Background: Many businesses are considering transforming their business to utilize the new Hana products.  Our client was investigating a move to SAP Hana and the rationalization of many SAP systems.  They wanted to understand and compare the various SAP systems against over 100 different system structures and attributes to better plan and facilitate their transformation program. 

Client needed a transformation strategy / system roadmap for next few years to answer:

1. Does it make sense to go to Hana?  

2. Adopt a common template across 4 SAP systems?

3. Cost/ Benefit: What’s the cost to go from 4 systems to 1 system?  What are benefits?

4. Spend money now or wait?

Task: Support a pre-study for multiple SAP System Transformation. r4apps used to access the multiple SAP systems, build the data models, perform the analysis and present the harmonization potential and roadmap.

Client Value: In a very short time frame gained direct insights into SAP systems set-up and usage,

Output was approximately 100 relevant item analysis with key differences across heterogeneous systems: like different currencies; Chart of Accounts; differences in cost structure; different approaches to controlling – Production vs Overhead, etc.  Presented harmonization potential and roadmap with conclusion re best approach to harmonize. 

Key differentiations: Next best alternative would have been to send questionnaires and individual follow-up interviews with different source systems owner. This might take a longer time and lead to filtered or biased insights.

External partner & their benefits: Global leading consulting, operations and technology company.  In a very short time frame gained direct insights into SAP systems set-up and usage allowed them to plan properly for and de-risk the next phase.  More professional approach.  The fact they were able to get the analysis done in a fraction of the time expected gave them the ability to do further analysis of data to sell on other projects (e.g. they did working capital analysis and identified areas for significant savings).

Key buyer / decision maker to use r4apps: CFO and program manager

Our key functions used: Out of the box connection to SAP ERP / Data Sources on SAP tables / BOB

Connected Systems: 4 global SAP ERPs, different custom coding for each, all operating independently by different Regions and/ or BUs

Ramp-up time: 1-day platform installation (r4apps) / 1-week organizing SAP user (customer)

Commercials: Approx. €20k to use platform for 3 months during ‘phase 1’.  Will be many years at standard rate as program progresses…data cleansing/ harmonization; bridge between old and new; moving complex data, etc.

Duration: 4 weeks r4apps analysis in an overall 4 months project.

System-Demo possible: Yes, ideally with functional context (example of what SAP tables are typically used).