The largest ERP Upgrades and Test Automation SaaS provider, Panaya, announced today that it has released its cloud-based solution for automating SAP Enhancement Package upgrades and SAP Business Function activation.
SAP periodically releases enhancement packages (EHPs) for SAP ERP ECC 6.0, introducing functional enhancements, industry-specific enhancements, UI simplifications, and enterprise service bundles. EHPs are cumulative, which means that installing one also includes the Business Functions introduced in previous packages. SAP EHP5, for example, includes approximately 440 Business Functions in many areas of the ERP suite, delivered via 500,000 new software programs with more than 50 million lines of ABAP code – increasing the SAP ERP ECC 6.0 code base by approximately 40%. This leaves no choice for organizations but to thoroughly test their SAP ERP system following an EHP upgrade. Furthermore, while the activation of a Business Function is optional, it is non-reversible, and so SAP organizations must determine the precise impact of activating Business Functions in their SAP environment and to perform the necessary testing.
A recent survey conducted by a leading research firm, observing how large SAP companies plan and execute their SAP application maintenance activities, concluded that over 50% of those surveyed schedule an EHP upgrade every 18 months or less. It further concludes that the average project time for an EHP upgrade is approximately three and a half months, and that only about 25% of large SAP customers have installed SAP’s EHP5.
Panaya’s new EHP Upgrade Automation software-as-a-service simulates for a company the SAP EHP upgrade and optional Business Function activations, automatically pinpointing which custom ABAP programs need modification as a result of the upgrade and automatically performing most of the needed modifications. The solution further generates a prioritized testing plan based on the severity level of each issue discovered and provides a highly intuitive project management platform for managing the upgrade project through to completion.
Mati Cohen, Panaya’s Chief Technology Officer, commented: "To date, Panaya has served more than 650 customers in their successful upgrade to SAP ERP ECC 6.0 and ongoing Support Package installations. By automating SAP Enhancement Package upgrades and Business Function activation, our customers can now count on us to eliminate the unnecessary costs and risks associated with any and all SAP-driven ERP changes. Panaya makes staying-current-with-SAP an affordable reality for our customers."
The Panaya EHP Upgrade Automation solution is available effective immediately and will be demonstrated at SAPPHIRE NOW, the largest annual SAP conference, in Orlando, Florida, May 14-16.
About Panaya
Panaya's software-as-a-service helps companies that use SAP or Oracle reduce 80% of their upgrade and testing risk and effort. Utilizing a cloud-based supercomputer, Panaya simulates the upcoming upgrade, automatically pinpointing which custom programs will break as a result of the upgrade and automatically fixing most of these problems. Panaya's testing solutions dramatically expedite ERP testing and eliminate the need for manual test script maintenance. Seamlessly capturing business knowledge in the background, as users work with the ERP applications, Panaya automatically generates plain-English test scripts that are rapidly executed and continually self-adjust based on test results. For further information visit the Panaya web site at www.panayainc.com.
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