Non-SAP Modernization
1. Classify the source
Group sources into:
- relational databases
- cloud warehouses
- object storage
- SaaS applications
- APIs
- files
- operational applications
Then classify the required integration mode:
federate | replicate | transform | ingest | publish
2. Target decision
| Requirement | Candidate pattern |
|---|---|
| Low-latency access, source remains authoritative | Federation |
| Repeated analytics, source impact must be low | Replication |
| Complex transformation | Persistent preparation |
| File/data-lake ingestion | Managed ingestion and preparation |
| API source | Controlled extraction with landing and monitoring |
3. Migration factory
For each non-SAP source:
- identify owner and contract
- test connectivity
- establish schema baseline
- validate incremental strategy
- migrate representative volume
- benchmark target behavior
- reconcile
- cut over consumers
4. Avoid hidden coupling
External sources often have undocumented schema changes. Establish schema-change detection, ownership, and failure handling before production cutover.