Client Sync: Iberostar group makes reduced, agile copies in S/4HANA

Iberostar Group successfully migrates from R3 to S/4HANA using Data Sync Manager. We're a corporate group whose main business is hotels. We have more than 100 hotels in 16 countries and a workforce of more than 35,000 employees. We work every day to achieve a responsible business model based on people and the environment. My name is Toni Oliver. I trained as Senior Technician in Applied Computer Systems Management. Since then I've immersed myself in the world of IT and in recent years, I've focused more on the management side. I've been working at Iberostar Group for 12 years, and I recently had the opportunity to take on the position of SAP IT manager. Our relationship with EPI-USE Labs and the Data Sync Manager tool began when at Iberostar Group we implemented SAP solutions. In 2019 we made the jump to S/4HANA. As a result, the version we had of Data Sync Manager had to be updated for this new version of SAP, S/4HANA and in the end, the tool covers us with the same functions that the R3 version covered us previously, so we didn't have any problems. The benefits offered by EPI-USE Labs' Data Sync Manager tool are a reduction in the time needed to test our developments, as well as guaranteeing that the changes we make maintain the integrity of our productive system by being able to carry out real and updated tests. It's also benefited us cost-wise because it allows our test and development systems to have smaller databases. Because we have partial copies of the production system, the database will be smaller, take up less space and, therefore, uses up less machine power. Another advantage we've had, another benefit, is that in those splits projects that we've had, it made our work easier, because it's a project in which we make a clone and a reduction in the database when we run the EPI-USE Labs tool.

Iberostar’s day-to-day data demands

Iberostar wanted a solution to create accurate, up-to-date data to test S/4HANA developments and customisations in non-production environments. The data in the Development and Integration environments were out of date, and standard SAP system copies were not a solution.

With the standard process, you take all the data, so there is no flexibility to slice it. Refresh times are long, and non-productive environments are the same size as the production database. The larger non-productive environment requires more resources and leads to increased costs in Development and Integration.

Iberostar Group has used the Data Sync Manager™(DSM) suite for many years in their ECC environment. With the switch to S/4, they wanted to continue benefiting from DSM’s positive features to mitigate their challenges. Iberostar wanted to:

test S/4 developments and customisations in non-production environments, with up-to-date data from Development and Integration environments, thus minimising incidents in production
make flexible copies of data, slicing the data by period or specific company code for faster, on-demand copies
reduce the size of non-production environments to reduce the running cost and resources

Client Sync for S/4HANA achieves multiple benefits

Iberostar Group implemented Client Sync for S/4HANA to have a refresh strategy for non-productive environments in S/4, with a reduced database footprint, improved data selection, and simpler and more efficient copy processes.

Retaining a certified solution for the right data management strategy in the S/4 landscape
Reducing database size in non-productive environments
Making reduced and consistent data copies by time-slicing transactional data history
Benefiting from a more agile, faster and simpler data refresh process
Enjoying a multi-client strategy in both Development and Integration

About Iberostar

Iberostar Group is a 100% family-owned Spanish multinational with a track record of more than 60 years in tourism. The business itself was founded in 1877. Its core business is Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, with a portfolio of over 100 4-star and 5-star hotels in 16 countries. The Group has become an international benchmark by promoting a more responsible tourism business model that focuses on caring for people and the environment. The Wave of Change movement reflects the company’s commitment to the environment and the oceans, and its effort to share it with society as a whole.

The Group is made up of a global team of more than 32,000 people of 91 nationalities. Thanks to this talent, the company is a leader in quality and drives differentiation in customer experience through constant product innovation and digital commitment.

Iberostar Group has been an EPI-USE Labs’ client for more than 15 years.