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Gelsenwasser AG

Treat master data as a valuable asset – no duplicates allowed: every business partner is unique in the SAP system

Consistent target vision: each master data record exists only once in the SAP system
Uniserv Identity for SAP S/4HANA® and DQ Steward SAP as preparatory solutions
High master data quality increases efficiency in downstream processes

Story

Gelsenwasser is migrating to SAP S/4HANA®. The migration is being carried out using a brownfield approach (system conversion). Since a large amount of data, including historical data, is being transferred, duplicates are created at the level of accounts payable and accounts receivable entities. In accordance with the self-defined target vision, these business partner duplicates must be identified and cleaned up.

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Solution

Gelsenwasser clarifies the requirements in workshops and starts with Identity for SAP S/4HANA® for error-tolerant duplicate checking. Since duplicate cleansing is a long-term project, DQ Steward SAP complements the toolset: Identity identifies duplicates in operational use, while DQ Steward SAP performs automated database cleansing.

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Success

Gelsenwasser transfers the identification and cleansing of duplicates to a continuous, automated process. Clean master data quality affects all subsequent processes, such as the creation of clear balance statements and the introduction of mandatory B2B e-invoicing. Measurable time savings result when new business partners are created or existing ones are changed.

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"In addition to the excellent solutions, it is also and above all the human factor that makes working with Uniserv so valuable."

Eric Tüshaus, Head of Subsidiary Ledgers at Gelsenwasser

"In addition to the excellent solutions, it is also and above all the human factor that makes working with Uniserv so valuable."

Eric Tüshaus, Head of Subsidiary Ledgers at Gelsenwasser

Gelsenwasser is migrating to SAP S/4HANA®.

#STORY

The core system includes complete business partner support. This includes everything related to the creation and modification of business partners in SAP S/4HANA®, with regard to the subledger department with accounts payable and accounts receivable accounting as well as all payment transactions.

The data migration follows the approach that master data is a valuable asset. Each business partner may only exist once in the system. This approach references the new data model of the central business partner master that SAP is introducing with SAP S/4HANA®. Each business partner can have different roles, which remain as separate entities under the central partner master. These roles can be customer, vendor, client, or supplier. Eric Tüshaus, Head of Subsidiary Ledgers at Gelsenwasser, summarizes: "We are aware that our target vision is not the easiest approach to pursue. But this is the path we are taking. Anything else would be half-hearted and make no sense."

In line with the chosen approach that master data is a valuable asset, the declared goal from the start of the project has been to maintain high data quality:

No data may be duplicated.
All adjustments should be made directly in SAP.
Special attention is paid to the customer-vendor relationship.

However, after the migration to SAP S/4HANA®, a lot of master data is duplicated in the system. Much of this should have been cleaned up before the data migration. In order to keep to the schedule for the overall migration, the data was migrated largely unchanged. The resulting duplicates contradict the chosen approach that each business partner should only exist once in the system.

"It is important to have the courage to seek a solution and support. It cannot be done manually."

Eric Tüshaus, Head of Subsidiary Ledgers at Gelsenwasser

This situation prompted the search for a solution that would actively prevent duplicates from reappearing in the new SAP S/4HANA® system; in addition, the entire system was to be cleaned up. Eric Tüshaus adds: "We saw the change to SAP S/4HANA® as an opportunity to improve master data quality in line with our target vision. We seized this opportunity. In this way, we are activating the potential contained in the data."

Image source: Gelsenwasser

A search in the SAP Certified Solution Directory brought Uniserv Identity for SAP S/4HANA® to the attention of decision-makers at Gelsenwasser.

#SOLUTION

This stateless, lightweight service with SAP-certified integration runs fully integrated in SAP S/4HANA® via Fiori integration or classically via SAP GUI. Uniserv Identity for SAP S/4HANA® identifies duplicate business partners during ongoing operations in the central use cases of fault-tolerant search and creation or modification of business partners. To do this, Uniserv Identity for SAP S/4HANA® takes the search results of HANA® Fuzzy Search and condenses the duplicate list to the most relevant hits; in expert mode with precise explanation for each hit. This reduces the time required per duplicate to be processed and increases productivity through greater efficiency.

Gelsenwasser is putting Identity for SAP S/4HANA® into production after compact preparation. This is preceded by a POC and various workshops. Gelsenwasser's requirements and needs are specifically recorded and critically examined. The requirements are in particular:

Adding IBAN and tax number as direct criteria for duplicate checking (direct match).
Listing of roles: What roles are there for a business partner when a duplicate is found?

Eric Tüshaus is particularly satisfied with this initial phase of the collaboration: requirements were taken seriously, ideas were shared, everyone worked on an equal footing, questions were asked, and the optimal solution was found together! He adds: "We worked with forensic precision down to the last detail. It was always highly professional, from consulting to implementation."

