Case Study - Supplier Master Data Cleanup for SAP Alignment

CLIENT OVERVIEW

A global mining organisation initiated a master data improvement program to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of its procurement and financial operations. With a large-scale SAP environment supporting international operations, the business recognised the need to restore structure and reliability to its supplier master data.

THE CHALLENGE

Over time, the supplier master file had grown to include more than one million records, many of which were outdated, duplicated, or inconsistently structured. Misaligned payment terms, redundant vendors, and legacy entries had introduced unnecessary complexity into procurement processes and reporting. The organisation sought a coordinated effort to review, clean, and align its supplier data with current operational needs.

APPROACH 

Cravern led a structured data management engagement to assess, validate, and cleanse the supplier master dataset. The process involved systematic identification of duplicate vendors, alignment of payment terms to corporate standards, and removal of inactive suppliers. The team worked collaboratively with internal stakeholders to ensure that changes were communicated in advance where they could impact ongoing supplier relationships, and to ensure continuity in business operations.

SOLUTION

A refined and deduplicated supplier master was delivered, with updated commercial attributes and embedded logic for future data quality control. Legacy records were archived with full traceability, and approved changes were structured for direct upload into the SAP environment. The process included communication protocols for business units to manage any supplier-side impacts with clarity and minimal disruption.

IMPACT 

The engagement significantly improved the integrity and usability of the supplier master. It supported streamlined procurement operations, increased accuracy in reporting, and laid the foundation for improved data governance across the enterprise.

Headline Note
More than 1 million supplier records reviewed and rationalised for enterprise-wide SAP consistency.