Archiving Digital Signature (CA-DSG)

Definition

Archiving object DS_ARCH to archive digital signatures executed using the class-based tool for the digital signature.

Use

Archiving

The archiving object DS_ARCH is used to archive digital signatures.

The system archives the signature header, the signature data (transactional data), the document to be signed, and the associated metadata of the application.

Updating of Archiving Flag

If you want to archive your signature tool data, you must flag the signature data for archiving. The updating of the archiving flag in the signature header record can be done by a call of the class method IF_DS_RUNTIME~MARK_FOR_ARCHIVE. This method determines the associated signature processes in the system and attempts to set the archiving flag in each signature header record. Signature data that was flagged for archiving can be archived at a later stage with the archiving object DS_ARCH in the transaction SARA.

Structure

The archiving object DS_ARCH consists of the following three database tables of the signature tool.

Database Table	Description
SIGNH	Contains the header data records
SIGNS	Contains the individual signature data records
SIGNDO	Contains the document data records

Furthermore, the metadatabase table from the relevant applications also belongs to the archiving object. The metadatabase table records of the applications are determined via the registration of the signature objects and the information of the signature header record (SIGNH). The associated metadata is archived together with the data of the SIGN* tables.

The following actions are available for the archiving object DS_ARCH:

Action/Report Assignment

Action	Report
Archive	DS_ARCH_WRI
Delete	DS_ARCH_DEL
Read (read out archive files per object)	DS_ARCH_READ_AR_BY_OBJECT
Read (read program using database and SAP AS)	DS_ARCH_READ_DB_AR_BY_INDEX

Archive Digital Signature

Choose the transaction SARA, enter the archiving object DS_ARCH, and perform the Write action.

For more information about carrying out archiving, see The Archiving Procedure.

To define the required variants, you can use the following selection criteria. They determine which digital signatures are to be archived:

Application
Signature object
Signature time from
Signature time to
Signature ID
Signature strategy
Type of signature
Signature method

Delete Digital Signature

Choose the transaction SARA, enter the archiving object DS_ARCH, and perform the Delete action.

For more information about carrying out archiving, see The Archiving Procedure.

You can specify whether the deletion program started after the archiving process is to run in test mode. You specify whether or not the deletion program is started at all in the general Customizing settings for Archiving. See also: Customizing

Display Digital Signature Using Transaction SARA

You can display the archived data by calling transaction SARA and then entering the archiving object DS_ARCH. Then perform the Read action.

Two read programs are available to you:

DS_ARCH_READ_AR_BY_OBJECT (reads the archive files per object)
DS_ARCH_READ_DB_AR_BY_INDEX (read program using database and Archive Information System SAP AS)

Note

When you call the read program DS_ARCH_READ_DB_AR_BY_INDEX from the transaction SARA, you can only read from the archive and you can only select the individual archive files manually. You cannot use transaction SARA to read from the database or to read from the archive using SAP AS. To perform these two read actions (read from database and read from archive using SAP AS), you have to use the transaction SE38.

Display Digital Signature Using Transaction SE38

To display the archived data using SE38, you can use the read program DS_ARCH_READ_DB_AR_BY_INDEX (read program using database and SAP AS).

On the initial screen for SE38, choose Extras → Data Source in the menu.

You can choose between:

Database
Archive
If you choose this option, you can define whether you want to display the data using the Archive Information System (SAP AS) or whether you want to select the data manually.

The Archive Information System (SAP AS) enables you to display data relating to a digital signature on a targeted basis (for example, application, signature object, signature time, and so on).

To use the Archive Information System, activate the archive information structure SAP_DS_ARCH supplied with the standard system. The field catalog for signature data from which you get the fields is called SAP_DS_ARCH_ALL.

You can also define your own structures. For more information, see Using the Archive Information System.

Archiving Application Logs for Signature Processes

Application logs for the signature processes are not archived together with the signature data. Use the existing archiving object BC_SBAL for this purpose. In the write program, you must choose the object CDSG1 on the selection screen.

Integration

You specify technical values for the archiving session, such as name, path and maximum archive file size, as well as the settings for the delete program, in Customizing for Archiving.