The explosive growth of Business data in recent years has placed significant strain on systems attempting to withstand the weight of high data volumes generated by transactions. While other projects such as SAP system upgrades, conversion to S/4 HANA and SAP migrations to cloud (amongst others), may be at the top of your agenda, SAP data archiving should, instead, rank as the first priority in these business endeavors. 

Data archiving is one of the most under-utilised components of an effective data volume management strategy. 

According to SAP Insider, “Poor data management can lead to many problems from incorrect data to lack of integration to bad analysis.”

At GlueData, we are all about assisting global SAP clientele to master their data through trusted expertise in data management with a special focus on SAP data solutions.

Let’s unpack the situation many organisations and companies find themselves in before delving into the way in which SAP data archiving provides light at the end of the tunnel:

The Data Dilemma

The rise in data volume and availability has resulted in many companies sitting with large amounts of unchecked data, overloading their systems and compromising its ability to function optimally.

The consequences for businesses include:

• Inactive data generating declining system performance
• Poor response times on applications
• Databases getting too big
• Unnecessary cost and compliance burdens
• Slower SAP system backup and upgrade times

What is SAP Data Archiving?

Data archiving is defined as the process of finding business-complete data that is no longer in use and moving it from ERP production systems into an external archive or storage system for long-term retrieval.

Data archiving initiates the end of the data lifecycle. This does not mean that old data is lost, but rather that it can be retained and stored for an extended period with the help of secure data archiving using the standard Archive Development Kit (ADK) within SAP systems. 

While data archiving is an ordinary function of the SAP system, it still requires regular and consistent implementation and management. It is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process, even once the major data archiving project has been completed.

Consider partnering with the experts at GlueData to help you begin your data-archiving journey.

Key Considerations Before Starting the Data Archiving Process

Companies, organisations and local businesses need to look into their specific challenges before embarking on the data archiving journey. 

Every business area is unique and requires its own setup, rules and dependencies. Data archiving projects require cooperation from several departments including business, functional support, internal auditing and IT for successful implementation.

Open items are often the largest blockers to effective archiving and before beginning the SAP data archiving process, businesses should ideally create policies to manage open items regularly  – thus improving data quality and optimising business methodology. 

Before starting an archiving project, an understanding of the data dependencies and the extent of incomplete business processes need to be top of the agenda. These factors are important when identifying which transactions are eligible for removal from the SAP database using the archiving tool set. 

The outcome of these introspections is the evolution of businesses that understand the impact of not completing business processes correctly, resulting in the establishment of improved practices looking to the future.

Read our previous blog to learn more about the questions you should be asking before you begin.

Benefits of Data Archiving

Effective SAP data archiving has many positive outcomes including:

• Improved SAP performance
• Reduced backup time and downtime during upgrades
• Reduced hardware and cloud storage costs
• Alignment with data-related statutory regulations
• Easy accessibility of archived data when you need it
• Faster reporting and processing times
• Acceleration of performance in areas of finance, production, procurement, profitability analysis and open item analysis, thereby improving analytics and business intelligence insights

Why archive before embarking on other company priorities?

Projects such as SAP migration, conversion to S/4 HANA, SAP system upgrades and others are very important and should not be removed from the company’s to-do list, but they should be completed after data archiving. This is because they are all data-intensive projects. The volume of data in these processes will have a direct impact on project duration.

Implementing an effective archiving strategy and clean-up will significantly impact and lessen the number of records in the database requiring migration and conversion, thereby reducing costs and time-wasting.

Data volume management (including SAP data archiving) is the only way to reduce the volume and growth of these systems and physically delete or purge qualifying data and documents – making your life and work that much easier.

Why Choose GlueData?

At GlueData, we believe in a world where great data drives great business. We are committed to:

• Delivering World-Class Solutions through Dedicated Experts – recruiting and developing the most innovative minds and skills in the market
• Practical & sustainable solutions – for clients to have clarity, control & conviction in their data
• Unique methodology & passionate service – proven methods & passionate service style
• Aligned, Industry-Leading Partners– we partner with aligned organisations to spread the power of data-led business mindsets

Speed up your processes and save money with the help of GlueData’s SAP data archiving services.