"The data is locked by user and can be displayed only"
— what it means & how to fix it in SAP

The SAP message "The data is locked by user <name> and can be displayed only" means someone (or a leftover session) is holding an edit lock on the object you're trying to open, so SAP will only let you view it, not change it. You have two options: click Yes to open it in display-only mode, or — if you actually need to edit it and the lock is stale — clear the lock in transaction SM12 and reopen the object. This can appear in almost any editable SAP transaction; the screenshots here use OBY6 (Company Code Global Data) as the example.

A short walkthrough from the VoiSAP YouTube channel showing the message and both fixes. The written steps below follow the same flow, with screenshots.

SAP protects data with locks. When one user opens an object in change mode, SAP places an edit lock on it so nobody else can edit the same thing at the same time and overwrite each other's work. While that lock is held, anyone else who opens the object sees this message and is limited to display only.

So the message is not an error or a bug — it's SAP doing its job, protecting the data. The user name shown (for example SAP-USER38 in the screenshot) is simply who is holding the lock right now.

Knowing the cause tells you which fix is safe to use:

Another user really is editing that object right now. This is the lock working exactly as intended — you should wait, or edit something else.

The most common cause on training systems: a previous session ended abnormally (the GUI closed, the connection dropped, or the user was thrown out) and SAP never released the lock. Nobody is actually editing anything — the lock is just stuck. This is the case that SM12 is made for.

Sometimes the "other user" holding the lock is you, from an earlier session that didn't close cleanly. Very common when you log in twice or your last session dropped.

If you only need to see the settings, not change them, this is instant and completely safe.

Click "Yes" on the Locked Data dialog

When SAP asks "Do you want to display locked data?", click Yes. The object opens in display-only mode — you can read everything, you just can't save changes. That's often all you need.

If you need to edit the object and the lock is stale (a ghost lock or your own old session), you clear it in transaction SM12.

Open transaction SM12

In the command field at the top left, type SM12 and press Enter. This opens the Select Lock Entries screen.

Find the lock entry

Enter the user name from the message (or leave it blank to see every lock), then execute. You'll see the Lock Entry List — each row is one lock, showing the user, the table, and the lock time. In the example, user SAP-USER38 holds a lock on table T001 (the company code table behind OBY6).

Delete the stuck lock

Select the lock entry and click the delete (trash) icon. SAP asks you to confirm — click Yes. After this, refresh and the list shows "No lock entries found", meaning the lock is cleared.

Reopen the object — now editable

Go back into your transaction (OBY6 in the example) and open the object again. The Locked Data message is gone and it opens in full change mode, ready to edit.

That's it — the lock is cleared and you can edit normally. If the lock keeps coming back, someone or a background job is genuinely still using the object — that needs investigating, not repeated deleting.