Migrating SAP documents and historical archives to the cloud is becoming an increasingly important task for companies that handle large amounts of data. As businesses continue generating new information, managing data growth with on-premise storage systems — such as SAP Content Server with an underlying file system or SAP MaxDB database — calls for scalable solutions, especially as mainstream maintenance for MaxDB aligns with the December 31, 2027, support timeline for SAP Business Suite 7 (SAP Note 1178367).

Cloud migration offers multiple benefits, from reducing total cost of ownership (TCO), automating backups, data replication and recovery to boosting performance and ensure accessibility. Leveraging SNP’s Outboard solution makes this migration smoother, more secure and scalable, especially when integrated with leading cloud providers such as Amazon (AWS S3), Microsoft (Azure Blob), or Google (GCP). In this blog post, I take a deep dive into the process of moving SAP data archives and documents like e.g., purchase orders, invoices, payment receipts, pay slips, PDF files and others, from on-premise solutions such as MaxDB to the leading cloud hyperscalers connected to SAP ECC or SAP S/4HANA through SNP Outboard ERP Archiving.

How to start the transition of SAP archived data to the cloud?

SNP Outboard ERP Archiving is a solution designed to streamline the process of archiving and managing large data volumes either in SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA on-premise or SAP S/4HANA on SAP with RISE. This innovative product features mass automation of archiving processes to keep SAP systems and size of HANA under control while an access to historical data remains compliant with regulatory requirements and local law. Find out more about how to automate SAP archiving in this blog post.

SNP Outboard ERP Archiving is easy-to-deploy, SAP certified, ABAP-based add-on that is installed directly on SAP S/4HANA systems without any need for additional hardware or software. The SNP solution supports document storing through the SAP content server HTTP interface and by leveraging SAP Knowledge Provider’s Content Management Services to store and access document originals across different document management frameworks such as DMS, GOS, BDS and ArchiveLink. The connection of SNP Outboard Content Server with cloud-based storage platforms, for example, AWS S3-based content repository is ensured via SNP Storage Management component and related development APIs guaranteeing and fulfilling security standards described in this article.

An example of simplified SNP Outboard ERP Archiving architecture in SAP S/4HANA  system with the connection to one of more than 20+ supported storages.

Straightforward and efficient configuration of SNP Outboard Content Server

Configuring the SNP Outboard Content Server and e.g., AWS S3-based content repository in SAP S/4HANA system is designed to be straightforward and efficient. Detailed deployment steps and expert guidance from the SNP consulting team on the migration project helps both technical and non-technical users to follow the entire process.

An example of connected cloud-based storage platforms for SAP archiving use-case with SNP Outboard ERP Archiving in SNP Storage Management

After establishing the connection from SAP S/4HANA system to the cloud storage platform in SNP Storage Management and setting up SNP Outboard parameters, implementation team defines new content repository with respective parameters in OAC0 and activates archiving service in SICF transaction. After verification and testing of newly deployed content repository the physical migration of existing SAP documents or archive data is initialized.

An example of secure HTTPs-based content repository communicating with Azure Blob via SNP Outboard ERP Archiving from SAP S/4HANA on SAP RISE

How to accelerate and secure the migration project?

SNP Outboard Archive Migration Toolset is the key to a smooth, secure, and efficient migration process. By automating many of the tedious aspects of data transfer and leveraging advanced technologies like mass parallelization. SNP helps companies quickly transition their historical SAP archives and attachments to the cloud. SNP Outboard Archive Migration Toolset offers several unique features. Here are the key benefits regardless of when it comes to migration of DMS, ArchiveLink or SOFFCONT1 attachments:

1. Automated migration process: The tool automatically splits your migration workload into smaller, manageable portions. These portions are significantly reducing the overall migration time.
2. Mass parallelization: Multiple migration portions can run in parallel, which speeds up the data transfer process.
3. Automated update of the storage location: The storage location in SAP tables is automatically updated.
4. Seamless cloud integration: Whether you’re migrating to AWS S3, Azure Blob, or Google Cloud, SNP Outboard facilitates the smooth transfer of historical data from your SAP system to your chosen cloud provider. This ensures scalability, cost-efficiency, and easy access to data.
5. Secure and reliable: SNP's solution incorporates hash validation to ensure data integrity throughout the migration process. The retention of unique document IDs ensures that your archived data remains easily identifiable and traceable, even after migration.
6. Load balancing: The archive migration tool provides load balancing features, optimizing server usage by distributing workloads across different application servers and defining the time windows when the migration should be executed to avoid any possible conflicts with critical business operations in SAP systems or system maintenance.
7. Retention management: SNP Outboard Archive migration toolset enables a reorganization of previously archive data by retention time characteristics and organizational units. This enables the precise destruction of archived data after reaching its defined retention time to fulfill regulatory requirements and stay legally compliant.

Solution architecture and visualization of migration project for an existing SAP archive with SNP Outboard ERP Archiving

What are the options to choose from? Comparison of leading hyperscalers

Choosing the right cloud platform that best fits their needs is crucial for effective SAP archive storage. Here’s how the three biggest cloud service providers compare:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS S3): AWS provides scalable object storage through S3, making it a popular option for businesses migrating large volumes of SAP data. Its robust ecosystem of services and high availability makes AWS a reliable platform for SAP cloud migrations.
• Microsoft Azure (Azure Blob): Azure Blob Storage is designed for massive amounts of unstructured data, making it ideal for SAP archive files. It also integrates well with Microsoft’s enterprise tools, providing a seamless experience for companies already leveraging Microsoft technologies.
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Google Cloud offers highly durable and scalable storage solutions that integrate easily with SAP systems. With features like object lifecycle management and cold storage options, GCP is another strong contender for archiving SAP data.

Accelerate your SAP archive migration with SNP solutions

Migrating SAP documents and historical archives to the cloud is becoming crucial as companies deal with growing data volumes and rising costs for on-premise storage. The announced end of mainstream maintenance for on-premise platforms makes cloud migration even more relevant. The cloud offers benefits like reduced total cost of ownership (TCO), scalable solution for document management automated data replication and backups, and improved performance.

SNP Outboard Archive Migration Toolset accelerates the migration process with automation, mass parallelization, load balancing, and ensures data integrity and consistency. Together with SNP Outboard ERP Archiving provides secure cloud integration with leading cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud not only for the scope of migration but also for keeping SAP S/4HANA systems lean and clean by regular on-going archiving activities automatically scheduled from the central cockpit.

For an example of these benefits in action, check out our project with United Farmers of Alberta, where they leveraged SNP Outboard to archive SAP ERP data before moving to the cloud.

For more information on maximizing your SAP archiving potential, read my latest blog post or contact SNP for personalized guidance.