CALL_FUNCTION_REMOTE_ERROR — CALL_FUNCTION_REMOTE_ERROR dump diagnosis

CALL_FUNCTION_REMOTE_ERROR is a runtime error raised in the calling program when a CALL FUNCTION ... DESTINATION statement invokes a function module on a remote system and that call fails in a way the caller has not declared how to handle. The failure originates on the remote side: the remote function module itself terminates abnormally, the remote kernel rejects the call outright, or the RFC layer reports that execution could not complete. This is passed back across the connection as an exception. If the calling statement does not list SYSTEM_FAILURE and COMMUNICATION_FAILURE in its EXCEPTIONS addition, the local kernel has nowhere to route the error, so it terminates the calling program with a short dump instead of handing control back to ABAP logic. The dump is a symptom of the remote leg of the call, not necessarily a defect in the calling program's own business logic.

If the EXCEPTIONS addition is missing, add SYSTEM_FAILURE = 1 and COMMUNICATION_FAILURE = 2 with appropriate MESSAGE text to the CALL FUNCTION statement and give the caller a real branch — retry, log, or fail gracefully with a business message. This is an ABAP code change requiring a change request and transport. If a remote dump is found in the target system's ST22, the fix belongs to whoever owns that remote object or its data; the local program only needs the exception handling added so the next occurrence does not repeat the same blind termination. If the destination is unreachable, Basis corrects the RFC destination configuration in SM59 or restarts the affected work processes and gateway — no code change needed. If it is an authorization gap, the missing authorization object is added to the RFC user's role on the remote system, typically a security/functional task with its own change process. If it is an interface mismatch, the calling and called interfaces are re-synchronized, which usually means transporting a corrected version of the function module or the calling program together.

The reflex is to wrap the CALL FUNCTION in EXCEPTIONS OTHERS = 9 or a blanket TRY/CATCH around CX_ROOT and swallow the error so the dump stops appearing. This makes the program limp forward with no data from the remote call and no visible failure, which is worse than the dump: the business process now silently produces incomplete results instead of stopping and telling someone. Adding EXCEPTIONS OTHERS without distinguishing SYSTEM_FAILURE from COMMUNICATION_FAILURE also hides which of the two actually happened, making the next diagnosis harder.

Enforce a code review rule that every CALL FUNCTION ... DESTINATION statement declares SYSTEM_FAILURE and COMMUNICATION_FAILURE explicitly with meaningful handling, not a bare OTHERS catch-all. Monitor RFC destination availability proactively rather than discovering outages through a dump — a scheduled connectivity test against critical destinations catches a down system before a business program hits it. Where interfaces are shared across systems, version them and coordinate transports of caller and callee together to avoid signature drift.

First triage is ABAP: confirm whether EXCEPTIONS handling is missing in the calling program. If the root failure is a remote dump, ownership passes to whoever owns that remote function module. Basis owns RFC destination and gateway health. The handover note should state the RFC destination name, remote system ID, timestamp, whether a matching remote-side dump exists, and whether the calling statement already has SYSTEM_FAILURE/COMMUNICATION_FAILURE declared.

Closely related to CALL_FUNCTION_NOT_FOUND and CALL_FUNCTION_CONFLICT_TYPE, which are other CALL FUNCTION dump variants triggered by interface or destination problems rather than a remote-side execution failure. TIME_OUT can appear alongside this dump when the remote call hangs instead of failing outright. UNCAUGHT_EXCEPTION is the general pattern this dump is a specific instance of, since CALL_FUNCTION_REMOTE_ERROR is effectively an unhandled RFC exception. SM59, ST22, and SM21 on both the local and remote systems are the transactions used to trace it end to end.