dMax

“dMax is designed for use with SAP software and will prove highly beneficial to businesses, with an anticipated aggressive return on investment, thanks to the simplified integration, process efficiencies and increased levels of data consistency, accuracy and quality that can be realised and achieved through the use of the dMax solution.”

dMax is a fully configurable, authorisation driven, real time, multi-user SAP certified application designed for businesses where data integrity, integration, accuracy, consistency, quality and governance of their Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) master data objects are paramount.

dMax supports businesses that want to adopt best practises for SAP EAM master data management by facilitating end to end processing and simulation of master data in its entirety in their associated SAP system(s). The dMax software is installed directly into the target SAP system and does not require any additional software/hardware licenses or interfaces to work. dMax includes best practise out of the box configuration settings and can be installed in a matter of hours, which significantly reduces the implementation and running costs associated with the software.

The dMax application provides users with a simple and intuitive single point traffic light based workbench that guides and supports users through the process of:

  • collecting data through Excel, API’s (external systems or SAP to SAP) and/or SAP master data extraction
  • transforming the data to desired format
  • refining, enriching and automatically correcting data according to the standards of the business
  • validating the data against the business’ data standards
  • simulating the application of the data to the operational database without effecting the live production data
  • reviewing and approving the data before creating new objects or applying changes to existing objects
  • auditing, analysing, reporting and loading of single and/or multiple master data objects, supporting both Green/Brown field projects and/or operation business as usual type of data environments

How does dMax work?

dMax is an ABAP add-on that runs in SAP and is designed to enable regular business user or master data specialists to request master data create or change, facilitate the process of single or mass data manipulation, check new and proposed changes against SAP and customer specific rules while safe guarding live operational production data.

Data can be imported directly from Excel load sheets or from other external systems such as Data Services or other ERP systems using dMax APIs. Users can also create new data directly in dMax if the data doesn’t exist anywhere or data can be imported directly from standard SAP tables if changes need to be made to existing data.

Updates to SAP data is only possible once all standard and business rules are adhered to and the necessary approvals have been granted.

What data objects are covered?

The dMax application has been designed to dynamically manage SAP Enterprise Asset Management master data objects and sub objects in real time, supporting both internal and external number ranges. This includes features to manage long text, full classification, user status management, customer Z* fields, document object linking and automatic mapping of interrelationships between these master data objects and their dependencies on other master data and associated configuration settings in SAP.

dMax simplifies the entire master data management process and significantly reduces the effort, time and skill required to validate and load these master data objects into SAP solutions, while ensuring the data is consistent and improving the overall accuracy and quality of the data.

Business objects that are currently delivered with the dMax framework are:

  • Document Information Record
  • Revision
  • Work Centre
  • PM Assembly
  • Material Bill of Material
  • Equipment Bill of Material
  • Functional Location Bill of Material
  • Functional Location
  • Linear Asset Management
  • Warranty Management
  • Equipment
  • Fleet Management
  • Measuring Point
  • General Task List
  • Equipment Task List
  • Functional Location Task List
  • Maintenance Item
  • Strategy Based Maintenance Plan
  • Single Cycle Plans
  • Multiple Counter Plan + Enhanced

dMax key features

Some important dMax features are:

  • Import data from Excel, via API or directly from SAP
  • No additional hardware infrastructure or complex interfaces are required to install and run dMax in SAP. It will dynamically read all the SAP configuration settings and any related master data object information that is available in the client where it is installed
  • Supports the saving, validation and posting of none SAP standard customer information
  • Smart Excel load sheets that mimic basic dMax functionality
  • Change packages are highly configurable and utilise SAP user status management, long text, classification and generic object services (GOS) attachments
  • Manages the creation and update of complete master data objects in one go including long text, classification, document object linking and user status management if available in standard SAP
  • Supports internal and external number range assignment for master data objects
  • Manages the interrelating and automatic mapping of master data object keys, requiring no other user intervention or manual mapping exercises
  • Manages duplication checks within single or related change packages and identifies potential conflicts with master data being created/updated by different groups in an organisation
  • Provides online and background processing modes for data validation and posting to support mass volumes of data
  • Test mode enables users to simulate and formulate changes, without saving into the staging area or effecting live production data, which can then be used to generate load sheets
  • Automatically correct data according to customer rules with a specific percentage certainty
  • Import header and sub-object data from standard SAP
  • Export header and sub-object data to Excel
  • Overlay SAP data with proposed changes to simulate and identify issues without effecting the live production data
  • Insert new data records manually or copy existing records in the staging area to insert new records
  • Insert and create new data by copying with reference to existing master data in SAP, which can be used as a template
  • Delete data records including any related sub-object records
  • Approve or reject individual data records, locking down any more changes to the record
  • Audit existing data in SAP and ensuring business rules are still valid and correct any discrepancies
  • View detailed record validation and posting logs, which can be exported to Excel
  • Full history and audit reporting of processed and unprocessed data records
  • Fully authorisation management driven, even down to individual data object field level
  • SAP Workflow enabled
  • Archiving enabled, so records in the staging area can be archived and deleted to save on database storage
  • Technical object multi-level hierarchical explosion overview

Business Benefits

Improved Data Quality:
  • Agility
    • Business can quickly respond to change requests
    • Application manages complex and simple changes with equal ease
    • Manage data change and review without affecting production data
  • Trust & Acceptance
    • Trust is developed by responding to requests accurately and quickly
    • Trust is maintained when data is consistently accurate and complete
    • Place the data in the hands of the people that know best
  •  Transparency
    • Changes visible from identification through to request, review and implementation
    • Full change history and change package reporting down to object level
  •  Accuracy
    • Data validated down to field level
    • Impossible to process data that fails SAP or business rules
    • Application becomes ‘smarter’ as business rules mature
  • Completeness
    • Supports all PM object fields and provides for customer specific fields to be added without modification to core product
    • Single application for all PM data objects for all scenarios
    • Supports test and execute modes
    • Supports data create and change
  • Flexibility
    • Configure application to change look-and-feel
    • Uses standard SAP authorisation management (PFCG)
    • Authorisation management possible down to field level
    • Approval / Rejection on individual record level if active
  • Support Data Life Cycle
    • Supports mass data create or update via Excel or API
    • Supports import of existing SAP data
    • Supports data audits of existing SAP data
    • Supports extraction of SAP data in consistent format
    • Supports preparation for data archiving
Cost Reduction:
  • Cost of master data organisation
    • Make the master data organisation as effective as possible
    • Directly involve business experts
    • Develop expertise in application where possible, rather than only residing with people
  • Cost of data management toolset/s
    • Application comes pre-configured with best practise configuration
    • Application will work out-of-the-box for standard SAP
    • Reduced cost of implementation
    • No additional hardware or infrastructure required, runs in SAP
  • Cost of application changes
    • No modifications required – core application works for standard SAP with built-in provision for customer fields and logic that can be implemented in-house
    • Recommend that business rule framework is managed in-house
    • IMG configuration driven, no code changes required to change look-and-feel or add new package types
  • License costs
    • Aggressive return on investment

Reference Documents