Recovery after User Errors

A user error occurs when a user deletes or falsifies data (e.g. deletes a table or program that is required for further system operation), either by mistake or due to lack of knowledge.

You can generally correct such a user error when the following requirements are met:

• You exported the object using the SAP utility R3trans, thus backing it up. You can use this copy to restore the condition of the object at the time of the export. (Take into account possible database inconsistencies).

• An object from the ABAP/4 Dictionary or the ABAP/4 Repository is involved. The ABAP/4 Dictionary and the correction system both perform version backups of these objects within the SAP System. If you can carry on working with that version of the object (ideally, the object has not been changed recently), then you can restore it.

In general, you cannot use the ORACLE Export/Import tools to recover a lost SAP object. The reason for this is that the SAP database tables are often shared system-wide. A user cannot import the ATAB (central control table) to recover an individual SAP table, for example, as this would risk overwriting the work of other users.

You cannot recover an object by recovering the database either. The recovery of a lost object would require an incomplete recovery up to the moment the user error occurred (point in time recovery). Any changes which were made to the tablespace from that moment on would be lost.