SAP best practices · LessonReviewed by Arjun, SAP Solution Architect · Updated · Published · SAP S/4HANA 2023 · all levels
SAP Optimization
Optimization best practice is about continuously improving performance, cost and process efficiency, driven by measurement, not guesswork.
Quick answer
SAP optimisation keeps a growing system fast and cost-effective by measuring first in ST03, ST05 or HANA plan analysis, fixing the biggest bottleneck, usually custom SQL or code, pushing logic to the database through CDS and Open SQL on HANA, scheduling heavy batch off-peak, right-sizing resources and archiving old data. Change one thing, then measure again.
Key takeaways
- Watch out: optimise what the traces say is expensive, not what somebody happened to complain about.
Key practices
- Measure first (ST03, ST05, HANA plan analysis) before optimising.
- Fix the biggest bottlenecks (usually custom SQL/code) first.
- Push logic to the database (CDS/Open SQL) on HANA (code-to-data).
- Partition heavy jobs; schedule batch off-peak.
- Right-size resources; archive old data to control volume.
Why it matters
Optimization keeps a growing system fast and cost-effective. The golden rule is measure-then-optimise: target the real bottleneck, change one thing, and re-measure. Blind tuning wastes effort and can make things worse.
Common pitfalls
- Skipping the discipline under delivery pressure.
- Not documenting decisions.
- Ignoring the clean-core principle.