Majority of SAP users (still) test with Excel

Every spring the Vereniging Nederlandstalige SAP Gebruikers (VNSG) organises a user conference to promote the exchange of knowledge among SAP-using companies. For test consultancy company PTWEE this was a reason to investigate the 'test maturity' of the visiting companies.

Findings SAP testing in 'Excel lists

The survey results provide an interesting picture of how testing looks to SAP users in practice. First, it is striking that 53% say they have a person responsible for propagating the standard testing approach, while only 40% say they have a standard testing approach. Let us positively state that the difference can be explained by a group that is responsible for propagating an approach, but this approach has yet to take shape. The most striking result of the survey of more than 100 managers, however, is the use of testing tools. For example, half of those surveyed admitted to recording defects in Excel lists rather than using a user-friendly solution such as Testersuite FREE. Even more striking, 70% of managers indicated that test scripts are captured in Word and/or Excel files.

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Lack of overview

However, a package such as SAP is so complex and voluminous that the number of Word/Excel test scripts quickly adds up to hundreds of individual files. These files are then stored on a network drive. Although 57% indicate that they reuse the scripts, the people involved undoubtedly have a hard time with this. The loose files are distributed by e-mail and the test scripts are returned filled in. A major disadvantage here is the lack of overview, which makes it a long time before insights based on the tests are gained. Possible defects is also collected via e-mail or entered directly into a joint Excel list by the testers. In addition, the test scripts that have been carried out must also be stored, for example for IT audits. This cumbersome way of working explains why 66% indicate that they spend too much time on test execution.

SAP testing with Testersuite

It is extraordinary to observe that companies on the one hand choose a proven standard package solution such as SAP for the business processes, but then for an important IT component such as the testing process choose sub-optimization and woodcraft solutions in Excel. And that while there is a very nice proven standard package solution for testing called Testersuite...

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