SAP is a widely used enterprise software package that helps organizations manage their business operations effectively. With its comprehensive suite of modules, It provides a robust platform for managing various business functions such as finance, human resources, supply chain management.
In this article, we will discuss a brief overview of SAP, importance of SAP testing, different types of testing, and best practices and challenges when testing SAP systems.
What is SAP
SAP stands for Systems, Applications, and Products is a leading provider of enterprise application software, offering a range of solutions. It was founded in 1972 by five ex-IBM employees, and has grown into a global powerhouse with a presence in over 180 countries and a customer base of more than 440,000 organizations.
According to 6sense, a technology research firm, SAP ERP has a market share of 10.66% in the ERP market. SAP’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, such as
financial management
supply chain management
human capital management
customer relationship management.
What is SAP implementation?
SAP implementation refers to the process of integrating SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) software into an organization’s existing systems and processes.
The standard SAP implementation involves the following steps:
Planning the scope of the project, identifying the business requirements, and creating a project plan.
The SAP software is installed on the server and client machines.
The software is then configured to meet the specific needs of the organization.
Existing data is migrated to the new SAP system. This includes data from legacy systems, spreadsheets, and other sources.
The SAP system is tested to ensure that it works correctly and meets the business requirements.
End-users are trained on how to use the SAP system.
The SAP system is deployed to production, and end-users begin using it to perform their daily tasks.
SAP customization
SAP customization refers to the process of tailoring the SAP software to meet the specific needs and requirements of an organization. SAP provides a wide range of standard features and functions, but sometimes these may not fully address the unique business processes or requirements of a particular company. In such cases, customization can help bridge the gap between the standard SAP functionality and the organization’s specific needs.
Consider this Scenario, a Company has a tiered sales commission structure:
For items 1 to 100 sold: 5% commission
For items 101 to 200 sold: 7% commission
For items over 200 sold: 10% commission
This tiered commission structure needs to be integrated into Company’s SAP system to accurately calculate commissions for salespeople. Configuring this tiered system into SAP is part of the SAP implementation and configuration process.
What is SAP Testing?
SAP Testing refers to the process of verifying and validating the SAP software system. Different types of tests are conducted throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) of an SAP project, including unit testing, integration testing, system testing, acceptance testing, regression testing, performance testing, security testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
It is a critical part of the SAP development and deployment process, and helps to prevent errors and problems from occurring in production. Additionally, whenever changes or customizations are made, the new test cases need to be created to test the new functionality.
The Different Types of Testing for SAP Systems
Given the complexity and customization capabilities of SAP systems, various testing methods are used to provide extensive coverage and maintain quality standards. The following are the different types of SAP testing:
1.Unit Testing: The Unit testing focuses on individual units or components of the SAP software and ensures that each unit functions as intended. It is usually performed by developers either during the development process or immediately after a feature is written. When bugs are discovered during the integration phase of software development, it can be challenging to isolate and resolve them efficiently due to the interconnected nature of the system.
2. Integration Testing – After unit testing, Integration Testing is performed to ensure the seamless integration of SAP applications with other systems, interfaces, or external components.
3. Functional Testing – Functional testing in SAP ensures that all business modules operate as intended and align with the specified business requirements. It verifies that the various components of the SAP system, including the user interface, backend processing, and database operations, work together seamlessly to support the organization’s business processes.
For example – If a company uses SAP for its supply chain management. As part of functional testing, the company would test the following scenario:
A user creates a new sales order in SAP.
The sales order contains the following information:
Customer name and address
Product code and quantity
Price and currency
The user saves the sales order in SAP.
The sales order is approved by the designated approver.
The sales order is sent to the customer via email or EDI.
Regression Testing – Regression testing is typically performed after any changes, updates, or enhancements have been made to the SAP system. The purpose of regression testing is to verify that the changes made to the system have not caused any problems with the existing functionality and to ensure that the system still performs as expected.
User Acceptance Testing – After completing functional and regression testing, the next step is User Acceptance Testing (UAT). UAT verifies that the SAP system is easy to use and meets the needs of its intended users. End-users execute the UAT by running different test cases that cover business processes, features, and documentation, such as operating manuals and quick reference guides. By doing so, they can familiarize themselves with the new system.
Performance Testing – Performance Testing evaluates the SAP system’s ability to handle large volumes of data, high traffic, and peak loads without affecting response times or causing failures. It identifies bottlenecks and areas of the application that might be slowing down operations to optimize system configurations and performance.
Security Testing: With sensitive data and critical business processes involved, security testing is crucial for SAP systems. It is an important part of the overall SAP security strategy, and it helps to protect SAP systems from unauthorized access, data breaches, and other security incidents.
Companies hire experts to look for problems in the network, connections, and application. This helps us fix issues that other tests might miss. They examine high-risk areas like authentication, authorization, encryption, source code audits and access control to identify vulnerabilities.
Best Practices for SAP Testing
Understanding SAP ERP System and Modules:
It’s essential to have a good understanding of the SAP ERP system and its various modules, including their functionality and integration points. This knowledge will help you identify potential testing areas and create effective test cases.
Comprehensive Test Planning
Make a Comprehensive test plan and identify the functional and non-functional requirements of the SAP system to ensure that your test cases cover all critical business processes and scenarios.
Test in Different Environments
To ensure that the SAP system works correctly in different environments, test it in various configurations, including different operating systems, browsers, and hardware setups.
You can test Testgrid to test your web-based SAP Application in different environments. Testgrid is a cloud-based testing platform that allows you to run automated tests on a variety of operating systems, browsers, and hardware setups.
Sign up for a free trial today!
