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

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.