PZ Cussons: Selectively & Rapidly Reducing the Size of SAP Non-Production Systems
“SNP and Fujitsu helped us to refresh the development environment for our SAP systems using CrystalBridge‘s Test Data Organizer. We were able to achieve a rapid data reduction, removing over 70 percent of the data we no longer needed quickly and safely, saving time and costs.“ Nicola Hodgson, Project Manager, PZ Cussons Plc
At a Glance
The Challenge
PZ Cussons main objective was to reduce the data footprint of its ECC and BW development systems by approximately 70%. This was important, not only, in order to save on infrastructure and run costs, but also to ensure that the system contained data representative of production.
It was stipulated that the data within the systems should be based on a point in time, removing all data prior to June 2019 along with plants that were no longer in use. Additionally, material masters with a change date before June 2019 were also to be removed.
The reduction was to take place directly in the target system. They did not want to delete the target system and transfer the reduced data from the productive system to the target system. In the BW System, a list of system tables would need to be evaluated to determine which tables could be reduced in addition to those considered in the standard.
The company expects to save an average of USD 8 million annually in years to come due to the upgrade and future technology implementations that will build upon this foundation.
The Benefits
- Decrease in the size of the non-productive environments by more than 70 percent
- Ability to create data slices and reduce hosting and run costs
- Rapid provisioning up-to-date data from production to non-production systems
- Improved test strategy challenging the way PZ Cussons have typically approached testing
The Solution
PZ Cussons was looking for a solution to refresh and reduce the size of its SAP non-production systems. After evaluating the options, they decided on Test Data Organizer (TD) of SNP.
TD was implemented for the two larger SAP landscapes, SAP ECC and SAP BW. One of the first benefits PZ Cussons quickly realised was the software’s flexibility to reduce tables individually via easily configurable selections. Additionally, the software offered the possibility to refresh the systems and maintain consistency of the data across the two systems
The reduction in both systems was carried out in a very short timeframe with no disruption to the business.
What was not expected, but handled successfully, was the constant pressure to reduce the project timeline.
Key Facts
Scope
- Two company codes representing the Malaysia operations
- Full suite of SAP functionality including EH&S
- IS-Oil & Gas solution
- Full data history
About PZ Cussons
Headquartered in the UK, PZ Cussons Plc is an international consumer goods group and is home to some of the world’s best-loved and most trusted brands. Some of the Company's brands include Carex, Charles Worthington, Cussons Baby, Fudge Urban, Imperial Leather, Sanctuary Spa, Morning Fresh, Rafferty's Garden and Haier Thermocool.
Operating worldwide, PZ Cussons serves markets especially in Africa and Commonwealth nations. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.