SAP in Real Life: Fixing Duplicate Record Problems in SAP Data Archive Files

Have you ever run an SAP report or transaction that accesses archived data, only to find that the results don’t make sense or don’t match the output of previous reports? If this sounds familiar, you might be dealing with the effects of duplicated entries in your Data Archive files. Identifying and resolving replicated entries in SAP archive files is a complex and demanding task. The most frequent causes of duplicate or replicated archive records include incomplete data archiving processes or inadvertent duplication of selection criteria during the creation of archive variants. Developing an effective solution to this problem and restoring consistent reporting and transaction processing requires not only extensive expertise in SAP data archiving but also the application of specialized software designed specifically for handling archived data within SAP business applications.

Significant Problem in Financial Reporting is Discovered

A leading household goods manufacturer encountered a critical issue when they inadvertently archived the same documents multiple times during the processing of the SAP archiving object FI_DOCUMNT. This repeated archiving led to duplicated entries within the archive files, which went unnoticed until discrepancies surfaced in reports that relied on the archived data. These inaccuracies, when compared with earlier reports, caused significant concern within the Accounting, Finance, and IT departments.

The teams struggled to pinpoint the root cause of the issue and to develop both an immediate fix and a sustainable long-term solution. Recognizing the complexity of the problem, department leaders sought external expertise to conduct a thorough analysis, identify the source of the discrepancies, and design a comprehensive cleanup process for the archive files.

The solution came in the form of experienced SAP Data Archive Consultants from PBS Software Americas. After an in-depth review of the situation, the consultants recommended and implemented the PBS Software Archive Data Review (ADR) utility alongside the PBS Software CFI Archive add-on.

Within just two days, the PBS Software Americas team identified the root cause of the financial reporting errors related to archived data and demonstrated how the ADR utility could effectively resolve these issues. By integrating the PBS Software CFI add-on transactions, the manufacturer achieved a complete end-to-end solution, restoring accuracy and consistency in their financial reporting within just a few weeks.

Implementing the fix: Finding the immediate and long-term solution through applied expertise:

• Consultants with deep experience in SAP Data Archiving and skills in solving archive file issues, and in the use of PBS add on transactions, is the key element to implementing consistent data archiving operations and reporting.
• Identification and Correction of Replicated Archive Records: PBS ADR identifies records in the Archive files and creates a consolidated table of corrected records ensuring that only unique entries are retrieved through PBS CFI transactions and reports.
• The use of PBS CFI “add on” transactions: Is the only solution available to ensure consistent results for all transaction and reporting when accessing archived data.

The customer’s implementation of the PBS ADR utility and CFI transaction effectively addressed the issues caused by replicated archive records. Approval for changes to the Production system was granted within just a few weeks, a timeline that encompassed rigorous testing and validation across both Test and Quality Assurance systems. This ensured the solution’s reliability and effectiveness before going live.

In this business case, the PBS ADR solution played a crucial role in identifying and correcting over 7.8 million duplicate entries across 46 data archive files. The swift and efficient resolution not only restored data accuracy but also significantly strengthened the integrity and resilience of the customer’s overall archiving processes.