Finding and Fixing Syntax Exceptions

Introduction

In the millions of lines of code that go into a large and complex application such as SAP, there are naturally many opportunities for simple errors in coding to be made by programmers.  Usually, these will be detected and corrected in the testing phase, but it is still possible for production releases to carry undetected syntax errors simply because the error is not manifested until that particular module of code is being compiled and executed. Syntax errors will cause the execution to halt, and throw up an error.  It is therefore vital to first be alerted to this occurrence, and then to have immediate knowledge of what the error is so that the code can be corrected and the program module restarted. Typically in regular monitoring applications, the best you will see is some notice of an error happening, and a mysterious number that gives only a general indication of what has gone wrong.

The AimBetter way

AimBetter monitors hundreds of processes inside the SQL engine in real-time and will detect the occurrence of an exception within seconds.  Immediately, an alert is issued and the Monitor Dashboard pinpoints the fact, as well as issuing an email alert for the attention of the database administrators. A typical Alert screen is shown here:

Immediately, you can see the primary advantage of having AimBetter as the way of detecting exceptions.  On the Alert screen, enough information is displayed to identify the key components which need attention.  From this point on, it is a matter of logical steps taken in simple drill-down actions.  The essential points to be investigated are clear, and one-click actions will follow the necessary path to the root cause.

For any Exception alert, the next page shows the Event Log, which gives a time-line picture of this event, as well as a graphic representation of the frequency:

Finally, one more click from the Log took the administrator directly into the actual code that cannot execute, with the exception being identified for immediate attention, and with all the detail needed for the SAP integrator team to address the problem immediately:

Summary

In just a few steps, AimBetter was able to alert this customer to the occurrence of a show-stopping problem and produced a positive outcome. AimBetter works with the most comprehensive range of database metrics and does extensive analysis, but presents simple visual output that presents the complete picture and enables logical steps to be followed for detection and solution of any problems.  Even without extensive training in database administration, IT personnel can get a handle on all performance issues from a single monitor screen, and concentrate on issues needing attention.

Exceptions are serious events because of the effect on data integrity and up-time. AimBetter has recently introduced a wide range of exception detection – read more about it here.

How AimBetter delivers.

AimBetter extends control from its central dashboard over every server under your control from a single screen. In our central agent, we collect data from over 400 primary performance metrics and analyze the results to detect any abnormal patterns. There is only one place that needs to be observed, and only exceptional behavior, in the form of alerts, needs attention.  No longer do managers have to spend valuable time looking through masses of raw information in order to detect things that need action.

AimBetter allows you to concentrate on the important issues without making you search through multiple screens and reports – alerting you in real-time.

The particular features that worked here can be summarized as follows:

• Immediately raised alerts to the exception
• Retrieved full query syntax
• Identified the exact syntax problem for action by third-party programmers

In general, AimBetter works for you by

• Monitoring core SQL database performance
• Reporting on SQL Exceptions
• Enabling comparison of current with historical metrics
• Displaying it all in a single comprehensive dashboard

AimBetter is the best tool in the market that helps you handle malfunctioning code and doesn’t require you to use complex procedures in order to troubleshoot. Additionally, it monitors all of your database operations for you automatically, therefore, it saves you a lot of time and effort and is the best practice for your DB maintenance.