver is based on service oriented architecture SOA, which provides more flexibility during implementation and system upgrades.

• It provides various development tools like ABAP Workbench, Web Dynpro (T-Code: SE80), NetWeaver Developer Studio, and SAP NetWeaver development infrastructure.

• SAP NetWeaver AS supports real time analysis with embedded analytics.

• SAP NetWeaver business clients provides an environment when you can use multiple applications implemented in different languages and by different vendors can be managed using a single platform.

To enable back-end connectivity for other application types, such as composite views and processes, use Remote Function Calls (RFCs) and Web services, which are configured in SAP NetWeaver Administrator.

SAP NetWeaver 7.4

SAP NetWeaver 7.3 Including Enhancement Package 1

SAP NetWeaver 7.3

SAP NetWeaver 7.0 Including Enhancement Package 3

NetWeaver version is usually shown as Release X.Y and EHP Z and it is represented as product version X.YZ.

Example −

SAP NetWeaver 7.3 EHP1 is represented as SAP NW 7.31

Support.sap.com

Using Product Availability Matrix PAM, SAP publishes the following information about SAP software releases −

Release type −

It shows the release type of SAP product- standard release, early adoption release, or custom development project release.

Maintenance durations

Upgrade paths

Platform availability (database and operating system availability)

First step is to get the software from SAP download center.

Next is to perform the Installation of the same.

Then you have to perform Eclipse installation.

You can get a trial from store.sap.com, search for “SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP 7.03 64-bit Trial”.

When you run the installation, you are prompted to enter input parameters. Installation can be done in Typical or Custom mode.

Typical mode −

When you select typical mode as installation parameter, installation process takes default values as parameters. This allows that the installer prompts you only for a small selection of installation parameters.

Below are the installation parameters that you need to select −

• SAP system ID and database connectivity parameters

• Master password

• Encryption key for the secure storage (Valid for NW 7.4 or higher)

• SAP system profile directory (Optional)

Custom mode −

When you select Custom mode, you are prompted to enter all parameters values. At the end, you can still change any of these parameters on the Parameter Summary screen.

You have to note that it is not possible to change from Custom to Typical mode or from Typical to Custom mode on the Parameter Summary screen.

After the installation, you should remember the following points −

The installer creates the installation directory sapinst_instdir, this directory contains all the log files, and which is located directly in the %ProgramFiles% directory. If the installer is not able to create sapinst_instdir there, it tries to create sapinst_instdir in the directory defined by the environment variable TEMP.

There is a subdirectory created for each option and it is located in the sapinst_instdir directory as mentioned in previous step.

If you want to see the list of all available installer properties, you can go to this path- %TEMP%\sapinst_exe.xxxxxx.xxxx after you have started the installer and run the below statement:

sapinst.exe -p

Once the installation is done, you can perform the below steps to verify the complete installation procedure −

Application Server −

You can verify if you are able to login to application server using SAP system user.

To logon to application server, you have to open SAP GUI on Windows. Add the entry for newly installed SAP system.

Use the user name and client to login.

After the installation of a new SAP system based on SAP NetWeaver 7.4 and higher, you have to configure the system to enable its usage.

Transport management is one of the key components in SAP system landscape and is used to perform the following activities −

• Defining Transport Domain Controller

• Configuring the SAP system landscape

• Defining the Transport Routes among systems within the system Landscape

• Distributing the configuration

This is used to manage all TMS configuration details. Any changes to configuration settings are distributed across all systems. To set up the Domain controller, use transaction code — STMS

In case, the SAP system doesn’t have a Domain Controller, you will be prompted to create a new one.

DOMAIN.CFG file is created under usr/sap/trans/bin directory which stores TMS configuration and is used by systems and domains for checking existing configurations.

Step 1 - Log on to the SAP system, that you want to add as a System, in client 000 and enter the transaction code — STMS. If system is not added, TMS will check configuration file DOMAIN.CFG and will prompt you to create one. Click on — Select the Proposal and Save. The system will remain in ‘Waiting’ status initially.

To complete the task? login to the Domain Controller System → Transaction STMS → Go to Overview → Systems.

Transport routes are defined as routes that are defined by a SAP Administrator to transmit the changes between different SAP systems.

The following are the two types of transport routes −

Consolidation (From DEV to QAS) — Transport Layers are used

Delivery (From QAS to PRD) — Transport Layers not required

In SAP system, you can find following UI technologies that are provided as part of the software component User Interface Technology (SAP_UI) −

• Web Dynpro ABAP

• SAP NetWeaver Business Client (NWBC)

• SAP Visual Business

• Social Media Integration

• Floorplan Manager

• SAP Fiori Launchpad

• UI development toolkit for HTML5

• UI Theme designer

Using SAP NetWeaver Business Client, it allows you to move between Web Dynpro, SAP GUI transactions and other content.

SAP NetWeaver Business client is a user interface that presents a unified environment for and a single entry point to different SAP business applications and technologies. It is a high-fidelity shell that integrates various UI technologies and design generations aimed at a more efficient, intuitive, and complete user experience over different UI technologies.

To decide between NWBC and SAP GUI, you can consider the below points:

When end users work mainly on SAP GUI → SAP GUI standalone

When users work with both on SAP GUI and Web-based applications→ NWBC

SAP NetWeaver Gateway is used to setup a connection between SAP business suite and target clients, platforms and framework. It offers development and generation tools to create OData services to different client development tools.

