Accelerating Independence: How Lemongrass Delivered a Complex SAP Carve Out Under an Aggressive Timeline
Challenge
Propelis needed to stand up a fully independent SAP landscape within just eight months. The carveout required selectively extracting Propelis-specific data from a legacy SAP ECC system while ensuring zero disruption to the seller’s operations and maintaining strict data privacy controls.
At the same time, Propelis aimed to modernize its technology footprint by transitioning integrations from SAP PO to SAP BTP Integration Suite and moving analytics to a buyer-owned Azure environment. With multiple stakeholders involved and a near-zero tolerance for business disruption, Propelis needed a partner with deep SAP carveout expertise and the ability to execute at pace.
After evaluating Reply and SAP, Propelis selected Lemongrass for its proven track record delivering complex carve outs, strong experience with SAP ECS/RISE environments, and its strong partnership with cbs to execute Selective Data Transformation (SDT).
Lemongrass and cbs
Lemongrass partnered with cbs to deliver a selective data transformation (SDT)-based carve-out using the Enterprise Transformation toolset or cbs ET Enterprise Transformer® tool. This approach enabled Propelis to extract only relevant business data from the legacy ECC system while ensuring strict data separation and compliance.
A key success factor was the decoupled system build strategy. Lemongrass performed SDT processing, shell creation, and iterative testing in an Azure-based project environment— avoiding ECS constraints, accelerating iteration cycles, and reducing dependency on infrastructure provisioning. Once stabilized, the system was transitioned into SAP ECS via HANA Tenant Copy for final testing and production cutover.
Lemongrass also designed a secure, isolated network architecture that ensured data separation while enabling seamless connectivity to SAP BTP Integration Suite, Microsoft Fabric, MS SQL Server, OneSource, and other dependent systems. Early workshops aligned all stakeholders on architecture, data scope, and governance, ensuring clarity from the outset.
Lemongrass led overall program coordination, ensuring alignment across business, technical, and partner teams throughout delivery.
“Lemongrass and cbs proved to be the right partners for us from day one. They brought clarity, structure, and deep technical expertise to a highly complex carveout, and they delivered exactly what they committed to. Their collaborative approach and ability to keep multiple stakeholders aligned were critical to achieving independence on time and without disruption.”
Impact
The program delivered both a successful separation and a modernized technology foundation for future growth.
Propelis achieved full operational independence within the targeted eight-month timeline. The SDT-based approach ensured a compliant, selective data migration with no impact on the seller’s operations.
By leveraging a hybrid AWS + ECS delivery model, Lemongrass reduced rebuild cycles, minimized risk, and enabled efficient testing and validation. The production cutover was executed with minimal downtime, meeting business expectations and ensuring a smooth transition for end users.
Key outcomes included:
- A fully independent SAP landscape supporting global operations
- Modernized integrations via SAP BTP Integration Suite
- A dedicated, buyer-owned analytics platform in Azure
- Reduced technical debt and improved operational stability
- Successful production cutover within the planned window
- Stable post-go-live operations following initial stabilization
Propelis continues to partner with Lemongrass on managed services, SAP BTP optimization, and future transformation initiatives, building on the foundation established through the carve-out.