Advanced Navigation in the SAP GUI

User Menu and SAP Menu

Since release R/3 4.6, the SAP Access Menu starts automatically after login and is thereby the standard entry into the system. The left-hand navigation bar contains a clear tree structure, consisting of menu entries and favorites' entries. You can adjust the favorites' area in particular to your needs. The entries of the SAP menus and the user menus can only be changed by system administrators with certain authorizations.

The end user can switch from the role-based user menu to the SAP standard menu (if the system settings allow this).

The role-based user menu is created on the basis of the role(s) assigned to the user and transferred to the front end. This means that it makes sense to keep roles as small as possible because large roles could take a long time to transfer to the front end in certain circumstances. If a user has several roles assigned, then some functions can be repeated in different parts of the role-based user menu. If you want to prevent this, please see SAP Note 357693 (and the other SAP Notes to which it refers) for information on finding and deleting duplicates, and on other related matters.

The user and SAP menus can be structured in a pretty complex way. It is then difficult to remember the exact path for the transaction you are looking for. As long as the transaction has not been copied into the favorite area, you can find it more easily with special search transactions. The transactions SEARCH_SAP_MENU and SEARCH_USER_MENU search the corresponding menus for the predefined text pattern. The search result is prepared in a list view from which you can take the navigation path. The transactions found cannot be started directly with a double-click.

Favorites Management

In addition to the area menu or SAP menu, the user is also provided with functions in the favorites' area. Often used transactions, web links or files can be stored in the favorites' area.

The favorites list thus contains SAP system functions or links to Internet content or to files on the end user's front-end computer. The favorites list, which is initially empty, can be edited by each end user in accordance with his or her preferences; you can only view your own favorites list. Since data on the favorites is stored within the SAP system, each user might have different collections of favorites in different systems.

To improve the structuring, sort the favorites in own folders. You can edit favorites in the SAP Easy Access screen using the menu entry Favorites.

The Favorites menu gives you the option of adding a function from the user (or SAP) menu to your personal favorites list by selecting the function and choosing Favorites--->Add. Here, the menu path is also written with the text of the favorites entry to a limited extent. If you have highlighted a menu entry using the mouse, you can copy the selected node in the favorites' area by right-hand mouse click.

Alternatively, you can also drag the elements from the menu area using the mouse and store them in the favorites' area (Drag&Drop). You can add URLs or links to files to your list of favorites by choosing Favorites ---> Add other objects. Click on the triangle symbol to the left of the file symbol to expand or collapse the list of favorites.

You can delete favorites' entries that you no longer need. Here, only the Favorite is deleted, not the original transaction! If you want to delete the entire Favorites menu, highlight the entry Favorites and click with the right-hand mouse button. Choose Delete all favorites.

Calling Up Functions

You have several options for navigating in an SAP system:
• by entering transaction codes in the command field
• By choosing items from menus in the menu bar
• By choosing items from the favorites list or from the user or SAP menus

You can reach the menus in the menu bar simply using the key combination Alt+E (the underlined letter of the selected menu item) or Alt and cursor navigation using the arrow keys on the keyboard.

You can use the keyboard to get to the SAP Easy Access screen or the command field and call system functions from there.

When the command field is active, you can use the F1 key to display possible entries for this important field. The following entries are possible:

• /n to cancel the current transaction
• /nXXXX to call transaction XXXX directly from another transaction. Without the prefix you can only call XXXX from the SAP Easy Access screen.
• /o to display an overview of sessions
• /oXXXX to call transaction XXXX in a new session directly from another transaction
• /nend to end the logon session with a confirmation dialog box
• /nex to end the logon session without a confirmation dialog box
• /i to delete the session you are currently using

Note: The command field is an exception in that choosing the F4 key does not display the input help. The F4 key in the command field lists the last 15 different entries in the command field. This list is stored in the registry on the front end and is valid for all sessions on the front end (regardless of the system used).

Help Options

The SAP system provides you with various help options, which will be introduced in the following section.

F1 Help

You can use the F1 key to display an explanation of fields, menus, functions and messages. The F1 help also displays technical information on the relevant field. There you will find the parameter ID that you can use when setting user-specific default values for input fields that are also linked to the parameter ID. You can also display interesting information by, for example, calling the F1 help for the command field.

You can also use other buttons in the Performance Assistant dialog box to display information on the selected field. One of the most important pieces of information, besides the link to the context-sensitive Application Help, is the link to the Technical Information. Choose this to display detailed information, such as the parameter ID assigned to the field. You can use parameters to set defaults for frequently used input fields; to do this, the parameters are stored with the desired values in the user master record.

