SAP

Source

The SAP Target and Source Connector enables you to connect SAP as a target system to your source systems through the HelloID Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution from Tools4ever. The connector also enables SAP HCM to be read as a source system. The integration automates identity management processes and reduces significant manual effort. This article covers this connector, its capabilities, and the benefits it delivers.

What is SAP

SAP develops software for managing business processes. SAP solutions support data processing and information flows across organizations. SAP offers software for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM), as well as solutions for financial management and Human Capital Management (HCM). The applications are integrated into a suite delivered through an online digital platform.

Why is an SAP Integration Useful?

Customers often use SAP as a central system in their organization, with business processes frequently depending heavily on it. SAP takes many different forms as a platform. SAP HCM is an HRM system that can serve as a source system. At the same time, SAP is also available as an ERP, SCM, or CRM system, with which HelloID can communicate as a target system. How HelloID connects with SAP therefore depends on the SAP solution you are using.

Anyone working with SAP as an ERP, SCM, or CRM system requires an account. The integration between your source system and SAP through HelloID eliminates the need to manage this manually. HelloID takes over the entire process and removes significant complexity: you no longer need to create accounts manually, automation prevents human errors, and access right management is handled automatically. If data changes in your source system, HelloID automatically detects this and updates SAP accounts as needed.

If you use SAP HCM as a source system, the SAP connector ensures seamless integration between SAP HCM and your target systems. In this case, HelloID can create and manage the required accounts in your target systems based on data from SAP HCM, and also handles authorization management.

The SAP connector supports integrations with a wide range of common systems. Some examples include:

Active Directory
Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)

More information about these integrations can be found later in this article.

How HelloID Integrates with SAP

SAP connects to HelloID primarily as a target system. The SAP connector in many cases supplements the Active Directory and/or Entra ID connector, and often uses account data originating from another target connector. The connector can also be deployed as a source connector, connecting SAP HCM as a source system to your target systems.

HelloID communicates with Business Application Programming Interfaces (BAPIs) and remote-enabled function modules within an SAP solution through the SAP connector. These APIs and modules support not only the management of accounts and authorizations in SAP R/3 and R/4 HANA, but also reading information from SAP HCM.

Managing user accounts

The integration enables HelloID to manage user accounts in SAP. The IAM solution can create accounts and configure the username, first and last name, address details, and reference user, among other settings. HelloID can also assign specific user profiles to SAP accounts. If a user's data changes in your source system, HelloID automatically updates the corresponding SAP account. If an employee leaves the organization, HelloID can automatically delete the user's account.

Executing custom commands

HelloID can also make a BAPI call through the SAP connector, enabling the execution of custom commands that the customer has added to the SAP system.

Connecting the SAP connector to the desired SAP solution requires correct configuration. The connector is configured through the SAP Connector for Microsoft .NET. This integration capability allows the SAP connector to behave as an SAP client and connect to an SAP system. The following properties are required for configuration: NAME, ASHOST, SYSID, SYSNR, CLIENT, USER, and PASSWD.

HelloID for SAP Helps You With

More efficient account provisioning: HelloID detects changes in your source system, such as the creation of a new user, a data change, or the end of an employee's contract. Based on these changes, the IAM solution automatically executes the correct action, whether creating an SAP account, updating account data, or deleting an account. This results in more efficient user account management and ensures new employees can start immediately.
Removing complexity: The integration between your source systems and SAP systems, or between SAP HCM and your target systems, removes significant complexity. Separate scripts are no longer needed, and the SAP connector ensures a uniform approach.
Error-free account management: Human errors in account management are a thing of the past with the integration between SAP and HelloID. The IAM solution ensures accounts always have the correct rights assigned, enabling employees to start and be productive immediately.
Linking account management to the identity lifecycle process: Account management is always aligned with your onboarding, role transition, and offboarding process through the SAP and HelloID integration. When an employee's role changes, HelloID automatically updates access rights accordingly. When an employee is offboarded, HelloID automatically revokes assigned access rights and deletes accounts where needed. This ensures unauthorized users never inadvertently retain access to systems and elevates both your service level and security.

Connecting SAP to Systems via HelloID

Via HelloID, you can connect various systems to SAP, improving the management of user accounts and authorizations. Examples of common integrations include:

Microsoft Active Directory to SAP integration: The Microsoft Active Directory to SAP integration enables HelloID to automatically process changes in Active Directory, with the source system always as the authoritative input. HelloID can create a new user, update access rights, or delete an account, ensuring SAP accounts are always aligned with Active Directory.
Microsoft Entra ID to SAP integration: The Microsoft Entra ID to SAP integration reduces significant manual effort in keeping accounts and user rights up to date in SAP. HelloID automatically detects changes in Entra ID and processes them consistently in SAP.

HelloID supports more than 200 connectors, enabling you to connect the Tools4ever IAM solution to virtually all popular source and target systems. View the complete overview on our website.