Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Advantages of database archiving ............................................................................................................ 3
What is an Archiving Object? ........................................................................................................................ 3
Archive Information System ......................................................................................................................... 3
How to find the relevant Info Structure for each object .......................................................................... 4
How to activate info structures ................................................................................................................ 5
How to fill an Info Structure ...................................................................................................................... 6
How to create a new info structure .......................................................................................................... 9
Archiving Configuration steps ..................................................................................................................... 11
Cross Archiving Object Customizing ..................................................................................................... 11
Archiving Object Specific Customizing ................................................................................................. 12
Define Delete jobs ............................................................................................................................... 13
Basis Customizing .................................................................................................................................... 14
Application Specific Customizing ............................................................................................................ 16
Define Residence time for Archiving object .................................................................................... 16
Sales Document Archiving .......................................................................................................................... 18
Archiving object Sequence ...................................................................................................................... 18
Archiving Step by Step ............................................................................................................................. 19
Pre-requisites to archive sales documents ............................................................................................. 19
Step 01: Pre-Processing .......................................................................................................................... 19
What are Spool Parameters and why? ............................................................................................... 21
Check Suitability for Archiving ............................................................................................................ 23
Step 02: Writing ...................................................................................................................................... 25
Step 03: Delete ........................................................................................................................................ 28
Step 04: Read .......................................................................................................................................... 30
Archiving management tool ........................................................................................................................ 31
Archiving statistics ...................................................................................................................................... 32
Retrieving SD documents from archiving ................................................................................................... 33
Retrieving Delivery Documents .............................................................................................................. 33

Retrieving Billing Documents .................................................................................................................. 35
Read archived SD documents from document relationship browser (DRB) .............................................. 35
What is DRB? ........................................................................................................................................... 35
Read archived SD documents from archive Info system ............................................................................ 38
Useful SAP Notes on SD Archiving .............................................................................................................. 41






Introduction
As the time goes on any database system can suffer from performance issues due to large volume of
data. Once data volume is high, it uses more resources hence system performance get dropped. To
avoid such cases, data which is no longer used by the system should be removed from the database and
kept in a separate place for later references. During archiving, data is automatically compressed by up to
a factor of 5.
This process is known as Archiving.
Advantages of database archiving
Resolves storage space and performance problems caused by large volumes of transaction data
Makes master data easier to handle and to keep up to date
Ensures statutory data retention rules are observed
Ensures that data can be re-used at a later date, for example in new product development.
What is an Archiving Object?
The archiving object is the core of the SAP archiving concept. The archiving object determines what is
archived and how. It also describes which database objects must be handled together as a commercial
object and which must be interpreted independently.
Data in the R/3 Database can only be archived using archiving objects, which describe the data structure
and context.
Archive Information System
The Archive Information System (AS) is a generic tool for indexing data archives and is fully integrated
into the SAP Data Archiving environment. The indexes created with this tool, which are called Archive
Information Structures, are used to display archived data.
First you should check if an information structure already exists that you could use for reporting. You
can then change this information structure to suit your needs. If there is no information structure
available that you can use, you can create a new one.
You define the information structure to be used for archive reporting. In doing this, you specify which
source fields from the archive are copied to which fields in the information structure. You do this with
the help of application-specific field catalogs, which are included in the features of the Archive
Information System.

In simple terms, if you need to retrieve data after archiving took place, you need to activate all relevant
info structures for that archive object first.
How to find the relevant Info Structure for each object
Transaction: SARA
Press button option
Same can be directly reached through the transaction SARI.

Click on button
User search help or Press F4 under Archiving Info structure field

Use search option in the F4 help

Enter relevant archive object under field and press Enter key


Youll be able to see all relevant Info structure for that object here.


Important:
You have to find relevant info structures for all your archiving objects before archiving any data. Then
you need to activate those.
How to activate info structures
Transaction: SARA
Press button option
Same can be directly reached through the transaction SARI.

Press on button. Transaction: SARJ will get you to the same window as well.
Enter relevant info structure


Press button
If its successful, system will give a message like this;

Important:
Same has to be done for all relevant info structures in all relevant archive objects.
For example, for archiving object: SD_VBAK; you have to activate below info structures.

How to fill an Info Structure

This step is optional. (Only if you have done archiving without activating Info structures)
During an archiving delete run all (activated) archive information structures belonging to an archiving
object are filled automatically. Also the Archive Development Kit (ADK) transfers all data records found
in the archive to the AS interface. From the defined info structure, the AS filters the data from the data
records transferred and enters it in a transparent database table together with an access key. This table
serves as the basis for later searches.
This function allows you to fill an information structure with data from the available archives if the
delete program has already processed those archives.
Transaction: SARA

Click on button

You can directly access this window from the transaction SARI

Click on button
Enter Archive Object and press button

You can view the status of all relevant info structures here from the traffic light system.


Mark all info structure with red light and click on button

Choose processing time as Dialog for below message

Youll get a message as below

Press Enter
After that all traffic lights should turned to green


How to create a new info structure
This step is optional.
If required; you can create new info structures to read archived data. An information structure is only
valid for one archiving object. Several information structures can be defined for one archiving object.
Eg: For archiving object SD_VBAK; you have below set of info structures.


