CI/CD, DevOps, Agile, and Increased SAP System Refresh

Until recently, annual SAP QAS data refresh cycles were the norm, but now the demand is for quarterly or even monthly refresh cycles.

There are several drivers behind the increased demand.

Things like S/4 HANA agility and flexibility, the introduction of DevOps and Agile methodology and CI/CD objectives have increased demand on testing and test accuracy, which in turn demand test data accuracy, and thus increasing SAP QAS refresh regularity.

But there is a problem. SAP basis are having difficulty in meeting the increased demand.

SAP basis and system refresh cadence

When SAP projects were delivered annually, and annual QAS data refresh cycles were OK, the basis team could easily manage the time required to refresh the systems. However, this is no longer true with the need for increased refresh cycles.

Today’s basis teams are thin on the ground, and their skills are in great demand. Increasing the refresh frequency is impossible for many, and project teams must run the gauntlet of testing on old data.

Increase team size, or automate?

There are options. SAP IT leaders can do one of several things.

• Increase team size
• Outsource the work
• Automate

Increasing the basis team size

Increasing the size of the basis team, either internally or through a services provider, will help. For example, one regional mining company has a team of three basis engineers working full-time to deliver a quarterly refresh cadence. Although inefficient, the job gets done, the data is fresh, and the project team is happy.

However, not everyone has the budget to increase the team size, especially mid-size SAP teams.

Outsourcing the work

If one did have the budget to outsource the work as needed, this would solve the problem, but it could quickly introduce other problems.

For example, the basis engineers involved are unlikely to be familiar with your systems, and the same team is unlikely to work on your systems for each refresh. Every system refresh is unique, and accuracy is critical.

The refresh is inconsistent, and accuracy suffers.

Automate the refresh process

The other option is automation. Automation is far and away the best option for SAP IT teams of all sizes.

The myriad of unique manual tasks required to execute an accurate system refresh is fully automated. The pre-checks, the pre-copy tasks, and all the post-copy tasks are programmed. Every refresh is performed the same every time with minimal basis involvement.

For example, to manage the above mining company’s refresh cadence, one basis engineer working on the process part-time would suffice.

A fast, consistent refresh is the result.

Outcomes

Automation is the answer for companies that cannot increase the team size or outsource the work. SAP system copy automation leverages the skills and time of scarce basis engineers.

Automation enables even tiny teams to not only increase refresh cadence but do so with increased accuracy and consistency every time.