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ABAP Runtime Error Investigation

This project demonstrates the investigation of recurring ABAP runtime errors using transaction ST22. The objective was to identify the nature of the exception, assess its operational impact, and determine whether the issue originated from SAP Basis infrastructure or the SAP application layer.

T-Code / Command

ST22

System

SAP S/4HANA Sandbox

Objective

Runtime error investigation and preliminary root cause assessment

Operational Scenario

A review of runtime dumps revealed a large number of recurring ABAP exceptions occurring within the SAP S/4HANA environment. The objective was to analyse the dumps, identify recurring patterns, evaluate potential causes, and determine whether the issue was related to infrastructure availability or application-level processing.

Business Impact

Recurring runtime errors can interrupt application processing, generate support incidents, increase operational workload, and indicate underlying repository or program generation issues that may affect system stability.

/ Tools Used

SAP GUIST22 – Runtime Error Analysis

/ Step-by-Step Execution

01

Access Runtime Error List

Transaction ST22 was used to review ABAP runtime dumps generated within the system.

sap gui

abap>/nST22

01-st22-runtime-list.png

Operational Observation

The runtime error list contained a significant number of recurring dumps. Analysis identified: Runtime Error GEN_PROGRAM_NOT_EXISTS, User BASIS, Client 100, Application Server kps4hana_MCD_04, Recorded Dumps 346, Frequency approximately every minute. The repeated occurrence suggested a persistent technical issue rather than an isolated execution failure.

Next Action

Open a runtime dump entry and review the detailed error analysis.

02

Review Runtime Error Details

A representative dump entry was opened to examine the runtime exception information generated by the ABAP runtime environment.

02-st22-dump-overview.png

Operational Observation

The selected dump was classified as GEN_PROGRAM_NOT_EXISTS. The exception indicated that SAP attempted to execute a generated ABAP program object that could not be located within the repository at runtime.

Next Action

Review the Error Analysis section to determine the technical cause.

03

Analyse Error Analysis

The Error Analysis section was reviewed to understand the condition that triggered the runtime exception.

03-st22-error-analysis.png

Operational Observation

The Error Analysis section was reviewed to identify the technical condition that triggered the runtime exception. The analysis indicated that SAP attempted to access a generated program object that was unavailable during execution. The findings remained consistent with an application-layer issue involving program generation or program object availability.

Next Action

Assess whether infrastructure-level factors contributed to the runtime exception and review additional diagnostic information to further refine the probable root cause assessment.

04

Review Technical Information

Additional diagnostic sections were reviewed to identify affected program objects and execution context.

04-st22-technical-information.png

Operational Observation

The termination information identified that the runtime exception occurred during execution of a background job rather than an interactive user transaction. ST22 indicated that the affected process was running under background job DAILYJOB, initiated by user BASIS. The recurring occurrence of the dump, combined with its execution through a scheduled background process, suggests that the same job was repeatedly attempting to execute or generate a program object that was unavailable at runtime.

Next Action

Review the execution path and active calls associated with the runtime exception to identify the processing components involved immediately before termination.

05

Review Active Calls and Execution Path

The Active Calls/Events section was reviewed to identify the execution sequence immediately preceding the runtime exception.

05-st22-call-stack.png

Operational Observation

The Active Calls/Events section was reviewed to identify the execution sequence immediately preceding the runtime exception. Analysis of the call stack identified activity within program RS_ABAP_SYN_TYPES, including execution of method LCL=>CONSTRUCTOR and event START-OF-SELECTION. The execution path provided additional context regarding the processing activity that occurred before termination. Combined with the findings from the Error Analysis section, the evidence suggests that the runtime exception originated within the SAP application layer during internal ABAP processing. No evidence was identified indicating work process exhaustion, dialog process shortages, memory limitations, or other SAP Basis infrastructure-related failures.

Next Action

Consolidate the collected runtime evidence and perform a preliminary root cause assessment.

06

Preliminary Root Cause Assessment

All available runtime evidence was reviewed collectively.

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Operational Observation

The investigation identified recurring GEN_PROGRAM_NOT_EXISTS runtime errors generated by background job DAILYJOB. Analysis of the runtime dump, termination information, and Active Calls/Events section identified execution activity within program RS_ABAP_SYN_TYPES during method LCL=>CONSTRUCTOR and event START-OF-SELECTION. The collected evidence suggests that the exception originated within the SAP application layer during internal ABAP processing associated with program generation or repository processing activities. No evidence was identified indicating work process exhaustion, dialog process shortages, memory limitations, or other SAP Basis infrastructure-related failures.

/ Technical Evidence Collected

Investigation Area	Result
Runtime Error Identified	GEN_PROGRAM_NOT_EXISTS
Dump Count Reviewed	346
Repeated Pattern Confirmed	Yes
Background Job Identified	DAILYJOB
Job Initiator Identified	BASIS
Client Identified	100
Application Server Identified	kps4hana_MCD_04
Call Stack Reviewed	Yes
Program Activity Identified	RS_ABAP_SYN_TYPES
Infrastructure Failure Identified	No Evidence
Application Layer Failure Indicated	Yes
Background Job Source Identified	DAILYJOB

/ Assessment

The investigation identified recurring GEN_PROGRAM_NOT_EXISTS runtime errors occurring within background job DAILYJOB. Analysis of the runtime dump, termination information, and execution path indicated that the exception originated during internal ABAP processing within the SAP application layer. The available evidence suggests that program generation or repository processing activities may have contributed to the runtime exception.

/ Technical Interpretation

Runtime error GEN_PROGRAM_NOT_EXISTS occurs when SAP attempts to access or generate an ABAP program object that is unavailable during execution. The Error Analysis section indicated that SAP attempted to access a program object that did not exist at runtime. Additional evidence from the Active Calls/Events section identified processing activity within program RS_ABAP_SYN_TYPES, while termination information confirmed that the exception was generated by background job DAILYJOB. The recurring nature of the dumps suggests a persistent condition affecting the same execution path rather than an isolated execution failure.

/ Recommended Next Steps

• Review the definition and scheduling of background job DAILYJOB.
• Identify the executable program associated with DAILYJOB.
• Verify repository object activation and generation status.
• Review recent transports affecting related objects.
• Regenerate affected program objects where appropriate.
• Review system logs (SM21) for related events.
• Monitor ST22 after corrective actions to confirm resolution.

/ Project Outcome

This investigation demonstrated the use of ST22 to identify and analyse recurring ABAP runtime exceptions within SAP S/4HANA. Analysis of 346 recurring GEN_PROGRAM_NOT_EXISTS dumps confirmed that the issue was not related to work process availability or SAP Basis infrastructure constraints. The investigation identified DAILYJOB as the source of the exception, traced execution activity to program RS_ABAP_SYN_TYPES, and isolated the probable failure domain to the SAP application layer. The exercise demonstrated the ability to investigate recurring runtime exceptions, analyse execution paths, distinguish application-layer failures from SAP Basis infrastructure issues, and document findings using a structured SAP troubleshooting methodology.

/ Case Study PDF