Creation and maintenance of article master data via SAP MDG Material Master at AGRAVIS

12th September 2023

AGRAVIS Raiffeisen AG is a modern agricultural trading company in the segments of agricultural products, animal nutrition, plant cultivation and agricultural technology. It also operates in the segments energy and Raiffeisen stores, including building materials outlets, as well as in project construction. As one of five main agricultural cooperatives in Germany, AGRAVIS, headquartered in Münster and employing around 6,600 people, generates a turnover of approx. 9.4 billion € per year.

The DOCK program initiated by AGRAVIS in 2019 focuses on the group-wide introduction of SAP S/4HANA to support the company's core merchandise management processes – with consenso as the implementation partner.

And in the DOCK program, too, after the game is before the game – especially in the area of master data. So following the go-live of SAP MDG – Business Partner, the next change was imminent – the introduction of article master data maintenance based on SAP Master Data Government (MDG) for materials management.

A mammoth task with a total volume of about 125 thousand articles in the Raiffeisen store alone and more than 14.6 million articles in the AGRAVIS Technik environment.

AGRAVIS needs to consolidate article master data maintenance in one central hub, an activity that is currently distributed across a total of three (legacy) systems. SAP requires a far more systematic data quality than its predecessors, meaning that the article data for each AGRAVIS company to be converted must first be revised in preparation for the respective go-live.

As with the MDG Business Partner, AGRAVIS Technik is making a start. The tasks are manifold ranging from the definition of future governance processes (keyword: "maintenance control") to the necessary balancing of technical differences between the old and the new world. For example, the old system allows a 90-character article description, whereas SAP stops after 40 characters.

On the other hand, materials management under SAP S/4HANA also offers some useful innovations in the area of master data. The in-memory database technology under S/4HANA and the simplified data model enable fast processing, real-time data and optimal data quality and consistency. The new material master view "Universal Material" combines different material types and offers flexible options for managing material master data. Fiori-based interfaces simplify search and navigation and make maintenance easier for the user. This is complemented by integrated analysis functions and the possibility of integrating documents.

The next step is to support AGRAVIS employees in the maintenance of master data through the use of artificial intelligence. Initial training sessions have already taken place.

Many thanks to all parties involved, especially to the employees of AGRAVIS for the excellent cooperation!