System Landscape Transformation (SLT) is an alternative approach compared to legacy data migration methods. Traditionally, the legacy method involved heavy manual tasks performed by people. System Landscape Transformation is a direct database update approach with minimum human intervention performed using data migration software.
Why Do Company Require SAP Landscape Transformation?
The purpose of performing SAP Landscape Transformation is to enable companies to align their existing SAP system landscape after restructuring their business, updating existing processes, integrating a recently acquired company, or removing parts of the business data due to divestiture from their existing SAP system landscape.
Common cases of services provided by an SAP System Landscape Optimization (SLO) transformation portfolio are,
- Post-Merger Integration & Merging of SAP Systems
Business transformations usually require rapid modification of the process and system landscape during mergers and post-merger. There is a high demand for a comprehensive range of solutions to allow customers to consolidate their SAP system landscape in a fast, secure, and flexible way.
- Carve-Out & Divestiture
Carve-outs (the divestiture or spinning-off of company units) are rare but time-critical challenges for IT departments. Completing carve-outs within the specified time frame and in line with the business’s needs is extremely demanding. It is important to provide technical, functional and project management support who has end-to-end design expertise for processes, systems, and data.
- The industrialisation of Data Migration
Data migration is a critical success factor for global SAP rollout programs: Data must be quickly and securely converted and harmonised data from a multitude of non-SAP and SAP systems into productive SAP solutions. A consistent template approach and using innovative software are essential as a complete solution for such data migrations
- Organisational Changes & Conversions
Many organisational changes cannot be implemented with SAP tools or can only be achieved with considerable effort. SLT consultants are necessary for the implementation of transformation projects with proprietary software that can perform organisational changes and data harmonisation during ongoing operations while at the same time enabling operations to continue without interruption in business departments.
- Harmonisation of Charts of Account
Without transformation software, the harmonisation of charts of accounts seems an almost impossible task. With transformation software, it can be a breeze. It is, however, essential to bear in mind the controlling function of the accounts and not expect harmonisation to be a simple mapping task. Otherwise, you risk being floored by the sheer complexity of the undertaking. Not only do you need to consider the technical side of the transformation process, but also always keep sight of the process implications, thus ensuring a smooth transition to harmonised accounting.
- Harmonisation of Controlling Areas
The transformation of controlling areas is often a global undertaking, in which the technological transformation usually plays only the smallest part. The consultants need to have the expertise to help ensure a smooth transformation tailored to the needs of the customer. Consulting firms need to carefully analyse how the transformation will impact the customer’s business processes and organisational units, thus ensuring a smooth transition to the new controlling world from both a technical and process perspective.
- SAP New G/L Migration
The new SAP general ledger cannot simply be introduced in passing. It is heavily dependent on processes in FI/CO and the integrated modules of the SAP system. Instead of rigid migration scenarios, there is a need for flexible solutions aligned to customers’ specific requirements and provide comprehensive support throughout the entire project – with go-lives during the year and the transformation of historical data with the suppose of data transformation software.
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System Landscape Transformation Positioning & Advantages
SLT is the ideal approach for companies who require short downtime and migrating of data in the shortest possible period with little effort. Examples of such cases would be industries such as manufacturing, utility or some F&B services that have a 24-hour operation. It is critical for them to ensure downtime can be reduced with as little human effort on data handling to ensure data consistency.
Some of the key advantages of performing the SLT approach are,
- Minimum human intervention
Instead of data analysts, SLT will be managed by SLT consultants where they use proprietary software and also ensure consistency and accuracy throughout the entire process of data management before importing to the target system. Lesser SLT consultants are required as compared to the number of data analysts required. With lesser consultants in a project, human intervention when dealing with a huge volume of data will be significantly reduced which leads to a lower chance of human error when performing data validation, mapping and transformation for it to be ready to import to the target system.
- Massive time saving
Time-saving will be considerably increased as SLT perform a direct database update approach. It is highly possible for an SLT solution to import the data to the target system within a day whereas, for a legacy approach, it might not be possible. With a shorter project timeline, it can potentially result in cost savings on both human resources and project runtime.
- The high degree of transparency for audit validation
Auditing is important for any SLT project and with the help of proprietary software, migration of data and its processes are all recorded, making it easier for reporting and auditing purposes.
Success Story of a System Landscape Transformation Project
As the leading innovative food company across the Asia Pacific, the customer has an excellent portfolio of well-known consumer brands in some of the region’s largest grocery categories. Their product offering is supported by a large scale, efficient distribution network that enables delivery of the company’s products to all the outlets every day.
Digital Transformation – Future Proof the Business
Considering the business growth and needs, SAP roadmap and ageing hardware, the customer embarked on a project to upgrade the existing SAP landscape by migrating to SAP Suite on HANA (SoH) on HANA Enterprise Cloud. It will enable them to move into SAP S/4HANA at a later stage.
With the move to HANA Enterprise Cloud, they reduce the total cost of ownership for the long run, future proof IT platform and, more importantly, cater to future business growth. Additionally, they need to transform historical data coupled with the alignment of fiscal periods to group requirements.