Transaction: SARA
Click on button
From screen, click on button
From press button
Give a ID, Description, relevant archive object and Field Catalog for new info structure as follows

Press

Enter relevant Development Package (Get it from Technical/Basis consultant)

Press
Now from , add fields you want to be in the selection criteria
from Optional fields table to Info structure fields table by highlighting and clicking
button

Once done, Press

Now you have created a new info structure. You need to activate this structure before using it for
archiving.
To activate it; please refer; How to activate info structures section in this document.

Archiving Configuration steps
Transaction: SARA
This transaction is a one stop shop for all archiving related settings, such as customizing, pre-processing,
archiving, deleting, reading, management, etc.
Before archiving an object, you need to customize relevant settings.
Enter relevant Archive object

Press button
Cross Archiving Object Customizing
Accept all default settings in section
You can review the defaults and update them appropriately. For example, you may want the system to
check for files in the file system or for stored files, have the system verify the archive file existence
before deleting, indicate the maximum amount of data you can write to the archive file, and give the
name of the server group name for a background job.


Archiving Object Specific Customizing
Click on under
section


Press
Under Settings for Delete Program, you have to maintain given 2 variants
To maintain Test Mode Variant, click on button
Mark Test Mode option

Click on button
Enter a name under Meaning field. Here Ill user same Name as Meaning.

Press
Press button and come to screen
Now click on Live Mode Variant and press button
Create the variant there as per above mentioned steps.
This has to be done to all relevant objects.
Define Delete jobs
Once archiving is done, you need to delete archived data from the data base. You can setup this in 3
ways. This you can define under Delete Jobs section.

Select if you want to manually carry out deleting.

Once done, Press
Basis Customizing
In this step you have to define the archive file path. This path is a global setting for the entire client.
(Object Independent) You can specify the external storage system and based on the configuration, the
system automatically transfers the archived files to the subsystem. You should link the external storage
system to the SAP system for file transfer. If you haven't specified the external storage system, you can
use the SAP Content Management Infrastructure.
As the name specified, this is done by basis consultants.

Click on under section

Here you specify cross- client file paths.


Highlight ARCHIVE_GLOBAL_PATH - Global path for archiving files line and click on
node in Dialog Structure section

Highlight the relevant System details and click on option.


As per my example, my archive files are saved to G:\usr\sap\archive\<FILENAME>

Application Specific Customizing
Define Residence time for Archiving object
What is Residence time?
The residence time refers to the amount of time that has to pass before a business object to be
archived. Residence time is measured in number of days and is entered in application-specific
Customizing for a specific archiving object.
The residence time can begins either with the creation date of the document, or with the last change
date.

Transaction: SARA
Press button
Click under Application-Specific Customizing
Section


Same can be accessed from the transaction VORA as well.
Enter Sales Organization, Sales Document type & Residence time in days here

Press and get the TR number
Note:
If you havent maintained the above step, youll get below error message during the archiving process.
Message no. VB801 - Internal error: DYNSQL_GENERATE_WHERE_CLAUSE (4)

Eg:

Sales Document Archiving
Archiving object Sequence
Archiving has to be done in a sequence. For example, to archive sales document, you need to archive
delivery, billing first. (Its like you need to archive all depended data of it first.)
In order to find depended objects, go to transaction SARA.
Enter the object under Archiving object field

Press
You can see the dependent objects in graphical mode.


With the network graphic, you can display an overview of the existing archiving objects, their
interdependencies, and the status of the most recent archiving.
By double clicking each box, you can directly go to relevant archiving screen.
By dragging the navigation box in the navigation area, you can get all dependent objects.
Archiving Step by Step
Scenario
Eg: Ill get single sales document and archive. SO # 1000093
Pre-requisites to archive sales documents
Please refer SAP Note 481577 - Archivability criteria for sales documents
Step 01: Pre-Processing
Some archiving objects require a program that prepares the data for archiving. This program flags data
to be archived, but it does not delete any data from the database.
Preprocessing programs must always be scheduled manually and are run from Archive Administration.
This is not available for all archiving objects.
Transaction: SARA
Enter relevant object


Press button
Enter a variant ID

Click on button
Set relevant selection parameters. (As per my example; EI have to enter the Sales Document no)
Mark below tick boxes

Press button
Give a description under Meaning field


Press
Click on button
Click on button to enter a start time for archiving process.
Based on scheduling or immediate execution, you have to setup data in this screen.
If its a immediate execution, click on button
Click on ,
Now you need to maintain Spool Parameters for the archiving process.
What are Spool Parameters and why?
Controls the print output of the generated archiving log.
You can choose Properties to maintain additional properties of the spool request. You do not generally
change these properties for each spool request.
If you have not configured any printer Enter LP01 or LOCL .These output types comes with the system
and just create spool and the spool will be deleted based on the Basis Configuration. Spool parameters
that are already specified in the user defaults or in the user-specific print parameters are automatically
applied. Otherwise, you only have to specify the spool parameters for the execution of the first ction in
an archiving session. They are retained until the end of the archiving session.



