Seminar and conference organizer

Expert presentations on master data management

CetaCon prepared a number of presentations on specialist topics for the “SAP System Landscape Optimization” seminar. The key topics covered in these were master data optimization and the application of consolidation scenarios as well as the implementation of an integrated master data management.

CetaCon also supported the “Business Process Optimization with SAP” seminar with a presentation on the specialist field of “Workflow Management”. This gave participants the opportunity to learn how to increase flexibility and bring down IT costs, for example.

Plant engineering

Implementation of MDG-BP for supplier master data

About the customer

Our customer is a listed industrial corporation with 79,000 employees worldwide. The company’s core business activities are gases and process plants that extract or produce gases.

The challenges

Implementation of MDG-BP for supplier master data based on the business partner – to achieve this, CetaCon was responsible for both concept development and implementation.

The solution (highlights)

  • Workshops, concept development and implementation for master data maintenance processes and for dynamic agent determination, taking into account the four eyes principle for the handling of master data maintenance processes
  • Implementation of a derivation and validation framework to govern the derivation and validation rules
  • Implementation of dynamic parallel processing of steps in master data maintenance processes

The results

  • Less time and money spent on maintenance processes and data maintenance for enterprise master data – reduced data management costs
  • Higher level of business process automation supported by the standardization of master data – prevention of consequential errors and financial losses in the value chain
  • Use of consistent master data across the enterprise – faster communication and cross-functional collaboration
  • Compliance with regulatory requirements such as SOX – reduced probability of security breaches and non-compliance with regulations

Automotive

Implementation of MDG-BP

About the customer

Our customer is a German manufacturer of cars and commercial vehicles as well as a provider of mobility and financial services. This company has a global workforce of around 298,000 employees.

The challenges

Implementation of customer and supplier master data with MDG-C/S based on the business partner (Multiple Assignment) as well as concept development.

The solution (highlights)

  • Concept development and implementation of dynamic controls for the steps in master data maintenance processes. At runtime of the MDG change request, a defined set of rules is used to determine whether a process step is to be executed
  • Concept development and implementation of dynamic parallel processing of steps in master data maintenance processes. The number of parallel process steps is determined and controlled dynamically at runtime
  • Addition of customer-specific Web Dynpros to enhance the user interface (UI) of the MDG search to show additional information, such as the customer and supplier number or block and deletion indicators

The results

  • Less time and money spent on maintenance processes and data maintenance for enterprise master data – reduced data management costs
  • Higher level of business process automation supported by the standardization of master data
  • Provision of consistent and current data for more effective decision-making
  • Transparency and accuracy based on trustworthy reports to support strategic decision-making and long-term business growth
  • Use of consistent master data across the enterprise – faster communication and cross-functional collaboration

Pharmaceutical/Chemical

Concept for MDG-BP interfaces

About the customer

Our customer is a company with a divisional organizational structure and a workforce of more than 103,000 employees. The focus of the group’s operations is on the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.

The challenges

Development of an overall concept for a global MDG interface through which various third-party systems (contract systems, CRM systems, etc.) can trigger MDG change requests to create and modify the data of business partners, customers, and suppliers.

The solution (highlights)

  • Preparation and delivery of workshops with stakeholders from the IT and business departments
  • Analysis of existing developments for the different systems
  • Implementation of a prototype as part of a proof of concept, data modeling, and implementation of the web service

The results

  • Less time and money spent on maintenance processes and data maintenance for enterprise master data – reduced data management costs
  • Consistency and standardization of data for more efficient and effective business processes – no consequential errors or financial losses in the value chain
  • Faster data transfer from one location to another and cross-functional collaboration through the use of consistent data across the enterprise

Bioprocess/Laboratory technology

Implementation of MDG for material master data

About the customer

With more than 9,000 employees worldwide, our customer is a leading international partner in the biopharmaceutical industry and a supplier of premium laboratory equipment.

The challenges

Implementation of MDG-M across all material types as part of a global system landscape optimization program.

The solution (highlights)

  • Development of a concept for the lifecycle processes of master data for centralized and decentralized maintenance of material master data for all material types
  • Design of comprehensive rule sets for derivations, validations, and UI control
  • Concept development and implementation of a dynamic e-mail framework to allow information to be sent to stakeholders at any point during master data maintenance thanks to integration in the workflows

The results

  • Central master data system (single source of truth) – consistency and standardization of data for more efficient and effective business processes
  • Less time and money spent on maintenance processes and data maintenance for enterprise master data – reduced data management costs
  • Provision of consistent and current data for more effective decision-making – cost reduction through prevention of poor decision-making

Global tobacco group

Security checks for customer and supplier master data

About the customer

With around 57,000 employees, our customer is one of the world’s largest tobacco companies. The group operates in around 180 countries and has a portfolio consisting of more than 200 tobacco brands.

