How To Fix PA278 - Environment variable 'TEMP' is not maintained

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: PA - Recruitment Messages

• Message number: 278

• Message text: Environment variable 'TEMP' is not maintained

What causes this issue?

Environment variable 'TEMP' is not maintained in your Windows system.

System Response

To call up the standard letter function in Microsoft Word, various
files must be downloaded to the local hard disk of the presentation
server. The necessary system information (name of the local disk drive,
name of the directory) are determined by the environment variable
'TEMP'.

How to fix this error?

Please maintain the environment variable in the Windows operating
system of the presentation server (front-end).

Procedure for System Administrators

The system issues an error message and will not allow you to continue with this transaction until the error is resolved.

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

Smart SAP Assistant

• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message PA278 - Environment variable 'TEMP' is not maintained ?

  The SAP error message PA278, which states "Environment variable 'TEMP' is not maintained," typically occurs when the system is unable to find or access the temporary directory specified by the TEMP environment variable. This can happen in various scenarios, particularly when executing programs or processes that require temporary file storage.
  Cause:
  
  Missing TEMP Variable: The TEMP environment variable is not set in the operating system.
  Incorrect Path: The path specified in the TEMP variable is incorrect or points to a non-existent directory.
  Permissions Issue: The user running the SAP process does not have the necessary permissions to access the directory specified in the TEMP variable.
  System Configuration: The system may not be configured correctly to recognize the TEMP variable.
  
  Solution:
  To resolve the PA278 error, you can follow these steps:
  
  
  Check Environment Variables:
  
  On Windows, you can check the TEMP variable by:
  
  Right-clicking on "This PC" or "My Computer" and selecting "Properties."
  Click on "Advanced system settings."
  In the System Properties window, click on the "Environment Variables" button.
  Look for the TEMP variable in the "User variables" and "System variables" sections.
  
  
  
  
  
  Set or Correct the TEMP Variable:
  
  If the TEMP variable is missing, you can create it:
  
  Click on "New" in the Environment Variables window.
  Set the variable name as TEMP and the value to a valid directory path (e.g., C:\TEMP or C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Temp).
  
  
  If the TEMP variable exists but points to an incorrect path, edit it to point to a valid directory.
  
  
  
  Check Permissions:
  
  Ensure that the user account running the SAP application has read and write permissions to the directory specified in the TEMP variable.
  
  
  
  Restart the SAP Application:
  
  After making changes to the environment variables, restart the SAP application or the entire system to ensure the changes take effect.
  
  
  
  Check SAP Configuration:
  
  In some cases, you may need to check the SAP configuration settings to ensure that it is correctly set up to use the TEMP variable.
  
  
  
  Related Information:
  
  SAP Notes: Check SAP Notes for any specific patches or updates related to this error message.
  Operating System Documentation: Refer to the documentation for your operating system for more details on managing environment variables.
  SAP Community: You can also search the SAP Community forums for discussions related to this error, as other users may have encountered and resolved similar issues.
  
  By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the PA278 error and ensure that the TEMP environment variable is correctly maintained.