In an attempt to standardize the archiving procedures used in the R/3 System and in order to fully utilize the potential benefits of client/server architecture, the archiving of internal orders has been completely overhauled for Release 3.0.
The new process ensures a higher degree of date security, because your data can then only be deleted from the database if it actual exists in the archive.
In Release 3.0, order archiving has changed as follows:
Set deletion indicator
Until now you only had to set the deletion flag manually. If retention period 1 had expired, the archiving program set the flag automatically.
In Release 3.0, you must set the flag manually. You can do this:
As before, the system checks, during archiving, whether retention period 1 has expired since the deletion flag was set.
Create archive
The new archiving program can only be started as a background job and checks only whether the criteria necessary for an object to be archived are fulfilled. For orders this means that retention period 2 is checked to see if it has expired since the deletion indicator was set. If so, then the order in question is archived.
The archiving program can also trigger a function which checks that the data concerned has actually been archived and, if this is the case, deletes it from the data base.
Manage archive
In addition, you can also call up a log containing detailed information and notes on the archiving runs you have performed.
Evaluate archive
You can use this function to read archives produced in releases 2.2 and 3.0. You can display master data, a cost report, or a line item report for the archived orders.
Settlement documents as partial objects
During order archiving, any existing settlement documents are automatically archived too. This obviates the need to start a settlement run for the settlement documents. It is still possible to archive the settlement documents separately.
You will find more information on archiving internal orders in the document "CO Internal Orders" and in the release note on new features in Archiving.