## 13.12.1.1  Deletion of Personal Data
The business partner, customer and supplier master data might process data (personal data) that is subject to the data protection laws applicable in specific countries.
The SAP Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) component supports the entire software lifecycle including the storage, retention, blocking, and deletion of data. The business partner, customer and supplier master data uses SAP ILM to support the blocking and deletion of personal data as described in the following sections.
Personal data collected in business partner, customer and supplier master data can be blocked as soon as business activities for which this data is needed are completed and the residence time for this data has elapsed. After this time, only users who are assigned additional authorizations can access this data. After the retention period for data expires, personal data can be destroyed completely such that it can no longer be retrieved. Residence and retention periods are defined in the customer system. For information about the Customizing of blocking and deletion, see Configuration: Simplified Blocking and Deletion .
## End of Purpose Check (EoP)
An end of purpose (EoP) check determines whether data is still relevant for business activities based on the retention period defined for the data. The retention period is part of the overall lifecycle of personal data which consists of the following phases:
- Business activity: The relevant data is used in ongoing business, for example contract creation, delivery or payment.
- Residence period: The relevant data remains in the database and can be used in case of subsequent processes related to the original purpose, for example reporting obligations.
- Blocking period: The relevant data needs to be retained for legal reasons. During the blocking period, business users of SAP applications are prevented from displaying and using this data; it can only be processed in case of mandatory legal provisions.
- Deletion: The data is deleted and no longer exists in the database.
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## Personal Data Lifecycle
Blocking of data can impact system behavior in the following ways:
- Display : The system does not display blocked data.
- Change : It is not possible to change a business object that contains blocked data.
- Create : It is not possible to create a business object that contains blocked data.
- Copy/Follow-Up : It is not possible to copy a business object or perform follow-up activities for a business object that contains blocked data.
- Search : It is not possible to search for blocked data or to search for a business object using blocked data in the search criteria.
It is possible to display blocked data if a user has special authorization; however, it is still not possible to create, change, copy, or perform follow-up activities on blocked data.
For information about the configuration settings required to enable the end of purpose check, see sections Process Flow and Configuration: Simplified Blocking and Deletion .
## Relevant Application Objects and Available Deletion Functionality
## Application Object
## Provided Deletion Functionality
| Business Partner Data   | Archiving object: CA_BUPA ILM object: CA_BUPA Prerequisites: • Business function BUPA_ILM_BF is activated • To use ILM enablement, the EoP check is mandatory be- fore archiving or deletion (transaction BUPA_PRE_EOP ).   |
|-------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Application Object                                                            | Provided Deletion Functionality                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Customer Master Data                                                          | Archiving object: FI_ACCRECV ILM object: FI_ACCRECV Prerequisites: • Business function ERP_CVP_ILM_1 is activated. • To use ILM enablement, the EoP check is mandatory be- fore archiving or deletion (transaction CVP_PRE_EOP ).   |
| Supplier Master Data                                                          | Archiving object: FI_ACCPAYB ILM object: FI_ACCPAYB Prerequisites: • Business function ERP_CVP_ILM_1 is activated. • To use ILM enablement, the EoP check is mandatory be- fore archiving or deletion (transaction CVP_PRE_EOP ).   |
| Contact Person related to business partner, customer and supplier master data | Destruction object: FI_ACCKNVK ILM object: FI_ACCKNVK Prerequisites: • Business function ERP_CVP_ILM_1 is activated. • To use ILM enablement, the EoP check is mandatory be- fore archiving or deletion (transaction CVP_PRE_EOP ). |
## Relevant Application Objects and Available EoP functionality
| Application                         | Implemented Solution       | Further Information                                                                                                |
|-------------------------------------|----------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Business Partner (BUP)              | End of purpose (EoP) check | EoP is determined based on the last change date of the business partner master data (from database table BUT000 ). |
| Business Partner Relationship (BUB) | End of purpose (EoP) check | EoP is determined based on the Valid-To field of the relationship.                                                 |
| Application                                | Implemented Solution       | Further Information                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| ERP Customer Master (ERP_CUST)             | End of purpose (EoP) check | EoP is determined based on the last change date of the customer master data (from database table KNA1 or change document object DEBI ), last change date of assigned credit cards (change document object VCNUM ) or last change date of assigned addresses of the customer or contact persons. |
| ERP Supplier Master (ERP_VEND)             | End of purpose (EoP) check | EoP is determined based on the last change date of the supplier master data (from database table LFA1 or change document object KRED ) or the last change date of assigned addresses of the supplier or contact persons.                                                                        |
| ERP Contact Persons (ERP_CON- TACT_PERSON) | End of purpose (EoP) check | EoP is determined based on the last change date of the contact per- son (from the contact person related change documents of the customer or supplier) or the last change date of as- signed addresses of the contact person.                                                                   |
## Process Flow
1. Before archiving data, you must define residence time and retention periods in SAP Information Lifecycle Management (ILM).
- Run transaction IRMPOL and maintain the required residence and retention policies for the central business partner (ILM object: CA\_BUPA )
- Run transaction IRMPOL and maintain the required residence and retention policies for the customer master and supplier master (ILM objects: FI\_ACCPAYB , FI\_ACCRECV , FI\_ACCKNVK ).
2. You choose whether data deletion is required for data stored in archive files or data stored in the database, also depending on the type of deletion functionality available.
3. To determine which business partners have reached end of purpose and can be blocked, you do the following:
- Run transaction BUPA\_PRE\_EOP to execute the end of purpose check for the central business partner and the dependent customer master and supplier master.
- Run transaction CVP\_PRE\_EOP to enable the end of purpose check function for the customer master and supplier master.
4. To unblock a blocked business partner data, you do the following:
- Request unblocking of the blocked data by using the transaction BUP\_REQ\_UNBLK .
- If you have the needed authorization for unblocking business partner data, you can unblock the requested data by running the transaction BUPA\_PRE\_EOP for the central business partner data and CVP\_UNBLOCK\_MD for the customer master and supplier master.
5. You delete data by using the transaction ILM\_DESTRUCTION for the ILM objects of business partner data.
## Configuration: Simplified Blocking and Deletion
You configure the settings related to the blocking and deletion of business partner, customer and supplier master data in Customizing (transaction SPRO ) using the following path:
SAP Customizing Implementation Guide Cross-Application Components Data Protection Blocking and Unblocking of Data
For more information, go to https:/ /help.sap.com/s4hana\_op\_2021 under Product Assistance Cross Components Data Protection .