SAP NetWeaver gateway provides an easier way for the consumption on business logic and content for SAP Back-end system on web applications. It also reduces the complexity to access SAP data and also provides easy interfaces to decrease the development time.

SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio is known as an Eclipse platform that supports standard Java Enterprise Edition components and also the Web Dynpro applications development.

The SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio offers full support when you develop large-scale Java projects, irrespective of whether you use SAP technologies, like Web Dynpro and Java Dictionary, or standard technologies, like Java SE, Java EE and XML.

This is used to access Enterprise service repository (ESR) which is used to perform SOA based development of composite applications.

Using SAP Enterprise portal, business users can easily create and manage portal pages and publish their portal pages for others. It allows organization’s employee, suppliers and partners to access all the required information with a single point of access.

Universal worklist provides a centralize task management, managing work items for business users and is based on NetWeaver platform. Work items can be created automatically or can be raised manually by users.

Using UWL, you can create work items from different systems. These include −

• Collaboration Tasks

• Business Workflow

• Business Process Management

• Office Notifications

• Creating Work items using UWL Connectors

• Guided Procedures

Using UWM you can provide a central access to work and data to business users as per assigned roles. You can summarize workflow tasks from different systems in a worklist.

You can create customize UWL that can meet business requirements.

You can display additional information from document and object repositories that includes the attachments and other information.

Web page composer is a tool for creating and managing portal pages and is used by business users. Using Web page composer, main activities in portal management can be directly performed by Business users. It provides a work environment to integrate information from SAP and non-SAP sources.

In portal pages, users can add unstructured content like news, articles, and banners in application. You can consume these web pages on different portable devices like- mobile and tablet. Business users can add different applications to portal pages.

• System Administration

• Content Administration

• User Administration

You can preview the newly created Web content. If your administrator has defined multiple layouts for the Web content type in question, you can display a preview for each of them.

To see the preview, click on Preview button.

Portal Role defines how portal content is grouped together and how it is displayed in portal navigation area.

ERP role defines set of authorization objects.

Knowledge management is part of SAP NetWeaver Enterprise portal. Using Knowledge management, users can access unstructured information as per the role requirement from different data sources. This information can be available in different formats like HTML, presentation or a text document. You can use generic framework to integrate the data sources and provides access to the information contained in them through the portal.

Creating and uploading document −

You can create document and publish them to knowledge management folder. Each SAP Enterprise portal user can create document in the portal and these documents can be uploaded directly to knowledge management folder.

This process of uploading and publishing is supported by different functions like work flow approval.

System administration task in KM contains the system configuration and monitoring, logging, and tracing.

System configuration includes creation of repositories, defining properties, and defining user interface.

These tasks can be carried out using Configuration iView. You can access Configuration iView, by going to below path −

Go to System Administration → System Configuration → Knowledge Management → Content Management.

An instance is an administrative unit that combines SAP system components proving one or more services. The services provided by an instance are started or stopped together.

The central instance of the SAP system is distinguish by the fact that it offers services that no other instance of the system offers. For the AS ABAP, these are the message server and the enqueue work process. For the AS Java you can recognize the central instance by the software deployment manager (SDM).

All other instances of the system are typically called dialog instances.

SAP Process Integration is part of SAP NetWeaver platform and in NetWeaver 7.0 ehp2 and older versions it is called SAP NetWeaver Exchange Infrastructure XI. SAP NetWeaver Process Integration is part of NetWeaver software component and is used for exchange of information in company’s internal system or with external parties.

SAP PI/XI enables you to set up cross system communication and integration and allows you to connect SAP and non-SAP systems based on different programming language like Java and SAP ABAP. It provides an open source environment that are necessary in complex system landscape for integration of systems and for communication.

SAP PI system is divided into following components −

• Integration Server

• Integration Builder

• System Landscape Directory SLD

• Configuration and Monitoring

This is one of the key component of SAP PI system and is used for processing of messages. It consists of three engines −

• Business Process Engine

• Integration Engine

• Central Advanced Adapter Engine AAE

Synchronous message is defined as message contains both the request-response part

Asynchronous message is defined as message contains either request or the response part only.

This directory contains the information about landscape and software component versions. A SAP system can be configured to register under SLD.

SAP NetWeaver Mobile contains the Java virtual machine JVM and provides a development environment that is platform independent and support mobile devices like PDA’s and tablets and hand phones.

NW2004 is 640 release whereas NW2004s is 700 release

To check latest patch & kernel release level...go to

Go to service.sap.com → Download → Additional Download Info and then browse with respect to the desired release.

Transaction: PFCG

You can use this transaction to manage roles in ABAP system and to provide user authorization. You can create new roles, copy existing roles, define single and composite roles, etc.

You can configure Single sign-on which provides an environment where users are allowed access to multiple systems based on an initial authentication.

• Network topology of SAP system

• Firewall configuration

• Transport layer security

• Using multiple network zones

In SAP NetWeaver Identity and access management, you can create approval tasks to manage approvals in SAP system. Approval process in SAP NetWeaver uses entity type MX_PENDING. The first set of approval tasks are known as simple approvals as they don’t involve multiple approvals.

• Adding the hardware to system landscape by adding Application servers for load balancing and throughput.

• System tuning- profile parameters and you can increase the buffer sizes to improve response time.

• Application Tuning by analyzing and improving customizing, configuration and performance that requires some expertise in software.

• Using coding knowledge, you can apply optimizing the coding.

• Optimizing the database by using indexes, reduce transferred data volume, etc.

To activate the services in SAP system, use T-code: SICF