Introduction

The SAP Data Retention Tool (DaRT) was originally designed for the US market to meet the requirements of IRS audits. Now it is also available for the German market and helps the user to meet the legal data retention and reporting requirements. With DaRT it is possible to extract data to files and to store them in an archive system. In addition, DaRT provides tools for viewing the extract files. The generated view files can be evaluated by IDEA software (from AUDICON, Germany), which is a tool used by German tax auditors.

This article shows you how you can customize DaRT in an SAP system to run with IBM® DB2® CommonStore for SAP and DB2 Content Manager. In our scenario we had a SAP IDES 4.6C system (at least Basis Support Package 28) on MS Windows® 2000, and DB2 CommonStore for SAP V8 and DB2 Content Manger V8 on another MS Windows 2000 system.

For the newest patches and development referring to DaRT, look up SAP OSS notes under the component CA-GTF-DRT.

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Prerequisites

First you must create a content repository in DB2 CommonStore like the one shown in the Figure 1, with transaction code OAC0. Be sure that you already have created an HTTP protocol. For details on how to do the basic ArchiveLink customizing see my previous article Customizing DB2 Content Manager CommonStore for SAP and SAP ArchiveLink.

Now you're ready to proceed with customizing the DaRT tool.

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Step 1. Customizing DaRT

Call transaction code FTWP.

1. As you can see in Figure 2, select the Data extraction tab, and then the Transaction data tab. On that screen:
   
   • Select all the transaction data types
   • Click the radio button for "Select source tables automatically"
   • Select "Statistical CO document items"
   • Select "Billing document pricing conditions"
   
   Figure 2. Transaction data options
   
   
2. Select the tab Data extraction and then Master data as you can see in Figure 3.

   Mark all options.

   
   Figure 3. Master data options
   
   
3. Select the tab Data extraction and then Other data.
   

   Mark all options.

   
   Figure 4. Customize other data options
   
   
4. Select the tab Data extraction and then Technical settings.
   

   Leave the default settings.

   
   Figure 5. Technical settings
   
   
5. Select tab File directories and click Create. Enter a Directory Set and a Description. Click Continue
   .

   In the next screen you must enter at least one physical directory name. These directories are referred to the Directory Set you specified above.

   
   Figure 6. Directory set
   
   

   Click Continue.

   Hint: If you make a transport of the DaRT customizing you must adopt the directories specified here.

6. Select tab File path syntax.You can leave the defaults.
   
   Figure 7. File path syntax
   
   
7. Select tab ArchiveLink configuration.
   

   Due to an error in SAP you cannot create the object and document types with the Configuration button (the status flag is empty and cannot be changed). Thus you must create them with transaction code OAC3:

   Create a new Object type BUS4010 and BUS4011 with document type DART_EXTR and DART_VIEW respectively and the content repository (storage system) you created before.

   
   Figure 8. Create object type BUS4010
   
   
   Figure 9. Create object type BUS4011
   
   

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Step 2. Create variants

Create variants for the following reports:

Table 1. Variants for reports

For example you will create one variant for each reporting quarter. In Figure 10, Figure 11, Figure 12, Figure 13, and Figure 14 you see examples of variants for each report. Use transaction code SE38 to create them.

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Step 3. Start data extraction and check routines

1. Execute report RTXWCF01 or RTXWCF02 with each variant: Extract data.
2. Execute report RTXWCHK2 with each variant: Verify data file checksums.
3. Execute report RTXWCHK1 with each variant: Verify check sums for FI documents.
4. Execute report RTXWCHK3 with each variant: Verify the file consistency.
5. Execute report RFAUDI07 with each variant: Calculate the number of FI documents.

For easier handling you can define a job calling all the reports/variants.

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Step 4. Archive the Data Extract

Call transaction code FTWL mark a line and click button Export to archive. After the archive is written, the data extract file is deleted from the file system.

The icon changes from green to yellow. You can display the protocol by double clicking an entry (status 4000 means that everything was OK). In order to remove an entry from the list you can click Delete Data Extract. If you have already archived the extract then you get some warnings because the file is not in the file system anymore.

To display an extract the relevant file must reside in the file system. If necessary, click Import from archive and click then Browse extract.

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Step 5. Create a View

1. Call transaction code FTWY. Enter a view name, such as ZDEMO, and click Create.
2. Enter a description and select Eliminate duplicate records.
3. Click button Data Segments and enter for example the following segments:
   • TXW_DOCTYP Document types
   • TXW_FI_HD FI Document header
   • TXW_FI_POS FI Document item
   You will see the screen shown in Figure 16:
   Figure 16. Browse extract
   
   
4. Click button View fields. You can check the fields you want to be displayed in the selection screen (Sel.Fields) or where you want to calculate Totals or subtotals (Group).
   Figure 17. Browse extract
   
   
5. Click button Save.
6. A popup appears where you can decide whether you want the manually added condition to be defined as a standard condition or not. Click Back and Activate.
7. Click button Execute. Now you can specify on which extracts the view should be executed. If you want to export the output to a file, you can specify the name and directory set where to store it. Do not forget to mark "SAP Audit Format" in order to get a csv file with header information, which can be read by the IDEA software. In addition the "Maximum no. of hits" should be adjusted, if you want to see the full result set.

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Conclusion

The SAP Data Retention Tool is an effective means for implementing reporting requirements and archiving data. Using the instructions I've provided in this article, you can customize the DaRT tool for use with IBM DB2 CommonStore for SAP and DB2 Content Manager.

About the author

Stephan C. Kammerer, PhD., joined IBM in 1999 as part of the SAP DB2 UDB porting team. Now he is a member of the EMEA DB2 Content Management Technical Enablement Channels team and focuses on DB2 CommonStore for SAP.

Comments (Undergoing maintenance)

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Table of contents

• Introduction
• Prerequisites
• Step 1. Customizing DaRT
• Step 2. Create variants
• Step 3. Start data extraction and check routines
• Step 4. Archive the Data Extract
• Step 5. Create a View
• Conclusion
• About the author
• Comments

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