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The case study about how LMTEQ SAP experts upgrade client's SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA system using SAP Basis.

SAP S/4HANA Upgrade Project Using SAP Basis – A Technical Breakthrough

Introduction

Our client, a Fortune 500 company renowned for its top-tier audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services, encountered difficulties while upgrading to SAP S/4HANA 2023. LMTEQ’s expert SAP team stepped in to support them, enhancing system performance, and overcoming obstacles, by leveraging SAP Basis and helping them achieve their project goals efficiently.

The Objective

The primary goal of the SAP S/4HANA upgrade is to fine-tune and monitor the hardware of the SAP systems, addressing issues related to CPU, memory, storage, network, and scalability. By focusing on these areas, our team aims to ensure that the newly upgraded SAP system runs smoothly without any performance bottlenecks. 

This involves not only optimizing existing resources but also implementing pre-upgrade tools such as SAP readiness check, SAP Innovation, and Optimization Pathfinder for SAP S/4HANA, ABAP test cockpit, and SAP Fiori upgrade impact analysis[3] to tune the overall system performance. 

Additionally, the upgrade seeks to improve data processing speeds, increase reliability, and provide a scalable infrastructure supporting future growth and technological advancements.

The Challenges Involved in SAP S/4HANA Project

  • CPU Limitations
  • Memory Constraints
  • Storage Performance
  • Network Bandwidth
Difficulty
  • The S/4HANA upgrade required a powerful multi-core processor with overclocked functionality to handle large and complex processing and in-memory computations.
  • Existing hardware configurations needed to be updated and optimized for the latest SAP requirements.
  Pain Point
  • The existing CPU was thermal throttling, resulting in slow query and response times.
  • Frequent system lags and crashes due to high CPU utilization under peak loads.
  Impact
  • Performance bottlenecks were created, leading to delays in data processing and overall system inefficiency.
  • Increased operational costs due to the need for more frequent maintenance and troubleshooting.
  • Reduced user satisfaction and productivity due to slower system responses.
Difficulty
  • Limited memory storage led to frequent disk swapping
  • Existing RAM was insufficient to support the in-memory processing needs of S/4HANA.
Pain Point
  • The system's overall performance was significantly impacted.
  • High latency in data retrieval and processing operations.
Impact
  • Required careful monitoring of memory usage and necessitated hardware upgrades or efficient memory management strategies.
  • Increased downtime and system unavailability during peak usage periods.
  • Higher costs are associated with emergency memory upgrades and performance tuning.
Difficulty
  • The existing storage system was outdated.
  • Inadequate storage throughput and response times for SAP HANA’s I/O intensive operations.
Pain Point
  • I/O bottlenecks were created, hindering the system's performance.
  • Difficulty in managing and optimizing large volumes of transactional data.
Impact
  • The highly memory-intensive S/4HANA upgrade process was negatively affected, reducing efficiency and speed.
  • Delays in critical business processes and reporting.
  • Increased storage costs due to the need for high-performance SSDs and optimized storage solutions.
Difficulty
  • The team faced slow network bandwidth.
  • The existing network infrastructure was not designed to handle the increased data traffic of S/4HANA.
Pain Point
  • Complicated network transfers between interconnected systems.
  • Increased latency and data transfer errors during peak usage times.
Impact
  • System performance and data transfer efficiency were compromised, leading to delays and potential data handling issues.
  • Higher risk of data loss or corruption during transfers.
  • Increased costs associated with upgrading network infrastructure and improving bandwidth capacity.

