In our previous blog post, we highlighted the significance of process transformation and introduced the use case we will be covering. In this article, we will delve into the topic of process mining and explore how SAP Signavio Process Intelligence can be utilized for this purpose.
Process mining involves utilizing data mining techniques to analyze transactional data and business processes. Every transaction that takes place within an IT system leaves behind traces in the form of change/event logs, which process mining captures and enables us to discover, analyze, and improve business processes.
It allows us to gain insight into the gap between the designed process and the process's actual performance. By providing full visibility into the reality of a process, process mining helps organizations make informed decisions about how to improve their processes.
SAP Signavio Process Intelligence tool offers a comprehensive solution that covers the entire process mining process, from data integration to final insights.
In the next sections, we will demonstrate how to apply this tool to the purchasing process of our SA Repair company.
In order to analyze and investigate your business processes, you must first collect all relevant data and event logs from the source systems. This involves gathering all business object data and any relevant events that have occurred. Once this raw data has been collected, it needs to be transformed into event logs that can be used for process investigation. SAP Signavio Process Intelligence provides tools to assist with this process.
To perform process mining using SAP Signavio Process Intelligence, we first need to connect to the source system and extract the relevant purchasing data. Standard connectors are readily available, and a full list can be found here.
In our use case, we connected to S/4Hana Cloud and created a connection of type "SAP S/4HANA." We also created source data, tables for each entity set we required for analysis (Purchase Requisitions, Purchase Orders, Supplier Invoices, and Goods Document), and a business event log entity set to retrieve the related transaction history. We added a filtering criteria to each table and launched the extraction.
Once the data is extracted, it needs to be transformed into event logs to make raw data exploitable for the process investigation. We created a data pipeline and linked it with the previously created integration connection, defined the business objects for which we would be gathering event logs, and used the SQL editor to create the transformation scripts. The event log should be composed of case ID, event name, and time attributes. Finally, we loaded the prepared data into the process artifact for investigation.
In the investigation phase, we used a rich set of widgets within the investigation document to discover the process and understand its behaviour based on the loaded data. E.g: process discovery, process variant, breakdown...
In order to perform detailed process data analysis, we used widget based on SIGNAL, a dedicated SAP Signavio query language.
By analyzing the SA Repair Purchasing process, we were able to pinpoint areas that were causing delays and difficulties, including the lengthy approval process and the frequent rejection or cancellation of purchase documents.
To improve the process, we have outlined some significant changes that we intend to implement. These changes include automating approvals based on predetermined criteria and creating a custom application for employees to purchase items without going through procurement.
In the upcoming blog posts, we will see how to utilize SAP BTP services like SAP Build and SAP Graph to support these enhancements.
This blog is part of a series going over the “SA Repair” use case. I worked on this project with my colleagues edward.neveux, mariatrinidad.martinezgea, kristian.papai, qsmith
Please review them all to have a clear full picture:
For more details on the different topics covered by this use case as well as full demos and step by step exercises on each feature implemented you can check a set of sessions we delivered as part of our Hands-on bootcamp: Transform Business Processes Using SAP Signavio and SAP Build.
FULL DEMO
https://dam.sap.com/mac/u/a/6PA4YYm.htm?rc=10
First, let's define what process mining is:
Process mining involves utilizing data mining techniques to analyze transactional data and business processes. Every transaction that takes place within an IT system leaves behind traces in the form of change/event logs, which process mining captures and enables us to discover, analyze, and improve business processes.
Why is process mining important?
It allows us to gain insight into the gap between the designed process and the process's actual performance. By providing full visibility into the reality of a process, process mining helps organizations make informed decisions about how to improve their processes.
SAP Signavio Process Intelligence tool offers a comprehensive solution that covers the entire process mining process, from data integration to final insights.
In the next sections, we will demonstrate how to apply this tool to the purchasing process of our SA Repair company.
What are the steps:
In order to analyze and investigate your business processes, you must first collect all relevant data and event logs from the source systems. This involves gathering all business object data and any relevant events that have occurred. Once this raw data has been collected, it needs to be transformed into event logs that can be used for process investigation. SAP Signavio Process Intelligence provides tools to assist with this process.
Process Mining steps with SAP Signavio PI
Extract:
To perform process mining using SAP Signavio Process Intelligence, we first need to connect to the source system and extract the relevant purchasing data. Standard connectors are readily available, and a full list can be found here.
In our use case, we connected to S/4Hana Cloud and created a connection of type "SAP S/4HANA." We also created source data, tables for each entity set we required for analysis (Purchase Requisitions, Purchase Orders, Supplier Invoices, and Goods Document), and a business event log entity set to retrieve the related transaction history. We added a filtering criteria to each table and launched the extraction.
Data Extraction in SAP Signavio PI
Transform and Load:
Once the data is extracted, it needs to be transformed into event logs to make raw data exploitable for the process investigation. We created a data pipeline and linked it with the previously created integration connection, defined the business objects for which we would be gathering event logs, and used the SQL editor to create the transformation scripts. The event log should be composed of case ID, event name, and time attributes. Finally, we loaded the prepared data into the process artifact for investigation.
T and L in SAP Signavio PI
Investigate:
In the investigation phase, we used a rich set of widgets within the investigation document to discover the process and understand its behaviour based on the loaded data. E.g: process discovery, process variant, breakdown...
In order to perform detailed process data analysis, we used widget based on SIGNAL, a dedicated SAP Signavio query language.
Investigations in SAP Signavio PI
By analyzing the SA Repair Purchasing process, we were able to pinpoint areas that were causing delays and difficulties, including the lengthy approval process and the frequent rejection or cancellation of purchase documents.
To improve the process, we have outlined some significant changes that we intend to implement. These changes include automating approvals based on predetermined criteria and creating a custom application for employees to purchase items without going through procurement.
In the upcoming blog posts, we will see how to utilize SAP BTP services like SAP Build and SAP Graph to support these enhancements.
This blog is part of a series going over the “SA Repair” use case. I worked on this project with my colleagues edward.neveux, mariatrinidad.martinezgea, kristian.papai, qsmith
Please review them all to have a clear full picture:
- SA Repair: Transform Your Business Processes using SAP Signavio and SAP Build
- SA Repair: Analyze and Explore with SAP Signavio (This blog post)
- SA Repair: Automate with SAP Build Process Automation
- SA Repair: Trigger with SAP BTP Graph and Build Apps
For more details on the different topics covered by this use case as well as full demos and step by step exercises on each feature implemented you can check a set of sessions we delivered as part of our Hands-on bootcamp: Transform Business Processes Using SAP Signavio and SAP Build.
FULL DEMO
https://dam.sap.com/mac/u/a/6PA4YYm.htm?rc=10
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