The challenges

Implementation of master data maintenance processes for global business partners, such as customer and supplier master data (MDG-C/MDG-S), in compliance with statutory and corporate guidelines.

The solution (highlights)

  • Concept development and implementation of additional process control requirements in MDG – change request checks must be ensured when specific master data attributes are modified
  • Annual review reports: initiation of a master data maintenance process to identify specific business partners
  • Integration of customer credit management in MDG-C

The results

  • Compliance with regulatory requirements – reduced probability of security breaches and violation of regulations
  • Higher level of business process automation – supports business partner checks
  • Integration of credit management in the MDG maintenance processes early on in the process when creating a new customer (checks to determine a customer’s creditworthiness, setting of credit limits to minimize risk, etc.)

International software vendor

Software license management based on MDG-M

About the customer

Our customer is a listed software group with approximately 100,000 employees worldwide. Focusing on the development of software to handle all business processes, the company is considered the most valuable German company and most valuable European brand.

The challenges

Replacement of an existing solution for the “Pricing Proposal” subprocess in the end-to-end “Order to Cash” process through the implementation of SAP MDG for material master data.

The solution (highlights)

  • Concept development and implementation of processes for the creation, modification, and deletion of software license products (material master data) which are maintained, checked, and approved by different departments across the globe
  • Automated generation of follow-up change requests for follow-up processes

The results

  • Higher level of business process automation through the standardization of master data
  • Less time and money spent on maintenance processes and data maintenance for enterprise master data – reduced data management costs
  • Faster communication and cross-functional collaboration through the use of consistent master data across the enterprise

Pharmaceutical

Implementation of master data management

About the customer

Our customer is a German medical technology and healthcare company with approximately 294,000 employees worldwide.

The challenges

Our task was to create the preconditions for efficient, centralized master data management and to implement master data management for material master data.

The solution (highlights)

  • Creation of a Material Master Data Workbook – definition of master data attributes, clustering of attributes into attribute groups
  • Preparation and delivery of workshops with the responsible experts. Documentation of the technical properties, definitions, rule sets, impact on business processes and systems as well as responsibilities
  • Identification of quick wins and carrying out data cleansing for short-term improvements in data quality
  • KPI concept for calculating and displaying data quality in a KPI dashboard
  • Definition and documentation of master data maintenance processes: creation, changes, mass changes, phase out of materials
  • Creation of the User Requirement Specifications and Functional Requirement Specifications for the implementation of SAP MDG-M

The results

  • High degree of flexibility if changes are made to the business processes
  • Reduction of consequential errors and losses in the value chain
  • Creation of synergies in the logistics processes
  • Better global collaboration

Pharmaceutical/Chemical

Implementation of MDG-S for supplier master data

About the customer

With a global workforce of approximately 57,000 employees, our customer is the oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company in the world.

The challenges

Our task was to implement MDG-S as part of a global master data program based on an MDG hub.

The solution (highlights)

  • Concept development and implementation of a connection for third-party address validation
  • Development of a concept for the connection of D-U-N-S via web services
  • Concept development and implementation of a web service interface for the automatic creation of employees from a third-party system, who are automatically created as business partners via MDG

The results

  • Provision of consistent and current data for greater decision-making effectiveness and as a means of promoting business growth
  • Increased transparency and accuracy thanks to trustworthy reports
  • Improved supplier relationship management – cost savings from volume discounts and special terms with suppliers
  • Increased customer lifetime value
  • Identification of upselling and cross-selling potential for customers

Pharmaceutical

Implementation of MDG-BP

About the customer

With approximately 51,000 employees worldwide, our customer is the largest research-driven pharmaceutical company in Germany. Its core business includes the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceuticals for humans and animals.

The challenges

Implementation of SAP MDG-BP for customer and supplier master data on one central MDG hub as part of a comprehensive master data road map.

The solution (highlights)

Concept and implementation of MDG-BP – adapted to the customer’s specific requirements:

  • Automatic linking of partner functions when creating a new business partner – in contrast to the standard system, partner functions can be used by automatically linking additional MDG change requests (CRs) to the existing main account
  • Checking of active SEPA mandate – this is not maintained in MDG, but in a third-party system. To keep bank-related customer data consistent, a check is carried out whenever bank data is changed or deleted to determine whether an active SEPA mandate in the third-party system is affected by this change
  • Enhancement of audit trail reporting for regulatory compliance – for example, IDMP reporting

The results

  • Less time and money spent on maintenance processes and data maintenance for enterprise master data – reduced data management costs
  • Higher level of business process automation supported by the standardization of master data – prevention of consequential errors and financial losses in the value chain
  • Provision of consistent and current data for more effective decision-making
  • Stronger compliance with regulatory requirements – reduced probability of security breaches and non-compliance with regulations