For structured data, ECS supports the SAP standard formats SAP DART and SAP AIS. This data can originate from the SAP Data Retention Tool, for example, or from PBS tools such as PBS CONEX, PBS CONTRAX, PBS CDART or the PBS Database Export Interface.

ECS uses the programs installed on the PC, such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat Reader, to display unstructured data that is stored in archive systems, for example.

In addition, ECS has an integrated function for displaying print lists that are available in SAP's own format.

ECS is designed to process data that originates from SAP systems. If the data from the non-SAP system is present in the SAP AIS format, then ECS can import this data also, which means that this data can be evaluated together with the SAP data

On the user interface, you can switch between English and German. Since all texts and labels are stored in an open resource database, it is easy to make adjustments.

The data content that originates from SAP systems is always displayed in the language in which it was originally created and extracted.

For a successful installation of PBS ECS, only a few minimum requirements must be met:

•      x86 or x64 processor with at least 1 GHz
•      4 GB of RAM
•      2 GB available hard disk space
•      Operating system Microsoft Windows® 11, Windows® 10, Windows® Server 2022, Windows® Server 2019, Windows® Server 2016
•      Screen resolution 1280 x 800 or higher

If large amounts of data are to be processed (e.g. DART extracts in the gigabyte range), the hardware requirements also increase. 
Basically, the more powerful your PC is, the more convenient it is to use the software.

ECS uses the Microsoft SQL Server. Especially for the test phase, consideration should be given to using the free of charge SQL Server Express Edition.

The database can be installed on the same PC as the ECS or on a server in the network. The software architecture corresponds to the client-server model, which means that multiple ECS clients can be connected to a database. Short response times are important for good system performance. This should be considered, for example, if the data connection is being planned via a WAN. Simple database queries should be answered within a few milliseconds

The minimum size is 50MB. Beyond that, the memory requirements are based on the volume of the data to be imported. The SQL Server requires roughly the same space as the imported data requires in the file system, plus approx. 25 percent for storage of the database indices and administration data..

It is not possible to specify an exact figure here as this is dependent on a range of factors, for example, on the hardware equipment. With Microsoft SQL Server, you have a database system that is suitable for processing large data volumes. In addition, with an appropriate method, and beginning with the data extraction, you can ensure that the data is divided into portions to enable distributed storage, for example, in different ECS repositories or in various databases. .

We recommend saving the ECS database once the data import has been completed and evaluations (views) have been defined. Apart from that, a regular backup is not normally required since the data is not changed.

The backup is carried out using the tools of the database system.

The data can be exported to SAP AIS and to Microsoft Excel. You can also create an Excel pivot table.

In general, there is no reason why the database and the ECS client cannot both be run in Microsoft Azure, for example. We recommend that you test in advance, whether the proposed layout leads to satisfactory system performance.

No, PBS ECS runs completely independently of the SAP system.

In general, it should be possible to import all DART extracts with ECS, independent of the DART version they were created with. Therefore, not only from DART version 2.x, but also from earlier DART versions 1.x.

We do not have test data for all possible DART versions and, for this reason, we would ask our customers to let us know if problems occur with specific versions.

To our knowledge, SAP ADK files can only be read from within the SAP environment, and external access is not provided. We recommend the use of PBS CONEX, PBS CONTRAX and PBS CDART for evaluating ADK archives. This converts the contents of the archive files into readable text files, which are then available for further processing - for example in PBS ECS

Yes, this is provided for in ECS. As ECS requires information about the stored documents, for example the storage addresses and associated business data such as document number, company code etc., this information must be extracted from the SAP system in advance. This is done using the PBS Content Reader and PBS Extract Cockpit tools. Once this information has been imported, the documents can be researched in ECS and displayed. The archive system is accessed via the ArchiveLink interface.

An alternative to accessing the archive system is to store the documents in the Windows file system for direct access from ECS. 
The documents are then transferred from the SAP environment as part of the system decommissioning project. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.

