Optimization of Balance Sheet Preparation Processes in a centralized accounting subledger using SAP HANA technology
Project Goal
- Process- and Performance-Optimization of Balance Sheet Preparation within the AFI Modul of SAP Bank Analyzer with the overall goal shortening of reporting cycles with the customers reporting data platform SAP BW.
As-Is Situation
- The SAP standard processes for balance processing determine key figures or profit and loss items relevant to the balance sheet and notes on the basis of individual subledger documents.
- The generated data is then extracted from a data layer for the presentation of the balance sheet incl. notes into SAP BW. An SAP HANA database was introduced to accelerate the processing steps of the SAP AFI module. Adjustments to non-HANA-optimized processes were necessary in the software release used.
Challenges
- Existing SAP standard processes for balance sheet preparation and processing (balance processing) were replaced by HANA-optimized processes in SAP BA and SAP BW.
- Numerous customer-specific enhancements to balance processing had to be taken into account, whereby existing functions were to be reused wherever possible or provided in a different form.
Solution
- In a first step, the most runtime and resource-intensive processes were identified in the existing SAP AFI module in order to evaluate the costs and benefits of HANA optimization.
- The processes identified in this way (essentially balance processing) were then analyzed in detail and converted into HANA-optimized SAP standard processes in SAP AFI on HANA and SAP BW.
- In the newly defined processes, emphasis was placed on reusing existing (business) processing logics in order to minimize the effort required for the new processes. On the other hand, from a technical point of view, HANA-optimized processing and access techniques had to be used, e.g. database accesses only with mass data and not single record-based.
- Proof of the technical correctness of the balance sheet (incl. appendix) created on the basis of the newly implemented processes was provided by means of a detailed acceptance test.