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Procedure documentationDefining Expiration Dates for Snapshots and Archive Files

 

To include snapshots and archive files with an unknown expiration date in the data destruction runs, you need specify an expiration date in the system. The expiration date may be unknown in the following cases:

Type of Archive File

Cause of Unknown Expiration Date

Postprocessing

Snapshot

(Copy of transaction data from open business transactions as well as master data and context data)

The system cannot determine the expiration data of a snapshot.

You can release snapshots for data destruction by assigning an expiration date. This can be useful in the following cases:

  • If more than one snapshot was archived with the same input parameters and you want to save only the most recent of these in the ILM store and destroy the older ones.

  • Master data and context data from snapshots can be referenced from snapshot transaction data (but never from the system's database). If this reference is no longer available, and you want to destroy the snapshot with the master data and context data.

Archive file from complete archiving session

Information for determining the expiration date is not yet available during archiving.

To determine the expiration date (based on information that is now available), schedule ILM archive file conversion (and subsequent storage).

Procedure

Select Snapshots or Archive Files with an Unknown Expiration Date

  1. In the ILM Cockpit, choose Start of the navigation path Data Destruction Next navigation step Change Expiration Date End of the navigation path.

  2. To select archiving sessions with an unknown expiration date, proceed as follows:

    1. Enter the following data on the selection screen:

      • SAP system and client

        If you execute the function in a live system, the values are predefined. In Retention Warehouse, you enter the legacy system and client.

      • One or more archiving objects

      • Type of archiving sessions to be searched: Snapshots or Complete Sessions

    2. Choose Execute.

Defining an Expiration Date for Snapshots

When you have selected the snapshots, the system displays a list of snapshot sessions and the related snapshot files. The list is sorted chronologically, starting with the newest snapshots.

  1. Optional: Check the snapshots for which you want to define an expiration date as follows:

    • To display the entries with which you started the snapshot session, in the context menu for the snapshot, choose Display User Entries.

    • To display all snapshot sessions entries that you started with the same entries on the right-hand side of the screen, in the context menu for the snapshot, choose Display Same User Entries.

  2. To define the expiration date, proceed as follows:

    1. Select the snapshot session. You can select more than one snapshot session or a higher hierarchy node.

    2. Choose Set Expiration Date.

    3. Enter the following data:

      Input

      Description

      Flow Control

      • Test mode: Simulation (log creation without physically changing the expiration date)

      • Production mode: Change the expiration date according to specification (current or future date)

      Set Expiration Date

      • Current date: The expiration date is set to the current date.

      • Future date: The expiration date is set to the date you enter here. (If you select this option, the system shows the input field.)

      Start Date and Time

      Time-based specifications for starting the procedure

      Spool Parameters

      Specifications for printing in SAP background processing
Determining the Expiration Date for Archive Files from Complete Archiving Sessions

When you have finished selecting complete archiving sessions, the system displays a list of archiving sessions, each of which has at least one archive file with an unknown expiration date. The list is sorted chronologically, starting with the newest archiving session. The related archive files are displayed under each archiving session.

  1. Optional: To display the entries with which you started the archiving session, in the context menu for the archiving session, choose Display User Entries.

  2. To determine the expiration date, proceed as follows:

    1. Select the archiving session. You can select more than one archiving session or a higher hierarchy node.

    2. Choose File Conversion.

    3. Schedule ILM archive file conversion as follows:

      Input

      Description

      Flow Control

      • Test mode: Simulating the archive file conversion (log creation only)

      • Production mode: Transferring the archive files:

      Detail Log

      You can choose whether you want a complete detailed log, a detailed log without success messages, or not to have a detailed log.

      Converting to Snapshots

      For specific data (such as master data) without retention rules that is contained in complete archiving sessions, you can decide that you want the system to convert complete archiving sessions into snapshots.

      With Conversion

      This option ensures that archive file conversion that occurs when you make changes (for example, type changes for fields) between archiving and archive file conversion takes the current structure into consideration. This means the time to access data for the display functions is reduced.

      Start Date and Time

      Time-based specifications for starting the procedure

      Spool Parameters

      Specifications for printing in SAP background processing
Checking the Status

Choose the Job Overview pushbutton to display all the relevant jobs for changing the expiration date and converting files.

Choose the Logs pushbutton to display all the relevant entries in the application log.