With 99 of the top 100 global organizations using SAP for critical business operations[1], it has become the backbone for enterprise data and processes. However, SAP customers often use a mix of non-SAP systems alongside it, leading to fragmented visibility and governance over end-to-end workflows. This is where SAP workload automation comes in – providing centralized orchestration over diverse SAP and non-SAP workloads.
In this 2600+ word guide, we will cover:
- What is SAP workload automation and why it matters
- Top use cases and benefits
- Key considerations for implementation
- Differences from related concepts
- Answers to common questions
Let‘s get started.
What is SAP Workload Automation?
Workload automation refers to the practice of using software to schedule, execute and monitor business processes spanning across heterogeneous IT environments – both on-premise and cloud.
SAP workload automation focuses specifically on orchestrating workloads within and around SAP landscapes. It integrates the execution of jobs inside SAP modules like FI, CO, MM, PP etc. with processes running on peripheral non-SAP systems.
This enables centralized governance, greater interoperability and process reliability across both worlds.
The Challenges of SAP-Non SAP Integration
Over 80% of SAP customers use non-SAP systems in parallel for business functions like manufacturing, inventory planning etc.[2]
However, the deep integration capabilities between SAP and 3rd party applications are often limited. This leads to manual efforts and complex coding for system interconnectivity.
Employees also struggle with fragment visibility, having to monitor different tools to manage SAP and non-SAP workloads. Switching frequently hampers productivity.
Documentation and audit trails suffer as processes span across disconnected systems. Issues become hard to diagnose.
SAP workload automation platforms address these pain points through a unified interface for end-to-end visibility and control.
Top 7 Use Cases of SAP Workload Automation
Here are the most common application scenarios for SAP workload automation in the enterprise:
1. Centralized Governance
Workload automation provides a single lens into sprawling SAP landscapes, legacy systems and 3rd party applications.
SAP professionals gain better clarity on upstream and downstream processes beyond just individual point solutions. This is invaluable for managing dependencies and minimizing business disruptions.
With easy audit trailing across tools, organizations can also meet compliance requirements around digital governance more easily.
2. Scheduling and Planning Automation
By setting up schedules and dependencies between jobs, workload automation platforms enable hands-free initiation of batch processes.
This is invaluable for overnight tasks like billing, data archival, report generation etc. Workload automation reduces manual oversight needed for these activities.
Advanced engines even auto-adjust schedules based on external events or file arrivals, providing further automation.
3. Facilitates Interdepartmental Data Flows
With easy integrations between surround systems, workload automation makes it simpler for different groups to share information.
For instance, production planning forecasts from a 3rd party tool can trigger material procurement via related SAP modules automatically.
Such seamless system interconnectivity breaks silos and enhances productivity across the organizational matrix.
4. Orchestration of SAP & Non-SAP Processes
A unified workflow platform allows users to integrate execution of SAP and non-SAP jobs critical to a business process.
Consider the example of order fulfillment in a manufacturing firm. As sales order items get booked in SAP SD modules, this can automatically trigger creation of work orders in the MES system to start production planning.
Similarly goods issue confirmation from the shopfloor tools can post finished goods receipts into SAP ECC. Such end-to-end orchestration ensures processes don‘t slow down due to fragmented systems.
5. Incident Response Automation
Increasingly, organizations leverage workload automation to set up automated incident response playbooks.
This allows them to standardize recoveries from known failures like batch job failures, system downtimes etc. through pre-defined actions.
Based on events from monitoring tools, the workflow engine initiates corrective workflows ranging from auto-restart of jobs to full blown failovers. This minimizes revenue losses and brand reputation from extended outages.
6. Resource Optimization with Auto-Scaling
Leading workload automation tools come with auto-scaling capabilities for cloud infrastructure like SAP Cloud Platform (CP) and SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud (HEC).
This allows dynamic adjustment of computing resources like servers, memory etc. based on actual processing loads. Idle resources get freed up during non-peak times.
Such optimization reduces cloud bills and enables higher ROI from the landscape.
7. SLA Monitoring and Predictions
Finally, advanced engines like ActiveBatch allow users to track actual runtime SLAs against desired benchmarks.
Integrations with AIOps platforms further enable workload analysis for failures prediction powered by machine learning algorithms.
These smart capabilities boost reliability and resiliency of business-critical SAP workloads.