The project presented a few challenges:
The customer’s business model includes distribution and fast-moving products, requiring minimal downtime to minimise disruptions. There is also a need for selective migration of historical data coupled with data transformation.
The move to SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud hosting platform involves simultaneously handling multiple projects.
- ECC SoH Migration
- Business Warehouse migration
- Process Integration/Process Orchestration migration
System Landscape Transformation Solution
cbs consulting assessed and provided the following services as part of the requirement for the customer.
- Using cbs’ System Landscape Transformation migration approach for the customer to move to the SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud.
- Finance Fiscal Period Change as well as Data Transformation to perform a Fiscal Year Shift for historical records:
- Change of fiscal periods from 4-4-5 to Calendar periods.
- Data transformation exercise to set fiscal year back by 1.
- Deploying selective data migration for 21 company codes and two years of historical data.
- Applying a Near-Zero Downtime approach.
The project was facilitated by cbs’ ET Enterprise Transformer, cbs proprietary transformation software, and executed by Transformation Team situated in cbs Kuala Lumpur Service Center, Malaysia.
It allows the customer to achieve high-quality and high-speed transformation based on the requirements.
Near Zero-Downtime with System Landscape Transformation
Throughout the project implementation, hardware, infrastructure and application tuning needs were collaboratively identified and improved. As a result, the customer achieved near-zero downtime for their data migration on its massive 12 TB SAP ECC database size.
The result achieved for the customer was 16 hours of business downtime, with only 7 hours allocated for data migration. With the Selective Data Migration approach, the customer’s HANA database on Enterprise Cloud has been reduced to 3 TB.
Different methods can optimise downtime. Lowering the downtime can have significant cost implications. Those methods must be combined most intelligently. Experienced project and cut-over managers help define an optimised cut-over plan for a system landscape transformation. cbs ET Optimisation is part of the standard offering to allow the fastest operations on the database level.
About cbs System Landscape Transformation
cbs helps customers execute SAP system landscape changes quickly, targeted and cost-effectively. With cbs, the client received smooth consulting services, focusing on the business transformation. Besides process competencies, cbs complement the end-to-end service through technical practices.
cbs execute transformation projects with minimally invasive approaches to accelerate implementation. cbs ensure reliability without disrupting day-to-day operations or high cutover costs. The unique software solutions used by cbs significantly shorten the road to a standardised, harmonised, and consolidated process on the system landscape.
cbs Selective Landscape Transformation consultants are fundamentally SAP techno-functional consultants with robust business knowledge. This facilitates communication with key project members and is a critical enabling factor of a smooth transformation project.
Moreover, accounting firms like Ernst & Young have also certified cbs software and migration approach.
What can you expect from cbs as an SLO provider?
A Focus on Quality
The expertise of our 150+ transformation consultants goes far beyond the market standard. In addition to wide-ranging knowledge of data and data structures, our consultants are also experts in SAP processes and applications. Leveraging this combined knowledge, we identify the best way forward and ensure a smooth transformation from functional and technical perspectives.
Minimally Invasive Approaches
As expert implementation consultants, we show you how you can use minimally invasive approaches to sustainably accelerate your transformation projects and implement them quickly and reliably without disrupting day-to-day operations or high cutover costs.
High-Speed Business Transformations
Companies that use SAP software often face the challenge of optimising established structures, processes, and IT systems. The range of solutions offered by cbs can significantly shorten the road to a standardised, harmonised, and consolidated process, data, and system landscape. We help ensure the technical and economic viability of projects that cannot be implemented using conventional means and facilitate their execution within a reasonable time frame.
cbs System Landscape Transformation Architecture
SLT architecture is based on our highly designed software cbs ET Enterprise Transformer®, from analysis to quality assurance: One software for all end-to-end digital transformation needs. cbs SLT architecture has three main stages, Analysis, Transformation and lastly, Quality Assurance.
The analysis includes modules for us to perform on technical assessment, functional checks, process exploration and possible business impact.
For Transformation, we provide pre-configured content, on-premises & cloud-ready solutions, Selective Data Transition solution patterns and optimising downtime for your migration.
As for Quality Assurance, we ensure business continuity, data validation, risk mitigation and process reviews.
cbs Differentiators
As an SAP consultancy with System Landscape Transition capability, cbs proprietary software, cbs Enterprise Transformer®, help customers implement SAP system changes in a fast, targeted, and cost-effective manner. For cbs, this requires the following three key elements:
- Process consulting
- Data transformation services
- Proprietary software – cbs Enterprise Transformer®
As the only full-service provider for SAP consulting and transformation globally, cbs offer all the above. Consulting can, however, also be provided by partners or customers depending on the specific situation. Also, large corporations and partners have the option of purchasing a cbs Enterprise Transformer® license and completing the data transformation independently.
Landscape Transformation enables companies to align their existing SAP system landscape after restructuring their business, updating existing processes, integrating a recently acquired company, or removing parts of the business data due to divestiture from their existing SAP system landscape. SAP LT ensures complete data consistency and integrity within transformation projects such as data migrations and conversions.
