Tips and Tricks to Troubleshoot and Support Your SAP CRM Mobile Sales System

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Case Study: Tips and
Tricks to Support and
Troubleshoot Your
SAP CRM Mobile
Sales System
Tom Leddy
Andrew Corporation

2
What We’ll Cover …
• Introduction
• Andrew Corporation / CRM Implementation Overview
• Installation and distribution of Mobile Sales
• Setting up a training environment
• Troubleshooting common Mobile Sales issues
• Designing a custom configuration tool for Mobile Sales
• Wrap-up

3
Introduction
• Supporting SAP CRM Mobile Sales is not difficult, but it requires a
wide range of skills, which the typical help desk person (or even
SAP Developer) may not always possess.
• Users often like to use trivial support issues as excuses for why
they can’t do their work, and without an expert support team, this
can lead to abandonment of the application.
• For a large user base, support can not be placed in the hands of
one person, even if that one person does happen to be the only
one in the organization with all of the required skills.
• With a little effort, tools can be developed quickly to help aid in the
support and troubleshooting of the Mobile Sales application, even
by less experienced individuals.

4
In This Session ...
• You will learn how to write a custom installation script
that will install all of the Mobile Sales components at the
same time.
• You will learn what some of the most common technical
problems are with the Mobile Sales application, along with
how to fix them.
• You will learn how to design your own configuration
program to help make troubleshooting and supporting
Mobile Sales easier.
• You will receive a copy of the configuration program
written by Andrew Corporation, along with the source
code, which you can use to make your own modifications
as needed

5
• Introduction
• Post – Install: Troubleshooting common Mobile Sales
issues
• Wrap-up

6
Andrew Corporation Overview
• Global designer, manufacturer, and supplier of
communications equipment, services, and systems with
around $1.9 billion in sales
• In business for over 60 years with 11,000+ employees
servicing customers in over 100 countries
• Customers include OEMs (Motorola, Ericsson) and
carriers (Cingular, Verizon)
• Products include: earth station antennas, microwave
antennas, transmission line systems, power amplifiers,
and in-building wireless coverage systems

7
CRM Implementation Overview
• Current CRM Modules
 Contact Management
 Activity Management
 Opportunity Management – Forecasting
• Coming in 2007
 Customer Interaction Center
 Marketing / Lead Management
• We have a total of about 260 sales people worldwide who
are currently using Mobile Sales for Contact, Activity,
and Opportunity Management.

8
• Introduction
• Wrap-up

9
Installation and Distribution of Mobile Sales
• Overview
• Depending on how your organization is set up, installation of
Mobile Sales may require coordination of multiple departments.
• Business Unit – Approve user access, determine which
subscriptions a user should have, determine mobile client
security role.
• Help Desk / IT Staff – Set up Mobile Client Site, Create User
BP Record, Create Employee Specific Subscriptions, Install
Software.
• Security – Set up Mobile Client Role (AMT).

10
• Required Software Components
• Java Virtual Machine version 1.3.1.12 (Note: this is the only
version of the JVM that will work).
• Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1 or later.
• Microsoft Office 2000 or later.
• Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or MSDE.
• Internet Explorer 6 (Note: this is currently the only version of IE
that will work).

11
• Installing Each Component Separately
 JVM
 Uninstall ALL existing versions of the JVM on the users’ machine.
 Follow the standard install process for version 1.3.1.12
 If newer versions of the JVM had to be removed prior to the installation, ensure that the following
registry keys are set correctly:
 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREJavaSoftJava Runtime EnvironmentCurrentVersion=1.3
 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREJavaSoftJava Runtime
Environment1.3JavaHome=C:Program FilesJavaSoftJRE1.3.1_12
Environment1.3RuntimeLib=C:Program FilesJavaSoftJRE1.3.1_12binhotspotjvm.dll
 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREJavaSoftJava Runtime Environment1.3MicroVersion=1
Environment1.3.1_12JavaHome=C:Program FilesJavaSoftJRE1.3.1_12
Environment1.3.1_12MicroVersion=1
Environment1.3.1_12RuntimeLib=C:Program
FilesJavaSoftJRE1.3.1_12binhotspotjvm.dll
 You will receive a registry script file on your CD that will set these values automatically.

