Some data must reside in the system for a specified length of time even if it is no longer being used (for example, for legal reasons). This is called the residence time. The data cannot be archived until it has been in the system for at least this length of time.

Since the residence time deals with a typical characteristic of movement data, master data in Plant Maintenance and Customer Service does not require a residence time.

Once the system establishes that a functional location meets the requirements for archiving, it can archive the data immediately.