How To Fix F5720 - Document already archived: therefore cannot be changed

F5720 - Overview

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: F5 - Document Editing

• Message number: 720

• Message text: Document already archived: therefore cannot be changed

What causes this issue?

A document that has already been archived cannot be change for
technical reasons.

System Response

The system issues an error message and will not allow you to continue with this transaction until the error is resolved.

How to fix this error?

If you need to change the document you must reload it into the system.
You should contact your system administrator in this regard.

Procedure for System Administrators

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

F5720 - Details

• The SAP error message F5720, which states "Document already archived: therefore cannot be changed," typically occurs when you attempt to modify a financial document that has already been archived in the SAP system. Archiving is a process used to remove data from the active database to improve performance and manage data volume, and once a document is archived, it is no longer available for changes.
  
  Cause:
  
  Document Archiving: The document you are trying to change has been archived, meaning it has been moved to an archive storage and is no longer part of the active database.
  System Configuration: The system is configured to prevent changes to archived documents to maintain data integrity and compliance with accounting standards.
  
  
  Solution:
  
  Check Document Status: Verify the status of the document in question. You can do this by checking the document number in the relevant transaction (e.g., FB03 for displaying financial documents).
  Unarchive (if necessary): If you need to make