As customers embrace the journey to SAP S/4HANA, they must find a way to streamline the transition to the new environment without incurring the steep costs associated with re-platforming. A comprehensive SAP S/4HANA archiving strategy is critical as companies prepare for the migration. Using SAP tools like data archiving functions, data aging, and information lifecycle management helps you manage this transition by supporting data volume management, retention policies, and system optimization.
DATA MANAGEMENT STRATEGY IN SAP S/4HANA
Effective data volume management is essential in a modern software environment. SAP applications leverage data aging, SAP archiving, and management strategies to manage growing volumes of business information. At the same time, they ensure system performance, legal compliance, and cost efficiency. If your business is transitioning to a cloud ERP environment, a comprehensive data management strategy can help you optimize your operations.
MANAGING DATA AGING IN SAP S/4HANA
Moving inactive data that is less relevant to the business to a historical database area frees up working memory. This improves system performance and reduces the time it takes to query large amounts of data. Data aging in SAP HANA ensures that the information remains accessible in the SAP ERP system. So it’s important to test whether the visible data meets business needs. Below are some important best practices to consider when mapping out your SAP S/4HANA archiving strategy:
- Start Early: Plan data aging before migration to avoid storing unnecessary historical data.
- Data Cleanup: Clean and archive data before activating aging.
- Compliance Checks: Align data retention policies with legal and industry compliance requirements.
- Regular Monitoring: Continuously monitor and adjust aging rules based on changing business needs.
SIGNIFICANCE OF DATA ARCHIVING FOR S/4HANA
Data archiving solutions remove non-essential data & documents from the database and store it in a secure file system. This reduces storage costs and improves system performance. Archived data can be moved to long-term storage so that it is still accessible for legal compliance, reporting, and disaster recovery.
An efficient archiving process eases the burden of accumulated content on systems. It optimizes performance and streamlines workflows by reducing the volume of data that must be processed. It also reduces storage costs and ensures compliance.
Key Benefits of Data Archiving:
- Performance Optimization: Archiving reduces your database size and data footprint to enhance system responsiveness and data compression ratio.
- Data Backup and Recovery: Archived data ensures SAP S/4HANA backup and recovery processes are efficient.
- Legal Compliance: Retaining data according to data retention regulations safeguards businesses from legal risks.
- Cost Savings: Reduced data volumes help you lower storage and operational costs.
SAP INFORMATION LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT (ILM)
A structured process for managing the entire lifecycle of SAP content, from planning and implementation to maintenance and upgrades, ensures the transition to SAP S/4HANA is smooth, cost-effective, and aligned with business needs. SAP data archiving in SAP HANA with ILM supports data protection and privacy.
Key Phases of SAP ILM:
- Planning and Strategy: Begin by assessing your current SAP ERP system data and content in accordance with corporate governance and regulatory policies.
- New Implementation (Greenfield Approach): For a fresh start, you can set up a new cloud ERP system to redesign business processes and migrate relevant data from legacy systems.
- Selective Data Transition: Combine aspects of system conversion and new implementation, so you have to transfer only critical data to the new environment while preserving legacy data in the active archive.
DATA ARCHIVING IN A CLOUD ENVIRONMENT
Data archiving functions have evolved with cloud ERP technologies, offering scalable and cost-effective storage solutions. Cloud-based archiving processes ensure that data is accessible, secure, and compliant with data protection regulations and corporate governance policies.
PREPARING YOUR DATA FOR S/4HANA MIGRATION
The latest ERP software release, SAP S/4HANA, is different from traditional relational database management. SAP HANA runs in memory, storing data in columns and enabling faster analytics and computing capabilities.
SAP data archiving is a crucial process in managing SAP systems. With growing data volumes, businesses must implement effective data retention management strategies to maintain optimal system performance. Archiving with experienced professionals helps reduce storage costs and ensures that historical data remains accessible when needed.
Many companies undergoing SAP S/4HANA migration face challenges related to data volumes and selective data migration. Properly archiving SAP ERP system data can streamline business processes and improve overall system efficiency.
PLAN YOUR SAP DATA ARCHIVING STRATEGY WITH ZIA CONSULTING
Data aging, archiving processes, and lifecycle management are key to the migration process. SAP archiving with Zia Consulting helps rightsize your database, reducing costs and accelerating the migration to SAP S/4HANA. The SAP Content and Archiving Appliance helps keep data growth under control to prevent spiraling costs post-migration. This allows you to manage typical annual data growth of 10–15% effectively. We invite you to reach out to us with any questions you have. You can also fill out our ROI calculator to see your indicative pricing and expected return on investment.