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From OAC0 to Go-Live: A Complete Guide to Setting Up Your Archive Store

You've installed your SAP Content Server and established a network connection. Now comes the final, crucial phase: the detailed SAP-side configuration that makes your new storage location a fully functional archive store. This guide covers the key transactions that take you from a basic connection to a production-ready system.

A successful go-live for a new archive store depends on a methodical approach to configuration. Each of the following steps builds upon the last, creating a complete and verifiable link between your business documents and their long-term storage location.

YOUR CONFIGURATION CHECKLIST

STEP 1: VERIFY THE CONNECTION IN `OAC0`

Everything starts with the Content Repository definition in transaction OAC0. Before proceeding, you must have a repository defined with a successful connection test. This confirms that your SAP system can communicate with the Content Server at a technical level.

STEP 2: DEFINE DOCUMENT TYPES IN `OAC2`

Next, you must define the types of documents you intend to store. SAP delivers many standard document types (e.g., `PDF`, `DOCX`, `FAX`), and these are often sufficient. A document type is a simple classification that tells SAP what kind of file is being stored (e.g., a PDF attachment vs. a data archive file).

STEP 3: CREATE THE LINK TABLE ENTRY IN `OAC3`

This is arguably the most critical step for managing attachments (GOS objects). Transaction OAC3 creates the link that tells SAP where to store a document when it is attached to a specific business object.

To create a link, you define three key pieces of information:

1. Business Object Type: The SAP object, such as BKPF for an FI Document or BUS2012 for a Purchase Order.
2. Document Type: The type of document being attached, for example, `PDF`.
3. Content Repository ID: The ID of the repository you created in OAC0 (e.g., `A1`).

This entry essentially says: "When a user attaches a PDF to an FI Document, store that PDF in repository A1." Without this link, attachments will continue to be stored in the main SAP database.

STEP 4: THE END-TO-END GO-LIVE TEST

Before you announce that the new archive store is ready, you must perform a simple, complete test to validate the entire configuration.

1. Archive a Single Document: Manually attach a test document to a test business object (e.g., attach a PDF to a test invoice).
2. Verify Storage: Use the Content Server administration transaction (CSADMIN) to confirm that the file has physically arrived in the repository.
3. Retrieve the Document: Go back to the business object in SAP and try to display the attachment. If it opens successfully, you have confirmed that the entire process—from SAP, through ArchiveLink, to the Content Server, and back again—is working correctly.

With this successful end-to-end test, your new archive store is officially ready for production go-live.