Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle

Management

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Summary
Audit trail is about how data changes are tracked in SAP and specifically in Student Lifecycle Management.
This document provides an overview on the available audit trail functionality.
Author: Rainer Arnold
Company: external developer and consultant
Created on: June 11 2008

Author Bio
Rainer Arnold is an external developer and consultant for Student Lifecycle Management.

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

Table of Contents
1. General Introduction .......................................................................................................................................3
2. SAP Technologies ..........................................................................................................................................3
2.1 Change Documents ..................................................................................................................................3
2.2 Application log...........................................................................................................................................5
2.3 Application specific Developments ...........................................................................................................6
3. Business Objects ............................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Business Partner Master Data ..................................................................................................................7
3.2 Contract Account Master Data..................................................................................................................9
3.3 FI-CA Document Postings ......................................................................................................................10
3.4 Student Master Data (Infotypes) .............................................................................................................10
3.5 Student related Processes......................................................................................................................10
3.6 Academic Structure.................................................................................................................................16
3.7 Correspondence......................................................................................................................................16
4. Extensibility of system audit .........................................................................................................................17
Disclaimer and Liability Notice..........................................................................................................................18

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

1. General Introduction
This document provides an overview on the available audit trail functionality in the SAP system with focus on
Student Lifecycle Management. It also describes the different technologies used in this context.
Audit trail is about how data changes are tracked in Student Lifecycle Management. This document
describes the difference between activity documents and change documents in this context.
In chapter three. Business Objects the different (main) relevant objects are described and how the audit trail
can be accessed. This could be used to complete easy step by step guides or user documentations.
At the end of the document the system audit trail extensibility is described and evaluated against costs. Last
but not least a final recommendation is made on how to deal with existing gaps in the audit trail.

2. SAP Technologies
SAP uses different technologies to audit data changes. The different technologies are related to how the
information will be used afterwards.
In this chapter the different technologies will be described briefly.

2.1 Change Documents

Change documents are the most commonly used technical audit tools to record data changes. A change
document is a technical object, which holds information about who changed which field at which table at
what date and time from value “old” to value “new”. Some applications have integrated the change
documents into their menu paths and the change history can be accessed/displayed directly from there.
Change documents per Infotype are recorded in table T77CDOC.
Change documents distinguish between real changes and planned changes. If planned (future) changes are
used, a report has to be run to perform the planned changes.
For writing change documents, a change document object has to be created. In addition, each data field of a
table has to be flagged as being relevant for change documents. Inside the application a generated function
module has to be called which writes the change documents.
For HR Infotypes it is similar beside the fact that the change documents are written by the HR framework.
But writing change documents can be activated/de-activated by the customer. HR provides a report
(RHCDOC_DISPLAY) to display change documents:

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

Transaction RSSCD100 is the basis dialogue to display any table changes:

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

2.2 Application log

The application log is mainly used to record the progress and outcome of a business process. Messages are
used to record the progress and outcome. These can be success, informing, warning or error messages. In
those cases where the application log is used by applications, it can in most instances be accessed by a
menu path within the application. The application log offers a generic user interface to display application
logs (TCODE SLG1)

The application itself looks as follows:

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

2.3 Application specific Developments

• Activity Documents: Student Lifecycle Management uses for most processes activity documents.
Activity documents are combinations of a business document (why something was done – e.g. module
booking) with change documents (which field etc… was changed). Campus offers a central screen to
access this information by student.

• Fee Calculation & Grant Evaluation Documents: For fee calculation and grant evaluation Student
Lifecycle Management uses additional documents. These documents contain information about the data
which was used as input/basis (e.g. which modules where booked, which event package fee category
held) for both calculations. Additionally an application log is used to record the progress and outcome of
the calculations. Both Audit tools can be accessed via the applications.
• Correspondence History: If the print workbench is used by the different applications, a correspondence
history is produced. The correspondence history records who did what at which business object. The
exact information on the business object depends on the granularity definition of the business object
itself. From the correspondence history you cannot access the printed document. If this is a
requirement, correspondence documents have to be archived in an optical archive!
• Customizing Changes: Customizing changes could be logged as well. But by activating this log any
table changes which were marked will be written to a file. This audit slows down the system performance
dramatically and is not recommended to be activated.
• Others: Most reports are using the application log to protocol their progress, Sometimes the output of
the results is via ALV. If the program is run in background the result is written directly to the spool.

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3. Business Objects
Different business objects/processes/applications are using different methodologies to record system activity.

3.1 Business Partner Master Data

The business partner uses change documents to record data changes. Any business partner master data
changes and relationship changes are recorded. This includes the Central Address Management as well,
which is used to record addresses for business partners. The change history could be accessed from the
business partner and displayed by business partner or even better by business partner field.

