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 Product Statement

Siamease as a Data Migration tool is rapid, intuitive and intelligent. Siamease as an Operational Business Administration tool is indispensable and unparalleled.

Product Overview

Siamease empowers users with the ability to load and maintain data in SAP. It is designed for non-technical users and is integrated into SAP (accessible via a transaction code). Using Siamease, users can load master and transactional data into SAP,  conduct daily operational  maintenance on master data and transactions, interface from external systems into SAP, implement unit and scenario test kits, perform stress tests, automate repetitive tasks and simplify complex transactions by providing simple capture screens as a front-end to standard SAP.

Siamease is designed to be fast, simple and transparent and aimed to empower users with little or no technical competency to boost overall operational efficiency.  Functionally it combats the most complex transactions and yet demands only that users know SAP transactions.  At a technical level, Siamease also generates stand-alone ABAP programs that can be enhanced by a development team or reused in parallel development.

Siamease transcends the complete project lifecycle from design to implementation and from implementation to ongoing daily operations. Siamease fully supports the ASAP methodology and also works within SAP’s new dimension environments (e.g. APO). 

The following sections outline :

·         Data Migration – Siamease vs. standard methodologies

·         Business Administration Tool – Siamease – the indispensable support toolset

·         Testing Tool – Siamease – Testing made easy

Data Migration Methodologies

In order to understand the true value of Siamease as a data migration tool, it is important to compare the Siamease Methodology to more traditional ones…

1.1       Traditional Methodologies

The traditional data migration methodology insists that you have a dedicated technical team for data migration. It is, however, only a necessity because of the complexity of the technical tools involved. Migration data is bundled together and formatted to suit the migration facility.

The data migration flow is as follows:

1. A sample transaction is captured. 

2. Database record structures are identified and downloaded to PC. 
   Technical knowledge is required to identify record structures and to download them into a PC bases computer system e.g. Microsoft Access ™ .

3. Fields captured in the sample transaction (1) are identified in the record structures (2). This mapping exercise is the first of two mapping processes and must be fully documented into a technical specification document. It often requires knowledge transfer from business consultant to the technical developers.

4. Data is collected, completed and translated to suit SAP codes and validation rules outside of SAP. The input data is then converted to the record variable record structure(2)
   This is done via mapping tools or via development and requires definite specifications from the project members.

5. This conversion must be developed  by a programmer whether it be in ABAP or in a PC based language. The input structures are variable length in nature i.e.. Each line in the data file can have a different layout to the next line.

6. Formatted text file transferred (FTP) to the SAP server from users PC.

7. Standard ABAP programs are run which load data into the SAP Batch input facility.

8. User start batch input run either in the foreground or in the background.
   It is at this point that you know that the data may or may not have filled the desired screen fields. If not, was the wrong field identified in the structure, is there a bug in the conversion programs or is SAP failing a validation that you are not aware of?

9. After the data has been loaded, all data should be double checked within SAP.

Problems with Traditional Methods:

1.2       Alternative Methodology

The above procedure had to be said to understand the underlying migration process. The two mapping processes are time consuming and the result at the end of the day may still not be desirable. The multi-step process is very inflexible and large penalties in time and cost are incurred if any steps are repeated. 

To combat the complex input structures SAP has provided an alternative tool, namely LSMW. Originally designed to migrate R/2 to R/3 it operates in a similar fashion to Siamease however there are fundamental differences which will be discussed.

LSMW is a PC based product which offers the ability to map data sources into SAP. It must be said that LSMW was designed with large data volumes in mind (50,000+ records). 

Using this mindset, time is best spent loading large volumes of data, grouping data together as opposed to breaking it down. It also assumes that the functional teams will support a dedicated technical resource fluent in LSMW to setup, administer and control data loads.

Smaller data loads become expensive and thus are resisted, users opting for manual capture instead of the detailed mapping and processing.

 There is however no reason why LSMW and Siamease could not coexist on the same project, since although certain functionality overlaps, Siamease covers areas of the project that LSMW does not. 

Fundamentally the difference is the level of technical expertise required and the data migration strategy. If complex data loads are required, users usually attempt to simplify them to a point that is manageable. It is the complexity not the volume that users are trying to manage.  LSMW handles large volumes, whilst Siamease manages the breakdown of complex problems.

Problems with more current methods:

1.3              The SIAMEASE Methodology

Data migration is driven by the project functional team. With a non-technical approach many of the data migration functions become non-events and do not require lengthy mapping processes  and detailed specification documents to be drawn. The team member can often provide the full solution without technical development. 

The Siamease Data Migration Flow

1. A sample transaction is captured.

2. Critical data migration fields are flagged with an easy point and click facility. 

3. Siamease generates a template spreadsheet from this. This template identifies to the users the data that is absolutely critical to SAP for that specific business entity. The template is focused, providing scenario data to assist the user.

The user need only fill the spreadsheet or provide a simple text file with the same fields. Format is not important just as long as the data in the spreadsheet fits into SAP fields. This allows us to eliminate mapping screen fields into record structures and then mapping our data to these record structures. In this case we are mapping data directly to screen fields.

