Success Story: Nordzucker AG
Table of Contents
The Brownfield Approach to a Successful SAP S/4HANA Migration and the Implementation of SAP Fiori Authorizations
In 2021/2022, Xiting succeeded in supporting the transformation of a leading sugar company in Europe, Nordzucker AG, to the latest SAP product generation, SAP S/4HANA. With the help of Xiting’s software solution, Xiting Authorizations Management Suite (XAMS), and based on a Brownfield approach, 3000 users and their corresponding authorizations were transferred and validated to be SAP S/4HANA-compliant during the transition from the old ERP system to the new SAP system. According to SAP best practices, areas and catalogues could also be restructured and built in SAP Fiori for the individual departments. On the customer side, SAP In-house Consultant, Lambert von Berswordt-Wallrabe, was significantly involved in the successful implementation of the project. Christine Scherrer, External Consultant, additionally supported the implementation in a partnership-based collaboration with Xiting.
“Given the scope of this project, our best option was a tool-supported migration of the SAP authorizations. The XAMS proved its added value right from the start. A comprehensive analysis and automated adjustment of the roles enabled an efficient and successful migration. Even after the project completion, the XAMS is still an integral part of our SAP authorizations.”
Aljoscha Kotulla
Head of SAP Extended Applications
Objectives
A migration of the existing SAP PFCG roles, according to the simplification list integrated in the XAMS, the cleaning of the SU24 values, and the design and introduction of SAP Fiori authorizations were defined as primary objectives of the Nordzucker AG project. Besides these goals, it was essential to ensure an independent handling of the XAMS on the customer side through proper knowledge transfer. This also included the possibility to introduce emergency users in the XAMS. The use of the software improves the efficiency of user management and the processing of large amounts of data.
Challenges
XAMS helped optimize the role analysis and role adaptation before the actual migration (i.e., cleaning manual S_TCODES). It also helped identify and optimize the missing SU24 values as well as implement the user system and role assignment according to the old ERP system. In addition to the analysis of missing authorizations during the integration test phase, the migration of third-party tools and in-house developments also posed a significant challenge. Lastly, the ongoing operation should not be interrupted at any time, which was ultimately possible by using various reference users and the Xiting Times Protected Go-Live features.
Successes
The existing roles were automatically converted according to the new transactions, WebDynpros, Fiori apps, and the relevant user data, such as User ID address data, role assignments, user parameters, SNC names, etc., and could be quickly transferred and assigned. As a result, the migration could also be carried out without involving the corresponding department. According to best practices, Fiori catalogues and areas were also newly created. The close communication with the customer in a partnership-based collaboration enabled the best possible transition to SAP S/4HANA for Nordzucker AG. This project laid the foundation for future XAMS partnership projects between Xiting and Christine Scherrer and enabled the standardization of partner-managed processes around SAP authorizations and role building.
