Data Archiving – a service provided by SAP NetWeaver – removes mass data that the system no longer needs online, but which must still be accessible at a later date if required, from the database. The following illustration demonstrates the archiving process: You use archiving objects to write documents to archive files that can be stored on other media.

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Data in the database can only be archived using archiving objects that describe the data structure and context.

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Integration

For the majority of the archiving objects the SAP Data Archiving concept is based on the Archive Development Kit (ADK).

For some applications it is possible to start archiving directly from the application menu. In these cases the application-specific parameters, such as the archiving object or the archiving program appear as default values.

Archiving objects for each application component are predefined in the system. Their structures are described in the application-specific sections.

Features

The archiving procedure is divided into three main steps:

●      Creation of archive files

         In the write phase the data to be archived is written sequentially into newly created archive files.

●      Delete from the database

        The delete program reads the data from the archive files and then deletes it from the database.

●      Storage of archive files

        The newly created archive files can then be moved to a storage system or copied to a tape. The removal to an              external storage system can be triggered manually or automatically. It is also possible to store the data before the          delete phase.

        The archiving programs are generally scheduled in the background. However, they can also run in online mode.