Look beyond UI
While user experience is important, SAP systems are primarily used by businesses for critical operations. Therefore, it’s essential to focus on functional testing and other aspects beyond the user interface. This includes testing the underlying logic, data processing, integrations, and performance.
Use Automation Testing Where Possible
Automation testing is an integral part of the SAP testing process, and it is considered a best practice for efficient and effective testing.
SAP systems are complex and interconnected, and any change or enhancement in one area can potentially impact other modules or functionalities. By automating regression testing, organizations can ensure that all previously tested functionalities are working as expected after any changes or updates.
SAP systems often interact with other applications and interfaces, and testing these integrations manually can be time-consuming. By automating integration testing, organizations can ensure seamless communication between different systems, validate data exchanges, and identify any compatibility issues.
Additionally, automation testing can greatly assist in performance testing for SAP systems. By simulating multiple users and load scenarios, organizations can assess the system’s performance under different conditions and identify any bottlenecks or performance issues.
TestGrid provides an end-to-end solution for SAP automation testing, including regression testing, integration testing, performance testing and Compatibility Testing. With TestGrid, you can automate your SAP tests and run them on a cloud-based infrastructure. This will help you save time and resources, and ensure that your SAP systems are always up and running.
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Shift left testing
Shift left testing is a practice of moving testing activities to the left in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). This means that testing is done earlier in the process, closer to the development phase. This can help to catch defects earlier on, when they are easier and cheaper to fix.
Continuous Maintenance
After configuring, customizing, and deploying the SAP system, it’s crucial to maintain it. This involves monitoring and testing the system, identifying issues, and addressing them promptly.
Stay Updated
The SAP testing landscape is constantly evolving, with new methodologies, strategies, and tools emerging every year. It’s essential to keep track of the latest SAP release updates to ensure that your testing strategy is aligned with the latest software versions.
SAP Testing Tools
In order to perform the different types of testing mentioned, we will require an efficient tool that works in the specific domain for best testing results. We will explore the tools that SAP offers and other third party tools
Automation Testing for SAP Applications
TestGird
If your SAP application is web-based, you can use TestGrid’s AI-powered codeless automation to write and run automated tests in minutes. TestGrid uses natural language processing to convert your English-based test cases into executable actions and commands, so you don’t need to know any programming.
Here are some of the benefits of using TestGrid:
TestGrid can test your apps on hundreds of real devices ranging from Android, iOS, Samsung, Oppo, Pixel and more.
Users can perform codeless automation & save their time on testing complex use cases.
Integrate with custom scripts or code, which can give you more flexibility in your testing process.
It also offers AI-driven auto heal to reduce maintenance and automatically identify and fix defects.
Allows you to create custom dashboards to visualize your test results and get insights into the performance of your apps.
TestGrid integrates seamlessly with popular CI/CD tools, allowing users to automate their entire testing process.
Reserve a device for a period of time for exclusive access. This can be useful if you need to test a specific app or feature in a controlled environment.
eCATT
extended Computer Aided Test Tool (eCATT) to create and execute functional tests for SAP Applications. ECATT can be used to automate a variety of SAP testing tasks, including Functional testing, Regression testing, Data-driven testing and security Testing.
Features:
Test transactions, reports, and scenarios
can be used to Call BAPIs and function modules
eCATT can be used to check authorizations
eCATT can be used to test updates that includes the ability to test database changes, application changes, and GUI changes.
eCATT can be used to test the effect of changes to customizing settings that allows you to test how changes to the configuration of SAP affect the system.
IBM Rational Functional Tester
IBM Rational Functional Tester is an automated functional testing and regression testing tool that can be used to test SAP applications. It can be used to test the functionality of a new SAP module, you can use RFT to automate the execution of test cases that exercise the new functionality.
Selenium
Selenium is a popular open-source tool primarily used for automating web-based applications. While it is not specifically designed for SAP testing, Selenium can be employed for SAP testing in certain scenarios, particularly when SAP applications have web-based interfaces or when integration testing between SAP and web-based components is required.
Performance Testing for SAP Applications
JMeter
This is a popular open-source load testing tool that can test the performance of both dynamic and static resources, such as files, servlets, and databases. JMeter can be used to simulate a large number of users accessing the SAP application, which can help to identify performance bottlenecks.
LoadRunner
LoadRunner is a software solution for application performance and load testing widely used in the industry. LoadRunner puts your entire system through its paces to isolate and detect potential client, network, and server bottlenecks, allowing you to test new technologies alongside your legacy applications.
It can help to identify performance bottlenecks and improve the performance of SAP applications.
Common Challenges in SAP Testing
SAP systems are often large and Complex, which can make testing challenging. Testers need to understand the dependencies between different modules and how they interact with each other.
SAP environments are dynamic, with frequent updates, patches, and changes. Managing and testing these changes to ensure they don’t introduce new issues is a continuous challenge.
SAP testing requires a unique skill set, combining knowledge of the SAP platform with testing expertise. There’s often a shortage of professionals who possess both these skills, leading to potential oversights during the testing process.
With the increasing number of cyber threats, ensuring the security of SAP systems is paramount. Testing for potential vulnerabilities and ensuring data protection is a significant challenge.
SAP systems are often integrated with other systems, such as third-party applications, databases, and web services. However, integration issues can arise due to differences in technology, data formats, and communication protocols.
Conclusion
SAP is a non-arguably the top choice for ERP software, trusted by many large and small businesses around the globe. Its wide range of features and capabilities have made it a popular choice for organizations in diverse industries. We hope this article has provided you with a useful introduction to SAP Testing, which will come in handy for your future projects.
By investing time and resources into thorough SAP testing, organizations can reap numerous benefits, including improved system performance, increased user satisfaction, and reduced costs associated with fixing issues down the line.