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Function documentationArchiving

 

You use this function to move records about a unique completed product from the active work in process (WIP) database to an archive database, which improves the retrieval of production records.

Over a period of time, the number of records in the WIP database becomes large. When the system searches through a large number of records, it slows down the retrieval process.

For performance reasons, when you archive an SFC number, you reduce the number of database calls by grouping the records together into a batch for each table. The database limits the number of records that can be batched together. The archive.children.update.batch.size setting in System Setup Maintenance is used to batch the records into reasonable size chunks (see System Setup Maintenance).

The system is set up to perform automatic batch archiving using a script (see Setting Up Automatic Archiving).

You can use the Archive activity that manually archives or unarchives specific SFC numbers or shop orders (see Archive).

You can use this function to archive SFC numbers with the following statuses:

  • Done

  • Scrapped

  • Deleted

  • Invalid

Note Note

You cannot archive an SFC number that is a member of an SFC group in the status of Group Created or Sampling Active.

End of the note.

If an SFC number is transferred to a destination site using Site-to-Site Transfer, SAP ME marks the transferred SFC number for immediate archive at the source site (see Site-to-Site Transfers).

You can use this function to archive shop orders with the following statuses:

  • Done

  • Closed

The system archives the following:

  • Closed engineering change orders (see Engineering Change Order (ECO))

  • A specific shop order when the last SFC number in this shop order is archived (automated archiving only)

    Note that the system deletes work instructions attached to a shop order imported from SAP ERP, when the shop order is archived.

  • A specific container number when the last SFC number in this container is archived (see Container)

    Note that when all SFC numbers are removed from a container for returns management, the system does not unarchive the container (see Integration of Service (RMA) Orders).

  • SFC BOM when the last SFC number using this BOM is archived (see Bill of Material (BOM))

  • Shop order BOMs when the last SFC number in the shop order is archived

  • An SFC group when the last SFC number in this SFC group is archived (automated archiving only).

  • Resource Time Log records

  • Component Time Log records

  • Message Log records

Unarchiving

Archived WIP records can be further restored (unarchived) from the archive database and put back in the active WIP database using the manual Archive activity. When you unarchive an SFC number or shop order, change the status from Done to another status to ensure the system does not archive the record again when the archive utility runs.

In Shop Order Maintenance, you can change the status of an unarchived shop order so that it is not automatically re-archived when the Archive utility runs next time (see Shop Order Maintenance).

Implementation Considerations

When you set up archiving, you must decide the following:

  • How long closed customer orders, closed shop orders, and their associated SFC numbers must remain in the WIP database before the system archives them.

  • How often you need to retrieve closed customer orders, shop orders and their associated SFC numbers.