Key Differences from SAP Process Automation
SAP process automation focuses on streamlining business operations and workflows spanning multiple users with the help of robotic process automation (RPA) and other tools.
In contrast, SAP workload automation deals with orchestration and integration of computive jobs, batch processes and system events within the IT landscape.
While process automation aims to reduce manual human efforts, workload automation provides reliability, scalability and governance for automated jobs themselves.
Both cater to different elements in digital transformation cycles making them complementary rather than competing approaches.
Top Benefits of SAP Workload Automation
Implementing workload automation for SAP brings powerful benefits spanning business agility, IT reliability and cloud economies.
1. Increased Operational Agility
By removing dependency delays between jobs, workload automation enables faster completion of business processes leading to quicker time-to-market.
Smooth data flows between enterprise applications ensure various functions get access to dependent information faster for decision making.
2. Improved Reliability
With automated monitoring, alerting and auto-scaling features, workload automation boosts reliability of IT systems supporting SAP environments.
Auto-correction of failures through predefined incident response workflows minimizes business disruptions.
3. Optimal Resource Allocation
Intelligent auto-scalingAdjustment ensures computing infrastructure is right sized to actual processing loads in SAP systems. This saves cloud bills through efficient hardware usage.
4. Continuous Operations
Workload automation enables round the clock execution of business critical SAP jobs without manual support needed during off-hours. This leads to uninterrupted operations.
5. Enhanced Compliance and Audit Readiness
Consolidated reporting, alerting and tools integration provides fine-grained audit trailing for both SAP and non-SAP workloads to facilitate compliance.
6. Lower TCO
By reducing manual efforts needed for managing heterogeneous job ecosystems, workload automation drive higher ROI from IT and staff budgets.
Key Considerations for Implementation
Here are some crucial points to factor when evaluating and onboarding SAP workload automation platforms:
Compatibility – The tool must integrate smoothly across required SAP modules like ECC, S4/HANA, SCM etc. APIs must exist for both legacy and next-gen environments.
Scalability – As business workloads grow, the automation platform must seamlessly scale through distributed execution engines without loss of performance.
Ease of Use – The interface must be intuitive with self-service capabilities allowing both developers and business teams to leverage it without extensive training.
Security – Robust credential management, access controls and encryption must be provided to safeguard SAP environments.
Support for Hybrid IT – The system must be able to automate and monitor jobs spanning on-premise, multi-cloud and containerized landscapes.
Answers to Key Questions
Here we explore some common queries around SAP workload automation:
Why is workload automation important for SAP systems?
Automation ensures timely and reliable execution of processes like month-end reporting, batch processing etc. critical for SAP performance. This frees up teams to focus on value-add IT projects.
What risks exist with automating SAP workflows?
Incorrect automation logic can negatively impact upstream/downstream systems connected to SAP. Hence rigorous testing of failure scenarios is crucial before rolling out changes. Mature platforms provide sandbox capabilities to test automation scripts safely.
How does it enhance productivity?
By standardizing and automating repetitive manual steps, intelligent workload scheduling reduces overhead for IT teams managing SAP landscapes. This results in faster deployments.
What capabilities must a workload automation tool have?
Core requirements span self-service workflow modeling, SAP ecosystem integration, SLA monitoring, availability assurance and cloud orchestration functions.
Can it manage landscape changes like SAP S/4 HANA migrations?
Agile workload automation tools come with robust version control, testing and simulation capabilities to safely adapt automation logic to landscape changes like major upgrades, cloud migrations etc.
Sample Vendor Stack
Here is a sample stack with specialized workload automation and complementary automation capabilities for SAP environments:
- ActiveBatch – Workload Automation and Scheduling
- UI Path – Robotic Process Automation
- Stonebranch – Data Pipeline Automation
- Redwood RunMyJobs – Cloud Orchestration
- OpCon – Cross-Platform Job Scheduling
- Automic – Application Release Automation
Key Takeaways
SAP workload automation platforms help bridge connectivity gaps between diverse enterprise applications – both SAP and third party. This powers true digital transformation.
By investing in this rapidly evolving technology category, organizations can drive greater business velocity, resilience and compliance across heterogeneous technology environments.
References
- 99% of Top 100 Global Companies use SAP
- 83% of SAP Customers Use Non-SAP Systems
- The Importance of Workload Automation