Deciding whether to archive data before or after your move to S/4HANA is a crucial consideration for organizations transitioning to SAP’s next-generation ERP system. Regardless of where you are in the process, Zia’s expert staff can help you understand your data, craft your approach, and estimate pricing and expected ROI within the first 9 months. We are confident that Zia’s Content and Archiving Solutions will improve performance on cut costs as you embrace this journey.
Advantages to Archiving First
Let’s take a look at some of the advantages associated with archiving data prior to migrating to S/4HANA
- Cost Management: Lower data volumes will reduce the amount of S/4HANA memory required. This will reduce the cost.
- Performance Improvement: Reducing the table sizes and the amount of in-memory data improves performance of the S/4 environment.
- Streamlined Migration: Reducing the size of the database streamlines the migration process and reduces the amount of time required to perform the migration.
- Simplified Transition: Moving to SAP S/4HANA first can simplify the overall transition process by getting the new system up and running without the added complexity of data archiving.
- Compliance and Governance: Archiving content in accordance with your governance and record management policies ensures compliance with regulatory requirements.
As you can see, there are many benefits to implementing an archive strategy prior to your migration to S/4 HANA. Now let’s take a look at the disadvantages.
Disadvantages to Archiving First:
Implementing a data archiving strategy in the new S/4 HANA environment is critical. While the primary disadvantage is the time that it will take, a couple other considerations are.
- Complexity: The archiving process can add complexity to the overall migration project, requiring careful planning and execution to ensure that essential data is retained and accessible, although delaying is simply kicking the can down the road.
- Delays: The archiving step can delay the overall migration timeline if not managed efficiently, although the cost benefit typically outweighs the delay.
Considerations for Decision Making
- Current Data Volume: Assess the volume and importance of your existing data. If you have a large amount of historical data that is not frequently accessed, archiving might be beneficial.
- Business Requirements: Consider the business requirements for data availability and reporting. Ensure that archiving does not hinder critical business processes.
- System Performance: Evaluate the potential impact on system performance and user experience in the new S/4HANA environment.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure that your data retention and archiving strategies comply with relevant regulations and industry standards.
- Resources and Expertise: Consider the availability of resources and expertise to manage the archiving process effectively before migration.
Hybrid Approach
Some organizations opt for a hybrid approach, where they start with a minimal viable migration to S/4HANA, bringing over only essential data, and then gradually archiving and migrating additional data as needed. This can balance the immediate benefits of moving to S/4HANA with the long-term advantages of a structured data archiving strategy.
The best approach depends on your specific organizational needs, existing data landscape, and long-term business goals. Consulting with our SAP experts will provide valuable insights tailored to your situation. Feel free to contact us for more information or to discuss your specific business needs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeremy White, Director, Managed and Cloud Services
Jeremy has over 25 years of experience working with multinational clients to drive value by aligning complex process, data, and content management problems with the appropriate technology solutions. Over the past decade, Jeremy has focused on enabling critical business processes and solutions in cloud environments, as well as developing managed services programs to meet customer needs. These critical services provide customers with solutions to rapidly realize productivity gains and improve agility, reduce staffing requirements, and improve return on investments. Jeremy is regarded as a trusted advisor.