The only way to archive PI Sheets and delete the corresponding database tables is to use the EBR functionality. For all other cases (Test PI Sheets or PP-based Electronic Work Instructions) archiving is not possible. However, deletion of old entries from the database becomes essential for maintaining the performance of the ERP system. In this article I describe a pilot note which solves this dilemma (Also explained in Web Session 11).

Introduction

Archiving is one of the most neglected parts in the implementation of any software component. Sometimes the topic is included in the initial project plan but later there is either no time or no budget left and then dropped. Then, years later you suddenly realize that your system performance begins to slow down. Then the deletion of old database entries becomes a number one priority leading to an unforeseen project although you might have planned that cool new other project…

The mere deletion of PI Sheets is an easy task in transaction CO60 (Menu: PI Sheet -> Delete). However you might want to save your precious manufacturing data somewhere for later analysis. By using the Electronic Batch Record (EBR) it is possible to archive completed PI Sheets to an optical archive which is one of the requirements in regulated industries (e.g. Pharmaceuticals). Some of you might not want to do this because it involves some additional setup and others might use the new Electronic Work Instructions which do not support an EBR. To be able to archive also in these cases a pilot note has been created.
The functional coding is delivered by OSS note 1300626 which is included in ECC 6.0 EhP3, SP5 or ECC 6.0 EhP4, SP4. By creating an OSS message and aplying for pilot note 1317521 the note can be released to you to unlock this functionality (please see also OSS note 170183 on modification notes). Please also check all preconditions (e.g. setup of the archive system). After you have implemented the pilot note the following reports are available to you:

• RCOPOC_ARCHIVE_PROD_INST (Optical archiving of PI sheets/Work Instructions)
• RCOPOC_WKLT_ARC_PROD_INS (Delete DB entries or display PI sheet/Work Instruction from Optical Archive)

Of course you can also create your own transactions using these reports but they can also be used for background processing (archiving / deletion).

Archiving

The first step is the selection and archiving of PI Sheets/Electronic Work Instructions which are either

• Completed
• Discarded
• Cancelled

There are several selection criteria available (report RCOPOC_ARCHIVE_PROD_INST):

Note the flag for direct archiving. This is used to bypass the following screen where you can select one or more object you want to archive (useful for background processing):

You also get a nice log:

Selection for Deletion/Display

To delete the database objects or retrieve the archived data using report RCOPOC_WKLT_ARC_PROD_INS you have the following selection screen:

Note the flag for direct deletion of objects without the pre-selection screen. This is very useful for background processing. Another nice feature is the possibility to select by archiving details like archiver’s name or archiving date. If you do not omit the pre-selection screen you get a list of all archived objects. There is a special column to indicate whether the object is still present in the database.

Deletion

From there you can either delete:

Display Archive

Or you can display any archived object. In the following screens you see that the same style is used as for the EBR. It includes a lot of additional data that normally is presented interactively from within the PI Sheet or Electronic Work Instruction reading some data from the back end. Of course when you have deleted all the back end data it needs to be included all in the archived object which is the reason why the archived style has much more information included. here are some screens: