Process documentationBlocking and Unblocking Customer Master Data

 

Blocking customer master data enables you to block data that is no longer required for any business purposes. The data is blocked and not deleted as it is still in the retention period. The blocked data is no longer available for any business transactions or business use. The data is no longer displayed in existing business objects. You cannot edit, create new business objects or conduct follow-up activities with the blocked data.

Users with the SAP_CA_BP_ADMIN role can access the blocked data. These authorized users can unblock the data in exceptional cases. Blocked data can be unblocked only within the retention period since data is deleted after the retention period.

Prerequisites

  • You have activated the business function Information Lifecycle Management (ILM).

  • You have activated the business function ILM-Based Deletion of Customer and Vendor Master Data (ERP_CVP_ILM_1).

  • You have made the settings required for blocking and unblocking customer master data in Customizing under Start of the navigation path Logistics - General Next navigation step Business Partner Next navigation step Deletion of Customer and Vendor Master Data End of the navigation path.

  • You have the SAP_CA_BP_DP_ADMIN role with the required authorizations assigned to you.

  • You have defined the residence period and retention period rules for the customer master data (ILM objects: FI_ACCRECV, FI_ACCKNVK) in SAP Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) (transaction IRMPOL).

Process

  1. You run the Block Customer and Vendor Master Data report (transaction CVP_PRE_EOP). For information about the report, see Block Customer and Vendor Master Data.

  2. The system performs an end of purpose (EoP) check to determine whether the data related to the customer master data is used.

    An EoP indicates that business is complete and the residence time for the customer master data is over.

    The report considers the residence period and retention period rules maintained in ILM to determine if a customer master has reached the EoP with respect to a dependent application. When the EoP is ensured in all the dependent applications only then the data is blocked.

    In a multi-system landscape, the EoP is checked for an application in the local system as well as the remote systems. The customer master is blocked in the local system and the remote systems.

    System blocks data in the following sequence:

    1. Blocking all organizational levels. All partners at company code level.

    2. All contact persons related to partners

    3. Customer general data

  3. If the data is still used and business activities are not completed, the system does not block the data.

  4. If the data is not used by any applications, the system blocks the data.

    Blocking of data can impact system behavior in the following ways:

    • Display: The system does not display blocked data.

    • Change: It is not possible to change a business object that contains blocked data.

    • Create: It is not possible to create a business object that contains blocked data.

    • Copy or Follow-Up: It is not possible to copy a business object or perform follow-up activities for a business object that contains blocked data.

    • Search: It is not possible to search for blocked data or to search for a business object using blocked data in the search criteria.

    It is possible to display blocked data if a user has special authorization; however, it is still not possible to create, change, copy, or perform follow-up activities on blocked data.

  5. If you need to display blocked data, you can do one of the following:

    • Contact a business user who is authorized to display this data

    • Request unblocking using the Request Unblocking report (transaction BUP_REQ_UNBLK). For information about the report, see Request Unblocking.

  6. The system sends a notification to the user with authorization to unblock data user informing about the unblocking request.

  7. The user with authorization to unblock data approves or rejects the request to unblock the customer master data using the report Unblock Customer and Vendor Master Data (transaction CVP_UNBLOCK_MD). For information about the report, see Unblock Customer and Vendor Master Data

  8. If the user approves the request to unblock the customer master data, the system unblocks the data.

    System unblocks data in the following sequence:

    1. Customer general data

    2. Unblocking (optional) of sub levels

      1. Contact persons related to partners

      2. Partners at company code level

Result

The customer master data is blocked. After the retention period ends, the system deletes the data.