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 Archiving

1. Archiving-Object-Specific Usage Check

The archive-object-specific usage check checks all products with the status To Be Archived . If the checks confirm that a product can be archived, the system sets the product status is to Archivable. To avoid data inconsistencies when archiving a product, the system simultaneously sets the status Locked and Deleted .

  1. Start the archive-object-specific usage check using the archiving administration, (transaction SARA).

  2. Enter the archiving object PRODUCT_MD.

  3. Choose Preprocessing .

    Note Note

    We recommend that you do not execute the cross-object usage check using Check/Delete for SAP Product, as this usage check includes all objects for which the status To Be Archived was set. Using this may result in objects unintentionally being archived and being deleted in the database. Since, as a general rule, archived objects cannot be retrieved, using the incorrect procedure could cause a loss of data.

    End of the note.

2. Writing Object Data to the Archive

The write program writes the data of all objects that have the status Archivable to the archive files defined for the appropriate archiving object.

In the archive administration of the ADK (transaction SARA), the system sets the status of the archiving run to Incomplete .

  1. Start the data-write to the archive using the archiving administration, (transaction SARA).

  2. Enter the archiving object PRODUCT_MD.

  3. Choose Write .

  4. Enter the start date and the spool parameters.

    You must enter an output device in the spool parameters. Normally there is the output device LP01 in the system (virtual printer).

  5. Choose Execute .

3. Releasing Objects for Physical Deletion in the Database

The delete program opens the archive files that the write program previously created and then reads them there. To avoid the archive files being read several times, the system flags these as read. For objects that were successfully read in the archive, the system sets the product status Archived, Locked and Deleted .

In the archive administration of the ADK (transaction SARA), the system sets the status of the archiving run to Complete .

  1. Start the deletion of data from the database using the archiving administration, (transaction SARA).

  2. Enter the archiving object PRODUCT_MD.

  3. Choose Delete .

  4. Enter the archive selection, start date and the spool parameters.

    You must enter an output device in the spool parameters. Normally there is the output device LP01 in the system (virtual printer).

  5. Choose Execute .

4. Archiving-Object-Specific Postprocessing

The archiving-object-specific postprocessing selects all SAP products for which the status Archived, Locked and Deleted is set, and deletes these objects from the database. The objects are no longer displayed in product maintenance:

  1. Start the postprocessing of the data using the archiving administration, (transaction SARA).

  2. Enter the archiving object PRODUCT_MD.

  3. Choose Postprocessing .

  4. Enter the archive selection, start date and the spool parameters.

    You must enter an output device in the spool parameters. Normally there is the output device LP01 in the system (virtual printer).

  5. Choose Execute .

5. Display Archived SAP Products in Product Maintenance

There is a technical view in product maintenance for archived products that allows you to read all the archived data and drill-down reporting of SAP Products through the archive explorer of the archive information system.

For the archiving object PRODUCT_MD, the field catalog SAP_PRODUCT_MD and corresponding archive information structure SAP_PRODUCT_AIS are delivered in the archive information system. You have to activate the archive information structure just once so that the archive for the SAP Product can be read. You can activate the archive information structure either at the start of archiving or at a later date.

After activating archive information structure SAP_PRODUCT_AIS and creating the index, you can display the archived products in product maintenance via Start of the navigation path Environment Next navigation step Display Archived Products End of the navigation path .