How to Create an Effective SAP Support Case: A Comprehensive Guide

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How to Create an Effective SAP Support Case: A Comprehensive Guide

“Support us to support You more effectively.”

Introduction

In this blog, I will guide you through the steps to create an effective SAP support Case. By following these best practices, you can minimize effort, avoid the infamous “ping-pong” game, and accelerate the resolution process.

As you navigate the process of creating and managing SAP support Cases, it’s essential to leverage all the tools and resources available to you. One valuable resource that SAP offers is the Support Accreditation program, which is available free of charge: Getting Started with Support from SAP (Support Accreditation)

Content of this blog:

1. What is consulting, what is support
2. Tests/preparation before Case creation
3. Common mistakes on reporting side which lead to delayed resolution.
4. How to Create an Effective SAP Support Case with example
5. Very High issues
6. Good to know.
   
   

1. What is consulting, what is support

Understanding the distinction between "Support" and "Consulting" in SAP is essential for directing your inquiries to the correct channel. This ensures that your issue is handled appropriately, whether it's a technical problem requiring immediate attention or a request for expert advice on system customization or configuration.

What is Support?

Support is typically concerned with issues related to the standard functionality of SAP software, particularly when something is not working as intended. The following scenarios are considered support cases:

1. Error/Defect in the Software: This involves situations where a bug or defect in the SAP software prevents it from functioning correctly.
2. Subsequent Errors Caused by a Software Defect: These are issues that arise as a direct consequence of a known software defect. If an error in the software triggers other problems, this is covered under support.
3. Problems Implementing Corrections: If you encounter difficulties while applying SAP correction instructions, such as SAP Notes or patches, these are handled by support.
4. Incorrect Documentation of Standard Functions: Support also addresses issues where the official documentation for standard SAP functions is incorrect or misleading.
   
   

What is Consulting?

These services focus on helping you optimize and customize your SAP environment to meet specific business needs. The following scenarios fall under consulting requests:

1. Configuration and Business Process Analysis: This includes guidance on how to configure the SAP system to align with your specific business processes or requirements. It's about setting up the system, not fixing bugs.
2. "How-to" Questions on Documented Features: These are inquiries seeking help with understanding or using features that are already documented. They do not involve fixing defects but rather understanding the application of existing functionalities.
3. Customization and Its Related Issues: If you need help with customizations that are not part of the standard SAP product, or if issues arise due to these customizations, this falls under consulting.
4. Business Requirements Not Part of the Standard SAP: When your business requires functionalities that are not included in the standard SAP solution, consulting can help develop or implement these custom features.
5. Modifications: This includes any work related to modifying the core SAP product to meet specific needs, including advice on how these modifications can be implemented.

More information can be found in the SAP Note 83020. 

By understanding and following this distinction, you ensure that your inquiry is handled by the appropriate team, leading to a more efficient and effective resolution process.

Outside the scope of standard SAP Support

When your situation falls outside the scope of standard SAP support, it's important to leverage the appropriate resources to find a solution. Here’s how you can approach this:

1. Use the SAP Search Portal

• Portal Link: SAP Services & Support Search Portal
• Action:
• Search for Solutions: Use the search function to look for SAP Notes, Knowledge Base Articles (KBA), documentation, and other resources that might address your issue.
• Use Specific Keywords: Enter relevant keywords, such as the specific process, error codes, or functionalities you’re dealing with, to find the most pertinent results. (See SAP Note 2081285)

This ensures you're accessing up-to-date, official information directly from SAP, rather than relying on potentially outdated or incorrect information from general search engines like Google.

2. Involve Your Local Consultant

• Why Involve Them? Your local consultant has a deep understanding of both your specific business processes and the standard SAP functionality. They can provide tailored advice on how to adapt or modify the system to meet your needs.
• How They Can Help:
• Business Process Analysis: They can analyze your specific business requirements and suggest how to configure SAP accordingly.
• Standard Workarounds: If a direct solution isn’t available, they might suggest standard workarounds or alternative approaches that can achieve the desired outcome.
• Customization Advice: For issues related to customizations, they can help you understand the impact and suggest adjustments or improvements.

