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How to Archive ACDOCA in SAP S/4HANA: Key Dependencies and Best Practices

How to Archive ACDOCA in SAP S/4HANA: Key Dependencies and Best Practices

How to Archive ACDOCA in SAP S/4HANA: Key Dependencies and Best Practices

In SAP S/4HANA, the ACDOCA table—also known as the Universal Journal—serves as the central ledger for Finance, Controlling, Asset Accounting, and more. With massive data volumes accumulating in this table, archiving ACDOCA is essential for system performance, cost control, and compliance. But due to its cross-functional design, archiving ACDOCA requires more than just running a job—it requires resolving complex dependencies across multiple modules.

What is ACDOCA?

ACDOCA consolidates data from previously separate tables like BSEG (FI), COEP (CO), ANEP (AA), and MLIT (Material Ledger). It holds actual line items for GL, CO, AA, and CO-PA—making it the most critical financial table in S/4HANA.

Archiving Object for ACDOCA

To archive ACDOCA, SAP provides the archiving object FI_ACCHD. This object is designed specifically for Universal Journal entries and replaces multiple archiving flows from ECC.

How to Use It:

  • Transaction: SARA
  • Archiving Object: FI_ACCHD
  • Data Source: ACDOCA, ACDOCC, ACDOCP
  • Output: Archived journal entries in ADK files, compliant with retention rules

Key Dependencies Before Archiving ACDOCA

Because ACDOCA is shared across modules, archiving must consider dependencies to avoid data inconsistency or application errors. Here are the most critical dependencies you must resolve before archiving:

1. FI Documents (BKPF, BSEG)

  • Archived via FI_DOCUMNT
  • Must be business-complete and cleared (no open items)
  • Linked to ACDOCA via document number and fiscal year

2. CO Line Items

  • Previously stored in COEP; now in ACDOCA
  • Verify all internal orders are closed
  • Use CO_ITEM to identify dependencies

3. Asset Accounting (FI-AA)

  • Postings from asset transactions flow into ACDOCA
  • Ensure all asset postings are settled and fiscal year is closed
  • Check FI_AA_DOC dependencies

4. Material Ledger

  • Material valuation entries are also part of ACDOCA
  • Archiving must not interfere with cost component splits or inventory value tracking
  • Verify no open costing runs

5. CO-PA (Profitability Analysis)

  • Real-time CO-PA data is recorded in ACDOCA
  • Ensure derivation rules and reports are adjusted
  • Legal holds in ILM must be respected

Best Practices for Archiving ACDOCA

  1. Close relevant fiscal years in FI, CO, and AA
  2. Ensure no open orders, assets, or materials with unsettled balances
  3. Use transaction SARA with object FI_ACCHD for write, store, and delete phases
  4. Activate ILM to enforce retention and legal hold policies on Universal Journal data
  5. Use Data Volume Management tools (e.g., TAANA, DB02) to estimate savings

Compliance Consideration

Because ACDOCA holds sensitive audit and financial data, always ensure that archiving meets legal retention requirements and supports audit traceability. Use ILM policies and certified archive storage to guarantee legal defensibility.

Conclusion

Archiving ACDOCA is a powerful step toward reducing HANA memory usage and improving system performance—but only when done correctly. By resolving dependencies across Finance, Controlling, Assets, and Logistics, and by using SAP ILM rules to govern the process, you can achieve a clean, compliant, and scalable archiving outcome in S/4HANA.

Author: Kumar – SAP S/4HANA ILM & Finance Archiving Consultant

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