How to track changes in SAP objects

How to track changes in SAP objects: This is something i found will be useful for all APO guys, to know some technicalities about SAP object and track changes in that.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different objects in SAP. To take Finance alone, we can create, maintain and process GL accounts, financial documents, cost centres, profit centres, fixed assets and so forth.

 

But the creation of the object is not the only step in its lifecycle. It can also be changed and, rarely, deleted. Some of the changes can have serious consequences on linked processes. When that happens, the question arises among business users and the support team: who did this and why did they make that change?

 

While the question “why” remains solely on the conscience of the responsible person, SAP often has the ability to tell “who, when and what” changed. Many objects in SAP ERP have “Change documents” listed somewhere in the menu or on the transaction screen itself.

But what if you need to track changes for multiple objects at one time?

 

It is easy for some objects. For example, you can track changes for Vendor and Customer Master Records using transaction codes S_ALR_87012089 and S_ALR_87012182 respectively, however, it is not possible for some other objects. For example, you will not find standard reports to track changes on multiple Cost Centres or FI documents, though you can see changes for individual objects.

SAP stores changes for most of the standard objects in 2 tables: CDHDR and CDPOS. Changes in SAP’s terms are also documents. That’s why each change has header (CDHDR) and items (CDPOS). Now, looking into the tables CDHDR and CDPOS, you will be able to see who, what and when changed.

Never ever, try to run reports on tables CDHDR and CDPOS without a proper understanding of how information is stored there. Determine first, what your object’s class and ID are, and how ID is generated.

Rgds

Sourabh