SAP Test Automation | What it is, Why it Matters, and How?

SAP has emerged as a dominant player, providing businesses with a comprehensive suite of applications to manage their operations. As businesses increasingly rely on SAP, the need for efficient and faster testing of SAP systems has become paramount. With the growing complexity of SAP environments, manual testing can be time-consuming, error-prone, and expensive. That is where SAP test automation comes into play. 

SAP test automation helps organizations streamline their testing processes, reduce human errors, and save time and money. In this blog, we will discuss the various aspects of SAP test automation, including what it is, why it is essential, etc. 

What is SAP?

SAP is a German multinational software corporation specializing in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software that helps manage business operations and customer relations. SAP is abbreviated as Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte (in German). When translated into English, it stands for System Applications and Products.

SAP provides a range of business applications that help organizations manage various aspects of their operations, including product lifecycle management (PLM), human capital management (HCM), supply chain management (SCM), and more.

What is SAP Automation Testing?

SAP automation testing refers to the process of automating the testing of SAP software applications. 

SAP automation testing involves using test automation tools and techniques to automate the testing of SAP applications, modules, and functionalities.

What Is The Purpose Of Sap Test Automation?

By automating SAP tests, businesses can test their applications quickly and effectively. Also, developers can quickly look into the bugs and work on fixing them before they impact the end-users.

This includes testing when new processes are implemented, when existing processes are modified, or whenever SAP updates its system. This involves a lot of testing, and testers have to perform tests often. That is why automation is the best way to test SAP applications.

Why SAP Test Automation Matters?

SAP environments are highly complex, with various modules and integrations. Manual testing of such complex systems can be time-consuming and error-prone. 

On the other hand, SAP automated testing reduces the time and effort required for repetitive and time-consuming tasks. This leads to faster testing cycles, allowing organizations to release SAP updates more quickly and cost-effectively.

Also, with a low-code testing tool like Testsigma, you can create automated tests with simple English using NLPs.

What Can You Achieve With SAP Test Automation?

With SAP test automation, you can achieve several benefits, including more efficient testing of SAP applications. Here are some of the key achievements of SAP test automation:

• Higher quality

Automation allows you to execute more test cases simultaneously. It helps validate multiple business processes, user interactions, and system integrations, improving test coverage.

• Reduced Risk and Cost

Using automation testing tools allows you to automate tedious and repetitive tasks. Thus, you can cover more test scenarios in less time, allowing testers to focus on other critical tasks.

• Increased Testing Efficiency

Test automation reduces manual effort and accelerates testing. Also, you can eliminate the chances of human errors and achieve high test accuracy.

• Faster Testing

Using an automation testing tool like Testsigma, you can make your testing process 5x faster and ship products 8x faster to the market. Automation lets businesses test faster. 

• Increased Agility

Using an intuitive, no-code test platform increases your test speed further. That is because it reduces developer dependency and results in more agile processes.

• Easy Test Maintenance

When you have a tool that also supports your maintenance activities, test maintenance becomes easier.

• Accelerated Release Cycles

Test automation enables faster feedback cycles and shorter release cycles. It allows for continuous testing, where tests can be executed in parallel with development efforts, providing prompt feedback to developers and facilitating faster bug fixes and deployments.

What to look for in a SAP Test Automation Tool?

When selecting a SAP test automation tool, there are several key factors to consider. Here are some crucial aspects to look for,

SAP-specific Support 

Ensure the automation tool has specific features and support for SAP testing. It should be capable of interacting with SAP applications, modules, and functionalities, including UI elements, data retrieval, and integration points.

Cross-technology functionality

It should allow businesses to test across different platforms, browsers, devices, and versions.

No-code testing support

Using a test automation platform that supports no-code testing makes testing accessible for everyone in the organization. That is, everyone in the organization, including stakeholders, developers, project managers, and clients, can easily understand the automation flows and share feedback. It makes your testing fast and agile. 

Similar to Salesforce, SAP is also updated regularly from time to time. Using a no-code tool will help edit and maintain the test cases easily. Using a script-based testing tool like Selenium will require the testers to write/update, and maintain code every time there is a change in the system, which makes testing highly time-consuming and complex.

How to Get Started with SAP Test Automation?

Firstly, it’s essential to understand the SAP application and its functionalities before automating SAP testing. There are a number of steps you can take to get started with SAP test automation, including,

1. Identify the applications you need to test – The first step is to identify what needs to be tested. You need to identify the areas that are most critical to your business, as well as the specific tests that need to be run.
2. Choose a test automation tool – There are a number of different SAP test automation tools available, so you need to choose one that is right for your needs.
3. Create test cases – Create automated test cases. You need to create test cases for all of the test scenarios.
4. Execute tests – Once you have created test cases, you need to run the tests. This can be done using the test automation tool you have chosen.
5. Analyze test results – After the tests have run, you need to analyze the test results in detail to ensure that the software is working as expected and share the feedback with the development team.

Why is Test Automation Important When Migrating to SAP S/4 HANA?

SAP S/4 HANA is the successor to SAP R/3 and SAP ERP, representing SAP’s latest enterprise platform version. SAP S/4 HANA is more user-friendly and agile and can help handle complex challenges and larger data volumes with more ease than its previous versions. 

However, to fully benefit from these advantages, enterprises need to migrate their systems to S/4 HANA, which can be daunting due to the time required and the potential risks associated with modifying critical business processes.

