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Introduction
Clients across the globe are getting into the transformation journey started with SAP S/4HANA.
While we are discussing the use case: the master data (MDG) journey be the stepping stone for SAP S/4HANA Transformation and the needed steps to achieve it,
In this blog, we will focus on the MDG components: Validation & Derivation
This is the 6th blog in this series. Please go through the previous parts in the given below link
Part 1 : https://blogs.sap.com/2023/01/27/sap-mdg-a-stepping-stone-for-sap-s-4hana-journey-part-i/
B.4 Validation & Derivation
Having the right data created/managed is a key success criteria for the governance system.
Validation: Applying the business rules to ensure the data is compiled to it
Derivation: Ability to auto-fill the data based on the defined business rules. This will help to reduce the manual efforts for data fill and avoid human errors ensuring high data quality.
In this section, we will discuss the various approaches for MDG validation & derivation flexibility to fulfil the needs
Validation
Business Rules: In the data dictionary ( Data model) , there needs discussion with business to define rules for each fields.
This is a key activity and fundamental to keep the data at the highest quality and monitor it.
Below are few common scenarios for validating the data
Field Status Checks
Field status checks- Mandatory/optional ( discussed on part 3) for each field needs to be validated by the system and accordingly the error message to the triggered
Approach : The field status table entries needs to be read through the BADI and validate against the staging layer for the specific CR.
If any of the status fails ( Ex. A mandatory field is missing data ), then error message to the triggered
It is also possible to define a warning message which can be overwritten by the user.
Business rules :
An example : If the payment method is EFT, then the bank details needs to be maintained.
There are BADI’s where the needed code can be written to achieve the validation including the conditional mandatory as per the example
Derivation
Master data entry would be time-consuming work and it can be prone to human error. Having fields derived from business rules would save time and ensure the data quality
Requirements
As discussed in previous blog, based on the segments, markets & account group the requirements differ.
Ex. For wholesalers in a particular country, the field values for few fields such as reconciliation account, payment terms need to be the same, and they have to be derived.
MDG Derivation Framework
For solution approach, we will be considering the framework concept to accommodate various scenarios and fields to be derived
Control Table
In the control table build on MDG, a sample requirements have been build.
An quick overview of the the table
CR Type – Business process such as Create.Account Group – Defined account groupsOrg Level Company code – the segment and market are considered as the company code. Enterprise Structure is the key thing to be understood it well to see if this suits.Field Name – Field which needs to be derivedField Value – Value which needs to be derived
There are cases, only company code might not be enough. It might need to add Sales Org as well.
SAP MDG offers various derivation solution through which we can manage the requirements. For this requirements, the dynamic derivation concept will be taken up. A control table is to be built up to have the combination set up which will be read by the derivation Badi for derivation
In the table, each row acts as a specific derivation. As part of the creation CR process, based on the values entered ( Account Group, CC) , the needed fields will be derived.
Using this approach, a generic derivation framework is set it up which can able to cater to various fields with lots of combinations
If there is new requirement later : where a new field to be derived or change in existing ,it needs an entry update in the control table without any developments
Similar entries need to be built for each business process if needed.
Other Key Requirements : Copy from existing records
There are cases in which not all fields can be derived from the above derivation framework solution due to limitation
This calls for a requirement of copying from existing records to edit.
Possible Solution :
By sap standard , not all fields are copied using the copy functionality provided out of the box.
So it needs development to ensure the needed fields coverage . It needs a clear requirements for the list of fields to be copied
Some clients have template customers – not real customer record but created with the needed information for various scenarios.
Rather than copying from a real customer, template customers can be used to copy excluding Name & Address data.
Key Things
With MDG acts a central system for data collection, enrichment and approval, its important to derive/validate the data to ensure the data qualitySAP MDG offers Data Quality Management where rules mining and other latest functionalities are available
In the next blog, I will cover other topics in detail.
About the Author,
Antony Prasanna has been working in SAP master data space since 2006. Have experience working across multiple large transformation programs on SAP S/4HANA including SAP MDM, MDG and Data Migration tools.
