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Access Denied Sy-subrc 15 May 2026

Ensure that the fields in your AUTHORITY-CHECK statement match the fields defined in the authorization object (transaction SU21). An extra or misspelled ID will cause a different return code (often 12), but a missing field assignment in the user role relative to the check's expectation can cause 15.

A user clicks a "Change" button in an ALV (ABAP List Viewer) report.

Error Example:

Access denied to activity 06 (Delete) for material master. SY-SUBRC 15

Root Cause: The ALV event handler is trying to call BAPI_MATERIAL_DELETE, but the user lacks the underlying authorization for object M_MATE_MAT (Material Master).

In ABAP, sy-subrc (Return Code) is a global system field that indicates the success or failure of the last operation. A 0 means success. Any non-zero value indicates a specific problem. access denied sy-subrc 15

For standard OpenSQL operations, 4 might mean "no rows found." However, for low-level system operations—specifically File handling (OPEN DATASET) and External command execution (CALL 'SYSTEM')—the code 15 takes on a distinct personality.

This is the most frequent occurrence. A functional user tries to view a custom table ZEMPLOYEE_DETAILS or an HR table PA0001.

Error Example:

Access denied for table ZEMPLOYEE_DETAILS. (SY-SUBRC 15)

Root Cause: The authorization object S_TABU_LCK (Table Locking/Tracking) is triggered. The user lacks authorization for ACTVT (Activity) = 03 (Display) or 02 (Change). Ensure that the fields in your AUTHORITY-CHECK statement

Solution:

Wrap your call with:

AUTHORITY-CHECK OBJECT 'S_CARRID'
  ID 'CARRID' FIELD 'LH'.
IF SY-SUBRC = 15.
  WRITE: 'Access denied for S_CARRID'.
ENDIF.

Since SAP won't tell you why the OS said no, go to the OS directly. Log into the application server as <sid>adm. Run the exact operation manually:

# If reading a file
cat /usr/sap/trans/data/yourfile.txt
# If writing a file
touch /usr/sap/trans/data/yourfile.txt

If touch returns Permission denied, you have your answer. Check ls -la on the directory and file.

Your own ABAP program contains:

AUTHORITY-CHECK OBJECT 'Z_SALES'
  ID 'VKORG' FIELD '1000'
  ID 'ACTVT' FIELD '02'.
IF SY-SUBRC = 15.
  MESSAGE 'Access denied to sales org 1000' TYPE 'E'.
ENDIF.

Root Cause: The user’s profile is missing Z_SALES for VKORG 1000 and ACTVT 02.

Solution:

While executing an ABAP program (e.g., SELECT, AUTHORITY-CHECK, or SUBMIT), you receive:

SY-SUBRC = 15

And often a runtime message like:
"No authorization" or "Access denied"

Subir