Insights from a Complex SAP Carve-out Acquisition Project

⇨ Controlled environment and read-only access during SAP ECC data carve-out (for scenarios of acquisition or divestiture) reduce disruption and ensure data integrity.

⇨ Strategic planning with dual testing environments and dedicated application servers can allow companies to optimize projects while maintaining system performance during complex transformations.

⇨ Partnering with IT experts who use a hybrid onshore/offshore resource model provides access to specialized expertise, keeps projects on tight deadlines, and ensures success in carve-out projects.

SAP users often encounter significant challenges when managing large volumes of data, particularly during mergers, acquisitions, or transitional periods. These transitions become even more complex for businesses operating on legacy systems like SAP ECC, where extracting and archiving data without disrupting operations can be difficult.

Solving Complex Carve-out Challenge for a Global Tech Distributor: Project Breakdown

Techwave, an IT services and consulting company specializing in digital transformation and SAP solutions, helped a leading global Tech Distributor accomplish its complex carve-out challenge. The project showcases the critical role of data archiving in such transitions and provides valuable insights for businesses looking to optimize data management during organizational changes.

To address these challenges, Techwave implemented a structured approach that began with creating a copy of the client’s existing SAP ECC platform. This duplicated environment allowed Techwave to

• Work in a controlled setting, reducing the risk of disruption to day-to-day operations and
• Provided read-only access to the carved-out data, ensuring data integrity while allowing the acquiring company to review it as needed.

Over six months, Techwave successfully archived 7 TB of data from the client’s ECC platform, freeing up valuable storage space and enhancing system capacity for future transactional growth.

Ingredients For a Successful SAP Carve-Out Archiving Solution: Insights from Success

The success of this project relied on meticulous planning and thorough analysis of potential impacts across interconnected systems like

• Global Trade Services (GTS)
• Business Warehouse (BW) and
• Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO)

These systems worked alongside the ECC platform, adding complexity to the process. The Techwave team created dual test environments to validate the integrity of the archived data, ensuring a smooth handover to the acquiring company. Key operational processes, such as change control and archiving job runtimes, were critical components of the project’s scope, allowing data extraction to proceed without affecting system performance.

Several strategies contributed to the project’s efficiency. Techwave leveraged dedicated application servers to optimize job execution, improving overall system performance during the archiving process. A blended onshore/offshore resource model was employed to manage the project’s complexity, providing access to specialized expertise at various stages.

This approach helped Techwave meet critical requirements and timelines effectively. Additionally, the timing of database reorganization was strategically planned to avoid operational conflicts and align with loading windows, facilitating a seamless archiving process.

Key Outcomes Driven: Enabling the Partner Company to Achieve its Objectives

The collaboration between Techwave and the client resulted in significant business benefits including the following.

• The streamlined database on the client’s production ECC platform improved system performance and enhanced operational efficiency.
• 7 TB of data was successfully archived within 6 months.

Managing such complex SAP projects requires a credible team of SME archiving experts and DBAs with Database re-org experience. Through the successful completion of this project, Techwave demonstrated its capability to manage complex SAP projects, particularly during major business transitions like acquisitions and divestitures.

By addressing the challenges of data extraction and project management, organizations can achieve seamless transitions while maximizing the value of their SAP investments. Companies interested in achieving their SAP goals can reach out to Techwave and explore other SAP projects of Techwave, which include

• S/4HANA Public Cloud Implementation
• S/4HANA Pvt. Cloud Implementation
• SAP Application Management Services (SAP AMS)
• SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP)
• SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)