SAP Multi-Client/Single Client Approach for different Companies

[Former Member]

Dear All,

I need your input for designing our system landscape.

We are Having 3 Companies. Says Company A, Company B and Company C. My Understanding is as below -

Option 1 : We would like Multi-Client System Environment. i.e each of above Company will have different Production Client in One box.

They will have same or different Chart of account and Controlling area. This option we will be thinking keeping in mind that any time in case we sell any of above Company, we could sell along with existing SAP Production Setup. Having different production client will give an ease for detaching production from existing landscape. This way we can get better price for company. But, this way we need to configure/copy all required configuration and SPRO in each of production client. Also, we need to configure additional RFC/ALE for transaction happening as a inter-company.

Option 2 : We Can also have one production client/COA and Company A, B and C can be mapped under one controlling area. This will be cost reduction at same time we can have inter company transaction without any additional RFC/ALE.

Let me know if my understanding is correct and what will be pro's and con's comparing each above approach as based on this we need to give proposal to management.

Thank you in advance.

regards,

Rajat

[tomasz_domanski]

Hi,

You should also consider a "con" for scenario 1 - all master data which are client dependent (so actually almost all) would be duplicated on each client if it is common in reality. This would be true for Material Master, Vendor Master, Customer Master etc.  - also data consistency is not secured.

And argument about selling - it is not that easy to sell the company with a system if it is on your servers- most buyers would not like to share it in long term (and pay your IT). So probably this would need to be phased out anyway, maybe moving to separate system landscape eventually - doing this from separate client or same client is not really that different.

Summarizing - I will always go with Comapany Code per Company but same Client if legal factors are not indicating otherwise.

Best Regards,

Tomek

[Former Member]

Hi Tomek,

Thanks for your input.

My Client interested to Sell his Company (in future) along with SAP. Idea behind this is to have better return and value in proposals. In future, if this happens, the separate company will not have any support from existing team as they have their separate infrastructure/IT Team.

Any more thoughts on functional limitation in case of separate client per company code.

regards

Rajat.