Earlier today, we announced our new Camunda SAP Integration live on stage at our CamundaCon NYC event where I had the pleasure of demonstrating the solution live on stage with my teammate Volker Buzek, an SAP Mentor and IT Architect here at Camunda! In this blog, we will dive a bit deeper into why we decided to develop a standardized SAP integration, and we’ll explore real-world use cases and provide technical insights into how the solution works. Whether you are just beginning with your first SAP integration or looking for ways to ease your journey to S/4HANA, this post will offer valuable information to help you get started.
Why we built the SAP Integration
SAP, the global leader in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, completely changed how businesses manage their day-to-day operations. Whether it’s finance, human resources, procurement, supply chain management, or customer relations, SAP’s integrated solutions allow organizations to streamline and centralize these processes. Given its widespread use and functionality, the question of integrating SAP into your processes becomes a matter of when, not if.
We’ve seen firsthand the importance of SAP integration in various customer use cases. For example, businesses routinely use SAP systems to perform tasks like looking up customer addresses or generating customer quotes. And, we understand the value that comes with being able to flexibly integrate across systems and know that many are still struggling to determine the best path forward in SAP S/4HANA migrations. However, the real game-changer for us came when we were inspired by the holistic approach to SAP integration that was shared in May of this year at CamundaCon Berlin by Nicolas Barz and Volker Buzek. That’s when things really started to take shape in terms of development and exploring all of the potential customer use cases!
Simplifying and reducing risk in SAP S/4HANA migrations
As of Q4 2023, only a limited number of SAP customers have fully transitioned to SAP S/4HANA, while many others are still strategizing the best approach for migration. With the end-of-life for SAP ECC looming in 2027, businesses are under increasing pressure to plan their migrations in line with SAP S/4HANA’s Clean Core guidelines.
These migrations, however, pose significant challenges. A “big bang” approach, where everything is migrated at once, is often risky and expensive. Technical migrations of this scale can easily become complex and fraught with delays if not managed carefully.
The solution? Rather than attempting a full-scale migration in one go, businesses can execute their standardized processes on Camunda while connecting back to SAP ECC via SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). This iterative approach using process orchestration allows for a more controlled transition to SAP S/4HANA.
By migrating in stages, you can reduce testing efforts, avoid media disruptions, save both time and resources, and most importantly, minimize risk. This method enables businesses to migrate confidently, ensuring a smoother, more efficient path to SAP S/4HANA.
Handling complex and changing business logic
A prime use case discussed by Volker and Nicolas at CamundaCon revolved around tracking complex company purchasing processes that allow employees to make purchases freely. To ensure accountability, employees are asked 1 to 10 questions for each purchase to determine the appropriate account, the department responsible, and the purpose of the transaction. This task can be challenging and often requires the expertise of a tax lawyer. Moreover, new regulations and evolving compliance standards further complicate the process.
Camunda’s model-driven approach (using BPMN and DMN) allowed the tax lawyer to build the business logic for this process. The result was 60 BPMNs and 100 DMNs. The solution is also future-proof as changes can be implemented easily.
Integrating SAP and non-SAP systems
In conversations with our customers, we understand that many departments rely on best-of-breed solutions like Coupa for procurement or other specialized tools. Despite using these third-party tools, SAP remains the system of record, requiring synchronization between these disparate systems.
Currently, these integrations are often handled with point-to-point connections and managed using multiple tools and diverse technologies. Camunda’s open and composable architecture enables seamless integration of both SAP and non-SAP systems. Our centralized platform offers end-to-end process visibility, reducing complexity and streamlining operations by eliminating the need for separate skill sets or fragmented tools.
Diverse cross-industry and business application
Camunda’s SAP integration can be applied across various industries and business processes, including these practical examples:
- Customer management: Automate customer data retrieval by looking up addresses or updating customer profiles directly from SAP.
- Sales automation: Streamline quote generation by integrating SAP data into automated workflows, ensuring accurate and timely responses to customer inquiries.
- Supply chain optimization: Coordinate end-to-end supply chain processes by integrating SAP’s procurement and inventory systems with automated workflows for better visibility and faster response times.
Technical details of the Camunda SAP Integration
Our solution is built on several technical components, all of which are designed to work within SAP’s infrastructure:
- OData and RFC connectors: These components enable seamless integration with both SAP S/4HANA and SAP ECC environments.
- BTP Integration: These applications interact with SAP BTP services, rendering Camunda forms directly in SAP Fiori tasks.
By utilizing standardized SAP interfaces, including the SAP Cloud Connector, the Camunda SAP integration securely connects both cloud-based and on-premise systems. This architecture allows businesses to leverage SAP’s full capabilities while maintaining the flexibility to automate processes and integrate with other systems via Camunda.
Conclusion
We’re excited about the flexibility our new Camunda SAP integration brings to SAP transformations, enabling customers to seamlessly orchestrate custom processes across all SAP (and non-SAP) systems, people and devices. Whether you’re navigating the complex transition to SAP S/4HANA, handling intricate business logic, or integrating SAP with non-SAP systems, this solution offers the technical foundation to ensure seamless integration and smooth operations.
By investing in this capability, we aim to empower organizations to accelerate their development efforts, increase their business agility, and reduce risks in their SAP S/4HANA migration.
Want to try it out? Get in touch!
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