SAP Without Data Governance Is Like Driving Without Brakes

Every SAP consultant knows this moment: a process breaks, a report shows garbage, or a purchase order goes to the wrong vendor.

What’s the root cause?

• Not a bug
• Not a config issue
• Bad master data. Again.

In most SAP projects, data governance is an afterthought. But without it, your entire system becomes unpredictable. You may be compliant on paper, but chaotic in practice.

SAP without data governance is like driving without brakes. You’ll go live. You’ll accelerate. And then you’ll crash—hard.

Let’s fix that.

What Happens When You Ignore Data Governance?

1. Duplication Runs Wild

Vendors like "ABC Ltd.," "A.B.C. Ltd.," and "ABC Limited" all coexist and none of them reconcile.

Material codes get duplicated for the same items across plants. Finance ends up with multiple G/L accounts for the same purpose.

And then we wonder why reports don’t tie.

2. Free-Text Entries Break Automation

When users bypass the system with free-text entries, you lose:

• Workflow triggers
• Pricing accuracy
• Analytics
• Vendor compliance

Free text is a shortcut to chaos.

3. No One Owns the Data

When everyone owns the data, no one does. Business blames IT. IT blames business. Consultants are stuck in the middle.

Without clear data ownership, errors just… stay.

What Does Good Data Governance Look Like?

It’s not about perfection. It’s about predictability.

Here’s what solid governance includes:

1. Defined Data Ownership

Assign business users as Data Owners for key objects:

• Vendor Master: Procurement
• Material Master: Planning or Engineering
• Customer Master: Sales

Make it someone’s job to review and validate. If it’s everyone’s responsibility—it’s no one’s priority.

2. Validation at Entry Points

Use field validations, drop-down lists, and derivation rules. Limit room for interpretation. Standardize naming, units of measure, and mandatory fields.

Tools like BAdIs, BRF+, and Fiori validations can do wonders here.

3. Governance Roles and Workflows

Introduce simple workflows:

• New material creation → reviewed → approved → created
• Vendor changes → approved by compliance → updated in production

Use MDG (Master Data Governance) or lightweight Z-workflows to manage lifecycle and approvals.

4. Regular Cleansing & Audits

Set up dashboards to flag:

• Duplicates
• Missing fields
• Outdated entries
• Inactive but open vendors/materials/customers

Data needs maintenance just like your system does.

5. Train Users, Then Retrain Them

Governance fails when users don’t know why data matters. Run short, role-based training:

• How to raise a material master
• Why naming conventions matter
• How to avoid free-text entries

Make it real. Make it repeatable.

Tools That Help

You don’t need a full MDG implementation to start. You can begin with:

• Custom approval workflows
• Fiori apps with field-level control
• Screen personas to simplify views
• Periodic reports from SE16N or CDS views for health checks
• Validation routines in BAdIs/user exits

MDG becomes powerful after you fix the culture.

Final Thought

In SAP, data is not just a foundation. It’s fuel. But without governance, it becomes a liability.

Every failed report, broken automation, or audit finding can be traced back to uncontrolled data.

So ask your client or your team: Who owns the data? Where are the brakes? And when did we last check if they work?

Have you seen the impact of poor data governance in your projects? What strategies have worked for you?

Let’s start sharing better ways to keep SAP clean, compliant, and controlled.

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