Note: You may need to activate the Performance Assistant first using the menu Help ---> Settings ---> F1 Help.

F4 Help

You can choose F4 to display possible input values. You can also call up the F4 help for a field using the button immediately to the right of the selected field. If a field contains a checkmark symbol, you can only proceed to the next step in that application after entering a permitted value (required entry). You can use transaction or screen variants, or Customizing to mark fields as mandatory or optional, hidden or filled with hidden standard values.

The F4 help displays a list of possible entries for a field. If there are a large number of possible entries, a separate selection screen is displayed. If there is a long hit list, the F4 help only displays as many entries as the user has specified on the F4 Help tab page under Help ---> Settings. The default value for the maximum number of displayed hits is 500. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the other settings you can make here.

SAP Library (Online Documentation)

The SAP Library is a useful aid to getting to know system functions. It allows you to access the online documentation. The information stored here does not simply describe how to use system functions, it also explains system architecture concepts, gives examples of how you can configure various processes, and warns you about possible user errors and their consequences. The online documentation also contains several tips and tricks to help you carry out common tasks more easily and quickly.

The System and Help Menus

The System and Help menus are always available with the same options on every screen in an SAP system.

The System menu allows you to access various system functions. This menu also contains functions that you can only access using this menu (and not in any other way). You can log off using System ---> Log off, and display useful information on your system and the function you are currently using, such as the transaction code, by choosing System ---> Status.

You can use the Help menu to access the online documentation. You can also display the Release Notes and configure the standard settings for your F4 Help. You will probably find that the most useful option for you here is the context-sensitive link to the section of the online documentation relevant to the function you are using. The context-sensitive help is also called Application Help. The tool for accessing the online documentation as a whole is the SAP Library.

Appendix: Selection Screens

When preparing data in your system, only certain data should be displayed selectively. Various selection options are available for this.

• Search for individual values
An exact search for the specified individual values is made.

• Search for value areas
A closed interval can also be specified; the interval limits here are included in the search.

• Search using selection options

Here, search operators are specified meaning that searches for intervals that are upwardly or downwardly open are possible. Selection options can usually be called up via the menu entry Edit ---> Selection options, alternatively via the F2 key. A special icon is often used to call up the selection options, as then the access to the menu bar is not possible.

• Excluding individual values

Works like the search for individual values, bit with the difference that the specified individual values can no longer exist in the data records.

• Exclusion from value ranges

The specified value ranges can not exist in the data records. As with the search for intervals, the interval limits are also affected by the exclusion selection.

• Exclusion via the corresponding selection options. The exclusion of open intervals is possible here.

• Multiple selection

All search and exclusion options can also be used as part of a multiple selection at the same time. Therefore, you cannot only look for several individual values or intervals at the same time, but can freely combine the various searches and exclusions. You should try to first find the data you want with a pure search selection, because the logical structure of a positive search can always be more easily reproduced than the one for exclusions. If the positive serach is not sufficient, the search criteria can be enhanced by exclusions. In principle, a positive search can always be mapped by a complementary exclusion selection.

Appendix: List Editing

After successfully calling up a selection, the data records found are displayed in a list display. Various navigation and editing options are available.

• Searching for definitions or values using the search function ; you are also provided with a search repeat
• Page by page scrolling in the list
• Navigation in the list using the scrollbar

• Sort according to individual columns
The data records of a column can be sorted in ascending or descending order. Here, you highlight the header line of the column and press the keys Sort in Ascending/Descending Order.

• Filtering
The filtering is a subsequent selection in the list display via the entries of selected columns. To do this, you highlight the column you want and press the key; then you define additional selection options.

• Editing the list layout
The SAP List Viewer (ALV grid display) is a tool, with which the layout of the table can be individually designed. In this way, for example, you can display additional columns and calculate totals and subtotals. You can even save a layout variant.

• Printout of the List
Start the printout using the pushbutton in the standard toolbar.

• Downloading the List
As a rule, the application programmer stores a download pushbutton in the application toolbar, as long as downloading the list is planned. The download can also be started at all times via the menu bar entry List ---> Export ---> Local file. Alternatively, you can also use the menu bar entry System ---> List ---> Save ---> Local file.

Appendix: The Where-Used List

The where-used list is a basic navigation technique, which every SAP user should know, even if it is not needed every day. As long as this function has been implemented in the application transaction, you can find out the use of a program element, for example, a data field in tables or structures.



Thanks to Clayton-http://sapwhiz.com/printdoc/905/