SAP Office Overview

SAP Office or SAPOffice (“SOFF”)

SAPOffice (“SOFF”) comes from a time when separate mail environments and groupware solutions have not yet been connected to SAP as a matter of course. SBWP is the central SAPOffice transaction. It will no longer be further developed in the future. See also Note 691407. However, SAPOffice is still used sporadically in the context of workflow and mail/fax solutions.

Background

SAPOffice was originally developed as an alternative to SAP’s own mail/groupware solution. Ms Office is now mainly used for these functions. Nevertheless, SOFF is still “active” in many places in the system:

• Business Workplace “SBWP”
• Mail & FAX Output/Inbox
• Services to the Object (GOS)

By default, all data and attachments of such messages are stored in the SAP system database (SOFFCONT1, SOST).

SAPOffice Usage

The type of data storage (system database) is too complex and expensive for today’s conditions. Therefore, SOFF should not be used for long-term storage! In fact, about 90% of ERP systems have the opposite situation, as SOFF as a function is usually unknown. Table SOFFCONT1 is one of the top 10 in almost every ERP system.

• Reorganize regularly, as RSSO_DELETE_PRIVATE, RSBCS_REORG
• Avoid data: If possible, do not allow long-term folders in the SBWP, block the “Create attachment” function in GOS as completely as possible and only allow “Business Documents” (ArchiveLink)

SAPOffice – Archiving with SOY8?

SOFF messages are text-based, so they are usually small. On the other hand, attached attachments (BIN format) are usually problematic. In any case, these are already stored in the “archive” (internal ContRep SOFFDB). Re-archiving makes little sense, especially since SOFF messages should be kept temporarily anyway. Transaction SOY8 passes the message body to ArchiveLink. Suspended annexes are not affected. SOY8 is hardly used.