However, since several roles are to be managed under one business partner, all business partners must be screened. The requirement is complete number consistency: the business partner number must be the same for all roles.

Since reworking duplicates is time-consuming, it quickly becomes clear to those involved that this cannot be done in a single operation. Instead, a long-term solution with a high degree of automation is required. For this reason, Gelsenwasser also decides to use Uniserv DQ Steward SAP.

DQ Steward SAP is an SAP-integrated solution that supports cleansing processes for business partner, customer, and vendor data. These cleansing processes include flagging recognized duplicates, correcting address errors, and importing external lists for new entries. The processes take the form of ongoing cleansing, migrations, or one-time cleansing in the run-up to a DQ project. They are handled on a project-by-project basis. Depending on the specifications, an automatic check is performed, usually consisting of an address and duplicate check. A manual check can then be performed as an option.

With DQ Steward SAP, periodic database cleanups can be performed, while Uniserv Identity for SAP S/4HANA® covers duplicate cleanup during ongoing operations. "Identity for SAP S/4HANA® ruthlessly reveals all duplicates in daily business. Accordingly, the move to DQ Steward SAP was a logical step in order to automate the entire inventory as far as possible to clean up duplicates," Eric Tüshaus explains the context.

"If you don't clean up errors in the data before migration, you unfortunately have to do it afterwards."

Eric Tüshaus, Head of Subsidiary Ledgers at Gelsenwasser

In the Gelsenwasser project, all participants value transparency.

#SUCCESS

In line with the goal that each business partner should only exist once in SAP S/4HANA® and that master data is a valuable asset, the migration to SAP S/4HANA® serves as an opportunity to strategically address the issue of duplicates and resolve it permanently.

Cleaning up the entire database of duplicates is like running a marathon. The duration of this process is significantly reduced by converting it from a manual to a now largely automated process. Eric Tüshaus knows that the use of Identity for SAP S/4HANA®, for example, results in measurable time savings during ongoing operations in the central use cases of creating, changing, or searching for a business partner. "I stand behind the product and am also convinced of its benefits."

The complete cleansing of the database is the main factor in achieving the target vision: with clean master data in the accounts payable area, dark processing is also possible, for example. This refers to automated processing without manual intervention. Clean master data is also a prerequisite for automating other processes, such as possible electronic sales taxation within the framework of EU regulations.

Uniserv Identity for SAP S/4HANA® and DQ Steward SAP are preparatory solutions for this. The general ledger and subledger are kept clean in terms of master data. For example, unique balance confirmations are sent in B2B. If a business partner is created twice, the balances can only be reconciled with additional effort.

Image source: Gelsenwasser

"Monetary effects from productivity increases are particularly evident in the follow-up processes!"

Eric Tüshaus, Head of Subsidiary Ledgers at Gelsenwasser

Image source: Gelsenwasser

Reliable master data automatically results in efficiency and productivity gains that are scalable. Monetary effects arise in particular in the follow-up processes where this well-maintained master data is required.

The positive effects of clean master data on the company's external image should not be underestimated. Especially in the business customer sector, the uniqueness of a business partner is a trust-building criterion for success. "As a utility company, we need to have clean master data. This is a crucial quality feature that is of great importance for our image and our commitment to becoming a little better every day," explains Eric Tüshaus.

The stated goal is to clean up the entire database and reduce the duplicate rate to near zero. There will always be a certain amount of duplicate and multiple data records, simply because the database is constantly changing. Other departments also process data or transfer new data into the system. There are also so-called intentional duplicates, for example when a business partner has to be created twice for technical processes. However, it makes a significant difference to the overall performance of a system with the associated follow-up processes whether it contains five or ten percent duplicates or only one percent or even less.

Eric Tüshaus is very satisfied with what has been achieved so far in collaboration with the Uniserv Customer Data Experts and emphasizes not only the quality of the solutions but also the cooperative support provided by the Uniserv Customer Data Experts: "In addition to the excellent solutions, it is also and above all the human factor that makes working with Uniserv so valuable."

About GELSENWASSER AG

As the 'blue-green team', GELSENWASSER AG is a listed German infrastructure and utility company. In addition to water, gas, and electricity supply and wastewater disposal, its areas of activity also include services for infrastructure, recycling management, renewable energies, digital networks, and neighborhood concepts. The main focus of all activities and projects is on sustainability. In addition to everyday activities, this applies in particular to the corporate culture and B2B solutions. With more than 1,800 employees, Gelsenwasser generated annual sales of around €2,960 million in 2024. Further information is available at www.gelsenwasser.de.

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