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There are different types of logs in the SAP system. Logs helps us to trace events as they occur and they are invaluable in problem troubleshooting and consequent resolution. Logs represents the first point of call when the system malfunctions. It is important to point out that logs too can be used to investigate users activity. A very good attribute of logs is that they are targeted towards a particular subject area. This is why logs are categorized into different topic areas such as applications, security and system among others.

Purpose and usage: The intent of the security audit log is to capture security and control events in the SAP system, for example, unsuccessful logon attempts. On the other hand, the intent of the system log is to record system-related problems such as ABAP dumps.

Beneficiary: The main beneficiary of the security audit log are the external and internal auditors. The system log is of immense importance to system administrators as it helps them in troubleshooting system problems.

Activation: You can choose to activate or deactivate security audit log at any point in time based on a need analysis, however, the system log is crucial and it is needed continuously, hence it is always activated.

Retention Period: The retention approach of security audit logs differs from that of the system log. While security audit log is maintained by the system on a daily basis and has to be archived or manually deleted, system logs are managed in a circular manner. This implies that when it gets filled, the logs are overwritten from the beginning.

Personalization: To a large extent, security audit log deals with personal or user data. This personal data in most cases are guided by data protection regulation. However, same cannot be said of system log has personal details are not displayed in the system log.
Source Kehinde Eseyin

Keyword: BASIS
Title : SAP Security Audit log Vs SAP System Log