3. Engage with the SAP Community

• SAP Community Link: SAP Community
• Purpose: The SAP Community is a forum where SAP users, consultants, and experts share knowledge, solutions, and best practices. It’s an official channel for discussing "how-to" questions and consulting-type inquiries.
• Action:
• Post Questions: If you can’t find a solution through the search portal, you can post your question in the community. Be specific about your issue to get the most relevant responses.
• Search Existing Threads: Often, others have faced similar challenges, and the community might already have threads discussing your issue.
• Interact with Experts: Engage with SAP consultants, members, and other users who might offer solutions, suggestions, or workarounds.

Additional resources provided by SAP:

• SAP Help Portal - https://help.sap.com
• SAP Help Portal Documentation - Support Content | SAP Help Portal
• Ask an Expert peer- https://community.sap.com/t5/technology-blogs-by-sap/ask-an-expert-peer-is-now-live-in-the-get-suppo...

2. Tests/preparation before Case creation

1. Check for existing KBA/SAP Note before raising a Case

By doing this, you might find that the issue has already been documented and resolved, saving time and potentially avoiding the need to open a Case at all. (E.g., Services & Support)

2. Share your findings with the Support team, if you create a SAP Case.

3. Test, if the issue is recreatable or one time issue:

• Reproducible Issues: Providing clear problem description with a detailed step by step instruction with every necessary data how the issue can be recreated.
• One-Time Issues: Root cause analysis is only possible, if the issue can be recreated, as this allows for a thorough examination of the system logic when the problem occurs. Analyzing an issue from an incorrect or altered state makes it challenging to determine what happened in the past. If the issue is a known problem within standard SAP functionality, SAP may be able to provide a correction report. However, if the issue is custom-related or unknown, your development team will need to create a custom report.

For issues that cannot be recreated, SAP may recommend monitoring the system to identify patterns and common factors, such as noting that the issue frequently occurs between 9-11 AM, potentially pointing to a scheduled job running during that time. This monitoring can help in narrowing down the root cause even when direct recreation isn't possible.

4. Test, if the issue is recreatable in a test system

Log in to the test environment or system where you can safely replicate issues without affecting production data.

5. System connection

Ensure that the connection is opened, and the logon credentials are provided in the Customer Remote Logon Depot. Please test it, before submitting the Case.

6. Test custom modification(s) during the process

Before escalating an issue to SAP, it’s beneficial to involve your development team to verify how the system behaves when only standard SAP programs are called. Understanding whether the problem lies within standard SAP processes (SAP Case) or custom modifications (Consulting>> local Consultant, DEV team needs to be involved) can save time by ensuring that the correct team addresses the issue and can prevent unnecessary delays in the resolution process.

The following blog can be helpful: Troubleshooting to identify modifications during a process

3. Common mistakes on reporting side which lead to delayed resolution:

Priority High, Medium, Low

• Lack of search: A common issue that leads to unnecessary delays is the failure to search for existing solutions or a lack of sufficient knowledge about the system. Before raising a new SAP Case, it's important to thoroughly search the knowledge base, relevant SAP Notes, and available documentation. Often, solutions or workarounds for similar issues already exist. Taking the time to perform a comprehensive search can significantly reduce resolution time and ensure that the problem is handled more efficiently.
• Unclear issue/steps:
  • Vague Problem Description: If the problem is not described clearly, the support team may struggle to understand the issue, leading to multiple follow-up requests for more information.
  • Missing Steps to Reproduce: Without clear, detailed steps to reproduce the issue, it’s difficult for the support team to diagnose and resolve the problem efficiently.

• Connection to the system is failed.
  • Case Opened for the Wrong System: Opening a Case for the incorrect system (e.g., wrong system number, installation number, or client) can cause significant delays as the support team may start investigating the issue in the wrong environment. It's crucial to verify and identify the correct system before creating the Case.
  • Reporting Issues for a closed System: If the system is closed, it can prevent the support team from accessing it to diagnose and resolve the issue. Before raising a Case, ensure that the system is available and open for investigation.
  • Missing Logon Credentials: If the Case lacks necessary logon credentials (such as usernames, passwords, client), the support team won't be able to access the system, causing delays.
  • Incorrect Logon Data: Providing incorrect logon details can lead to unnecessary back-and-forth communication to obtain the correct information, delaying the resolution process.
  • Expired/ invalid Logon Data: If the logon credentials provided have expired, the support team will not be able to access the system, which requires additional steps to update or renew the credentials.
  • Restricted Access: If the logon data provided has restricted access that doesn’t allow the support team to fully investigate the issue, this will delay the resolution. Ensure that the credentials provided have adequate access rights to see them.  (See SAP Notes 2361951 and 3195225)

• Missing authorization: Missing authorizations are a common cause of issues in SAP systems. Before escalating a problem to SAP support, ensure that the user has the necessary authorizations to perform the task in question. Issues related to missing authorizations should be resolved internally through your organization’s security and role management procedures, as these are not typically handled by SAP. Verifying and addressing authorization problems early can prevent unnecessary delays in the resolution process.