Click on in same screen.
Press
Once above 2 steps are completed, traffic lights has to be turned to green.

Now press button
Youll get a system message like this.

To check the log on processing status, click on button
In the Job Overview you can see the status of the job.


Click on the line and press button to see details.

Now press and come to
Now you need to write the Archive file.
You can check whether any SD document can be archived by executing below report.
Check Suitability for Archiving
Transaction: SE38
Go to the transaction.

Enter the report name as S3VBAKPT and press . (This report is for SD documents only)

Enter sales document number you want to check
Make sure you mark below tick boxes under Document Selection section

Press

You can see the result as follows



Step 02: Writing
This program creates archive files and writes data to them. It does not delete the data from the
database. You can specify in archiving object-specific Customizing, whether the delete program is
automatically started after an archive file is created.

In the maintain the relevant object.


Press button
Enter a variant ID for write data to archive file.

Click on button to create a variant.
Click on below options

By selecting you specify, last change will have an impact on
residence time calculation.
Make sure you set Production Mode option


Set below settings for logs

Click on button to maintain variant attributes
Enter description for variant in Meaning field

Press
Press and come to screen
Press button
Press to start immediately.
Press
Press button
Press
Now you should be able to see all traffic lights are turned to green.

Now press button
Click on button to see the log.
Press button till you get Finished Status

Click on to view details.

You have created the Archive file successfully.
Press and come to
Step 03: Delete
The data is usually deleted from the database, but in some circumstances, the archived data is only
flagged for deletion in the database.
You can specify in Customizing for archive objects whether archive files are to be automatically passed
to an archive system via ArchiveLink after processing.
Click on button to delete the archived files from the database.
Click on with your user ID

Mark tick boxes for the relevant archive session.


Press
Press button
Press to start immediately.
Press
Press button
Press
You should be able to see all traffic lights are turned to Green.

Now press button. Youll get message.
Make sure you un-tick Test Mode button

Press to check the log.
Press button till you get Finished status for the job.
Once job is finished, click on to see the log

If the deletion is successful, you will not able to access the sales document in VA02, VA03 transactions.


Same process is applicable for each archive object.
Eg:
SD_VBAK - Sales Documents
RV_LIKP Deliveries
SD_VBRK - Billing Documents
Step 04: Read
You can read archive data via this option.
Transaction: SARA
Enter relevant archive object and press button

Press button

Enter the relevant document number


Press button
If you know the relevant archive session, then select that or mark all archive sessions

Press button


Archiving management tool
In the transaction SARA, if you press button, you can see Sessions, Files
Archiving Objects, Job details, Physical File Name, Logical Path, File Name, size and the status.



Enter the object
Press button


Archiving statistics
This is used to see statistics about space saved in MB.
From the transaction SARA,
Enter the archiving object
Press button option.


You should be able to see the statistics of the data archiving for that object.

Retrieving SD documents from archiving
Some archived documents can be viewed directly from SAP transactions.
Retrieving Delivery Documents
When you archive delivery documents, you can read them via VL03N transaction. But, system issues a
message as follows,

You can see the icon in the header area as well.


To view connected documents (Sales order, billing, etc) you have to use the menu option, Environment -
> Relationship Browser

It will display all documents that are connected to this delivery.


Retrieving Billing Documents
Transaction: VF07
Once billing documents are archived, you can read them from the transaction VF07.
Enter the billing document number

Press Enter key

Read archived SD documents from document relationship browser
(DRB)
What is DRB?
Using the DRB, you can display linked objects or documents. Generally, these are documents resulting
from a common business transaction or belonging to a common process. The DRB groups the
documents together across applications. Typical accounting and logistics documents are included in the
DRB.

As of SAP Web Application Server Release 6.20, workflow logs and I-docs are also displayed in the DRB.
All objects are connected to the DRB so as to allow access to archived data.


Transaction: ALO1
Select the relevant category

Press
Enter relevant document number


Select option
Press
Youll get the archived data as follows

By using you can view details of the delivery document well.


Read archived SD documents from archive Info system
Transaction: SARA
Enter archive object and press button


From screen, click on
button

From screen; press
button

Enter relevant Archive lnfostructure and press

Enter relevant document number you want to retrieve and press


You should be able to see the relevant document overview

Click on button to view the document
Select the relevant data object and press Enter

Youll be able to view the document as follows


If you select option, youll be able to view data relationship browser.
Useful SAP Notes on SD Archiving

Below listed are some useful SAP notes on SD archiving.
547748 - FAQ Archiving of Sales Documents
492938 - FAQ Document Relationship Browser
481577 - Archivability criteria for Sales Documents
488970 - Archivability criteria for billing docs
99388 - Archive Information System
102446 - Archiving objects, Application Area, Customer Messages
497768 - Reloading archived deliveries (object RV_LIKP)
373568 - Archiving SD Reloading documents not supported



Author: Anupa Wijesinghe
E-Mail: anupaw@gmail.com / anupaw@learnsaptips.com
Website: www.learnsaptips.com
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This article is done based on my research and readings, unless otherwise stated. The views expressed
are my own and not of anyone else.
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