Though the migration will not happen until 2027, it is crucial to start considering how you would like to migrate and the approaches. Further, creating a well-defined test automation plan in advance can be helpful for a successful transition. 

Choosing a robust test automation platform plays a crucial role. You should select a tool that satisfies the criteria mentioned in the above sections.

SAP Test Case Example for Test Automation

Test Case Name: Purchase Order

Test Case Description: Purchase Orders are used in procurement. Both internal procurement, external procurement, and services. The test case uses the ME20N transaction code to validate the creation of Purchase Orders.

Test Case Name	Test Case Description	Test Data	Expected Result	Test Result (Pass/Fail)
TC_01	Enter Transaction Code	Transaction Code – ME20N	User ends on purchase order from	Pass
TC_02	Enter VendorEnter the Material Number for ProcurementEnter QuantityEnter Data	Vendor – XYZMaterial – 12008765Quantity – 5000	Information from purchase info record and material master and vendor master data are populated. Delivery date and net price are populated from information supplied in master data.	Pass

This is just one example among many. Imagine testing all such test cases manually. Manual SAP testing can be time-consuming, and there will be more chances of human errors. 

Also, running these on a daily basis will make the job of manual testers tedious, and they might miss out on some steps. Even skipping a few steps may result in hidden bugs that can cause potential system issues. 

Further, the cost of fixing the bugs will also be more when it is detected in the later stages of development/production. That is why test automation is considered the best, as it helps eliminate the chances of human errors, covers more test scenarios, and makes testing faster and more efficient.

Challenges Of Code-Based Automated Testing In Sap

Here are some of the challenges when you use code-based testing tools to automate Sap testing,

Limited Scope

Though SAP has its own testing tools like eCATT and SAP TAO, the scope of testing is limited with these tools. For example, with eCATT, you can access all layers of SAP, but you can not automate tests other than UI and API.

Scripted Testing

Most code-based test automation tools provide a feature where testers can freestyle programming. But then, the effort and time required to maintain and keep the automation process running will be higher. Also, reusing test scripts can get more challenging.

Reusing Test Scripts

As discussed above, reusing test scripts becomes more complex with new employees onboard. With new people onboard, they will prefer to create test scripts based on their preferences. Rather than spending time modifying scripts, creating news scripts seems simple in such cases. 

Resisting Test Automation

When the concept of code-based testing comes up, non-technical users like functional testers and business analysts will hesitate to accept the change. Why? Because,

• Concerns about automation/AI replacing their job.
• They have a hefty workload and do not see the value in test automation.

Not everybody will be okay with the idea of introducing test automation. It is more like the AI vs Human war. But it isn’t. If everyone tries to see test automation as a way to enhance their testing process, software testing can be made more efficient. Manual testing, along with automated testing, can have several benefits. 

What You Should Look For In A Sap Test Automation Solution

Selecting an SAP testing tool is crucial as it impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of SAP testing. Here are some factors to consider when looking for SAP test automation tools,

• Swift Learning Curve: The ability for testers to easily create/update test cases from scratch.
• User-Friendly Interface: Accessibility for anyone to effortlessly set up, manage, and execute tests. For example, use a tool like Testsigma that supports both code-based and codeless testing in one platform. This will make testing accessible for both technical and non-technical users.
• Scalability: The ability to execute the complete regression suite rapidly and consistently. Read here about SAP Regression testing
• SAP Integration Support: Ensure that the automation tool seamlessly integrates with SAP systems and can handle various SAP modules and versions.
• Object Recognition: The tool should have robust object recognition capabilities to identify SAP elements accurately. 
• Data-Driven Testing: Check if the tool supports data-driven testing, as SAP systems often deal with large datasets.
• Parallel Test Execution: Parallel testing significantly reduces test execution time, especially when dealing with large SAP test suites.
• Reusability: Choose a tool that promotes the reusability of test cases. 

What is Cloud-based Test Automation for SAP?

Cloud-based test automation for SAP refers to the process of using cloud-based infrastructure and tools to automate the testing of SAP applications. 

Instead of relying on on-premises resources and infrastructure, companies leverage cloud computing resources and services to execute their SAP test automation activities.

In cloud-based test automation, test environments and test data are hosted and managed in the cloud. Also, test automation helps you achieve a higher ROI. You can learn more about how test automation using Testsigma can help you achieve the same – here.

Conclusion

Test automation has become an essential part of the software development life cycle in modern times. SAP test automation is a challenging but necessary task for organizations to ensure the quality and performance of their SAP applications. 

By implementing a well-structured and comprehensive automation strategy, businesses can achieve faster time-to-market, increased efficiency, and reduced costs. 

With automated SAP testing, businesses can ensure that their SAP systems are thoroughly and accurately tested, leading to greater customer satisfaction and business success.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need SAP automated functional testing?

SAP automated functional testing ensures that critical business processes are functioning as intended. You will have to test the SAP application every time a new process is set up or adjusted or whenever SAP makes an update to their systems.

What is the best test automation tool for SAP?

There are multiple SAP automation testing tools in the market. The list of the top SAP test automation tools includes,

• Selenium
• Worksoft
• Testimony
• Right Data
• TestComplete

Can Selenium be used for SAP testing?

Yes, Selenium can be used for SAP testing. But, Selenium has to be used along with a framework like TestNG to perform functional testing of SAP web applications. However, Selenium can not support desktop-based SAP applications.