4. The spreadsheet is attached to the data migration task in the Siamease Migration manager repository and is then available for unit testing and scenario testing.

5. Siamease generates complete stand-alone ABAP programs capable of loading data into the SAP R/3 system based on the users requirements. 

6. Unlike the traditional data preparation methodologies, Siamease can load data from the spreadsheet prepared using the windows clipboard and a variety of other methods. The data is loaded into SAP exactly the way that the users want it to. 

Advantages provided by SIAMEASE:

 Business Administration Toolset

It is the use of Siamease as a operational support tool that differentiates Siamease from any other products. This intelligent and easy to use toolset lends itself to being the Super users best friend. After all, once a project goes live and  the freeze on business changes is lifted, users are left with a reduced technical support team yet ever changing requirements. Flexibility to fast changing business needs is vital for  businesses to stay alive in an ever increasing competitive environment.

2.1              Structured workbench

Programs are easily generated by users for many different purposes including, data migration, data maintenance, interfacing and test scripting. It is imperative that these programs are well administered, documented and status managed. Siamease provides a structured hierarchy and status technique to ensure efficient navigation and control of all programs generated.  This completes the secure environment  necessary for Siamease to be used as a daily operational tool.

2.2              Operational functions

Super users are faced daily with changing business requirements and error processing. SAP is a large ERP system that relies on accurate master data to ensure correct transaction processing. Elements that may change include pricing records, material master records, customer master records, vendor master records etc.  These changes are generally captured manually which can take long periods of time. If any data is incorrect, it will lead to transactional errors. These too are expected to be corrected manually.  Further, every business change is unique, demanding different field changes each time. As these can not be foreseen in advance, a rapid, easy to use conversion tool is essential to support the business. Siamease provides the answer, allowing Super users to easily react to the business needs by generating a program without requiring technical consulting. 

2.3              Configuration Changes

Some business changes may require that configuration needs to be changed. Customer and material hierarchies are typical examples. These may be very time consuming if carried out manually. Generally the hierarchy changes signed off by the business are already in a spreadsheet format ideal for uploading using Siamease.

Testing Tool

There is no doubt that the success of an implementation is directly linked to the effectiveness of the testing carried out.  Also, testing does not end when a system goes live. Upgrades continue the need for ongoing effective testing. Now with the release of regular ‘Support Packs’, testing becomes one of the most time consuming and costly exercises necessary in the lifecycle of a system. Siamease again differentiates itself from other tools in this area.  Siamease offers the ideal solution for repetitive unit and scenario testing through all types of upgrades.

3.1              Test script management and execution

Siamease has an integrated data project management tool. This tool can group associated transactions together within an application component as well as attach unit and scenario test data (spreadsheets and other variants) to each transaction. When testing, a group of transactions can be executed to perform a specific test or a scenario test can be executed repetitively in a coordinated sequence to provide a realistic stress test. The same exercise can be executed in a training client to prepare for training exercises.

3.2       All transactions available

Siamease handles simple master data transactions, complex detail transactions, table controls / step loops, configuration , enjoy SAP postings as well as chaining transactions together. Unlike many of its competitors Siamease also handles transactions that post many rows of data into one SAP transaction e.g.  financial postings, bill of materials, sales orders or goods movements.  Siamease can therefore simulate all the test script requirements.

Additional Utilization

4.1              Configuration

Configuration can be loaded using Siamease. This is often overlooked but there are times when configuration can run into hundreds of records. On the other hand configuration can be an extremely repetitive task that may already have been captured into ASAP. Copying the data from ASAP and loading via Siamease ensures an integrity of configuration data.

4.2       Interfacing

Siamease allows team member to build interfaces. Interface development can be divided into components whereby functional team members can define and test postings into SAP. Other more technically complex areas of interface development can be handled independently by a development team.

4.3       Simple Data Capture

For a particular transaction, Siamease can present all the desired fields onto a single screen. Users can simply complete the single screen and the data will be captured into the SAP transaction in the background.  This option allows models for internet development to be built in minutes before expensive development has begun.

Summary

·         Time and money is saved

·         Non-technical users drive Siamease.

·         SAP functionality is simplified and time saving alternatives are provided. 

·         Functional consultants are provided the facility to do their own data take on and data manipulation without waiting on a team of developers. 

·         Temporary interfaces are extremely quick and cost effective 

·         Unit, scenario and stress testing performed from existing activities on the project.

·         Existing data can be maintained in bulk

·         Repetitive tasks can be automated using Siamease.

·         Internet prototype models can be built quickly and easily before investing resources.

·         Data migration project tool provides a handle on data and programs generated for data migration.

·         Developers can enhance any and all code generated by Siamease.

·         Developers can influence the way new programs are generated

·         Users can call new and existing routines to validate or translate input data.

·         Transactions can be chained together, accepting output from one as input for the next.

·         Data load preparation does not require complex data files

·         No PC based programmers are required to create complex data files.

·         Data can be loaded in bulk via the windows clipboard from any favorite windows application.

·         Developer’s time is freed to resolve mission critical issues.

·         Less development bottlenecks.