Overcoming Challenges

Using SAP Readiness Check
  • Analysis of Current System – The team leveraged SAP Readiness Check to analyze the current hardware and provide a comprehensive report on CPU utilization, performance, and suitability for SAP S/4HANA. This helps identify whether existing CPUs meet the requirements.
  • Upgrade Recommendations – Our team also offers recommendations for necessary hardware upgrades, including processor enhancements to handle the increased load.
Using SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder
  • Optimization Insights – Our experts utilized this tool to provide insights into optimizing CPU usage by identifying inefficient processes or custom code that may be causing high CPU usage.
  • Performance Improvement – The team suggests improvements and best practices to enhance CPU performance, ensuring that the system can handle complex computations efficiently.
Using ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC)
  • Code Optimization – The team leveraged ATC to help identify and rectify inefficient ABAP code that may cause high CPU usage. This ensures that custom code is optimized for better performance.
  • Quality Assurance – Our SAP consultants provided a thorough QA of custom code against SAP standards, reducing CPU-intensive operations.
Using SAP Readiness Check
  • Memory Usage Analysis – We leveraged the tool to evaluate the current memory usage and provide a detailed report on memory consumption by different processes.
  • Hardware Upgrade Recommendations – Our team recommended necessary RAM upgrades and configurations to ensure the system has adequate memory to support the S/4HANA upgrade.
Using SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder
  • Memory Optimization Strategies – The team offered strategies to optimize memory usage, such as improving data archiving and compression techniques.
  • Best Practices – The team also provided best practices for memory management to prevent frequent disk swapping and ensure smooth system operations.
Using ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC)
  • Efficient Memory Usage – Our team identified inefficient code that may be consuming excessive memory and provided recommendations for optimization.
  • Code Compliance – We ensured that custom ABAP code complies with memory usage best practices.
Using SAP Readiness Check
  • Storage Analysis – We evaluated the current storage infrastructure and provided a report on its performance and suitability for the S/4HANA Database.
  • Upgrade Recommendations – Our team also suggested necessary storage upgrades, such as transitioning to SSDs and optimizing existing storage configurations.
Using SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder
  • Storage Utilization Insights – We offered insights into current storage utilization and identified areas where performance can be improved.
  • Optimization Recommendations – We also provided recommendations for optimizing storage performance, such as better indexing and data management practices.
Using ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC)
  • I/O Optimization – Our team identified inefficient code that may be causing I/O bottlenecks and offered suggestions for code optimization to improve storage performance.
  • Code Efficiency – We ensure the custom code adheres to best practices for storage usage.
Using SAP Readiness Check
  • Network Performance Analysis – Our team analyzed the current network infrastructure and provided a detailed report on network bandwidth and latency.
  • Upgrade Recommendations – We suggested necessary upgrades to network infrastructure to support the increased data traffic of S/4HANA.
Using SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder
  • Network Optimization Insights – We offered insights into network performance and identified areas where improvements can be made to reduce latency and increase bandwidth.
  • Optimization Strategies – Provides strategies for optimizing network performance, such as better load balancing and data transfer protocols.
Using SAP Fiori Upgrade Impact Analysis
  • Network Traffic Analysis – Assesses the impact of SAP Fiori applications on network traffic and suggests optimizations to reduce bandwidth usage.
  • Efficient Data Transfer – Recommended best practices for efficient data transfer to minimize network congestion.

Additional Tools and Strategies

Using SAP Basis

System Monitoring and Management

Our SAP Basis administrators used SAP Solution Manager to continuously monitor system performance, including CPU, memory, storage, and network metrics. This allows for proactive identification and resolution of issues.

Configuration Optimization

We also optimized system configurations, such as parameter tuning and workload balancing, to enhance overall system performance.

Using SAP Fiori Upgrade Impact Analysis

User Experience Optimization

This tool helped our team assess the impact of SAP Fiori applications on system resources and recommends optimizations to enhance user experience while minimizing resource usage.

Performance Tuning

We provided insights into potential performance bottlenecks related to Fiori applications and offered tuning recommendations.

The Results

After the successful upgrade by our SAP experts, the client experienced significant performance improvements:

  • Average CPU utilization decreased by 25%, 
  • Query response times improved by 40%, and 
  • System crashes were reduced by 90%. 
  • Memory usage was optimized by 35%, 
  • Storage performance saw a 50% increase in I/O throughput and a 45% 
  • Reduction in data access times. 
  • Network latency was halved, and 
  • Data transfer speeds increased by 60%.
Results related to the SAP ECC to S/4HANA upgrade by LMTEQ team using SAP Basis.

Overall, operational costs were reduced by 20%, user productivity increased by 30%, and customer satisfaction improved by 25%, positioning the system for future scalability and innovations.

Key Takeaway

The LMTEQ SAP experts successfully addressed critical performance challenges, including CPU limitations, memory constraints, storage performance, and network bandwidth issues in the SAP S/4HANA migration/upgrade project using SAP Basis.

By leveraging advanced tools such as SAP Readiness Check, SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder, ABAP Test Cockpit, and SAP Fiori Upgrade Impact Analysis, the team implemented targeted solutions that optimized system resources, enhanced overall performance, and ensured stability and scalability for our client.

Why Choose LMTEQ SAP Basis Support and Managed Services?

  • Certified SAP Partner with extensive technical knowledge.
  • Comprehensive, tailored SAP Basis Managed and Support Services.
  • Proactive monitoring and rapid issue resolution.
  • Seamless upgrades and migrations.
  • Robust security measures to protect your SAP environment.
  • 24/7 support for continuous system availability.

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