SAP BASIS Interview Questions Vault

Panelist Expectation: Rather than reciting theory, demonstrate a live troubleshooting sequence:
1. Check SM50/SM66 to identify work process states (Running, On Hold, Waiting).
2. Note the action column: Sequential Read, Direct Read, or Database Lock.
3. Inspect SM12 for persistent lock entries and DB01 for exclusive DB lock waits.
4. Check ST04 for expensive SQL queries causing prolonged CPU consumption, and review dev_w* trace logs if core dumps are produced.

Panelist Expectation: HANA uses Column Store split into read-optimized Main Storage and write-optimized Delta Storage. Delta Merge asynchronously integrates uncompressed delta entries into main storage.
A merge might fail or get blocked due to: long-running uncommitted transactions (active snapshot locks), insufficient temp memory during merge, or heavy lock contention. Check `M_DELTA_MERGE_STATISTICS` to diagnose failed merges.

Panelist Expectation: RC=8 indicates syntax errors, missing generation components, or unfulfilled dictionary dependencies. Inspect the transport action log and the detailed job log (e.g. `RDDEXECL`). Resolve by checking inactive repository objects in SE11/SE80 or re-transporting dependent prerequisite objects before re-importing.