12
•Installing Each Component Separately
.NET Framework
 Included automatically with newer versions of Windows and as part of
Windows Update
 For older machines that do not already have the .NET Framework, the
latest version can be downloaded and installed from
http://download.microsoft.com
Where
to
FIND it

13
 SQL Server 2000
 Make sure there is not already an instance of SQL Server
installed on the user’s machine (you can verify this by
making sure that the default checkbox is not greyed out on
the instance name screen of the install):

14
 SQL Server 2000
 Mixed Mode Authentication may not be required, but it can
save headaches later since the SQL Server services are not
automatically updated when users change their Windows
passwords.

15
 Other Components
 Microsoft Office 2000 (or later) and Internet Explorer 6 are
usually already installed on most users’ machines as part
of a standard setup by their IT departments.
 If a later version of Office is installed, you’ll get a warning
message during the install, but you can ignore it.
 Currently, version 6 of Internet Explorer is the only version
of IE that is compatible with Mobile Sales. If a later version
is installed on the user’s machine, the mobile sales install
may finish without any errors, but the application will not
run afterwards.

16
 Mobile Sales
 As long as the other components have been installed
correctly, the Mobile Sales install itself is pretty
straightforward.
 Start the install by running setup.exe from the
MobileClientSetup directory on the installation CD.
 Select the options that correspond to your organization’s
needs. You will have the option to save your settings to
an .ini file during the install so that they don’t have to be re-
entered each time.

17
• Creating A Custom Install Script
 Rather than installing all of the individual components
separately, an install script can be created using any standard
installation program (Installshield, WiseInstall, etc) that will
package everything together and install all of the components
at the same time.
 Advantages: easier to train others, no need to worry about
memorizing settings or making sure that all of the
components got installed at the end.
 Disadvantages: less control over the individual parts of the
install, if something goes wrong in the middle, it’s more
difficult to troubleshoot.
 You will receive an example WiseInstall script on your CD

18
• Creating A Custom Install Script – Example
 Step 1 – Check for Prerequisites
 Free disk space must be at least 3,145,728 bytes (3GB) to install all
components.
 Find the Current Version of Internet Explorer by checking the registry
key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftInternet
ExplorerVersion (should be greater than 6 and less than 7)
 Get the current version of Microsoft Outlook from the registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindwosCurrentVersion
App Pathsoutlook.exe (should be greater than 9)
 Get the current JRE Version from the registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareJavaSoftJave Runtime
Environment (should be 1.3.1.12)

19
 Step 2 – Installing the JVM and .NET Framework
 These two files get installed through a single executable,
so you just need to execute them:
 Setup.exe for the jvm
 Install.exe for .NET

20
 Step 3 – Installing SQL Server
 Check to see if SQL Server is already installed by looking
for the registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurr
entVersionApp Pathssqlserver.exe (any value at all means
that an instance already exists).
 Execute the file sqlserver2Kx86setupsetupsql.exe with a
parameter of –s (silent install: run in the background).
 Execute the batch file
sqlserver2kx86setupstartsqlserver.bat to start the SQL
Server service.

21
 Step 4 – Install Mobile Sales
 A configuration file can be created with all of the basic
settings during an initial install of the mobile client, and
then re-used in all subsequent installs.
 Execute the file MobileClientSetupsetup.exe with the
following parameters:
 INI_DIRECTORY = <the directory you are storing your
configuration file in>
 INI_FILENAME = <the name of the configuration file>

22
• Technical Issues
 No Unicode Support in SQL Server 2000. Mobile Sales may not work
correctly with foreign versions of Windows.
 If an instance of SQL Server is already installed, trying to create a new
instance during the mobile sales installation will cause the application
to function incorrectly once the install is complete.
 Mobile Sales may overwrite .dll files that are used by other
applications with different versions when it is installed; likewise other
applications may overwrite .dll files that are used by Mobile Sales
when they are installed (commonly referred to as .dll hell).
 Other applications may require different versions of the JVM than
Mobile Sales, which leads to similar issues as with .dll files.

