Reloading an Archive/Reading Archived Data (PA-PA) in SAP HR

Reloading an Archive

As a rule, there is no need to reload archived data because it is possible to view data stored in archive files.

If, however, you need to reload data, you must proceed with great caution. If possible, you should reload an entire archiving run. If this is not possible because of insufficient space on the database, for example, or because of organizational factors, it is still possible to reload individual objects. An object consists of all of the documents for a personnel number or applicant number in one period, so that objects are selected by selecting a set of personnel numbers and selecting applicant and/or personnel numbers. However, such partial reloads cause data access to become considerably slower when data is read in the archive.

If you select the Test run field, the reload program starts as a test run. This prevents data from being written to the database. Only part of the data must be reloaded onto the database. The data that is reloaded can be selected by personnel number. A distinction can also be made between applicant numbers and personnel numbers. The data that is not reloaded is written to a new archive. You cannot read or reload the old archive any longer. This ensures data consistency. An object is stored either in an archive or on the database. This means that reloaded data must be rearchived if you do not want to keep it on the database.

The Detailed log option enables you to create a detailed list of processed documents. However, you should only use this option if errors have already occurred because it triggers the creation of an extremely detailed log.

Reading Archived Data

Report RPUAUD00 enables you to read the data stored in an archive. You are not required to reload the data first.

Deletion Criteria (PA-PA)

You can archive documents for any period. It is possible to archive documents for the current week due to the fact that infotype logs are an option. The period for which archiving occurs depends to a great extent on factors such as whether data from the recent past is still used frequently. Should this be the case, the data must remain in the system. If data is rarely required, archiving can also be performed for very recent data.

Deletion Procedure

As a rule, the deletion program is accessed automatically after archiving has occurred. The archiving and deletion procedures should only be decoupled in exceptional circumstances.

If you decouple the archiving of data records from the deletion of archived data records, you can access the deletion program separately. Please note that a variant for the test run and a variant for the productive run are available.

If you select the Test run field, the deletion program starts as a test run. The table entries are not deleted.

Application Customizing (PA-PA) in SAP HR

Use

You must carry out basis customizing for archiving. This step is used to determine technical values for the archiving run, such as the name, path, and maximum size of the archive file, and the settings for the deletion program.

If you require further information on basis customizing, please refer to the Customizing section.

Authorizations (PA-PA) in SAP HR

To ensure that you can process the PA_LDOC object in Archiving Administration, you require authorization P_ARCH_LDOC.

Runtimes (PA-PA) in SAP HR

Storage Requirements

The storage requirement for an archiving run depends to a great extent on the infotypes for which infotype log creation has been activated in table T585A Infotypes With Documents and on the frequency of changes. Please refer to the following section, Frequency.

If archives are considerably larger than 100 MB, the process of restoring the archive or accessing archived data could take much longer. The extent of this delay depends on the system itself.

Frequency

Archiving frequency also depends to a great extent on the infotypes for which infotype log creation has been activated. You can attain an overview by performing a test archiving run after a specific period of time, such as a month. To do this, create a variant for which the Test run option has been set, and the Detailed log option has not. Once the test run has been executed, you can display the spool list to see how many PCL4 records have been selected. One record consists of approximately 4 KB.

Archiving Runtime

Archiving runtime is determined by a number of factors, such as the size of the individual objects, system load, and the system itself. As a general rule, archiving and subsequent deletion are performed at an approximate rate of 50-100 MB per hour. Please note that this is only a guide.

Archiving PA Long-Term Documents (PA-PA) in SAP HR

Definition

Archiving object PA_LDOC is used to archive long-term documents from the creation of the infotype log.

The long-term documents can be for personnel numbers or applicant numbers.

Use

An object of this type consists of all long-term change documents that exist for a personnel number or applicant number in a period that you can define as required. The change documents are stored in table PCL4 in clusters LA (personnel numbers) and LB (applicant numbers).

When you create the archive, you can choose to archive documents for HR data, applicant data, or both. You can also choose the period for which data is archived. In this respect, the period refers to the date on which the document was written.