It's all about control!

October 05, 2020
Written by Paul Hammersley

As Senior Vice-President of the ALM Products at EPI-USE Labs, Paul Hammersley's portfolio includes test data management, landscape optimisation, and archiving. He has been a remarkable technical force in the SAP arena for over 20 years, and has extensive hands-on experience of implementing Data Sync Manager (DSM) and helping clients to manage data across the breadth of their SAP landscapes.

blog_solman-tdm_header-image
The role of the controller

With Data Sync Manager (DSM) 5, we introduced the Control Center. Previously, with DSM4, Object Sync and Data Secure were mainly limited to ERP systems, so the amount of interconnectivity was limited. Once we needed to collect data across distributed Production systems and send it to the corresponding distributed target systems, it became clear that we needed one central place to configure and manage this.

Which system should be my controller?

This is something that clients and consultants have asked me a lot. If Data Secure is the main focus, or the Privacy apps, then I would typically use a development ERP system temporarily while I create any custom content and do basic unit testing. After that, I would then move to a Production ERP system. Or, if the project was Client Sync- or Object Sync-focused, then I would start with the Production ERP system. If there is more than one ERP Production system in the scope, I would pick the one with the most connections. From here, you can then register systems, configure all the applications and environments, and then assign systems and clients to environments and applications, controlling how they will interact with each other for masking and object copying.

What happens with Client Sync?

For now, Client Sync is still executed in each individual system or client. So, an ERP export is triggered from Production or Pre-production ERP, the same for CRM, BW and so on. We have considered allowing one system to initiate all of them, but this starts to blend into the domain of some of the orchestration solutions. There may also be additional activities outside of SAP which must be part of the process, perhaps for a successful outcome, but also in terms of regulatory requirements (for example, backing up systems, control of system users). There may also be other teams to liaise and coordinate with on timings of these activities. Launching from one place may make it harder to manage each landscape, based on its own unique parameters. Environmental checks – like space for files or on the target systems – may also be glossed over when the syncs are consolidated in one place.

 

Some of the solutions out there are also using a separate server to control the runs, not for usability but for actual engine activities, extracting data from source systems and sending to target ones. One of the joys of DSM is that the processing happens in the source and target client so you can fully leverage the resources of each source and target system. You are not constrained by one remote server overseeing and processing everything via the network, including potentially touching personal data.

 

If you are keen to leverage an orchestration solution, or would like us to recommend a good one, just get in touch with us. There are APIs available for triggering Client Sync and Data Secure runs which can be used.

I’d still like Solution Manager (SolMan) to be my controller

We have had some clients who use Solution Manager (SolMan) as the controller, even though it’s not involved in the copying or masking itself. This can be done. We’re actually going to make it even easier for companies to use SolMan as the controller in future when it is allowed to go across different parts of the network to talk to all systems. If you don’t have such network restrictions, and many systems already talk to each other, then I’d still recommend using the most connected ERP system as your controller. In my experience, this provides the best usability and easiest control of the DSM configuration.

 

 

Explore Popular Tags

Test Data Management SAP S/4HANA Data Sync Manager SAP S/4HANA Migrations SAP migration Archive Central Data Sync Manager (DSM) Object Sync SAP test data management DSM Data Secure News Transformation s/4HANA technology Brownfield SAP data Automation Client Sync Cloud Cloud Migration Decommissioning EPI-USE Labs ERP Insider Managed Services SAP Landscape SAP environment SAP systems data copy data scrambling data testing Data Archiving Digital tranformation Greenfield S/4 S/4 system landscape S4HANA SAP Cloud Deployment SAP RISE SAP S/4HANA Assessment SAP SuccessFactors SAP TDMS SAP data privacy & security SLO Sandbox Sunsetting legacy data Upgrade cloud hosting quality of test data sap testing ALM Accurate test data Agile Archive Cloud Solutions DSM solution Data Privacy Data Security DevOps Display only Governance, Risk Management and Compliance (GRC) Hybrid Lean secure SAP Legacy PRISM Production system Rise with SAP SAP Landscape Transformation SAP Road maps SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll SAP certified solution SAP client copy SAP data migration SAP data privacy and compliance SAP system copy SAP test system landscapes Selective Data Transition (SDT) Sunsetting System Analysis TDM Video Webinar cloud environment landscape transformation ABAP Acquisition BW, Big data and IA C/4HANA CRM experience Control Center Controller Copy and mask test data Croatia Croatian kuna to euro conversion Customized service DSM Readiness Assessment DSM for HCM DSM5 Data access Data agility Data footprint Data masking Data minimisation Data privacy compliance Data privacy regulations Data visibility Design Thinking EC ECATT EPI-USE Employee Central Europe Eurozone Event Flexible framework GDPR Hybrid SAP SuccessFactors environment Hybrid SAP and SuccessFactors Hybrid cloud Hyperscaler IDOCs IT Improved productivity and efficiency Infotype 41 Managed Refresh Services Migration OData API PCE PCE XXS PI PRISM free assessment Pilot Premium Support Services Production ERP Production data Reliable Releases S/4 Hana migrations S/4HANA Private Cloud Edition (PCE) S/4HANA version 1709 SAN SAP AppHaus Network SAP Archive Extractor technology SAP BW SAP Basis SAP HCM SAP HCM Data SAP HR SAP IS-U SAP cloud migrations SAP customers SAP data copying and masking SAP environments SAP experts on call SAP landscape design SAP on AWS SAP roadmap for IS-U SAP system refresh SAP system types SAP test systems SAP-certified SAPinsider Secure scrambled production data for testing Solman Solution Manager Success Story SuccessFactors System Landscape Optimization System conversion Tailored expertise User Experience XXS archiving big data analysis business goals content tables data model data tailored design develop divestiture incremental updates industry sectors masking rules mergers multiple clients new functionality predictive analysis production SAP database regression testing release strategy technical data reductio technical logging technical tables test test data masking
+ See More

Get Instant Updates


Leave a Comment: