Hierarchy
SAP_BASIS (Software Component) SAP Basis Component⤷
BC-CCM-BTC (Application Component) Background Processing⤷
SBTC (Package) SAP Background Processing
Basic Data
| Data Element | BTCXPGCNTL |
| Short Description | Control flag for external program (e.g. trace level) |
Data Type
| Category of Dictionary Type | D | Domain |
| Type of Object Referenced | No Information | |
| Domain / Name of Reference Type | CHAR1 | |
| Data Type | CHAR | Character String |
| Length | 1 | |
| Decimal Places | 0 | |
| Output Length | 1 | |
| Value Table |
Further Characteristics
| Search Help: Name | ||
| Search Help: Parameters | ||
| Parameter ID | ||
| Default Component name | ||
| Change document | ||
| No Input History | ||
| Basic direction is set to LTR | ||
| No BIDI Filtering |
Field Label
| Length | Field Label | |
| Short | 10 | Indicator |
| Medium | 15 | Control flag |
| Long | 20 | Control flag |
| Heading | 55 | Control flag for external program |
Documentation
Definition
Use the options on this screen to control the standard input and standard output and the error output of an external program. You can also determine:
- how the SAP control program ends, and whether the external program will initialize an event
- whether the process is logged
- whether the SAP control program maintains the CPI-C connection to the SAP system
You should only change these options if your system administrator asks you to do so.
For programming: the job step definition fields that are based upon this data element are as follows:
- conncntl: An internally-used indicator as to whether the connection to the SAPXPG program for starting an external command or program should be held or broken after the command or program starts. Holding the connection is used for synchronous execution of an external job step, in which a job pauses until the external job step returns. Breaking the connection is used in asynchronous execution of an external job step. In this case, a job continues with the next job step as soon as the program in an external job step has been started. (See also termcntl).
- stdincntl: Internally-used indicator for logging of the standard input stream of an external command or program in the job log.
- stdoutcntl: Indicator as to whether standard output from an external command or program is to be written to the job log.
- stderrcntl: Indicator as to whether standard error output from an external command or program is to be written to the job log.
- tracecntl: Indicator as to whether SAP tracing level 3 is activated for tracing SAPXPG, the program that starts an external command or program.
- termcntl: Indicator as to whether an external command or program is to be run synchronously or asynchronously. In synchronous execution, the background job waits until the external program finishes. In asynchronous execution, the job continues with the next job step as soon as the external command or program has been started. If there are no further job steps, then the job completes without waiting for the external command or program.
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0001
Use
Procedure
Use this option to leave processing of the standard output to the external program or host operating system. The SAP control program does not attempt to redirect the standard output of the external program.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0002
Use
Procedure
Use this option to switch off the standard output of the external program. This is useful if the external program, for example, does not write data into the standard output and if you want to save using a file ID (file descriptor) in the destination system.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0003
Use
Procedure
Use this option to write the standard output of the external program into the trace file trace_xpg or trace_cp. These files are in the home directory of the SAP CPI-C user (standard user c11adm).
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0004
Use
Procedure
Use this option to log the standard output of the external program with the SAP control program. The control program stores the data in the memory. When the external program has finished, the control program forwards the standard output data to the background processing system. The data is then written into the job log.
The usage of this option is only useful if the external program writes only small amounts of data into the standard output.
It can happen for greater amounts of data that there is not enough space in the memory buffer.
In this case, the control program writes as much data into the buffer as there is space available and at the end a corresponding message.
Please note that the output data is written into the log as it is output by the external program. The language can deviate, for example, from your logon language. In addition, you cannot call additional information for data of an external program in the job log.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0005
Use
Procedure
Use this option to leave the processing of the standard entry to the external program or the host operating system. The SAP control program does not attempt to redirect the standard entry of the external program.
This option is the default setting.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0006
Use
Procedure
Use this option to switch off the standard entry of the external program. This is useful if, for example, the external program does not have to read data and you want to save using a file ID (file descriptor) in the destination system.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0007
Use
Procedure
Set this option to switch off the flow trace (tracing). "Off" is the default setting.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0008
Use
Procedure
Use this option to switch on the first level of the flow trace. The run of the SAP control program is logged.
The option is effective only for the SAP control program. To switch on the flow trace for the external program, you must enter the corresponding parameter when scheduling or switch on the flow trace via the host operating system.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0009
Use
Procedure
Set this option to switch on the second level of flow trace. The run of the SAP control program is logged.
The option is effective only for the SAP control program. To switch on the flow trace for the external program, you must enter the corresponding parameter when scheduling or switch on the flow trace via the host operating system.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0010
Use
Procedure
Use this option to switch on the third and most detailed level of the flow trace.
The option is effective only for the SAP control program. To switch on the flow trace for the external program, you must enter the corresponding parameter when scheduling or switch on the flow trace via the host operating system.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0011
Use
Procedure
Use this option to leave the processing of the standard error output to the external program or the host operating system. The SAP control program does not attempt to redirect the error output of the external program.
This option is the default setting.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0012
Use
Procedure
Use this option to switch off the standard error output of the external program. This is useful if the error output of the external program is not important and you want to save using a file ID (file descriptor) in the destination system.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0013
Use
Procedure
Use this option to log the standard error output of the external program of the SAP control program. The control program stores the data in the memory. If the external program has finished, the control program forwards error output data to the background processing system. The data is then written into the job log.
Note: If the external program writes greater amounts of data into the error output, it can happen that not all data is logged. For greater amounts of data, data is only entered until the buffer is filled since the memory buffer is limited.
If the buffer is full, the control program writes a corresponding message as a last message into the buffer.
Please note that the output data is written into the log as it was output by the external program. The language can deviate, for example, from your logon language. In addition, you cannot call additional information for data of an external program in the job log.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0014
Use
Procedure
Use this option if the SAP control program should not wait for the end of the external program on the target computer.
This option is useful if:
- the external program will not end in foreseeable future. You have, for example, started a utility which should always stay active on the target computer.
- the external program does not provide a usable return value. This can be the case if, for example, the external program starts further programs which results are not reflected in the return value.
- the external program will report to the SAP System with an event.
With this option, you receive neither error messages nor return value from the external program in the job log. In addition, you cannot use the options for redirecting the output to the memory.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0015
Use
Procedure
Set this option if the SAP control program should wait for the end of the external program on the target computer.
Use this option if you want to receive the return value from the external program and if you use the options for redirecting the output into the memory.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0016
Use
Procedure
Set this option if the SAP control program should not wait for the end of the external program on the target computer since the external program will report itself to the SAP System with an event.
With this option, you receive no return value from the external program. You cannot use the options to redirect standard outputs into the memory.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0017
Use
Procedure
Use this option if the SAP control program should interrupt the CPIC connection to the SAP System as soon as the start order was given for the external program. If the control program has to transfer a return value or logged data, it itself will set up the CPIC connection to the SAP System again.
This option is useful if the processing of the external program can take a long time and the control program is to wait for the end of the program. In this case, the control program reports to the SAP System as soon as the external program has finished.
The use of this option is not useful:
- If the external program has a short runtime.
If the program takes, for example, approx. two seconds and the control program is to wait for the end of the program, less resources costs are needed to maintain the CPIC connection to the control program than to interrupt and re-establish the connection.
- if the SAP control program should not wait for the end of the external program. In this case, the connection to the SAP System is interrupted anyway if the control program ends.
Examples
Dependencies
Supplementary Documentation - BTCXPGCNTL0018
Use
Procedure
Use this option if the SAP control program should maintain the CPIC connection to the SAP System. The SAP control program will close the connection again only when it ends itself.
This option is useful if the processing of the external program always ends rapidly.
If the processing of the program takes, for example, approx. two seconds and the control program is to wait for the end of the program, less resources are needed to maintain the CPIC connection to the control program than to interrupt the link and establish it again.
You should not use this option if the external program runs for a long time.
Examples
Dependencies
History
| Last changed by/on | SAP | 19950209 |
| SAP Release Created in |
