topic Re: Difference in Application Development and Automation Discussions

Difference

Former Member — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:03:33 GMT

Please explain me the diff between foreground & background process.

what is defined as jobs here.

which transactions were used for this.

Re: Difference

Former Member — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:07:30 GMT

Foreground, is something when a user executing while he is online, some thing like you got SE38 and execute a program.

If you schedule the same program via SM36, that becomes a Background execution.

SM36 is the transaction used to schedule a job in the background. apart from that you can do the same from SE38.

Regards,

Ravi

Note - Please mark all the helpful answers

Re: Difference

Former Member — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:08:31 GMT

SM36 is used to create jobs

SM37 is used to monitor batch jobs

Re: Difference

Former Member — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:09:08 GMT

Hi John

When you a job which takes longer time to process you can set it in background so that whenever the serves is free that system will process the job (eg. during night). This is all to just reduce the system burden.

Foreground is nothing but the usual method of running a program.

You can use transaction SM36 or SM37 to set your job in background.

Regards

Surya.

Re: Difference

Former Member — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:15:15 GMT

HI john,

The basic difference between foreground and background is, foreground means, the process execution is shared between your SAP GUI session on your local PC and the application server. Whereas background process uses the resources of application server, i.e., runs on application server.

In foreground jobs are only allowed a certain amount of runtime. Long running jobs usually times out in foreground, and have to be run background. Some customers has day-end jobs to fill custom tables, and these only run late at night, so they are scheduled as background jobs as well.

create background job:

• From the main menu select System>Services>Jobs>Define Job (transaction SM36).

• Press the Job Wizard button and step through the screens as follows:

• Screen 1:

Continue

• Screen 2:

Enter a name for your job. Continue.

• Screen 3:

Continue with ABAP Program Step selected

• Screen 4:

Enter the ABAP Program Name and variant name.

Press the Print Parameters button, specify the required printer and set the "Time of Print" to "Send to Print Spooler for now".

Press green tick

Continue

• Screen 5:

If more reports need to be added to the job tick the checkbox, press continue and repeat screens 3 and 4.

• Screen 6:

Select how the job is to scheduled (eg Date and Time)

• Screen 7:

Enter the required scheduling information ( eg Date and Time) and if required tick "Periodic Jobs"

• Screen 8:

If "Periodic Job" was selected select the frequency (eg Monthly)

• Screen 9:

Check the job details and press Complete

for more info,chk this link:

http://www.le.ac.uk/mis/docs/sapdocs/af/af1-2%20Background%20Jobs.doc

regards,

keerthi.

Message was edited by:

keerthi kiran varanasi

Re: Difference

Former Member — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:17:56 GMT

Hi,

Technically if you want to find out the difference between Foreground and Background for a program then check the system variable sy-batch.

IF sy-batch eq 'X'

then it is being executed in background

else if sy-batch is initial.

then it being executed in foreground.

ENDIF.

Re: Difference

Former Member — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:25:20 GMT

to add to that , Sometimes when u run a program in foreground this may take several minutes , when u do it in background it will take very less time

for every program u have the option to run in background

in the menu program---->execute in background

Re: Difference

Former Member — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 10:27:54 GMT

Foreground Execution is normal execution which is online

(fore ground example SE38 )

Background execution you can execute the job using SM36 schedule the job, and it will run in background. (background is SE38,SM36)

Regards

Vijay

Re: Difference

Former Member — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:12:30 GMT

Foreground execution means running a program either by se38 or transction by providing all the inputs and clicking on execute button.

while background processing means scheduling a job by sm36 by providing the variant for the screen criteria.