SAP Tips and Tricks Part 2: Other Interface Features

In the next installment of my SAP Tips and Tricks series, I will explore some additional user interface features that you can use to be a more efficient SAP user.  You may also want to check out Part 1 in the series.  Continue reading to find out more.

SAP Tips and Tricks:  Other Interface Features

As before, some of these tips will be old hat for folks who are veteran SAP users.  All of these should apply to SAP GUI 7.10 or later.

Other Interface Features
Titlebar Menu	Use the Titlebar menu to create a New SAP session or stop a troublesome transaction.  This menu is visible by clicking the small icon in the upper-left corner of the SAP window.  It looks like a square with an inset trapezoid.The “Create Session” will open a new window. The “Stop Transaction” can be used to close a non-responding SAP window.
Transaction codes in the Easy Access Menu	You can easily add transaction codes to your SAP Easy Access menu. In the screenshot below, you can see the Sales Order “Create” transaction: Navigate to the Extras -> Settings menu: Select the “Display Technical Names” box and click the Checkmark: Now you see the transaction codes alongside the description:
View List Keys	SAP transactions have many dropdown boxes.  Many users find it quicker to select options by typing in the Key of the code they’re trying to select.For example, by default the SD ‘Billing Block’ dropdown (VA01) only shows the description of each block:To display the keys within SAP dropdowns: (Note:  Screens may vary depending on SAP GUI Version.) From any SAP screen, expand the ‘Customize Local Layout’ button and select ‘Options…’: Navigate to the Interaction Design à Visualization & Interaction node in the menu tree: Select the “Show keys within dropdown lists” and then “Sort by keys within dropdown lists…” options in the ‘Controls’ section: Click “Ok” to accept the changes. Now you can see the same list with the keys visible:
View a summary of all open sessions	If you routinely work in multiple systems with multiple sessions, it can sometimes be difficult to find the right SAP window.  However, you can see a summary of all open SAP windows sorted by System by right-clicking on the SAP icon in the Windows task bar.  In the example below, you can easily identify the four sessions open for ERD and the two for ERQ.  Details include the System, client, Transaction name and user ID.

Summary

As always, I’m constantly looking to add new items to this list. Please share some of your favorites in the comments.   Stay tuned for more SAP Tips and Tricks.