If you are seeing an "Access Denied" or "Authorization Failed" message associated with return code 15, What does sy-subrc = 15 mean?
Use transaction to view the user's current authorization buffer.
Start the trace, replicate the error in your program, and stop the trace. access denied sy-subrc 15
Technically, in many SAP environments, sy-subrc = 15 is returned when:
A kernel-level or standard SAP function module is hard-coded to return 15 for a "Not Authorized" status instead of the traditional 4. Common Scenarios If you are seeing an "Access Denied" or
Access Denied: Understanding and Fixing sy-subrc 15 in SAP In the world of SAP ABAP development, sy-subrc is the pulse of your program. It tells you whether a functional module, a keyword, or an authorization check succeeded or failed. While most developers are intimately familiar with sy-subrc = 4 (Not found/Unauthorized), encountering can be a bit more cryptic.
You will most likely encounter this error in two specific areas: 1. File System Access (AL11 / Dataset) Technically, in many SAP environments, sy-subrc = 15
Check if the variables being passed into the ID fields are populated correctly. Often, a null value passed into an authorization field will trigger a 15 rather than a 4.
In the context of SAP authorization checks (the AUTHORITY-CHECK statement), return codes usually follow a standard pattern. While 4 is the most common failure code,
This will show you exactly which , Field , and Value caused the failure. If the return code was 15, SU53 will highlight the missing link in the user's role. Step 2: Trace with ST01 or STAUTHTRACE