Understanding the significance of Change Document Number

[former_member579349]

Hi Experts,

Although it has been stated multiple times in SAP Documentation for Change Documents as :

"The change number is not the same as the change document number. The change document number is automatically assigned by the function modules of the function group SCD0 when a change document is created for a change document object. It uses the NUMBER_RANGE object "CHANGEDOCU".

The change number is assigned when changes are planned by the user. The same change number can be used for different change document objects."

But I am still not able to understand the change document number.

I tried looking at CDPOS and CDHDR but Change Document Number is not present in either of them. All I can find is the object id and Change Number.

In transaction SCDO also I am not able to see anything related to Change Document Number.

Now I am having the following questions:

1.) What is a change document number?

2.) What is the significance of a change document number? Where it gets used?

3.) Which table/transaction stores Change Document Number?

Please help me out.

Thanks,

Partish

[Sandra_Rossi]

You're mistaken (SAP texts introducing concepts are often unclear if you don't already know these concepts, unfortunately 😉 ).

Column CHANGENR in CDHDR and CDPOS is the Change Document number.

And the column PLANCHNGNR of CDHDR is the (Planned) Change number.

By the way, there's an error in the SAP documentation: the next document number is taken from the NUMBER_RANGE object "AENDBELEG" (not CHANGEDOCU).

(credit: the text you mentioned is taken from the chapter "Concept" of change documents > https://help.sap.com/viewer/c14d25a8f471453590980dbb47a2aa0e/7.52.5/en-US/48dfd498ab14280de10000000a...)

A change document is stored in tables CDHDR and CDPOS. If you have configured it, it's created when you save a new business object, whatever you created it, changed it, deleted it. It contains the details of the changes. It's used for log purpose (view history of changes), or in applications like change pointers, which in turn is used by master data distribution to other systems (application link enablement, SAP Business Warehouse)...

[former_member579349]

Thanks a lot sandra.rossi for so explainatory answer.