Top 10 SAP data archiving questions and answers

Organisations create vast amounts of data in their business system. Before you know it, this data will soon start getting overwhelming. As a result, you will start experiencing decreased system performance, increased storage costs, and compliance challenges. This is where data archiving steps in to help you. However, archiving is a complex topic, and getting a good hold on this topic is not easy. That's why, for your better understanding, read this extensive article on SAP data archiving questions to unlock complete insight. Read on.

Question 1: What is SAP data archiving?

SAP data archiving is a systematic method that helps businesses control their database growth. The process allows you to optimise system performance, making sure that the database resources are used efficiently within the IT environment. Moreover, it is a secure process that enables long-term data storage and retention, providing organisations with a secure storage location for critical information. This archived data stored in the secondary storage is often used during audits. From effective process implementation to easy troubleshooting, SAP archiving is one of the best methods to control your database growth.

Question 2: What are the technologies used for data archiving?

There are several technologies involved in the archiving process that help you find a balance between retaining critical historical data and maintaining a lean, effectively performing IT landscape. In the context of SAP, the technology used for data archiving is the Archive Development Kit along with Archive Administration (transaction SARA). However, in the non-SAP context, other technologies, such as Intermediate Archive implementation, can be used to support the data archiving process.

Question 3: Are there any types of archiving?

This is perhaps one of the most important SAP archiving questions because, unlike the generally accepted idea, there are three different types of archiving. These types are – data archiving, document archiving, and fiscal archiving. Let's take a look at these types one by one.

Data archiving: This type of archiving is used to archive structured data where you can move the inactive data from the main database to a secondary storage. With this type of archiving, you have a set strategy and process to reduce manual errors and efforts.

Document archiving: This type of archiving is undertaken for unstructured data. With this, you can archive PDFs, Word files, Excel spreadsheets, sales invoices, etc. It happens in real time and can be served on any content server. 

Fiscal archiving: Though often overlooked, fiscal archiving is a crucial type of archiving. This type of archiving refers to the regular process of freezing your data. Freezing in this context means you keep the state of your data at a specified time period by archiving them. By following this process, you can ensure the quality of your audit reports, which is based on consistent original data.

Question 4: When should you start archiving data?

Another of the most frequently asked SAP archiving questions is when exactly organisations should begin their archiving process. Well, according to most experts, businesses should start archiving from day one, which means as soon as your system goes live. You might think that you have plenty of time on your hands before the volume of data is large enough to impact performance. But, according to a recent survey, most organisations have experienced that their data was growing faster than expected. So, if your system is already live, it is highly advisable to start archiving as soon as possible, because:

• If you start early, the process will take less time to complete.
• This will help you prevent performance issues rather than cure them.
• It will help you to reduce excess storage requirements.

Question 5: Why is data archiving important for businesses?

While implementing and troubleshooting SAP archiving solutions is relatively straightforward, the advantages of data archiving within SAP systems extend far beyond mere simplicity. Here are some of the advantages:

• Significant reduction in cost
• Reduced total cost of ownership
• Stay on par with legal and regulatory requirements
• More improved and optimised system performance
• Helps you achieve your sustainability goals faster

Question 6: What are the immediate benefits of data archiving?

Businesses can enjoy several benefits with the help of an efficient data archiving process. You can expect some of the benefits, such as it helps you migrate to an upgraded business system with relevant data, the time taken for migration will be significantly reduced, and lastly, you can expect efficient disaster recovery and business continuity with data archiving.

Question 7: Can you troubleshoot any system issues with the help of data archiving?

Not troubleshooting in literal terms, but archiving can help you improve disaster recovery and business continuity. You must be wondering how? Well, a leaner and faster system means you can bounce back quicker in case of any system failures. Businesses can restore their data effectively while minimising data loss. This capability of troubleshooting is SAP archiving's top advantage.

Question 8: How does SAP data archiving help businesses meet legal and regulatory requirements?

Data can come in many forms. From corporate emails to sensitive financial data, everything contains personal information. The data privacy rules are set according to the country's specific requirements, and implementing them can be complex. However, data archiving can help you ease this process. All you need to do is identify personal data, set retention rules, and apply SAP ILM Retention Management, a part of SAP data archiving technology.

Question 9: What is the difference between data destruction and data archiving?

Another commonly asked SAP archiving question is the difference between data archiving and data destruction. With data archiving, you can control the size of your database while reducing its growth. Data destruction, on the other hand, is a standard method that helps destroy data to comply with data privacy laws.

Old data is not supposed to exist in the system as per the compliance policies, and data destruction helps with consistent and secure deletion of that old data. On the contrary, data archiving helps reduce data in the main database by moving it to another storage location, which you can access later for audit purposes.

Question 10: How do different migration approaches and SAP data archiving relate to each other?

Basically, there are three main types of migration approaches: Greenfield, Brownfield, and Bluefield approach. And coming to the next part of the SAP archiving question, archiving plays a critical role in all three approaches by significantly reducing the amount of data that needs to be migrated to the new system, leading to fewer migration times, optimised system performance, and cost savings. Moreover, archiving specifically helps in the Brownfield and Bluefield approaches, where the goal is to selectively transfer the required data while leaving less frequently accessed data in archive storage.

Conclusion

There's no doubt that data archiving is one of the best ways to manage the ever-increasing data growth. By leveraging its numerous benefits, organisations can seamlessly improve their system performance, comply with legal requirements, and reduce costs associated with storage requirements. However, even with the help of the above-mentioned SAP archiving questions and answers, implementing archiving solutions can be tricky. That's why having a helping hand, such as an expert archiving consultant, comes in handy.