How SAP counts documents for Digital Access licensing — the nine document types, their weights, common pitfalls, tracking methods, and negotiation strategies for CIOs and procurement teams.
Introduced in 2018, SAP's Digital Access model addresses indirect use licensing by charging based on certain documents created via external systems, rather than on each outside user. SAP has defined nine specific document types that count whenever a non-SAP application creates them.
This approach ties licensing fees to tangible business transactions rather than to the number of people. It's much clearer — for example, 500 external orders equate to 500 documents, a straightforward metric versus guessing how many users might be involved.
Only new document creations count — retrieving data (read-only) or updating records does not. And if one external event triggers multiple SAP documents, only the first document (the originating document) counts. For example, an external system creating a Sales Order that later spawns an SAP Delivery and Invoice incurs one document charge (for the order) rather than three.
For the complete overview of SAP Digital Access licensing including DAAP options, pricing, audit defence, and forecasting, read our SAP Digital Access: The Complete Guide.
SAP's document-based licensing covers nine key document categories, each with specific counting rules and weightings:
| Document Type | How It’s Counted | License Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Document (e.g. Sales Order) | Each line item counts | 1.0 |
| Invoice Document (Billing) | Each line item counts | 1.0 |
| Purchase Document (Purchase Order) | Each line item counts | 1.0 |
| Service & Maintenance Document | Count per document | 1.0 |
| Manufacturing Document (Production Order) | Count per document | 1.0 |
| Quality Management Document | Count per document | 1.0 |
| Time Management Document | Count per document | 1.0 |
| Financial Document (Financial Posting) | Each line item counts | 0.2 (20%) |
| Material Document (Inventory Movement) | Each line item counts | 0.2 (20%) |
Most document types count as one document each time they’re created via an interface. Some high-volume documents are counted at the line-item level — a single external purchase order with 10 line items is counted as 10 Purchase Documents.
Financial and Material documents are weighted at 0.2 per line item (five of these count as one full document) to reflect their typically large volumes. An IoT sensor posting 1,000 inventory movements would consume the equivalent of 200 documents (1,000 × 0.2), whereas 1,000 sales orders would be counted as 1,000 documents.
For a comparison of the old indirect access model vs the new document-based model, see SAP Digital Access vs Indirect Access.
Switching to a document-centric model brings new challenges. Watch out for these common pitfalls:
Only count the originating document from an external trigger. If an external order in SAP leads to a delivery and an invoice (generated internally), only the order should be counted for licensing.
SAP’s system doesn’t flag how a document was created. You must distinguish documents entered by regular SAP users (not counted for Digital Access) from those created by external systems, or you’ll over-count usage.
If an external process creates a SAP document that falls into one of the nine defined types, it is counted. If it creates something outside those categories, it likely doesn’t count under Digital Access. Clarify any ambiguous scenario with SAP to avoid surprises.
Guessing wrong on volumes can hurt. If you exceed your licensed count, you’ll face unbudgeted true-up costs. If you over-buy, you’ll pay maintenance on unused capacity. Forecast carefully and include a reasonable buffer.
Don’t ignore financial postings or material movements simply because they count for only 20%. Extremely high volumes of these (e.g., IoT devices generating many stock movements) can still add up and consume your license allotment.
For audit defence strategies and how to respond to SAP compliance reviews, see SAP Digital Access Audit Defense.
Run SAP’s Digital Access estimation reports to get a baseline count by document type. If available, enable the Digital Access “Passport” feature in newer systems to tag external documents for precise tracking. Always double-check SAP’s counts, as early tools can overcount by including internal usage or follow-on documents.
Track which interface accounts or API users are creating documents (via SAP logs or custom reports) and review this regularly. Many enterprises run periodic internal audits of document counts. You can also use third-party SAP license management tools for automated counting and alerts as you approach your limits.
For strategies to reduce your document counts and lower licensing costs, see Optimizing SAP Digital Access: How to Lower Document Counts.
Digital Access is sold in blocks (e.g., per 1,000 documents/year), and unit pricing gets cheaper at higher volumes. Use your size to negotiate better tiered rates. Discuss expected growth with SAP — try to lock in pricing for future expansion or include flexible terms.
Take advantage of SAP incentive programs. The Digital Access Adoption Program (DAAP) has offered steep one-time discounts (up to 90% off the list price) and credit for existing licenses when switching to document licensing. SAP will often cut a deal to help you transition — sometimes even forgiving past indirect use.
For a detailed walkthrough of DAAP options, pricing structures, and negotiation tactics, see SAP DAAP: How to Evaluate, Negotiate and Avoid Cost Traps.
Remember that Digital Access comes with annual maintenance fees (approximately 20% of the license value), just like any other SAP license. Budget for this ongoing cost, and clarify whether maintenance is calculated on your discounted purchase price or the full list price.
Ensure your contract clearly defines the nine document types and how they’ll be measured. Push for transparency on audit methods and consider provisions to adjust licenses if business circumstances change (e.g., mergers, divestitures).
Before making any changes, run SAP’s tools (or a third-party analysis) to quantify how many of each document type you’re currently generating via external systems.
Whenever a new interface or system is introduced, evaluate which SAP document types it will create and estimate the volume. This prevents unpleasant surprises after go-live.
Don’t wait for an audit. If you suspect indirect usage exposure, reach out to SAP (or a licensing advisor) to discuss options. You’re likely to get a better deal negotiating upfront.
Identify opportunities to reduce the number of documents. Can multiple updates be combined into a single document? Streamlining integrations can reduce the number of documents and lower licensing costs.
Treat Digital Access as an ongoing compliance metric. Implement a regular review (monthly or quarterly) of document counts and compare against your licensed allowances.
Yes. Digital Access covers indirect usage (documents created by non-SAP systems), but all human users logging directly into SAP still require the usual named-user licenses. Document-based licensing is an add-on for external activities, not a replacement.
They include Sales, Invoice, Purchase, Service & Maintenance, Manufacturing, Quality Management, Time Management, Financial, and Material documents. Together, these cover the most common ERP transactions created via external systems.
SAP doesn’t label documents as “indirect” out of the box. Enable the SAP Passport feature to tag external transactions, or examine which user or interface created the document (e.g., a dedicated technical user for external orders).
Exceeding your licensed quantity means you’re out of compliance. In an audit, SAP would require you to purchase additional blocks to cover the overage (potentially with back-dated maintenance fees). There’s no automatic system cap.
No. SAP encourages customers (especially moving to S/4HANA) to adopt it, but you can continue with traditional licensing if that proves cheaper. Some organisations run a hybrid model — keeping named-user licenses for certain legacy integrations and using Digital Access for new ones.
Our SAP licensing specialists help enterprises navigate document-based licensing, reduce compliance risk, and negotiate better deals.
This article is part of our SAP Digital Access Guide pillar. Explore related topics: