Trace an SAP HANA Client Connection

1. Use hdbsqldbc_cons to set different tracing commands. Enter the following command to see the current trace settings:

   hdbsqldbc_cons SHOW ALL
   

   

   hdbsqldbc_cons utility can be found in the sap/hdbclient folder.

2. To specify the file location for the trace file and enable tracing of SQL statements, enter the following commands:

   hdbsqldbc_cons TRACE SQL ON LEVEL DEBUG
   mkdir c:\temp\traces
   hdbsqldbc_cons TRACE FILENAME c:\temp\traces\SQLDBC-%p.txt
   

   hdbsqldbc_cons TRACE SQL ON LEVEL DEBUG
   mkdir /tmp/traces
   hdbsqldbc_cons TRACE FILENAME /tmp/traces/SQLDBC-%p.txt
   

   The %p will be replaced with the process ID of the traced application. Including %p in the file name ensures that each process can write its own trace file.

   There are different categories of tracing that can be set, including: SQL, DEBUG, PACKET, and DISTRIBUTION as well as different levels, such as: DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, and FATAL. For more information, see SQLDBC Tracing and Trace Options.

3. Run the following command to connect to HDBSQL and query for the status. Since tracing is enabled, a trace file will be generated and can be used to see which SQL statements are called by \s.

   hdbsql -attemptencrypt -U User1UserKey "\s"
   

4. Find and open the generated trace file. Remember to replace #### to match the trace file name you wish to open.

   cd c:\temp\traces
   dir SQLDBC*.txt /od
   notepad SQLDBC-####.txt
   

   cd /tmp/traces
   ls -lt
   pico SQLDBC-####.txt
   

   

   Notice that the trace settings are shown at the top of the file.

   libSQLDBCHDB 2.5.86.1591211272
   SYSTEM: Microsoft Windows / X64
   BUILD AT: 2020-06-03 20:17:38
   BRANCH: unknown
   APPLICATION: C:\sap\hdbclient\hdbsql.exe
   
   ---
   Enabled Traces:
   
   SQL Trace: Level DEBUG
   Distribution Trace: Level DEBUG
   

   If the trace settings change while tracing is enabled, the Enabled Traces section will appear again in the trace file.

   If you are experiencing issues with SQLDBC tracing, consult Troubleshooting SQLDBC Tracing.

5. Search through the trace file and notice the SQL statements that were executed.

   ::EXECUTE WITH COMMIT SQLCURS_1 2020-06-26 07:11:09.717000 [0x000000000319c260]
   SQL COMMAND : SELECT VERSION FROM SYS.M_DATABASE
   ...
   ::EXECUTE WITH COMMIT SQLCURS_1 2020-06-26 07:11:09.729000 [0x000000000319c260]
   SQL COMMAND : SELECT B.HOST || ':' || SQL_PORT FROM PUBLIC.M_CONNECTIONS A JOIN SYS.M_SERVICES B   ON A.HOST = B.HOST and A.port = B.port   WHERE OWN = 'TRUE'
   

6. To turn off tracing for all categories, run the following command:

   hdbsqldbc_cons TRACE OFF
   

The FLUSH setting, when turned on, can reduce I/O activity. If you are investigating a crash, it should be turned on to ensure that all the trace information is recorded.

hdbsqldbc_cons TRACE FLUSH ON

In situations where hdbsqldbc_cons is not accessible, perhaps because a driver was installed directly using npm or pip, trace settings can be set using environment variables.

set HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEFILE=c:\temp\traces\SQLDBC-%p.txt
set HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEOPTS=SQL=DEBUG,FLUSH

export HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEFILE=/tmp/traces/SQLDBC-%p.txt
export HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEOPTS=SQL=DEBUG,FLUSH

Trace settings in environment variables take precedence over those set using hdbsqldbc_cons.

The environment variable values can be seen and removed with the following commands. The first and last commands display what the environment variable is set to. The middle command removes the value of the environment variable.

set HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEFILE
set HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEFILE=
set HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEFILE

set HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEOPTS
set HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEOPTS=
set HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEOPTS

printenv | grep HDB_SQLDBC_TRACE
unset HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEFILE
unset HDB_SQLDBC_TRACEOPTS
printenv | grep HDB_SQLDBC_TRACE

Java must be installed in order to complete the following steps. To check if it is installed run the following commands:

java -version
javac -version

1. To show the current JDBC tracing configuration, run the following command:

   java -jar c:\sap\hdbclient\ngdbc.jar SHOW
   

   Alternatively the trace settings can be viewed and set using a GUI.

   java -jar c:\sap\hdbclient\ngdbc.jar
   

   

2. Turn on the tracing for SQL statements using either the GUI or the commands below:

   java -jar c:\sap\hdbclient\ngdbc.jar TRACE ON
   java -jar c:\sap\hdbclient\ngdbc.jar TRACE FILENAME c:\temp\traces\jdbctrace
   java -jar c:\sap\hdbclient\ngdbc.jar TRACE API ON
   

   The different command-line option keywords can be found at JDBC Trace Options.

3. Execute a query which will generate a trace file. Change the host and port below to match your SAP HANA host and port.

   java -jar c:\sap\hdbclient\ngdbc.jar -u USER1,Password1 -n 10.0.06:39015 -o encrypt=True -o validatecertificate=false -c "SELECT * FROM HOTEL.CUSTOMER"
   

4. Examine the trace file.

   <html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body><PRE><PLAINTEXT>
   Java version: 8
   ClassLoader: sun.misc.Launcher$AppClassLoader@5c647e05
   Process ID: 29900
   Driver version: package com.sap.db.jdbc, Java Platform API Specification, version 1.8, SAP HANA JDBC Driver, SAP SE, 2.5.46-e639a4bbe5fced11566025fc2233868774e2de4f
   Trace configuration:
     Levels:                                       API
     Show plain-text client-side encrypted values: Disabled
     Show timestamps:                              Disabled
     Show elapsed times:                           Disabled
     Trace file size:                              Unlimited
     Stop on error:                                Disabled
   
   ---- Thread 306a30c7 main
   com.sap.db.jdbc.Driver@133314b.connect("jdbc:sap://10.0.06:39015", {encrypt=True, password=***, user=USER1, validatecertificate=false})
   => com.sap.db.jdbc.HanaConnectionFinalize@20fa23c1[ID:218976]
   com.sap.db.jdbc.HanaConnectionFinalize@20fa23c1[ID:218976].createStatement()
   => com.sap.db.jdbc.HanaStatement@77f99a05
   com.sap.db.jdbc.HanaStatement@77f99a05.execute("SELECT * FROM HOTEL.CUSTOMER")
   ...
   

Congratulations, you have now configured tracing with the SAP HANA Client interfaces!