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The Test Data Imperative: Towards SAP Autonomous Enterprise

Clean core

Test data management that keeps your SAP core clean

A clean core keeps custom code and add-ons out of S/4HANA, so upgrades stay fast and predictable. Test data tools that run inside SAP work against that: an add-on in every system, upgraded and retested with every release. Synthesized works from outside SAP, through OData services, with nothing to install.

Book a health checkSee the architecture
Available on SAP Store
Installed in your S/4HANA systemClean core check
Add-ons and custom ABAP
From Synthesized
None
Transport requests
Nothing to import into each system
None
Access
An OData service user, read-only on production
Standard
Upgrade impact
Nothing to retest with each release
None
Nothing to install in SAP
Works on RISE with SAP
Built for the SAP & Enterprise QA toolchain
SAP S/4HANASAP AribaSAP HANASalesforceUiPathTricentis

What clean core means

What a clean core asks of a test data tool

SAP's clean core approach keeps the S/4HANA core close to standard. Extensions use stable, released interfaces and run beside the core where they can, instead of changing it.

For test data, that rules out the usual shortcut of installing an ABAP add-on in every system it touches. Each add-on is one more item in the custom code inventory, and one more thing to plan, upgrade and retest when SAP ships a release.

No add-ons in the core
Nothing from the test data tool lives in production, QA or development.
Application-level access
Data is read and written through SAP's OData services, the route RISE with SAP supports.
Upgrade-safe
When the release changes, there is no test data component to upgrade or retest.
Governed from outside
Access, rules and audit sit in your environment, under your identity provider and logs.

Architecture

Clean core test data, side by side with SAP

S/4HANA productionStandard code and your configuration
No add-on, no transport, no custom ABAP
QA and test systemsRefreshed with masked data
SynthesizedReads and writes through OData services, or a HANA user on-premise
S/4HANA landscape · nothing installed
Side by side, in your environment
read-only
masked subset
Test data is prepared from outside the core. There is nothing in SAP to upgrade, transport or retest when the release changes.
Recommended for clean coreSAP OData servicesReads and writes through SAP's application layer with an SAP service user over HTTPS. No database access, so it works on RISE with SAP.
On-premise alternativeSAP HANA userFor SAP HANA 2.0 and later that you run yourself: a dedicated user, read-only on the source and writing only to non-production.
Runs beside SAPYour environmentA server, Kubernetes or OpenShift, on-premise or in your private cloud. Nothing is sent to Synthesized.Security and deployment

Compare

An add-on inside SAP, or a platform beside it

Inside the core

Test data add-on in SAP

  • Transported into every system it touches
  • Part of the custom code inventory
  • Upgraded and retested with each SAP release
  • Usually SAP systems only
Clean core

Synthesized, beside SAP

  • Nothing installed in SAP
  • Reads and writes through OData services
  • Nothing to retest when the release changes
  • SAP and non-SAP systems with the same masked values

In your programme

Where test data fits in a clean core strategy

01
Custom code inventoryOne less add-on to track, and one less exception to explain to your architecture board.
02
Upgrade planningTest data is ready at the start of each regression cycle, with nothing of its own to upgrade first.
03
Extensions beside the coreSide-by-side extensions and integrations need realistic test data too. They get the same masked data as S/4HANA.
04
Moving to RISEThe same OData route works before and after the move, so test data doesn't need rebuilding for the new landscape.

Synthesized for SAP: key facts

SAP systems
S/4HANA and ECC, including RISE with SAP (through OData); SAP HANA 2.0+ directly
Deployment
Inside your boundary: a server, Kubernetes or OpenShift, on-premise or private cloud, air-gap capable
Integrations
Tricentis Tosca, UiPath, API and CLI
Where to buy
SAP Store, AWS Marketplace and Google Cloud Marketplace, or direct

We've got you covered

Questions about clean core and test data

What is SAP clean core?

SAP's approach to keeping S/4HANA close to standard: custom code and extensions use stable, released interfaces and run beside the core where possible, so upgrades and moves to the cloud are faster and less risky.

Where does Synthesized sit in SAP's clean core levels?

SAP's clean core guidance rates extensions by how they use SAP's interfaces, from released APIs to modifications. Synthesized builds nothing in the S/4HANA core, so there is no extension of ours to rate. It reaches SAP from outside, through OData services.

Does Synthesized install anything in SAP?

No. It runs in your environment and connects to SAP with a service user. There are no add-ons, transports or custom ABAP.

Does it work on RISE with SAP?

Yes, through SAP OData services, with no database access needed. See RISE with SAP test data.

Is direct database access clean core?

The HANA route reads the database with a dedicated user and changes nothing in SAP, but for a clean core landscape, and on RISE, the OData route is the one to choose.

Do we lose anything by working from outside SAP?

No. Both routes read full metadata and keep referential integrity across standard and custom Z-tables, and the platform also covers the non-SAP systems around SAP.

Next step

Keep test data out of your custom code inventory

We connect to one S/4HANA test system through OData and refresh it with masked data, with nothing installed in SAP.

Runs in your environmentNothing installed in SAPRead-only access to SAPSecurity and deployment
Book a health checkSecurity and deployment

Related SAP pages

SAP areaRISE with SAP test dataRISE with SAPProjectRegression test data for S/4HANA upgradesUpgrade testingCompareSystem copy vs client copy vs TDM toolsHow we compare
Updated October 2026

SAP, S/4HANA, SAP HANA, SuccessFactors, Ariba, Concur and other SAP products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.