The SQL Trace (ST05) – Quick and Easy

The SQL Trace, which is part of the Performance Trace (transaction ST05), is the most important tool to test the performance of the database. Unfortunately, information on how to use the SQL Trace and especially how to interpret its results is not part of the standard ABAP courses. This weblog tries to give you a quick introduction to the SQL Trace. It shows you how to execute a trace, which is very straightforward. And it tells how you can get a very condensed overview of the results--the SQL statements summary--a feature that many are not so familiar with. The usefulness of this list becomes obvious when the results are interpreted. A short discussion of the ‘database explain’ concludes this introduction to the SQL Trace.