The strategic risk of archiving without a clear reporting strategy

Data is both an asset and a challenge. We know that data is becoming more and more important for both strategic knowledge and business performance.  For organizations running SAP systems, managing the exponential growth of data is critical for:

• Compliance
• Cost control
• Decision making

This is where SAP Archiving comes into play. As we are quickly learning, archiving alone is not enough. We need to step back and take a holistic view to put together a Reporting Strategy. Without a solid reporting strategy, archived data can become a black hole instead of a business asset.

What is SAP Archiving?

As mentioned in a previous blog, SAP Archiving is the process of moving outdated or infrequently accessed data from the live SAP database to a secure, compressed archive. This archived data is stored in a way that ensures it remains accessible for legal, regulatory, and business needs—without clogging up the operational system.

As your database grows, it’s more important than ever to have a robust data management strategy. By archiving the right data, your business can benefit in the following ways:

• Improved ERP system with potential reduction in hosting costs, improved performance, and predictable system growth.
• Focus on TCO and compliance by reducing the total cost of ownership as system data is curated and data volume growth is kept under control. Old or irrelevant data is archived or deleted in accordance with the data retention policy, and compliance risks are mitigated, since data is only removed based on rules and data management policies.
• Data quality and content management are assured through the information lifecycle management/data governance plan, and your business will have a strategy for data prevention or avoidance, data aggregation/summation, and data archiving and retention. In addition, new data standards will lead to quality data for production activities and reporting, as well as support for AI and machine learning (quality in = quality out).

What are the advantages of archiving?

• Performance boost: Reduces database size, improving system speed and responsiveness.
• Cost efficiency: Lowers storage and infrastructure costs.
• Compliance: Meets legal and regulatory data retention requirements.
• Simplified upgrades: Smaller databases mean faster, less complex system upgrades and migrations.

The hidden risk: Losing sight of archived data

While archiving can solve many challenges for the business, understanding that the data is no longer available in standard dashboards and reports can be scary.  Without thoughts around how to work around this can lead to: 

• Incomplete reporting
• Frustrated users
• Compliance risks if data can’t be retrieved on demand

Companies that are ready to start on the archiving journey will need to look at reporting strategy as not an option, but essential.

What makes a good reporting strategy?

A strong reporting strategy ensures that archived data remains accessible, meaningful, and usable. What are some initiatives that require a good reporting strategy?

1. Clear data retention policies

Define what data should be archived, when, and for how long. Align this with legal, regulatory, and business requirements.

2. Integrated reporting tools

Use tools like:

• SAP BusinessObjects Analysis
• SAP BW/4HANA
• SAP Analytics Cloud
• Microsoft Power BI

These tools can bridge the gap between live and archived data, enabling seamless reporting.

3. User access planning

Ensure business users can access archived data without needing IT intervention. This might involve training, custom reports, or user-friendly interfaces.

4. Audit and compliance readiness

Archived data must be retrievable for audits or legal inquiries. Your strategy should include mechanisms for quick, traceable access.

Archive smart, report smarter

SAP Archiving is a powerful tool for managing data growth and system performance. However, without a thoughtful reporting strategy, archiving can create more problems than it solves. By planning for how archived data will be accessed and used, organizations can unlock the full value of their historical data by turning archives into insights.