• Issue is one time issue, but it is not mentioned in the problem description.
  

Priority Very High

Here are additional points that specifically relate to P1 issues:

• Missing contact information: Missing contact information, particularly the reporter’s phone number and email address, is a critical mistake that can lead to delays. Phone number of the reporter is essential for Very high issues to speed up the processing in case of missing information, connection problems.
• Incorrect priority is selected (none justified P1): To avoid over-prioritization, always carefully assess the impact, urgency, and available workarounds for an issue before selecting "Very High" priority. Ensure that only issues that meet the stringent criteria outlined in SAP Note 67739 are given this designation. This approach helps to maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of the support process, ensuring that critical resources are allocated to the most urgent issues.
• Not consider Workarounds: It's crucial not to overuse the "Very High" priority label. If a workaround exists, it suggests that the immediate threat has been neutralized, and the situation no longer meets the criteria for P1. While the workaround buys time, it’s important to continue working on a permanent fix, but with less urgency, allowing for a more thorough and deliberate resolution process.
• Consulting inquiries: Consulting inquiries should never be categorized as "Very High" (P1) priority issues. These inquiries generally do not cause immediate harm to business operations or involve system downtime, which are the primary criteria for "Very High" priority classification. Use the correct channel for consulting inquiries. See section ‘Outside the scope of standard SAP Support’.
• Go live is impacted without official documentation: For P1 issues, especially those claiming critical impacts like an upcoming go-live, official documentation is crucial. It ensures that the reported impact is valid and helps in properly assessing and addressing the issue. Without such documentation, the claim cannot be fully trusted or prioritized as P1. Always request and review documentation before making decisions on priority and resource allocation.

4. When you create a Case to SAP, please ensure that the below information is provided:

• Information related to the system connection:
  • System and Client: Clearly state the system ID(ABC) and the specific client (e.g., 100, 200) where the issue can be analyzed.
  • User Access: If multiple user accounts are provided, specify which user should be used to replicate or analyze the issue.
  • Server Information: If there are multiple servers, indicate which server should be used for analysis.
  • FF User (Firefighter User): If a Firefighter (FF) user account is required for high-privilege access, provide instructions or a guide on how to request and use the FF user. Include details on how to log in, any specific steps needed-
• Provide the Authorization SAP_ALL to the SAP user to ensure that the analysis will be not interrupted by several missing authorization.
• Ensure that the R/3 support connection is opened, and the logon credentials are stored in the Customer Remote Logon Deport.
  • Never include or store logon credentials in any discussion or Case description.
  • Before submitting the support Case, test the logon credentials by accessing the system via the support connection.
  • Verify that the logon credentials are not restricted according to the guidelines in SAP Notes 2361951 and 3195225.
• Issue is recreatable?
  • One time issue
  • Recreatable issue: Detailed problem and step-by-step instruction with every necessary data: Share as much information as you can regarding the issue.
• Provide screenshots/Attachment:
  Attach screenshots for the Case for better understanding the issue.
• Provide the reporter’s contact.
  Ensure that the reporter’s contact is updated in the section ‘Case contacts’; phone number with country code, e-mail address.

• Result of the test/preparation
  Share your findings with the Support team, if you create a SAP Case.

+1 for High/ Very High issues

Proper business impact description

A well-articulated business impact description is crucial for conveying the urgency and significance of an issue, particularly for Very High priority (P1) cases. Here’s a template and example of how to write a proper business impact description:

1. A Productive System is Completely Down? (Yes/No)
   1.1 System ID/client:
   2. An Imminent go-live or upgrade is jeopardized? (Yes/No)
   2.1 Planned Go Live Date( with providing official documentation):
   3. The Core Business Processes are seriously affected (Yes/No)
   3.1 What is the Core Business process?
   3.2 How does this impact the process?
   4. Is a workaround available? (Yes/No)
   4.1 if Yes, what is the workaround used?
   5. What is the estimated financial loss within 24hrs
   6. Number of Users affected:
   7. Business Impact Description:
   8. Reporter’s contact

Example:

Case Title: Synchronization Failure of Customer and Vendor Data to Business Partner in S/4HANA Migration

Priority: High

Case ID: #345678

Reported By: Maria Gomez, ERP Systems Manager

Contact Information:

• Phone Number: +1-555-321-0987
• Email Address: maria.gomez@company.com

Business Impact:

The synchronization failure of Customer and Vendor master data to Business Partner (BP) is causing significant delays in our migration project to S/4HANA. This issue prevents the successful migration of critical master data, impacting the overall project timeline and causing potential data inconsistencies in the new system.

