RSA5 — Installing Business Content DataSources in the Source System
RSA5 installs SAP-delivered Business Content DataSources from their content version (D version) into the active version (A version) in the source system. It is a one-time activation step, not a maintenance screen. Once a DataSource is installed it disappears from RSA5 and moves to RSA6, where field-level maintenance such as hiding fields or changing selection options actually happens.
This page covers RSA5, the transaction used to activate SAP Business Content DataSources in a source system before they can be extracted to BW. It focuses on the install-versus-maintain split with RSA6, the tables the install writes, and the recurring reasons a DataSource fails to show up where it is expected.
Reviewed by an ERPClimb SAP consultant on 15 Sept 2026· 1,100 words
Purpose
RSA5 lists DataSources that SAP has delivered as Business Content but that have not yet been activated in the customer system. These exist only in the content version (D version) until someone selects them in RSA5 and installs them, which copies the definition into the active version (A version) and generates the extract structure and extraction logic behind it. The structural fact that explains most confusion: RSA5 is purely an install list. It shows a DataSource only while it is uninstalled. The moment it is installed it vanishes from RSA5's list and reappears in RSA6, which is where ongoing maintenance (hiding fields, setting selection-capable fields) actually takes place. Consultants who go looking for a field-level change in RSA5 and cannot find it are usually in the wrong transaction, not looking at a bug.
When it is used
RSA5 is used during initial setup of an extraction path for a functional area that has not been extracted before, when the BW team needs a specific Business Content DataSource (a logistics extractor, an FI/CO extractor, an HR infotype extractor) and it is not yet visible in RSA6 or RSA3. It is a source-system transaction, run in the ECC or S/4HANA client that will supply the data, not in the BW system. It is not used for custom generic DataSources built directly in the active version, since those never pass through the content version. It is also not the place for ongoing maintenance; once installed, RSA6 takes over. For logistics extraction, RSA5 typically precedes work in the LO Cockpit rather than replacing it.
How to use it in practice
- Log on to the source system client that will run extraction, not the BW system.
- Run RSA5 and navigate or filter the application component hierarchy to locate the DataSource by technical name.
- Identify entries still shown in the content (D) version, marked as not yet active.
- Select the checkbox for the DataSource and choose the install/transfer function.
- Confirm the transport request prompt if one appears; assign a workbench request.
- Check that the DataSource now appears as active in RSA6 rather than in RSA5.
- For logistics extractors, proceed to the LO extract structure customizing to activate the communication structure and set up the update method.
Key data objects
- ROOSOURCE - DataSource header data, holding technical name, application component, and version indicator; a row with version A only appears after successful install.
- ROOSFIELD - field-level metadata for the DataSource, generated at install time from the content version's field list; used to check whether all delivered fields actually made it into the active version.
- ROOSGEN - generation and status information for the extract structure and its associated function module, useful for confirming the technical objects were built correctly rather than left half-generated.
How to prove it in the data
In SE16 or SE16N, check ROOSOURCE for the DataSource's technical name (OLTPSOURCE field) and compare rows by version indicator. If only a D-version row exists and no A-version row, the DataSource has never been installed, which explains why it is missing from RSA6 and RSA3. Cross-check ROOSFIELD for the same DataSource to confirm the field count matches what Business Content delivers; a short field list after a support pack upgrade usually means the DataSource needs reinstalling in RSA5 to pick up new fields.
ECC vs S/4HANA
On S/4HANA, RSA5 behaves the same way and remains available for classic Business Content DataSources, including when S/4HANA itself acts as the source system for an embedded or connected BW. Extraction based on the newer CDS/ODP model does not go through RSA5 at all, since those DataSources are exposed and consumed through the operational data provisioning framework rather than installed from a content version. There is no Fiori app equivalent; this remains SAPGUI-only administrative work.
Common pitfalls and how to diagnose them
- Not installed at all: the DataSource is missing from RSA6 or RSA3 because nobody ran RSA5. Confirm by checking ROOSOURCE for an active-version row; if absent, install it and only then move to RSA6 for field maintenance.
- Stale after upgrade: a support package or enhancement pack adds new fields to a Business Content DataSource in its content version, but the active version installed earlier does not pick them up automatically. RSA5 shows the DataSource as already installed, so the reflex is to assume nothing needs doing; the fix is to reinstall it deliberately, which regenerates the extract structure with the new fields.
- Lost customization on reinstall: reinstalling a DataSource that already has RSA6 settings (hidden fields, selection changes) can overwrite those settings depending on how the install is done. Confirm current RSA6 settings before reinstalling and be ready to reapply them.
- Transport and authorization gaps: install requires a developer/object key and a transport request; without one the install can fail silently or land only in the current client, leaving other clients or systems inconsistent.
- Confusing RSA5 with RSA6: attempting to hide a field or change a selection option directly in RSA5 fails because that functionality does not exist there; the object has to be installed first and then maintained in RSA6.
- Logistics extractors incomplete: installing a 2LIS_* DataSource via RSA5 does not by itself activate the extract structure or set up delta; the LO Cockpit step is still required afterward, and skipping it produces an installed but non-functional DataSource.
Whose problem this is
This is functional/BW territory, typically owned by the BW or extraction consultant setting up a new data flow. Basis involvement is limited to transport release and developer key issues. A clean handover states the DataSource technical name, source system and client, whether a transport request was created, and confirmation that the object now shows active in RSA6.
Related SAP objects
Reviewed pages this object connects to in the ERPClimb knowledge graph.
Source: ERPClimb — https://erpclimb.com/sap-tcodes/rsa5ERPClimb is an independent platform and is not affiliated with SAP SE. Reference pages are written and reviewed by SAP consultants for learning and troubleshooting.