Transaction code SE16N - risk and control

NOTE FEBRUARY 2007

Transaction code SE16N - risk and control

The transaction code SE16N [report RK_SE16N] offers some options for table maintenance activities, if the corresponding authorizations are assigned as well.
But together with this risk, SAP® provides an integrated control that can be used for review.
First of all we have to understand how the maintenance activities can be executed:
1. Call the transaction SE16N.
2. Enter the name of the table you want to maintain into the corresponding field.



Some tables already offer an integrated maintenance functionality.
This is then represented by an activation of the checkmark in the checkbox:
Maintain entries.
For the tables that do not offer this option automatically you have to choose a different path.To activate the general maintenance functionality,
 you have to enter the following:
3. &SAP_EDIT


Confirm your entry with “Enter”.

4. You will then get the following message displayed:



5. Generate the table view with the help of the key F8.



This way the table fields can be maintained.

The above described table maintenance will only work for the tables that were already available when using the transaction SE16.

The maintenance protection is part of the technical adjustments for the table.
Table maintenance in a production system always represents  a critical risk, especially because not all changes are properly logged.
Only changes to tables with tax relevant content are logged per default if the correspondent system adjustments [system parameter: rec/client] are correctly adapted.
The advantage in using the transaction SE16N consists in the fact, that the accompanying changes are logged as well as the responsible users.
The data changes are stored in the table SE16N_CD_DATA.




The responsible user is listed in the table SE16N_CD_KEY,
together with the modification date and time.


The change document tables are protected and cannot be maintained
by this means.


Changes to the production system always require comprehensible documentation.
With the help of these tables, a system traceability is available.