RISE with SAP: How SDT helps businesses transform data with maximum flexibility

EVENT COVERAGE: LIVE FIRESIDE CHAT RISE with SAP: How SDT helps businesses transform data with maximum flexibility

A live fireside chat on RISE with SAP and S/4HANA revealed how selective data transformation (SDT) can help customers make such important leaps when it comes to data with SAP.

In today’s world, with so much data floating around that can be helpful in making insights and decisions, it is important that businesses be able to select, harmonise, and transform that data in a way that would create value without too much process downtime or disruption.

In a live fireside chat on RISE with SAP and S/4HANA Accelerated with Selective Data Transformation held on Monday, 5 July, the five panelists, namely SAP’s Chern-Chuen Khor, Datavard’s Ulf Spies, SNP Group’s Gerald Faust, cbs Corporate Business Solutions APAC’s Holger Bock, and Natuvion APJ’s Chris Schroefl revealed how selective data transformation (SDT) can help customers make such important leaps when it comes to data with SAP.

Multiple steps, one project

The SAP S/4HANA SDT is an alternative to a system conversion and new implementation to SAP S/4HANA which merges the benefits of both the greenfield and brownfield approaches without their respective limitations.

Through SDT, a company can reduce the data footprint by flexibly selecting and focusing on moving relevant data, said Faust, managing director and CEO of SNP for Asia Pacific Japan.

“SDT combines multiple steps into one project—for example, enhancement upgrades and accelerates the move into new infrastructures, whilst minimising downtimes. The software-centric approach simplifies complexity with up to 70% reduction in project cost, time, and effort,” he explained.

The most flexible approach

SDT is not just an exclusive approach, stated Natuvion APJ CEO and Co-founder Schroefl, but it can also complement greenfield and brownfield approaches. He added that SDT is by far the most flexible approach for customised solutions and system configurations. Bock, managing director cbs, APAC also stated that applying the SDT approach while considering business process harmonisation generates additional value from the S/4HANA journey, not just from the new S/4HANA functionalities.

However, it should not be an option if a customer is not up to date with the EHP upgrades, if certain functions cannot be deactivated, if one wants to leave organisational units behind, or if one wants to use current systems as re-accelerators, Schroefl said.

Additionally, applying selective data transition enables an organisation to achieve nearzero downtime, especially when migrating extensive data systems, Holger said.

For Spies, managing director of Datavard APJ, SDT strikes a balance between different approaches, helps move historic data selectively with minimum business disruption, and merges multiple systems in one whole environment.

How SDT delivers promised value to customers

Holger mentioned that a global manufacturing customer had to harmonise their finance environment end-to-end when moving to the S/4HANA cloud environment. With harmonisation and corrected data, business values are generated.

With so much historical data that can be of value in the future, Faust assured that SDT can reduce downtimes or disruptions in order not to sacrifice essential time and resources that will be lost once the business is stopped.

“We are operating under one purpose, to deliver value to customers and facilitate business transformation, harmonise the use of data, minimise business disruptions, and help customers increase flexibility, speed, and agility with lower risks as they move to S/4HANA and Cloud,” Khor stated.

We are operating under one purpose, to facilitate business transformation, and help customers increase flexibility, speed, and agility with lower risks