Performance Tuning Concepts in the ABAP Stack

The main concepts relating to performance tuning in an ABAP stack are response times, memory management, allocation sequence of memory areas in dialog and background work processes, SAP buffers, and avoiding expensive SQL.

Response Times

Dialog response time is the time between when an end user initiates a request and receives the requested information from the system. The response time is measured at the application server (instance). Any time spent on network communication is not included in the dialog response time. Table 22-1 breaks down the steps performed by the end user, dispatcher, and work process and the different components of the dialog response times.

TABLE 22-1 Lifecycle of an End-User Request and the Components of Dialog Response Time