Why Archive?
SAP databases typically grow 20%-30% per year.
You have three options:
Increase your storage and expand your data footprint
Delete it
Archive it
The Basics Of Archiving
- The SAP Data Archiving process is used to move data offline, for either deletion or later access (view only) via Archiving Run or Deletion Run
- Selection parameters(variants) are pre‐defined for each run
- Data is eligible for data archiving/deletion once it:
- Becomes “Business Complete” – Meets minimum retention time – Has met
- selection criteria (variant) for the run
- Is readable from the archive file
The Business Case
- Reduce data footprint and improve system performance – response times and availability
- Enhanced user experience – faster access to data
- Real-time access to historical data
- Optimized Backup and Recovery times
- Compliance with Data Retention guidelines(NARUC, NERC / CIP, etc.)
- Shorter upgrade and migration timelines
- Foundational for full ILM (Data Aging, Cleansing and Governance, etc.)
- Retire Legacy Systems used as data repositories – simplify landscape and reduce hardware and support costs
Measurable Business Value for Stakeholders:
IT
- Facilitate a smoother transformational initiatives and migrations to S/4HANA or Cloud
- Save space and improve system performance
- Lower TCO with right-sized licensing, hardware and support
- Potential legacy system retirements
Business
- Enhanced end user experience and increase system adoption
- Manage compliance and risk
- Seamless access to archived data
C-Suite
- Low cost, high value initiative with immediate and measurable benefits
- Quality data for better for decisions
- Solid foundation for transformations
- Improved organizational alignment for future initiatives
Key Takeaways
- High data volume in Utilities mandate early adoption of ILM practices
- Ensure access to archived data is seamless – Goal is transparent access to both online and archived data
- Performance gains with Data Archiving do not always mean targeting highest volume objects
- Linked environment implementations, timelines and upgrades can pose a serious threat to archiving initiatives
- Big Bang Archiving implementations rarely succeed
- Understand retention policies and ensure compliance
- Engage the right team for the target Objects:
- Front office (CRM) and Back office (IS-U)
- Reporting
- FI-CA (reversals)
- Meter read processing
- External invoice document printing systems, if used
- Master Data Managers (Contracts, Business Partners)