SAP Basis Administrator Blog: 2025

ILM Architecture

Introduction

SAP Information Lifecycle Management component helps you streamline your IT infrastructure by simplifying legacy system decommissioning and automating data retention management. You can archive data in accessible and searchable formats. Auditing and reporting functions for archived data and central management and enforcement of rules-based retention policies help you minimize business risk, reduce costs, and increase control. To this end, the ILM approach at SAP is built upon three cornerstones:

Data archiving and data management, which focuses on data-volume management. This is the traditional area of focus for information management and has been supported by SAP software for years.
Retention management, which addresses the management of the lifecycle of data up to the point of destruction. It uses retention policy management and legal holds to help you control the retention of your data during its entire lifecycle.
System decommissioning, which covers the decommissioning of legacy systems by moving data into a central ILM system called the retention warehouse. It supports methods for tax and other types of reporting on data from decommissioned systems and includes all retention management functions for legally compliant storage of data.

The system landscape may be configured in various combinations, such as:

Using archiving client, SRS, and ILM Store on the same system.
Using remote SRS to isolate the archiving client and the SRS.
Using archiving client and SRS on the same system, and using ILM Store on a separate system.

Configuration Steps

Configuration Steps need to be performed on ILM System

Pre-requisite

To configure the the ILM store, ensure the following

Minimum requirements of software component SAP_BASIS 740 Support Package 13 or SAP_BASIS 750 Support Package 02.
You have activated the business function ILM and ILM Store.
File system available for saving archive files.

Publishing the ILM Store

· Create the ICF Node for the ILM Store (ILM System).

a. Start transaction SICF and create a new service under node ILM.

b. On the Handler List tab, enter CL_ILM_STOR_WD_REQUEST_HANDLER as Handler.

· Create RFC Destination.

a. Start transaction SM59.

b. Create a new HTTP connection to the external server (type G).

c.      In the Technical Settings tab, maintain the below values:
              Target host: <ILM SYSTEM HOSTNAME>
              Service number: <ICM HTTP / HTTPS PORT>
              Path prefix: /sap/bc/ilm/ilmstore.

d. Enter a user with the authorization to access the ILM Store.

Origin Customization

The origin functions as the identifier for the data source and is crucial for configuring the Store. You can generate the Origin Customizing by following the steps outlined in the 'Generation of Administrative and Operational Origin' section.

a. Generation of Administrative and Operational Origin

Run the tcode ILM_STOR_GEN_CUST on ILM store system.
Provide the details:

System ID:

Client:

Workbench Request:

Storage Media: File System:

Click on Execute.
Result page with details will be displayed.

Administrative Customization

ILM administrative customization can be changed with ILM_STOR_ADM_CUST, and ILM store user can be configured here.

Create Command

Execute the program RILM_STOR_TEST_SM69.

Provide the operation origin name in the field

Click on execute.

Run the tcode ILM_STOR_OPR_CUST and provide all the relevant details in the shown screen.

Result will be displayed after execute. You can refer to the last three property.

FILE Handling

To create your own file paths or file names, or to adjust the default values (see below), start transaction FILE. according to the syntax group (Windows/Unix)

Maintain the below mentioned logical path:

ILM_STOR_FOLDER
ILM_STOR_ADK_ROOT_FOLDER

Class Factory Customizing

In transaction SM30, enter the table name TILMSTOR_CF.
Create an entry with the following values.

Interface: IF_ILM_STOR_DB_OPERATOR

Parameter: SAP_SYS_FILE

Implementation Class: CL_ILM_STOR_DB_OPERATOR_FS

Configuring Storage Connections

Maintain the following entries in transaction SM30 for table TILM_STOR_CUS.

Routing Table Configuration

In transaction SM30, enter the table name TILM_STOR_O_ROUT.
Create the following entry:
SAP System ID: <System ID>
Client: <Client>
Data Source: <Your operational origin>

Creation of the ILM Store in the SRS Administration

To enter stores that are available for the SRS in transaction ILMSTOREADM, create a new entry with the
following values:

ILM Store: <identifying name for the store>
Description: <descriptive text>
HTTP Connection: <previously created RFC destination>

Configuration Steps need to be performed on ILM System

Storage and Retention Service

The Storage and Retention Service (SRS) is needed for the storing of ILM-enabled archive files in the ILM Store. To activate SRS, you can choose between the following options:

Activate the SRS that runs locally on the application system.
Activate the SRS that runs on a separate (remote) system. To facilitate this, establish an HTTP connection
between the relevant systems.

If the SRS runs on a separate system: Activate remote SRS for each client

Activate the Service

Activate the SICF service /sap/bc/ilm/srs in ILM system.

Establish HTTP connection to SRS

Run the transaction SM59 for the destination to SRS.
Choose Edit --> Create.
Enter the following general data:

RFC Destination: Name of the HTTP connection

Connection Type: H (HTTP connection to ABAP system)

Define the HTTP connection as follows:

Configure the ILM Store Service

In transaction SARA → Customizing → Technical Settings
Choose Remote and enter the HTTP connection to the SRS. (Choose Local in case of ILM and S/4 is configurated as standalone system.)

Providing a User for Managing ILM Stores with SRS

In the AS ABAP on which SRS runs, call up the transaction PFCG.
If you do not want to use your user (and other additional users) as communications users, you can create a user for specifically this purpose.
Assign the authorizations of the SAP_BC_ILM_SRS_REQUESTS role to each user who may need to log on to SRS with an HTTP connection.

Testing the ILM Store

To test the ILM Store functionality, you can use the report RILM_STOR_TEST_PF_SINGLE. In the report selection, provide the RFC destination.

File Handling in S/4 System

When the initial archiving will run, it will store the archive file on S/4 an file path maintained in ARCHIVE_DATA_FILE and ARCHIVE_GLOBAL_PATH.

Creation of Audit Area

1. Login to Fiori Launchpad .

2. Now Choose Fiori App ILM Audit Area.

3. Click on New to create the Audit Area

4. Provide the relevant name to Audit Area, Audit Area Description choose policy category Retention Rules and then assign the ILM object to audit and click on Save. Make sure to assign all the required ILM object to the created audit area.

Creation of Audit Policies

1. Then toggle to ILM Policies fiori app, to create the policies for ILM object.

2. Select the policy category as Retention Rules, Audit Area and ILM object. Click on New to create ILM retention policy for the object.

3. Now provide the policy name and select the condition fields (If applicable) and click save.

4. Now select the required data and click on continue to set the rule to policy.

5. Now create rule for policy accordingly and set their retention period . After that save the rule and change the status to live.

How to perform archiving in ILM

Archive the data

1. Run the transaction SARA, and provide the archiving object and click on WRITE . If you are ensure about the archiving object of the table, then you can find the archiving object of the table from DB15.

2. Now you can provide any relevant name for the variant and click on EDIT.

3. Provide the required information through which you would like run the archive . In the below example, I am running the archive for all the object created on the specified date and time. Also you need to select the ILM action and the processing option and click Save.

4. You can click on start date to schedule the run and spool creation and click on Execute.

5. According to your configuration Write, delete and Store job will be triggered automatically, or manually we have run the write , delete and store for the archiving sessions.