Activating the Archiving
Functionality 
Archiving must first be activated. To do so, you need to carry out various steps for SAP Product:
1. Adapt the Name and Path of the Archive File (Mandatory)
Before you carry out archiving you must adapt the definition of the archive file to your system landscape.
To adjust the definition of the archive file PRODUCT_MD, carry out the following steps:
1. In the archiving administration (transaction SARA), select the archiving object PRODUCT_MD.
2. Choose Customizing.
3. In the screen Data Archiving Customizing, choose Basis Customizing ® Cross-Client File Names/Paths
4. Enter data as required.
For more
information, see 
Defining Logical Paths
and File Names.
The archive files for the archiving object PRODUCT_MD are created with the logical file name ARCHIVE_DATA_FILE in the logical path ARCHIVE_GLOBAL_PATH.
2. Adapt the Runtime Settings for the Archiving Object PRODUCT_MD (Mandatory)
Before you carry out archiving, you must check the runtime settings for the archiving object PRODUCT_MD and adapt them to your system requirements if necessary. Check in particular the settings for Logical File Names, since it is specified here where the data will be archived.
To check the technical data of the archiving object PRODUCT_MD, carry out the following steps:
...
1. In the archiving administration (transaction SARA), select the archiving object PRODUCT_MD.
2. Choose Customizing.
3. In the screen Data Archiving Customizing, choose Archiving Object-Specific Customizing ® Technical Settings
4. Check the system settings for Logical File Names.
5. Check the system setting for Archive File Size.
6. Check the settings for Settings for Delete Program.
7. Check the system settings for Place File in Storage System.
8. When you have adjusted the data, choose Save.
3. Create Program Variants for the Program COM_PRODUCT_SELECTIONS (optional)
We recommend that you create a variant (for example with the name PRODUCT_SEL) for the program COM_PRODUCT_SELECTIONS with which you can restrict archiving to certain products (various product types, product IDs or products from a particular logical system). You can select these variants as variants for checking objects.
To create a program variant, carry out the following steps:
...
1. In the archiving administration (transaction SARA), select the archiving object PRODUCT_MD.
2. Choose Customizing.
3. In the screen Data Archiving Customizing, choose Application-Specific Customizing ®Cross-Object Check/Delete.
4. In the screen Customizing for Cross- Archiving-Object Programs, choose Create Variant.
5. In the screen ABAP: Variants –Initial Screen, enter a variant name and choose Create.
6. In the screen Maintain Variant: Report COM_PRODUCT_SELECTIONS, Variant <Variant Name>, enter data as required.
7. To specify attributes for these variants, choose Attributes.
8. To save the attributes, choose Save.
9. To save the variants, choose Save.
10. To set a variant as active for archiving, in the screen Customizing for Cross- Archiving-Object Check/Delete, choose this variant in the field Active Variant.
11. Choose Save.
4. Activate Archiving Information Structure SAP_PRODUCT_AIS (Optional)
The archive information structure SAP_PRODUCT_AIS is delivered inactive with a field catalog SAP_PRODUCT_MD. The information structure must be activated before the first archive read. The information structure can (if active) be automatically updated during the archiving deletion run and is required for displaying archived products through the archive explorer of the SAP Archive Information System. You can also create the index for archiving specifically for the PRODUCT_MD archive when archiving is complete.
To activate the archiving information structure, carry out the following steps:
...
1. Choose archiving administration, (transaction SARA).
2. Choose Goto ® Information System.
3. Choose Customizing.
4. In the field Archive Infostructure, enter SAP_PRODUCT_AIS.
5. Then choose Archive Infostructure ® Activate.