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Log Formatting

This section explains how to format an SAP SOAP log quickly for easy analysis and sharing.

Prerequisite

You must have Notepad++ installed. Go to http://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/ to download and install the free tool.

XML Tools Plug-In for NOTEPAD++ Install

Once Notepad++ is installed we need to install XML Tools. Download the latest version from the link provided. Here we use xmltools_2.3.2_r908_unicode_beta4.

Once downloaded, unzip the XML Tools plug-in. Then copy the XMLTools.dll
file into the Notepad++ plugins
directory (usually at C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\plugins). Copy all the dll
files in the ext_libs directory of the zip file into the root directory of Notepad++ (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++).

Once done start Notepad++ (close it and restart it if it was open during the plugin install). Now you should see under the Plugins
menu a new sub-menu for XML Tools
:

Making NOTEPAD++ Your Default Text Editor

The SAP Log file browser pop-up uses IE as the browser default, so we must change the text editor default in IE. Open IE, then got to Tools
(Alt-X) and select F12 Developer Tools
(F12).

You will now see a new window on the bottom of the browser screen. Use menu File
> Customizing...
…> Other
.

In the pop-up browse to Notepad++ (usually at C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++) and select the notepad++.exe
file. Close the Developer option in IE via F12
. Close IE.

note

Note
: Internet Explorer Browser no longer allows to set the default editor via the F12 - Developer Tools function. The only way to change the default editor is via a Registry entry.

Open RegEdit - Win+R, type Regedit

Navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer registry

Add a new Key named "View Source Editor"

Add another Key below "View Source Editor" named "Editor Name"

Change the Default value of the "Editor Name" key to the path where Notepad++ is installed, i.e. C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad+\notepad+.exe

Now you can go into Global Next and display a log, right select on the log, and select "View Source". The XML will be opened in Notepad++.

Reading SAP Log File with the New Setup

Go to an SAP log and select it to get the pop-up with the SOAP request/response details:

Right select in the log and select View Source
. Notepad++ will now automatically open and show the log details:>

But this is difficult to read in the format shown….

So, let’s solve this in one quick step! Use Ctrl+Alt+Shift+B
(or menu Plugins
> XML Tools
> Pretty Print (XML only – with line breaks)
).

Voila!! You can now analyze, copy sections out, or even copy the <INDATA> to </INDATA> section and run it through the Determination XML Invoice servlet, SoapUI, or the SAP SOAP Manager.

Comparing Log Files

Once you have your log file formatted it’s easy to compare two files to each other. You can for example quickly copy the <INDATA> to </INDATA> section of two logs into separate files and then compare them.

You can use WinMerge (free at http://winmerge.org/downloads) to compare the formatted files.

WinMerge compare example:

Using SOAMANAGER to Access Additional Error Messages Not Displayed in the Log

Often the Global Next error messages you see on the screen and in the log, are not very detailed. They imply that an error occurred but give no details on which error occurred and why it occurred. Generally, a much better error messages exists, and it can be obtained.

The simplest way is to use transaction SOAMANAGER in SAP. This transaction has a “payload trace” functionality. It is hard to show this with screens images because different versions of SAP have very different screen flows for transaction SOAMANAGER. But in all cases a persistence user, who has the correct authority, should be able to get it to work.

The next simplest way is to use transaction SRT_UTIL to get the payload trace data. This transaction also changes with different versions of SAP but not as much as SOAMANAGER.

Step 1) Create a trace:

Right select on “Users & Terminals & Request URI” and select “Add User, Terminal, or select URI”. Generally, it is best to go with a user.

Set payload trace to “Active”:

Press “Save Configuration”. Then run your error producing transaction and select the “Payload Trace” tab.

Here you should be able to see the payload trace with the detailed error messages.

If there is a trace:

Select on the glasses, then you should look for the error, it is usually best seen in one of the responses:

In this case the error was due to an “invalid company role”.

Tracking of Integration Release Version

To track or determine which release version of the Integration software you are using we have added a special table /IDT/D_VERSION which will be populated with the version of the software as part of the install process of the transport requests to the system. You can view this table using SE16 transaction and see the various versions that have been added to your installation. This transaction is also available in the standard basic setup menu.

Transaction code: /IDT/Version

This article applies to:

Product: ONESOURCE Indirect Tax
Sub-Product: SAP

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