Ultimate Guide to SAP Data Archiving: From SARA to ILM Integration

SAP data archiving has evolved from a performance enhancement tool into a full-blown compliance framework. With rising storage costs, performance demands, and privacy mandates like GDPR, mastering both the traditional archiving tools and modern ILM integration is critical to running a clean, compliant SAP landscape.

What Is Data Archiving in SAP?

Data archiving removes historical, closed, or obsolete business data from the active database and stores it in compressed archive files. This data is no longer needed for day-to-day operations but must remain accessible for audits, reporting, or legal requirements.

Phase 1: Classic Archiving Using Transaction SARA

SARA is SAP’s transaction for managing the end-to-end archiving process:

• Write: Selects and extracts data to be archived
• Store: Moves the archive file to external storage (using ArchiveLink or WebDAV)
• Delete: Removes the original records from the database once archived

It relies on the Archive Development Kit (ADK) and standard archiving objects (e.g., FI_DOCUMNT, MM_MATBEL) for structured control of each business module.

Phase 2: Integrating SAP ILM for Lifecycle Control

While SARA manages data movement, SAP ILM introduces full lifecycle governance:

• Define residence and retention periods
• Apply legal holds to suspend deletion for litigation
• Enable auditable data destruction after compliance expiration
• Tag data with metadata for regulatory traceability

ILM policies determine exactly when and how data should be retained, archived, or destroyed—based on compliance requirements, not just technical need.

Archive Storage and Access

• Use certified WebDAV-compliant repositories for tamper-proof archiving
• Ensure archived data remains accessible via ArchiveLink for reporting
• Link archive files to original transactions for traceability across modules

Best Practices for Transitioning from SARA to ILM

1. Continue using SARA for traditional object-level archiving
2. Layer ILM policies over SARA jobs to introduce compliance logic
3. Set up ILM Store with metadata configuration for intelligent storage
4. Establish legal case management and policy versioning in ILM

Benefits of Combining SARA and ILM

• Improved database performance and faster backups
• Compliance with GDPR, SOX, HIPAA, and local retention laws
• Reduced TCO for infrastructure and storage
• Future-proof governance across SAP S/4HANA transitions

Conclusion

Whether you're starting with traditional SARA archiving or enhancing it with ILM, the path forward is clear: smart data management is non-negotiable. Combining SAP's foundational tools with intelligent ILM governance equips you for compliance, cost control, and system agility—well beyond 2025.

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Author: Kumar – SAP ILM & Data Archiving Specialist