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The value of Test Data Management in an evolving SAP® system landscape

As SAP® clients take on board the implications of the approaching deadline for migration to S/4HANA, the huge need for good test data becomes increasingly relevant. What’s more, this data must be correlated across tests and systems.

Currently there are typically two ways in which test data is created: in the first instance, developers manually create unit test data in development systems, in the knowledge that this data is not like production data; and second, development and/or test systems are created as copies of production systems.

There are some points to consider in this approach:

  • Manually generated data is a time-consuming activity that is not industrialized; it does not guarantee an appropriate test coverage.
  • Just making a full copy of the production data has several drawbacks:
    • Development and testing teams will have access to sensitive information. An SAP database is also a tempting target for hackers because it stores and manages critical information
    • Creating copies of production data into non-production environments typically requires a lot of time, leading to a lack of environment availability
    • Non-productive environments need to have the same capacity in the target landscape, which means that infrastructure costs increase
    • It is difficult to identify which data meets the testing requirements

So faster, more efficient and more secure Test Data Management is needed for non-productive landscapes. Sogeti strongly recommends that companies adopting or migrating to SAP S/4HANA should design and implement a Test Data Management service.

Intensive testing will be required to make sure that business processes keep working as expected after any move to S/4HANA, or other system change. Effective testing is not possible without proper test data. Test Data Management can save a lot of money and time and will help you to protect your sensitive information.

Reasons to opt for a Test Data Management service

With effective Test Data Management, you can:

  • Select and identify just the data you require, according to specific criteria for your test activities (e.g. a specific customer, type of customer, sales, invoices, etc.)
  • Cut infrastructure costs by reducing the volume of data in the test landscape
  • Make the data management process reusable and easy to maintain
  • Reduce the time taken to refresh the non-productive environments with relevant data 
  • Maintain referential integrity within the SAP HANA system and across other technology systems
  • Scramble personal or business sensitive information
  • Monitor access to sensitive information; block unauthorized accesses

Sogeti can help you in designing, implementing and operating a Test Data Management service that covers your specific needs. We can also help you select the right tool for running this service.

We hope the above has given you a flavor of the value we see in having a Test Data Management service as you deploy your SAP S/4HANA landscape.

To find out more about Sogeti’s approach to managing test data for SAP S/4HANA systems, please get in touch.

 

Angélica Agudelo
Angelica Agudelo
SAP Testing Consultant
+34930282773
Josep Robert Mallafré
Josep Robert Mallafré
TDM Practice Lead | Quality Engineering & Testing
+34919020416