SAP Data Archiving is the SAP supported method for data archiving in SAP enterprise systems. SAP Data Archiving enables the user to keep the size of sensitive enterprise database under control. Archiving capabilities in SAP R/3 are provided across all modules by a built-in, centralized component (SAP ADK, Archive Development Kit) and add-on components such as ArchiveLink�. Both these components deal with SAP data in form of special objects, known as Archiving Objects.
This paper discusses in detail the basic process used by Archive Development Kit (ADK) and ArchiveLink� for data archiving. But before understanding ADK, it is important to understand the concept of Archiving objects.
Archiving Objects
Archiving objects are the essential ingredients for archiving SAP data. An archiving object can be defined as a logical unit, which is obtained from SAP data objects. When data objects are combined on the basis of requirements, a business object is formed, which then can be archived.
Archiving objects instruct the SAP archiving system to get the right tables when archiving specific R/3 business objects. They are defined using transaction AOBJ.
The archiving objects are defined for different modules of a SAP system. For example, financial accounting documents are archived via the archiving object FI_DOCUMNT, which comprises the document header, company-code-dependent postings, change documents, SAPscript texts and other elements. Some archiving objects with their basic functionality are listed in the table below.
Archiving Object
Type of Archiving Object
Details
PP_ORDER
Production
Using this object you can archive production orders
FI_DOCUMNT
Finance
Using this object you can archive credit memo documents
SD_VBRK
Sales and Distribution
Using this object you can archive customer billing documents
MM_EKKO
Material Management
Using this object you can archive purchasing documents
W_PROMO
Retail
Using this object you can remove old promotion data from your system
SD_AGREEM
Sales and Distribution
Through this you can archive arrangements and the associated conditions
Each archiving object has automated associated methods. The table given below describes these methods in brief. These methods are the functions or subroutines, which work with archived objects.
Access Type
Method
Description
ALL
ARCHIVE_OPEN_FOR_WRITE
Open archive file for writing.
ARCHIVE_OPEN_FOR_READ
Open archive file for reading
ARCHIVE_OPEN_FOR_MOVE
Open archive file to reload.
ARCHIVE_OPEN_FOR_DELETE
Open archive file to delete.
ARCHIVE_CLOSE_FILE
Close all archive files
Write access
ARCHIVE_NEW_OBJECT
Get new data object
ARCHIVE_SAVE_OBJECT
Write data object from data container to the
archive file.
Read access
ARCHIVE_GET_NEXT_OBJECT
Read next data object into the data container
from the archive file.
