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The Sign-Off Table

Lesson 4 of 5

Business validation

11 min

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Reconciliation says the numbers tie out. Business validation says the data is right and usable, judged by the people who know it best: the data owners and key users. It is also where the business formally accepts its data, so it must be planned, not improvised on go-live weekend.

Two kinds of business validation

Sample inspectionOwners compare selected records with the source: addresses, terms, prices, bank details
Sample usabilityKey users run real transactions on selected migrated records
Full inspection by ruleReports or queries over all records for key attributes, reviewed by owners
High-value usabilityEvery critical record exercised, such as top customers' open items or every open production-critical PO
Inspection and usability, on samples or full populations. A good plan uses all four.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-tst-308

Inspection: is it right?

Data owners compare migrated records with the source for the attributes that matter to the business. Pick samples deliberately, not randomly alone: the largest customers by revenue or balance, suppliers with the highest payment volume, products that drive most production, records changed by complex rules (merged duplicates, re-mapped plants), and a random sample on top to catch surprises. For the Alternadores del Norte load, Maria checks the 50 largest fleet customers in full, including Flotillas Monterrey S.A. de C.V., and a random 30 others; Dan checks every supplier with bank details changed by a mapping rule.

High-value recordsLargest customers by revenue or balance, such as Flotillas Monterrey S.A. de C.V.
High-volume suppliersSuppliers with the most payments, such as its local rotor supplier
Production driversProducts that drive most output, such as ADN-200 and its rotor
Complex-rule recordsMerged duplicates, re-mapped plants, defaulted fields
Random top-upA random sample on top to catch what the deliberate picks miss
Build the inspection sample in layers, from the records that matter most down to a random top-up.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-tst-308

Usability: does it work?

A record can look right and still fail in a process because of a missing field nobody inspected. Usability tests run real transactions on migrated data. They are the most valuable migration tests and the most often forgotten.

Migrated objectUsability testWhat it reveals
Open sales ordersDeliver, goods-issue and bill a migrated order for Flotillas Monterrey S.A. de C.V. from plant 1910Missing shipping data, pricing or output settings
Open purchase ordersPost a goods receipt and supplier invoice against a migrated PO for the local rotor supplierWrong prices, tolerances, account assignment
Open receivablesPost an incoming payment and clear a migrated open item; run dunning for a test customerWrong reconciliation account, missing dunning data, payment terms
Open payablesInclude migrated items in a test payment runBank details, payment methods, payment blocks
InventoryIssue migrated rotor stock to production; transfer between two storage locations in plant 1910Valuation, batch or storage location data
Products and BOMsRun MRP for ADN-200 in plant 1910; cost the productMissing MRP or costing views, wrong BOM

Usability tests on migrated Alternadores del Norte data.

Planning validation with data owners

  1. Agree with each owner, before Mock 1, which checks they will perform per object, how many records, and how long it takes.
  2. Give owners checklists and comparison reports, not raw tables. Their time is scarce.
  3. Schedule validation slots in the cutover plan for each mock and for the final load, including on go-live weekend.
  4. Record findings in the defect tool with the migration category and the object.
  5. Collect each owner's validation result per object as part of the mock sign-off.
  1. Before Mock 1Checks agreedEach owner's objects, record counts and time needed are fixed
  2. Before each mockTools readyChecklists and comparison reports prepared, not raw tables
  3. Each mockValidation slotsMaria and Dan inspect and run usability tests in their scheduled slots
  4. After each mockFindings loggedDefects raised with the migration category and tracked to the next mock
  5. Go-live weekendReduced setHigh-value records, a smaller random sample and a few safe usability checks
Business validation is planned before Mock 1 and repeated in every load, ending in a rehearsed go-live check.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-tst-308

What would you do?

In Mock 2 of the Alternadores del Norte load, Maria's inspection of 80 migrated customers finds them correct. Nobody has yet tried to bill a migrated open order. Two weeks before Mock 3, should Priya plan usability tests, given that inspection was clean?

Validation on go-live weekend

The final load's validation is shorter than a mock's, because the cutover window is tight. Agree a reduced but meaningful set in advance: the high-value records in full, a smaller random sample, and a few safe usability checks. Have owners on call in the right time slots with their comparison reports ready. Everything the weekend validation relies on should have been rehearsed in Mock 3 or the dress rehearsal, including the timing.

Key points
  • Business validation proves data is right (inspection) and usable (running real transactions).
  • Choose samples deliberately: high-value, complex-rule, plus random.
  • Usability tests on migrated orders, items, stock and products reveal missing process data.
  • Plan owners' checks, time and slots before Mock 1; record findings as defects.

Check your understanding · not graded

Lesson check

  1. 1. Why include usability tests such as clearing a migrated open item?

  2. 2. How should validation samples be chosen?

  3. 3. Who performs business validation of migrated customer data?

  4. 4. What should owners receive to validate efficiently?