At the beginning, I would like to point out that the article was written assuming that a new implementation project will be made.
Data Migration Strategy is one of the 3 most important components in a typical S4HANA project.
The other two: Scope (BPML, Product BOM, Depth of usage, WRICEF...), Users (People, company culture, satellite solutions...). The parenthetical items in both categories can be further varied, but this should be covered in another article.
It is necessary to complete the following headings in order to transfer the data completely and accurately to the newly designed S/4 HANA system at the planned time.
Separate Team
Since the Data Migration process is very important in S/4 HANA projects, it will be very useful if it is carried out by a team positioned under a separate leader. There must be at least one functional consultant with logistics and finance background in the team to be established. I think having an abap developer who has moved data using traditional methods would be a lifesaver. Additionally, if it is planned to be used, an Information Steward and Data Services expert should also be included.
If possible, people from business units whose job is Data Management should be included in the team. If there is no one with such a job description, someone from the finance team and engineering units who knows the organization and is experienced should be assigned.
Select Migration Objects
When the newly designed S/4HANA solution goes live, all the necessary data must be prepared 100 percent accurately and completely. The data can be roughly divided into two heads:
Master data, transactional data.
Under the master data heading, there are data objects such as material, customer, vendor, bank information that change slowly and affect the content of transactional data. Transactional data, on the other hand, consists of objects produced as a result of daily operations such as purchasing contracts, sales documents, and loans, etc.
Taking an inventory of all data objects, regardless of their type, would be the best start. In its simplest form, an Excel sheet consisting of the following information will be sufficient, ideally you can track each object as a separate item with a jira-like tool. Required information (Roughly):
Data object,
Relevant module,
Source,
Method,
Precondition,
Source owner,
S/4HANA owner,
Test cycle1 result,
Test cycle2 result,
Integration test result,
UAT result,
Explanation
Get Data (Extraction)
When the object list is completely prepared, the first thing to do is to determine the data extraction method with the most up-to-date way allowed by the source. Some data objects may need to be cleaned, transformed and enriched according to the new design. Data object transfer method; Depending on the size of the data, frequency of change and complexity of subsequent operations, one of the following two options may be possible:
- Extract data from source files using DS/DI/ETL Tools jobs and bring them into a staging HANA DB.
- Manually extract data and push it to staging or xml files of Migration Cockpit.
Profile Cleanse Transform Validate
Source data can be profiled to better understand current data quality and build your transformation or cleansing requirements for migration. SAP Information Steward and Data Services can be used for Data Profiling & Validation.
To transfer data using the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit, you will need a user with the role SAP_CA_DMC_MC_USER is required in the SAP S/4HANA system. This user must also have the role SAP_BR_CONFIG_EXPERT_DATA_MIG for the front-end server. To use the SAP S/4HANA migration object modeler (transaction LTMOM), role SAP_CA_DMC_MC_DEVELOPER is required in the SAP
S/4HANA system.
S/4HANA Migration Cockpit support pre-load validation as defined in load APIs and simulation before starting actual data load. This pre-load validation can be changed for customer specific requirements. Data Services can be configured to have pre-load validation and error handling steps to capture all the possible data issues.
S/4HANA Migration Cockpit standard content should be used to migrate Master Data, open items and balances into S/4HANA system.
In the diagram above, the summary of what was previously explained is shown on a single page.
Testing
The success of the constructed Data Migration Strategy depends on testing it in the right cycle and method.
Each object must be tested at least 3, but ideally 4 times, depending on the chosen method. In each test, the data content for the object used in the previous test should be increased and, if possible, 100 percent real data should be used in UAT tests.
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