User auditing in SAP is a critical component of ensuring the integrity, security, and compliance of SAP systems. It involves monitoring and analyzing user activities, access rights, and changes within the SAP environment. This process helps identify unauthorized access, policy violations, and potential security breaches. Here's a comprehensive explanation of how user auditing is performed in SAP, covering tools, strategies, and best practices.



1. Understanding User Auditing in SAP

It is a subset of overall SAP security auditing and is especially important for compliance with regulations such as SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley), GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), and industry-specific standards like HIPAA or ISO 27001.



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The primary goals of user auditing include:

Detecting and preventing unauthorized access.

Ensuring segregation of duties (SoD).

Monitoring critical transaction usage.

Analyzing changes made by users, especially in production environments.



2. Tools for User Auditing in SAP

a. SAP ST03N (Workload Analysis)

ST03N provides workload statistics for SAP systems. It includes information about user activity, transaction execution, and system performance. Auditors can identify the most active users, peak usage times, and unusual transaction runs.

b. SAP SM20 (Security Audit Log)

The Security Audit Log (SAL) is the core tool for detailed auditing of security-relevant events. It captures data like logon attempts, RFC calls, transaction starts, and changes to user master records.

Steps to activate and use SM20:

Use transaction SM19 to configure audit settings.

Define which events to log and for which users or clients.

Use SM20 to view and analyze the collected audit logs.

c. SAP SUIM (User Information System)

SUIM is used to generate reports on user authorizations and profiles. Key reports include:

Users by role

Users by transaction

Change documents for users

Role assignments history

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d. SAP STAD (Statistical Records)

STAD provides transaction-level statistics for individual user activities. It includes execution time, CPU usage, and application server information. It’s especially helpful for tracing performance issues or suspicious transaction behavior.



e. SAP GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance)

SAP GRC Access Control includes advanced auditing tools:



Access Risk Analysis (ARA): Identifies potential SoD conflicts and critical access.



Emergency Access Management (EAM): Logs firefighter ID usage and provides detailed tracking of temporary elevated privileges.



Access Request Management (ARM): Tracks role request approvals and workflow histories.



3. Key Audit Activities

a. Reviewing User Master Data

Auditors must regularly review user master data via SU01 and SUIM to ensure:



Users are assigned appropriate roles.



Inactive or obsolete accounts are locked or deleted.



Temporary or emergency users are controlled.



b. Monitoring Transaction Usage



Which transactions are being used.



Frequency of usage.



Any unauthorized or suspicious transaction activity.



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c. Segregation of Duties (SoD) Checks

SoD is a fundamental control to prevent fraud and errors. Auditors use GRC tools or third-party solutions to:



Identify conflicting roles (e.g., one user able to both create and approve payments).



Propose mitigating controls or reassignments.

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