Case is opened for the System:

ABC/123 ( test environment)

Attachments:

[Error_in_MDS_LOAD_COCKPIT.docs]

Problem description:

Hello SAP Support,

We plan to migrate the system to S4HANA for this reason we followed the steps from the CVI Cookbook, but the synchronization is failed in MDS_LOAD_COCKPIT. We are getting the error (copy the short text, message number, long text of the error).

The issue is recreatable in the test environment ABC/123. Example customer for the test system: 12345678.

Reproduction Steps:

1. Logon to the system ABC/123
2. Go to Tcode MDS_LOAD_COCKPIT and add the customer 12345678 (see the attached screenshot)
3. Execute

R/3 support connection is opened, and the logon credentials are updated in the Customer Remote Logon Depot. SAP_ALL authorization is provided for the user.

We have tried to search for the error on the SAP portal, but we did not find any KBA which provide a solution for the above-mentioned error.

No workaround is available.

Thank you and best regards,
Maria Gomez
ERP Systems Manager

5. Good to know.

• Special Cases: There are some special cases such as webservice, Fiori where more information is needed to understand the situation and start the analysis:
  • KBA 3478487-How to create proper webservice Case to SAP
  • KBA 3481621-How to create proper Fiori Case to SAP (BP)
    For other special cases, you could use the search, if the area created a KBA about how to create Cases properly on their area.

• Speed up the process: Creating duplicate cases, opening multiple chats, or sending repeated Info to SAP support are not effective methods to expedite issue resolution. These actions can lead to confusion, miscommunication, and potential delays in addressing the problem. It’s important to follow the proper escalation procedures and provide all necessary information in the original case to ensure a smooth and efficient resolution process. In case you need help to speed up processing or would like to increase the priority of your case contact the Customer Interaction Center.
  • If the processor is already assigned to the Case: The CIC team will notify the processor for speed up.
  • If the processor has not assigned to the Case yet: The CIC team will notify the whole team for speed up.
    See SAP Note: 560499
    
    
• 1 Case = 1 problem: Avoid reporting multiple questions in the same incident. SAP can best help you, if the communication in the case is regarding one specific topic, which is handled by the experts of that specific area. See SAP Note: 50048, 1038290
  
  
• Problem description does not contain any information, only the attachment: When creating an SAP Case, the system automatically suggests the correct component based on the short and long text descriptions of the problem. Therefore, it is essential to provide comprehensive information in the long text section. An incorrect or incomplete initial component selection can lead to unnecessary delays in processing and resolving the issue.
  
  
• Correction report: SAP can only provide a correction report if the issue is identified as a flaw in the standard software. If the issue arises due to custom modifications or enhancements made to the system, it is the responsibility of the customer to address these problems through custom reports or other internal solutions.
  
  
• Keep the communication in the Case: To ensure a clear and efficient resolution process, it is crucial to keep all communication within the SAP Case. This centralizes information, making it easier for all parties to follow the issue's history and progress. Avoid using external communication channels like emails or MS teams to discuss the issue, as this can lead to confusion and delays. Consistently updating the Case with relevant details and responses helps ensure that the issue is addressed promptly and accurately.
  
  
• Follow up case: If a follow up Case is created, please refer to the previous Case number and title to identify it. Please also provide the problem description and screenshots for the new case.
  
  
• Avoid using ASAP in the SAP Cases: While it's natural to want things resolved "ASAP," we kindly ask that you avoid using phrases like "ASAP" or "Do the needful," as these can create unnecessary pressure. Rest assured; we're always working to help you as quickly as possible.
  To help us better understand and prioritize your needs, please show the urgency of your issue by indicating the priority and filling in the business impact accordingly. This detailed information allows us to assess the situation accurately and ensure that we address your request with the appropriate level of attention and speed. By working together and providing clear details, we can continue to deliver the best service possible.

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