23
• Introduction
• Wrap-up

24
Setting up a Training Environment
•Benefits of using the user’s own machine for training
Most mobile sales users are just that – mobile. It is not always easy to
coordinate schedules with users in remote locations when it is time for
CRM training.
Allowing users to use their own machines for training gives them more
flexibility to train where and when it’s convenient for them (i.e. from
home or a remote office while following a WebEx presentation).
The switchdb program that gets installed with Mobile Sales can easily be
used to switch the user’s local database back and forth between training
and production environments.
Tip

25
• Basic steps to allow a user to work in multiple environments
 Create a mobile client site for the user in both your testing / training
environment and your production environment.
 Make sure to point the user’s mobile client to the training environment during
the initial Mobile Sales installation, follow the rest of the standard installation
steps, and your training environment will be all set up.
 Have the user attend training at their convenience, allow them to play around
with the system and enter any garbage data they would like into their own
Mobile Sales application for their own testing purposes.
 When the user is ready to start working in production, use the switchdb
program that gets installed with Mobile Sales to replace their existing local
database with a new empty one, change the comm station assignment to your
production system, and reassign the user’s mobile client site.

26
•Switchdb
This program ships with Mobile Sales and can be found in the users’
program filessapmobilebin directory.
Switchdb will allow you to uninstall the user’s current ides database (with an
option for archiving in case you have a need to re-use it at a later time), and
install a new blank database.
When you are ready to install a new ides database, you can find it on the
Mobile Sales installation CD in the databaseslatin1ides_empty directory.
If the ides database has already been accessed since the user’s last reboot
(i.e. the user has logged into Mobile Sales), switchdb will give an error if you
try to uninstall the database. This can be fixed by simply stopping and
restarting the SQL Server service.

27
•Changing Mobile Client Site Assignments
The comm station assignment can be changed by modifying the following
Windows Registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareSAPMSACRMLaptopAdapterHost
The mobile client site can be unassigned on the client side by deleting the
value for the following Windows Registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareSAPMSAMWTLSITE_ID (note: do not
delete the entire key; just delete its value)
Once switchdb has been run and the registry keys have been modified
accordingly, client console can be run and the mobile client site can be
reassigned to the production environment.

28
• Introduction
• Wrap-up

29
Troubleshooting Common Mobile Sales Issues
•Conntrans Issues
Account for most Mobile Sales issues
Can be caused by problems that are out of the control of the CRM team (i.e. excessive
network traffic, incorrect antivirus program settings, etc).
Issues on the server side are beyond the scope of this presentation, but you can ensure
that things are working correctly on the client side by doing the following:
 Ensure that SQL Server is running (users sometimes turn it off either
intentionally or unintentionally and if it is not running, contrans will not work).
 Ping the comm station from the user’s machine to make sure that it is up and
running and that a connection can be made.
 Make sure that DCOM is enabled on the user’s machine (start -> run ->
dcomcnfg. Some applications turn this off and it may need to be restarted).
 Use the “Test Adapter Connection” option in Client Console
 Unassign and Reassign the user’s mobile client site.

30
•Login Issues
There are two types of errors that a user can get when trying to log into Mobile
Sales:
 “Incorrect Username or Password” usually means that the user’s
password needs to be reset.
 “You are not authorized to use this application” means that the user’s
security settings are not set up correctly in AMT.
Mobile Sales passwords are not changed at the same time that passwords are
changed in the Online system.
If a user continues to have login issues after their password has been reset
and it has been verified that they have the correct authorizations, their
security and employee related subscriptions may need to be re-extracted
(Authorization I, Authorization II, Authorization III, User (by Employee), and
Employee).

31
•Miscellaneous Issues
Generic “Starting Mobilesalesfailed” errors can often be fixed by re-
registering the Program FilesSAPMobileappmsabinmsa.dll and Program
FilesSAPMobileBOLAppssfabolvbaWBITsfabolbinsfabol.dll files
For internal problems within the application, ensure that the client has all of
the latest BDOCs by using the MetaData Manager in the Mobile Sales Client
Console
If you are not a middleware person, familiarize yourself with at least the basic
concepts, so that you can monitor things like the user’s outbound queue,
create data extracts, etc.
If all else fails – switchdb. Using the switchdb program to give the user a
“clean” database, along with a complete data extract on the server side can fix
many mobile sales issues that aren’t easy to troubleshoot.