Yes, ECS has an integrated function for displaying SAP print lists. This display is recreated in the SAP print list display.im ECS ist eine Funktion zur Anzeige von SAP-Drucklisten integriert. Diese Anzeige ist der SAP-Drucklistenanzeige nachempfunden

Yes. Unicode is used for extraction and storage of the data. However, we recommend that you test this in advance for the required language, especially in the case of Asian languages.

Since Version 2012, the SQL Server can store the data by column ("Columnstore Index"). This can result in a significant performance increase. In particular, queries of large data volumes can frequently be processed many times quicker. Since the data organized in this way can be highly compressed, less storage space is required.

If you wish to use this feature with ECS, you can activate it in the ECS settings.

It is not the objective of ECS to reproduce the display and evaluation capabilities of the SAP system. The data is displayed in tables; the users do not have the same displays and programs that they are familiar with from the SAP system. Only in the case of print lists and some document types (such as accounting documents, material documents and sales documents), the displays are based on the SAP design.

The data rate during import depends on the respective system environment and other factors. It is therefore not possible to give any specific reliable figures. In our experience, data rates of around 10 to 50 gigabytes per hour are typical.
If this value is not reached and you want a faster import? Then we recommend installing the ECS client on the same PC as the SQL server and selecting a local directory as the working directory (i.e. not a network directory). This eliminates the network transfer of data, which usually leads to significantly better runtimes when importing data.

The use of SSD storage is also recommended.

If PBS CONEX is used, a lot of metadata is recorded during the data extraction, and this metadata is subsequently available in ECS. This includes, for each table, the number of data records and check sums for all currency fields. ECS contains check functions which automatically compare the imported data at any particular time with the metadata of the extraction. If, for example, differences arise in the number of data records, or when the check sums are compared with the data that was actually imported, the user receives a message. This means that you can check whether the data from the SAP system has reached ECS undamaged.

Depending on the guidelines in the company, it may be necessary to restrict the authorizations of users to carry out specific functions or to access specific data. A role-based authorization concept is implemented in PBS ECS. An administrator defines the authorizations for each user role. Each ECS user is then assigned to a user role, and the user assumes the authorizations of this role. Basically, three types of authorizations can be assigned:

1. Authorizations for specific activities (example: Defining which users may call up documents from the storage system)
2. Authorizations for access to specific objects/files (example: Defining which users may access which DART extracts)
3. Access restrictions to data records based on specific field values (example: Defining which users may access data records from which company codes)

Yes, please contact us at info@pbs-software.com.

For example, ECS can be operated in Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing platform. A virtual computer is created in the Azure portal for this purpose. It is advisable to select a Windows image with pre-installed MS SQL Server. ECS is now installed on this virtual computer; the procedure is no different from the installation on a local computer. To use ECS, users can now connect to the virtual computer operated in the cloud via a remote desktop connection

In order to comply with the legal requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it may be necessary to block or delete personal data. For this purpose, a list of the affected fields can be created in ECS. ECS then ensures that the data in these fields is no longer displayed to users. ECS also contains a function with which this data can be physically deleted from the database.

ECS comes with a template with personal fields that you can adapt to your company's requirements.

Yes, from version 4.5.11 ECS contains the data extract splitter. This allows you to create a view file for each segment contained in a DART extract. Here too, the data is exported in the required format (SAP AIS).

The relevant data is provided via data carrier transfer with the help of ECS views. After data selection, ECS exports the data in the required format (SAP AIS) and, if required, generates an XML file in accordance with the description standard of the tax authorities. The data can then be read with the IDEA analysis software of the tax authorities.

ECS is delivered with a series of predefined views that are intended for use in tax audits. These views correspond to the views that are also provided by SAP in the Data Retention Tool for these purposes.

ECS contains a graphical view builder. If required, you can use it to easily extend the predefined views according to the respective requirements or create new views.