Test Automation Preparation for HANA Migration

Test Automation preparation for SAP S/4HANA Migration

With SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA migration, there are a number of architecture and technical changes, along with functional changes, to take on board. These will have a significant impact on what and how you evaluate in your SAP landscape going forwards.

In this blog I will be providing recommendations around test automation preparation for SAP S/4 Hana migration testing.

Introduction:

SAP S/4HANA is the latest version of SAP’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. SAP HANA is the database type that runs the most up-to-date versions of SAP’s software, specifically SAP S/4 HANA. Prior to HANA, SAP was run on third-party databases such as Oracle and others, while HANA is SAP’s own in-memory platform which enables much faster access to and analysis of data. S/4HANA is an enhanced version of ECC.

The main difference between SAP ECC and SAP HANA is that ECC is the core ERP product within the SAP Business Suite, whereas HANA is a cloud-friendly, in-memory database designed to handle transactions and analytics on one system. 

Benefits of Migrating to S/4HANA:

The migration to SAP S/4HANA delivers significant benefits such as, increased business agility, more informed decision making through real-time analytics, enhanced user experience and improved operational efficiency. It can improve performance and scalability, enhance analytics capabilities, and streamline business processes.

With this migration, an organization can take advantage of the latest technological advancements and stay current with industry trends. It can also bring cost savings, as S/4HANA allows for consolidation of systems and simplification of data models, reducing the need for multiple systems and hardware.

Importance of Test Automation for S/4HANA Migration:

For SAP S/4HANA migration project to proceed on time and on budget, it is required to have fast feedback on whether each round of changes achieves the desired result — without producing some doubtful side effect that could bring your business to a standstill. This requires extremely high levels of automated testing.

SAP S/4 Hana Migration Test automation preparation:

For SAP S/4 Hana migration, first we need to understand the organization’s strategy with the following points:

  • Check if the organization is already using any automation tool or not.
  • What are the tools and current skill level on the tools? If automation is already being used, assess the automation coverage currently existing across the testing landscape.
  • Based on this need, assess if any addition test case or pre-requisite for testing needs to be created before the actual testing starts.

For organizations who are already using automation and are planning for S4 Hana migration, they should assess the following:

  • Automation coverage and the modules involved in the entire testing landscape.
  • Analyse the requirement, identify the critical test cases and prioritize the same.
  • Check whether the automation scripts cover end-to-end business flow or not.
  • Check if documentation for the changes migrated to production as part of release management exists.
  • Anticipate the migration challenges and take necessary precautions.
  • Check if the automated test cases follow a proper test data management approach.
  • Check whether all SAP environments are involved in the end-to-end business scenarios. This would cover things like –
    • ALL SAP Test user Ids exist, and credentials are working.
    • Ensure that the credentials are updated in the data repository of the automation tool.
    • Validate that testing scripts are designed to pick the credentials automatically from the repository.
  • Check if required browsers like Chrome and Edge are available in the machine where the test automation will be executed, and the required extensions are enabled. Also ensure that the cross-browser testing is facilitated in the automation scripts.
  • Check if automated test cases are matching with manual test cases (or the actual requirements). If any specific transaction is obsolete or if there are testing steps no more valid due to the changes to the SAP model, please make required changes. It is a suitable time to clean up the test repository.
  • Since multiple modules will be involved in S4 Hana migration, it is important that the business owners across all the modules investigate the requirements (manual test cases) and confirm that the test cases are updated.
  • To cross check whether the test management tool used in the project contains all the test cases, data, and visual diagrams of the end-to-end scenarios.
  • Ensure that defect raising is facilitated in the test management tool to have a faster streamlined process between the testing team and the SAP process teams/owner.
  • Check if a ticketing tool is properly setup with access and required integrations.

Impact Analysis during SAP S/4 HANA migration:

When preparing for SAP S/4HANA migration, conducting an impact analysis is crucial. Let’s explore some approaches to achieve this:

  • Selection of Automation Tools for Testing:

Here are few Test Automation tools which shows our capabilities to perform S/4 Hana migration testing:

  • Worksoft: Worksoft Certify is an automation solution for running functional test scripts of end-to-end business processes and verify if there is no impact on the business side. This automated solution helps to mitigate regression bugs, run at any time we can get detail reporting using frameworks.
  • UiPath: Leverages automation for various migration phases, including testing. UiPath allows you to build test cases with the same drag-and-drop interface and prebuilt skills and activities used for regular automations.
  • Tricentis: Tricentis Tosca offers the most comprehensive set of low code test automation capabilities to address your top challenges. The portfolio enables you to test broad multi-application businesses processes, dynamic, agile-developed applications, and your vendor-specific customizations and add-ons.

Testing Recommendations:

There should be proper Test Plan hierarchy to start with the Test automation preparation and migration implementation. It should have multiple test phases from preparation to delivery. The below recommended is an approach to design migration testing strategies.

Remember that thorough impact analysis and robust test automation are essential for a successful SAP S/4HANA migration.

SAP

Test Management and reusability for S/4HANA Migration:

If we see the various phases of Test Management for migration, starting from preparation to the identification phase and then into the execution phase, we must keep in mind the key areas that are critical for successful testing. Primarily a good coverage of all good business processes and the prioritization of what should be tested must be considered.

Test Management

Reusability:

The test should be designed to be reusable so that it can be used for future upgrades offering faster turnaround and better ROI. Consider creating Regression Packs to publish standard testing templates across different countries, promoting reusability and accommodating geographic differences during HANA conversion.

Conclusion:

In summary, a comprehensive understanding of the existing ECC environment, associated risks, and critical business processes allows the testing team to create a robust testing approach tailored for the ECC to S/4HANA migration, leading to a smoother and more successful transition.

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