If you’ve been following us, you’re probably familiar with how we highlight the importance of effective test data management in your SAP landscape. Now that you understand the need for security, speed and accuracy in SAP testing, let’s shift gears to SAP HR systems – where proper test data management is just as critical. SAP HR systems, including SAP HCM and SAP SuccessFactors, are the backbone of a company’s HR operations. From core HR to Performance Management, Recruitment and of course Payroll, these systems manage sensitive and crucial employee data that invariably includes Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for employees.
If you’ve been following us, you’re probably familiar with how we highlight the importance of effective test data management in your SAP landscape. For the Formula 1 enthusiasts among you (especially those who recently watched the stunning high-speed realism of the latest F1 movie), take a look at one of our blogs, where we use the F1 world to explain SAP test data management: Navigating the fast track: Winning with SAP test data.
Now that you understand the need for security, speed and accuracy in SAP testing, let’s shift gears to SAP HR systems – where proper test data management is just as critical.
SAP HR systems, including SAP HCM and SAP SuccessFactors, are the backbone of a company’s HR operations. From core HR to Performance Management, Recruitment and of course Payroll, these systems manage sensitive and crucial employee data that invariably includes Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for employees.
Testing these systems means working with non-production environments, and typically contains data from Production systems, including complete employee PII. It’s a dangerous assumption to believe that because it’s only a test, the data is not sensitive. In reality, it’s crucial to ensure that this data is handled securely and accurately used during the testing phase.
Your employees are one of your biggest assets. Safeguarding their data is not just a matter of good practice; it’s a legal obligation! Even the smallest inaccuracies in test data can result in costly errors and inefficiencies when the system goes live, potentially impacting both business operations and regulatory compliance. This leads to organisations prioritising accuracy of data over their data privacy responsibilities.
Are your current SAP HR testing methods holding you back?
While traditional testing methods may have been effective in the past, they are no longer sufficient to keep up with the complexity and security demands of today’s SAP HR landscape.
The limitations of traditional testing methods become evident in the following areas:
Limited compliance and security
Testing SAP HR systems often involves sensitive employee data, which must be handled with accuracy and security to comply with regulations such as GDPR and other data protection laws. Without proper data masking and anonymisation during the testing phase, organisations risk exposing sensitive information to unnecessary risks.
As of 2025, global data privacy regulators make no distinction between Production and non-production systems. If PII is stored or processed, even for testing, it is subject to the same legal and ethical obligations. Read this blog by Paul Hammersley to understand what your SAP support contract really expects from your test systems.
Copying full Production systems during system refreshes
This process is not only time-consuming, but also increases the chances of errors, processing time, and storage requirements. Managing large volumes of sensitive employee data means that even small mistakes in test data can have serious consequences, while missing or incomplete datasets reduce the reliability of testing. This can result in Payroll inaccuracies or compliance violations.
Partial data testing during upgrades
SAP landscape upgrades and configuration changes introduce new risks. Incomplete or inaccurate test data can compromise validation of new functionality and configurations.
Inefficient team resources allocation
Preparing, validating, and executing tests manually consumes valuable resources from HR, IT, and other stakeholders. This inefficiency is especially challenging for companies running multiple SAP HCM modules or managing global employee data across regions.
Downtime during system refreshes
Refreshing SAP systems, whether fully or selectively, often requires downtime. This can delay business operations, impact Payroll cycles, and disrupt HR processes, making testing less efficient and riskier.
Lack of realism in testing data
Activities such as problem simulations and training scenarios require realistic test data. Testing with static or unrealistic data can compromise training effectiveness, user readiness, and the ability to simulate real-world problems. When test data fails to mirror the complexity and variability of live employee data, organisations may miss issues, generate inaccurate Payroll results, and run inefficient testing cycles.
Testing environment storage limitations
Limited disk space in non-production environments may have constraints when handling large volumes of data that require substantial storage during refreshes and testing. This can prevent full system copies, hindering comprehensive testing and accurate problem replication.
Limited integration for hybrid SAP HR landscape
For organisations working across hybrid environments, moving test data between systems is often limited by incompatible transport mechanisms. This lack of integration creates complexity and increases the risk of data inaccuracies. When data is transferred without proper safeguards, it exposes sensitive information to potential security breaches and compliance risks.
Drive efficiency with secure testing solutions
With the limitations of traditional methods in mind, organisations must adapt by implementing solutions that efficiently test, support, and secure their SAP HR environments. EPI-USE Labs offers Data Sync Manager™ (DSM) for HCM, an automated test data management solution designed to tackle these challenges with efficiency and precision.
This SAP-certified solution allows you to select and transfer specific HCM and Payroll data objects easily and accurately, as needed, and to mask sensitive data for confidentiality, security and governance compliance. With DSM, you can:
- Copy HCM data for accurate testing and training scenarios
- Copy only relevant employee records or organisational units
- Scramble or mask sensitive fields automatically to protect PII
- Protect sensitive HCM data consistently across systems
- Reproduce Production scenarios for troubleshooting
- Access all functions easily via Launchpad
- Sync Production data en-masse, in one click
- Simulate the impact of support packs and upgrades
Joyee Pan
Based in Malaysia, Joyee brings nearly a decade of experience in marketing and branding across diverse sectors including healthcare, fashion, and information technology. Her role involves crafting and executing marketing initiatives and strategies crucial for establishing and expanding EPI-USE Labs' presence and awareness throughout the Asia region.