32
• Introduction
• Wrap-up

33
Designing a custom configuration tool for Mobile Sales
•Purpose
While Mobile Sales is not a difficult application to troubleshoot, it does require
a wide range of skills, along with the knowledge of where to find various
settings within Windows.
While some help desk people have the skills mentioned above, others don’t,
and we want everyone responsible for supporting the application to be able to
provide the best service possible without having to constantly turn to the
development team for assistance.
The easiest solution was to create a custom configuration program to house
all of the most commonly changed settings in one place.

34
•Installing the Mobile Sales Configurator
Run the setup.exe file, which can be found in the enclosed CD.
The application will be installed to the SAP CRM Mobile -> Administration
Tools Directory
This application consists of only a single executable file
(MobileSalesConfigurator.exe), which gets written to the program
filesSAPMobileDiagnostics directory during the install.

35
•Using the Mobile Sales Configurator – Application Settings Tab
This tab contains basic information about the application itself
 Whether or not it is installed on the user’s machine
 The current version
 A list of all of the upgrade packages that have been installed

36
•Using the Mobile Sales Configurator – SQL Server / IDES Database
Settings Tab
Use the information and options on this tab to troubleshoot database issues.
 Easily run queries against the ides database by typing them in the box.
 Restart SQL Server and run some common commands against the ides
database from here too, as well as launching the Switchdb application.

37
•Using the Mobile Sales Configurator – Site / Contrans Settings Tab
Use the options on this tab to troubleshoot all communications issues
between the mobile client site and the CRM Server.

38
•Using the Mobile Sales Configurator – dll Files / Services Tab
Use the options on this tab to re-register the main .dll files associated with
Mobile Sales, and also to shut down or restart some of the services related to
Mobile Sales as needed.

39
•Using the Mobile Sales Configurator – Login / Security Information
Tab
This tab is read only and contains a list of all of the users who have been set
up with access to the Mobile Sales application on this machine, along with
their security role(s). If a username is having login issues, look here to make
sure that their security information has been set up correctly.

40
•Using the Mobile Sales Configurator – Custom Registry Values
(Advanced) Tab
There are many other registry keys related to Mobile Sales and its associated
components that are not mentioned in this presentation. If you would like to
easily monitor any other value in the windows registry, you can do it here.

41
•Distributing the Mobile Sales Configurator to Users
The mobile sales configurator comes with an install script that will copy the
required files to the user’s machine automatically, and you can use the SAP
Upgrade console to create a mobile sales upgrade package (.mup file) that will
allow the installation program to be sent out through contrans and executed
automatically on your users’ machines during their next update.

42
Step 1 – Create a step in an upgrade package to copy the MSCSetup.exe file to
a temporary directory on the user’s machine:

43
Step 2 – Create a step that will exectute the setup file once it has been copied
over. Be sure to enter /s as the parameter so that the install script will run in
the background.

44
•Customizing the Mobile Sales Configurator
The source code for the program is on the same CD as the executable.
The program was written using Borland Delphi® 5, but the source code files
can be opened with any text editor.
All commands used in the program are standard Windows API calls, so
anyone with Windows Programming experience should not have a problem
converting the application to a different language (if necessary) and modifying
it as needed.

45
• Introduction
• Wrap-up

46
Resources
• Professional Help
 http://www.sap.com/services/consulting/index.epx
 http://www.tpcuc.com/index.htm
 mySAP CRM: The Official Guidebook to SAP CRM Release 4.0
 Rudiger Buck-Emden and Peter Zencke
 SAP PRESS: ISBN 1-59229-029-9
 http://Service.SAP.com/BI

47
7 Key Points to Take Home
• Having a solid support system for Mobile Sales is necessary for
the success of the application within your organization.
• There are several different software components required to make
Mobile Sales “tick”, and knowledge of all of them is essential.
• Relying on one person to be the Mobile Sales “Guru” within your
organization can create bottlenecks.
• Installing Mobile Sales can be a lot of work, but the process can be
easily automated.
• Setting users up with a training environment on their own
machines is a quick, painless process.
• Mobile Sales is not a difficult application to troubleshoot, but it
requires a variety of different skills.
• With a little effort, additional applications can be created that will
assist in the troubleshooting and support process.

48
Your Turn!
How to contact me:
Tom Leddy
tom.leddy@andrew.com
tomleddy@gmail.com
Questions?

Tips and Tricks to Troubleshoot and Support Your SAP CRM Mobile Sales System

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