Driving SAP S/4HANA Adoption for a Global OEM Parts Distributor
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Key Takeaways
⇨ It is crucial for enterprises to bolster their IT infrastructure and analytical capabilities to match the expanding scale of business and operations
⇨ There is a steep learning curve involved in the migration from legacy systems to modern platforms, as there needs to be careful planning and integration to ensure that the transition occurs smoothly without disrupting routine operations
⇨ By implementing a new self-service data management architecture and adopting a 'gold path' approach, organizations can significantly improve decision-making capabilities, enhance security measures, and streamline reporting processes
As enterprises continue to grow in size and stature, they must also enhance their IT and analytical capabilities to ensure the company’s growth is met with equal capacity for data collection and analytics in their push toward digital transformation.
Such was the case with one global distributor of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts who relied on manual report creation, query writing and data extraction processes from their legacy systems in their data warehouse, primarily functioning on Excel and Access. The organization decided to push for automation using DataSphere and SAP Analytics Cloud but failed to realize the steep learning curve that stems from data migration procedures. The management then created a plan to integrate their historical and latest SAP data within a strict timeframe and Protiviti was entrusted with the responsibility to maximize the distributor’s investment into the SAP ecosystem.
There were several key issues highlighted by the management. This included workflows from integration of business logic between SAP and the old ERP system to reorganizing reporting work with constantly changing priorities and scope to prepare for the go-live.
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The Protiviti team worked on creating a new self-service data management architecture, security measures and ‘gold path’ (repeatable, documented and agreed upon approach to accomplish common data and analytic tasks) approach. The gold path approach helped the distributor in defining the synergy between SAP data with external data and the self-service modeling.
Through these initiatives on behalf of Protiviti and the distributor, the analytics team was able to significantly better their capabilities. They consolidated report usage, improved report continuity for internal and external stakeholders and developed skills for the analytical team driving better business decision-making. Furthermore, they developed 20+ new dashboards with reusable supporting models, automated data pipelines and identified use cases for SAP BTP to enable automation and scalability throughout the SAP S/4HANA go-live using SAP DataSphere.
Now that the foundation is laid, the distributor looks to implement industry best practices around predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, state of the art business intelligence tools to set itself up for its digital transformation.
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