Data Volume Management- A Business User's Guide to Archiving UAT
What to Expect When Your Data is Archived
Your IT team has informed you that they are starting a data archiving project and have asked you to participate in User Acceptance Testing (UAT). Your first question is likely: "What does this mean for me and my data?" It's a valid concern. The idea of moving critical business data can be worrying.
This non-technical guide is designed to demystify the process, manage your expectations, and explain why your role in testing is the most important part of the entire project.
MYTH VS. REALITY: IS MY DATA GONE FOREVER?
Myth: Archiving means my data will be deleted.
Reality: This is the most common misconception. Your data is not being deleted. It is simply being relocated from the expensive, high-speed primary database to a secure, cost-effective long-term storage archive. It remains accessible to you whenever you need it for reporting or audits.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING YOUR ARCHIVING UAT
Your goal during UAT is to confirm that you can still perform your daily tasks and find the historical information you need. Here’s what you will likely encounter:
HOW WILL I VIEW A SINGLE ARCHIVED DOCUMENT?
For looking up a single, specific document like a sales order or an invoice, your experience should be nearly identical. You will enter the document number in the same transaction you use today (e.g., VA03, FB03). The system will automatically find the data—whether it's in the live database or the archive—and display it. The biggest difference you might notice is that the system is faster!
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE DOCUMENT FLOW BUTTON?
This is one of the most common changes. As detailed in the "Archiving SAP Data Practical Guide," when you display an archived sales order in VA03, the "Display document flow" button may no longer work. This is a known limitation.
The Solution Your new primary tool for seeing the entire business process chain is the Document Relationship Browser (DRB), accessed via transaction ALO1. The project team will show you how to use the DRB to find your starting document and see all its linked deliveries and invoices.
HOW DO I FIND SPECIFIC TEXTS OR OTHER DETAILS?
You may notice that some detail tabs, like the "Texts" tab in a sales order, are no longer available in the standard display for an archived document.
The Solution For these cases, you will use the **Archive Explorer (SARE)**. This tool has a "Technical View" that allows you to see every single piece of data from the original tables, guaranteeing that no information is ever truly lost.
YOUR ROLE IS CRUCIAL
Participating in UAT is your opportunity to ensure the new access methods meet your business needs. By running through your key scenarios and providing clear feedback, you give the project team the confidence to move forward and ensure the archiving project is a success for the entire company.