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

The content of a Change Documents will look as follows:

It is also possible to display business partner changes centrally via transaction BPCF:

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3.2 Contract Account Master Data

For contract accounting, master data change documents are used as well. This includes also contract
objects.
Change documents can be accessed as follows in the contract account master data:

For the contract object the menu path is as follows:

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3.3 FI-CA Document Postings

FI-CA postings are using change documents as well. The change history can be accessed via the following
menu path:

3.4 Student Master Data (Infotypes)

Student Lifecycle Management delivers change documents for the following Student Master Data Infotypes:
1701 (Status Attributes), 1702 (Personal Data), 1703 (Challenge), 1704 (Additional Personal Data),
1705 (Individual Study Data), 1706 (Fee Calculation Data), 1711 (Residence Data), 1712 (Visa),
1718 (Employment), 1719 (External Transcripts)
To view the change documents in student master data, choose the following menu options there:

• Extras → Change Documents → For this Student

• Extras → Change Documents → For this Tab Page

3.5 Student related Processes

Student Lifecycle Management uses for most of its processes activity documents. The activity documents
can be accessed by student from the student file on tab “activity documents”.

• Module Booking
The system logs changes in the following Infotypes.
1001 (Relationships) with subtype B506
The system logs changes to detailed data in change documents which you can view in the activity
documents on the Activity Documents tab page of the student file.

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

• Fee calculation
The fee calculation uses an application log to write an audit trail for the progress. In addition fee
calculation documents are produced, which indicate the information being used to calculate the outcome
(price). Both audits can be accessed via the student file:

Within the fee calculation history you view the fee calculation documents, display the application log,
view the pricing result or navigate to the posted FI-CA document. The picture below shows an overview
of all fee calculation header documents.

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

By selecting a line in the ALV and pressing the button display log the application log for the
corresponding fee calc run is displayed:

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

By selecting a line in the ALV and pressing the button pricing result for the corresponding, the pricing
result can be displayed:

By selecting a line the ALV above and pressing the button fee analysis the fee calculation procedure is
displayed. By double clicking on a step in the fee calc procedure the fee calculation detailed documents
are shown (module information etc.)

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By double clicking on the fee calc detail document you can navigate to the conditions of the fee calc
procedure.

If you select a line of the fee calc procedure and chose display condition records, you can navigate into
pricing and can see the relevant pricing (condition) record.

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When you select analysis on the condition overview you will navigate into the SD pricing procedure
analysis.

• Grant Calculation
The grant calculation writes an application log and grant documents. The application log can be
accessed via transaction PIQ_LOG_GRANT. The grant documents can be displayed only via transaction
SE16.
• Module Grading
The system logs changes for all appraisal tables.
The system logs changes to detailed data in change documents which you can view in the activity
documents on the Activity Documents tab page of the student file.
• Program Admission
The system logs changes in the following Infotypes.
1001 (Relationships) with subtype B530
The system logs changes to detailed data in change documents which you can view in the activity
documents on the Activity Documents tab page of the student file.
• Program Registration
The system logs changes in the following Infotypes.
1769 (Study Segment), 1770 (General Data), 1771 (Registration/Re-registration), 1001 (Relationships)
with subtype B516
The system logs changes to detailed data in change documents which you can view in the activity
documents on the Activity Documents tab page of the student file. The functionality will be available from
Release 4.73 onwards.

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

• Qualification Conferment
The system logs data changes in Infotype 1001 (Relationships) with subtype 523 and in the database
tables for appraisals. The system logs changes to detailed data in change documents which you can
view in the Activity documents on the Activity Documents tab page of the student file.
• Web Booking
During the web booking process an activity document will be written. The activity document links
together the module booking with fee calculation document and the FI-CA document. It also indicates the
current payment status. The documents can either be accessed by student via the student file or
centrally by a report.
• Grant Master Data
Grant Master data changes are using change documents as well. The change documents could be
displayed within the grant master transaction. This is an customer specific development.
• Grant Assignment
No change documents are written.
• Student Holds/Status
No change documents are written.

3.6 Academic Structure

Changes in the academic structure are not recorded.
For the academic calendar a modification was made and changes are recorded.

3.7 Correspondence
Where correspondence is using the print workbench the print history will show the activities being performed:
The following objects can be accessed via the print workbench:
• Statement of Registration, Waitlisting, Reservation and Cancellation
• Module Certificate
• Invoices
• Dunning Letters
• Receipts
• Credit Notes
For students the print history can be accessed via the student file on the tab correspondence. For regular
business partners transaction FPCOHIST could be used.

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4. Extensibility of system audit

Writing change documents for a SAP table represents a modification. The modification includes the following
objects:
• Flag data elements as being relevant for changes
• Create change document object (should be in the SAP namespace if SAP change document object
is known). By using a different change document object the change history will become inconsistent
after the SAP change documents were applied to the system.
• An update function module has to be generated, which is calling the change documents.
• If the application is using Infotypes, a customizing setting has to be made to activate the change
documents. Where the system is writing data to other tables the applications have to be modified to
write the change documents.

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 Audit Trail in Student Lifecycle Management

Disclaimer and Liability Notice

This document may discuss sample coding or other information that does not include SAP official interfaces and therefore is not
supported by SAP. Changes made based on this information are not supported and can be overwritten during an upgrade.
SAP will not be held liable for any damages caused by using or misusing the information, code or methods suggested in this document,
and anyone using these methods does so at his/her own risk.
SAP offers no guarantees and assumes no responsibility or liability of any type with respect to the content of this technical article or
code sample, including any liability resulting from incompatibility between the content within this document and the materials and
services offered by SAP. You agree that you will not hold, or seek to hold, SAP responsible or liable with respect to the content of this
document.

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