SyteLine Log Analysis and Troubleshooting Techniques
When SyteLine users report errors, slowness, or unexpected behavior, log files are the first place a system administrator should investigate. SyteLine generates logs at multiple levels: the application server log (SLAppServer.log), IIS web server logs, SQL Server error and trace logs, and Windows Event Logs. Knowing which log to examine for which type of problem—and how to extract actionable information from verbose log output—is the core skill of effective SyteLine troubleshooting.
SyteLine Application Server Log Analysis
The SyteLine Application Server log (SLAppServer.log) is located in the SyteLine utility server's log directory, typically under the Mongoose installation path. This log captures IDO execution errors, session management events, license checkout/return records, and application-level exceptions. When users report form errors or transaction failures, the SLAppServer.log contains the stack trace and error context that identifies the root cause. The log uses a timestamp-severity-message format, and filtering by ERROR or FATAL severity quickly surfaces critical issues. For intermittent problems, enable verbose logging temporarily by adjusting the log level in the SyteLine Configuration Utility from WARN to DEBUG, but disable it after investigation to prevent log file bloat and performance impact.
- Locate SLAppServer.log in the Mongoose installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Infor\SyteLine\Logs or configured path)
- Filter for ERROR and FATAL entries using findstr or a log analysis tool to surface critical issues quickly
- Correlate log timestamps with user-reported error times to isolate the specific error context and stack trace
- Temporarily increase log verbosity to DEBUG in SLConfigUtil.exe > Logging tab for intermittent issue investigation
- Archive and rotate log files using a scheduled task to prevent disk space exhaustion from accumulating log data
IIS and Web Server Log Troubleshooting
IIS logs record every HTTP request to the SyteLine web client, including response codes, response times, and client IP addresses. These logs are located in the IIS default log directory (C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles) organized by site. HTTP 500 errors indicate server-side failures in the SyteLine application, 401 errors indicate authentication failures, and 408 errors indicate request timeouts. For performance troubleshooting, the time-taken field (in milliseconds) reveals which requests are slow, and aggregating by URL pattern shows which SyteLine forms or IDO calls are performance bottlenecks. Log parsing tools like Log Parser, GoAccess, or Microsoft Log Parser Studio make it efficient to query large IIS log files with SQL-like syntax.
- Find IIS logs at C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles\W3SVC{SiteID}\ sorted by date in W3C Extended Log Format
- Query for HTTP 500 errors using Log Parser: SELECT date, time, cs-uri-stem, sc-status WHERE sc-status = 500
- Identify slow requests by sorting on time-taken field: requests exceeding 5000ms indicate performance bottlenecks
- Correlate IIS 500 errors with SLAppServer.log entries at the same timestamp to get the full error context and stack trace
- Monitor HTTP 401 patterns to detect brute-force authentication attempts or misconfigured Windows Authentication settings
SQL Server Diagnostic Techniques
SQL Server problems manifest as SyteLine slowness, timeouts, or data inconsistency. The SQL Server Error Log captures startup events, severity 17+ errors, and failed login attempts. For query performance issues, use SQL Server Profiler or Extended Events to trace the actual SQL statements SyteLine executes, their execution times, and resource consumption. The sys.dm_exec_query_stats DMV reveals the most expensive queries by CPU, I/O, or execution count without requiring a trace. For deadlock investigation, enable trace flag 1222 to capture deadlock graphs in the error log, showing which SyteLine transactions are conflicting and which resources they contend for.
- Review SQL Server Error Log in SSMS > Management > SQL Server Logs for severity 17+ errors and failed authentication
- Use Extended Events sessions to capture long-running queries (duration > 5 seconds) with execution plans for analysis
- Query sys.dm_exec_query_stats for top resource-consuming queries by total_worker_time, total_logical_reads, or execution_count
- Enable trace flag 1222 (DBCC TRACEON(1222, -1)) to log deadlock graphs for investigating blocking-related SyteLine errors
- Run DBCC CHECKDB on the SyteLine database monthly to detect physical corruption before it causes runtime data errors
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Related Resources
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Infor SyteLineSyteLine Environment Management Guide: Dev, Test, Prod
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