How Do I View Change Documents in SAP?

Viewing change documents in SAP is crucial for auditing, troubleshooting, and maintaining data integrity, as they provide a historical record of modifications made to master data, transactional data, or configuration settings. SAP automatically logs these changes, detailing who made them, when, and what values were altered.

There are primarily two main scenarios for viewing change documents in SAP: for individual objects and via an Engineering Change Master.

1. Viewing Change Documents for Specific SAP Objects

For most master data and transactional data, SAP provides a direct way to view an audit trail of changes from within the object's display transaction. This is the most common method for day-to-day use.

General Steps:

Access the Display Transaction: Go to the display transaction for the specific SAP object you want to investigate (e.g., MM03 for material master, VA03 for sales order, XK03 for vendor master, FB03 for accounting document).
Navigate to Change Documents: Once in the display screen, look for one of the following menu paths:
- Environment ➢ Change Documents
- Extras ➢ Change Documents
- Go To ➢ Change Documents
- Sometimes, there might be an icon (often a small clock or a list) that directly leads to change documents.
View the Change Log: Selecting "Change Documents" will typically display a list of all changes made to that specific record.

Examples in Common SAP Modules:

Material Master (MM03):
1. Enter MM03 and input the Material Number.
2. From the menu bar, go to Environment ➢ Display changes.
3. You'll see a list of fields that have been changed, along with the old and new values, the user who made the change, and the date and time.
Vendor Master (XK03/FK03):
1. Enter XK03 (or FK03 for company code data) and input the Vendor Number.
2. From the menu bar, go to Environment ➢ Account changes.
3. This will show changes to the vendor's master data.
Sales Order (VA03):
1. Enter VA03 and input the Sales Order Number.
2. From the menu bar, go to Environment ➢ Changes.
3. You'll find detailed changes related to the sales order header and item data.
Customer Master (XD03/FD03):
1. Enter XD03 (or FD03 for company code data) and input the Customer Number.
2. From the menu bar, go to Environment ➢ Account changes.
Purchase Order (ME23N):
1. Enter ME23N and display the Purchase Order.
2. Click on the header details or item details, then look for the Changes button or tab, often found in the header or item data section.

Understanding the Output:

When you view change documents, you typically see:

Field Name: The specific field that was modified.
Old Value: The value of the field before the change.
New Value: The value of the field after the change.
Changed By: The user ID of the person who made the change.
Change Date: The date the modification occurred.
Change Time: The exact time the modification occurred.
Transaction: The SAP transaction code used for the change.

2. Viewing Change Documents via an Engineering Change Master (ECM)

For changes managed through SAP's Engineering Change Management (ECM) functionality, particularly for Bill of Materials (BOMs), routings, or material master revisions, changes are often grouped under a central Change Master Record (also known as a change number). This provides a structured approach to controlling complex changes.

How to View Change Documents Linked to a Change Master:

Access the Change Master Display: Use transaction CC03 (Display Change Master Record).
Enter Change Number: Input the specific Change Number you wish to investigate.
Navigate to Document Information: Once inside the Change Master display, navigate to the Environment menu, then select Change documents, and finally Document information.
Review the Change Details: This view will present the key identifying data of the change master record itself, such as its unique change number, a descriptive text, and the SAP client it belongs to. Beneath this header, you'll find a comprehensive list of all objects—like specific material revisions, bill of material components, or alternative dates—that have recorded change documents under that particular change master. This allows you to see all associated object changes driven by a single change request.

Key Transactions for Change Document Management

While many transactions allow you to view changes, some specific codes are central to the Engineering Change Management process:

Transaction Code	Description	Primary Use
`CC01`	Create Change Master Record	Initiating a new Engineering Change Request.
`CC02`	Change Change Master Record	Modifying an existing change master.
`CC03`	Display Change Master Record	Viewing details of a change master, including linked change documents.
`MM03`	Display Material Master	General material data display, including change documents for specific fields.
`CS03`	Display Bill of Material	Displaying BOMs, where changes might be controlled by a change number.
`VA03`	Display Sales Order	Viewing changes made to sales orders.
`XK03`	Display Vendor (Centrally)	Viewing changes made to vendor master data.

Tips for Effective Change Document Viewing

Permissions: Ensure your SAP user ID has the necessary authorizations to view change documents in the relevant transactions.
Filtering: For objects with many changes, use the filtering options available in the change document list to narrow down by date, user, or specific fields.
Custom Reports: In some complex scenarios, organizations might develop custom reports (using ABAP) to extract and analyze change document data more comprehensively, especially across multiple objects or based on specific criteria.
Configuration Changes: Viewing configuration (IMG) changes often requires accessing specific tables (like CDHDR and CDPOS directly via SE16N or through reports like SCU3 for table history) as they don't always appear in a standard "Environment" menu.

By utilizing these methods, you can effectively track and understand modifications within your SAP system, supporting compliance, audit trails, and data governance.