IntroductionClients across the globe are getting into the transformation journey started with SAP S/4HANA.While we are discussing the use case: the master data (MDG) journey be the stepping stone for SAP S/4HANA Transformation and the needed steps to achieve it,In this blog, we will focus on the MDG components: Validation & DerivationThis is the 6th blog in this series. Please go through the previous parts in the given below linkPart 1 : https://blogs.sap.com/2023/01/27/sap-mdg-a-stepping-stone-for-sap-s-4hana-journey-part-i/Part 5 : https://community.sap.com/t5/technology-blogs-by-members/part-5-sap-mdg-a-stepping-stone-for-sap-s-4hana-journey/ba-p/13747016B.4 Validation & DerivationHaving the right data created/managed is a key success criteria for the governance system.Validation: Applying the business rules to ensure the data is compiled to itDerivation: Ability to auto-fill the data based on the defined business rules. This will help to reduce the manual efforts for data fill and avoid human errors ensuring high data quality.In this section, we will discuss the various approaches for MDG validation & derivation flexibility to fulfil the needsValidationBusiness Rules: In the data dictionary ( Data model) , there needs discussion with business to define rules for each fields.This is a key activity and fundamental to keep the data at the highest quality and monitor it.Below are few common scenarios for validating the dataField Status ChecksField status checks- Mandatory/optional ( discussed on part 3) for each field needs to be validated by the system and accordingly the error message to the triggeredApproach : The field status table entries needs to be read through the BADI and validate against the staging layer for the specific CR.If any of the status fails ( Ex. A mandatory field is missing data ), then error message to the triggeredIt is also possible to define a warning message which can be overwritten by the user.Business rules :An example : If the payment method is EFT, then the bank details needs to be maintained.There are BADI’s where the needed code can be written to achieve the validation including the conditional mandatory as per the exampleDerivationMaster data entry would be time-consuming work and it can be prone to human error. Having fields derived from business rules would save time and ensure the data qualityRequirements As discussed in previous blog, based on the segments, markets & account group the requirements differ.Ex. For wholesalers in a particular country, the field values for few fields such as reconciliation account, payment terms need to be the same, and they have to be derived.MDG Derivation Framework For solution approach, we will be considering the framework concept to accommodate various scenarios and fields to be derivedControl TableIn the control table build on MDG, a sample requirements have been build.An quick overview of the the tableCR Type – Business process such as Create.Account Group – Defined account groupsOrg Level Company code – the segment and market are considered as the company code. Enterprise Structure is the key thing to be understood it well to see if this suits.Field Name – Field which needs to be derivedField Value – Value which needs to be derivedThere are cases, only company code might not be enough. It might need to add Sales Org as well.SAP MDG offers various derivation solution through which we can manage the requirements. For this requirements, the dynamic derivation concept will be taken up. A control table is to be built up to have the combination set up which will be read by the derivation Badi for derivationIn the table, each row acts as a specific derivation. As part of the creation CR process, based on the values entered ( Account Group, CC) , the needed fields will be derived.Using this approach, a generic derivation framework is set it up which can able to cater to various fields with lots of combinationsIf there is new requirement later : where a new field to be derived or change in existing ,it needs an entry update in the control table without any developmentsSimilar entries need to be built for each business process if needed. Other Key Requirements : Copy from existing records There are cases in which not all fields can be derived from the above derivation framework solution due to limitationThis calls for a requirement of copying from existing records to edit.Possible Solution :By sap standard , not all fields are copied using the copy functionality provided out of the box.So it needs development to ensure the needed fields coverage . It needs a clear requirements for the list of fields to be copiedSome clients have template customers – not real customer record but created with the needed information for various scenarios.Rather than copying from a real customer, template customers can be used to copy excluding Name & Address data.Key ThingsWith MDG acts a central system for data collection, enrichment and approval, its important to derive/validate the data to ensure the data qualitySAP MDG offers Data Quality Management where rules mining and other latest functionalities are availableIn the next blog, I will cover other topics in detail.About the Author,Antony Prasanna has been working in SAP master data space since 2006. Have experience working across multiple large transformation programs on SAP S/4HANA including SAP MDM, MDG and Data Migration tools. Read More Technology Blogs by Members articles
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