User time zone in Inspection lot for Usage decision tab

[Former Member]

Hi All,

We have batch job running every hour to do automatic Usage decision for inspection lots( Standard program RQEVAI30).The batch jobs are set to run at server time and it updates the Usage decision time in the inspection lot with the server time. The requirement is to have the user time( which is around 6 hrs behind server time) showing up in Usage decision tab of inspection lot and which makes sense to the user ( QA03). Appreciate your valuable inputs.

Arun

[former_member42743]

The time is done according to the user running the program.  So I assume since they run on server time, you use a standard system account called BATCH_USER or something like that that is managed by your central IT team or BASIS team.

You'll need to set the job up as individual jobs for each time zone and create a batch job that is run with a user ID where the personal time zone is set to the local time zone.  So you can set up user BATCH_USER1, BATCH_USER2, etc, and then run one job for each time zone.

FF

[Former Member]

Hi FF,

Thanks for your response. But I need one clarification for the same. I had earlier tested for a manual UD using QA11 by setting the time zone in user profile to the local time zone.( I went to the System> Own Data and changed the time to local time zone in the Defaults Tab for Personal Time Zone field). That time when I checked in the usage decision tab in Inspection lot( QA03), the time that was showing was system time and not the user local time that was maintained in my user profile. Is the behaviour of the system going to be the same when we are running the batch job for automatic UD with a user ID where the personal time zone set to local time zone. Please let me know if I am missing out on something or if my understanding is wong.

Arun

[former_member42743]

I think it depends on where and how you are looking.  I believe that in the tables it should normally store all times in system time.  I should have asked you exactly where and how are you looking at these times?  in some screens the times should be displayed in the users timezone.  But in some reports, like custom ones especially, you might see the stored time depending on the report and who/how it was written.

I was kind of thinking of a standard once a day batch job where you need to run jobs at an offset from the server time to match the plant.  I.e. Like running once at midnight.  But your are very hour, so it shouldn't matter.

You should be able to easily test this. Run your auto ud manually with a local user account one or two minutes before the system version of the job starts up.  Then compare the table values of a lot done by the local user and one done by the system job.  See where the differences are.

FF

[Former Member]

Hi FF,

The table referred to in this case is QAVE. I did a similar test by maintaining in my user profile the timezone for the local user . When you say " local user account" is it not the same like maintaining the time zone of the user in my user profile. In my test the UD time in QAVE table is getting updated with server time .Currently the time zone set up in batch job is server time . Will changing the time zone set up in batch job from server time  to the local user  have any impact on the time stamp that you see in QA03 Usage decision tab. Or do we need to address this by looking for an enhancement in the programme. Do we have any work arounds /solution ?

Thanks

Arun

[former_member42743]

As I said, I believe the time stored in the tables will be the server time.  The local user time is usually used for wihat the user sees in transactions. Your test bears that out.  I would not do any enhancements for this.  You don't want to change what SAP stores in the table.  You'll open a hornet's nest of issues and problems if you do.  Where are your users seeing a discrepancy?  Do they have a screen where they see one date in local time and one in server time?  FF

[Former Member]

The user sees the discrepancy like this. He has a custom  developed transaction to do results recording where he sees his local time at the time of results recording . He does the results recording . The batch program which runs every hour has to close out this inspection lot for which he has done the completed results recording. He comes back to see the Usage decison time  in QA03 UD tab of Inspection lot and sees a UD completed time that is about  6 hrs ahead of when he has done the results recording time because his user time is about 6 hrs behind the server time.So they do not have one screen where they see the  server and local times but in 2 different transactions- custom transaction and QA03 . I do agree to  you that updating standard table with a value other than what SAP has provided is definitely not advisable.

[former_member42743]

It sounds to me as if you need to update the custom transaction.  Make sure the custom transaction is storing the server time and not a local time.  Then if you also use a custom transaction to view this data, make sure the programmers convert the stored time to local time.  I'm beginning to think the issue is not the UD batch job, but your custom transaction that is recording the results.  FF

[Former Member]

The custom transaction was developed with the requirement of having the user time reflecting in it.We have used a  Function module which converts system time to local time for the same. The issue is user views the UD  time in standard transaction QA03 . The user is not comfortable seeing a time ( server time)that does not make sense to him.

Arun

[former_member42743]

I don't see a way around that since you can't and shouldn't change QA03.

I don't think, outside a custom Z transaction, there is a solution for this.  I'll try to look at it in more detail Monday when I'm on the system again however.

FF