No-Code Data Governance: Enabling Business-Led Transformation

Introduction: Why the Gatekeeper Model Is Breaking

For decades, IT has owned and built integrations, coded workflows, and maintained the ERP system to keep it running smoothly. That model worked when the change was slow, and the scope was narrow. Today, business teams expect velocity. Procurement needs faster vendor onboarding. Product teams need immediate material classification. Finance demands timely reconciliations. Waiting weeks for a ticket to crawl through an IT backlog is now a competitive handicap.

No-code data governance flips that script. It gives domain experts the tools to define rules, validate records, and approve exceptions through intuitive interfaces. Cycle time shrinks. And Ownership rises. For SAP customers managing ECC, S/4HANA, and hybrid landscapes, no-code MDG is more than a convenience; it’s a critical operational requirement.

What Is No-Code Data Governance?

No-code data governance lets non-developers configure rules, approval flows, and validation logic without writing code. Business users leverage drag-and-drop builders and proven templates. The platform enforces rules at data entry, automates routine fixes, and routes exceptions to the proper steward with context and suggested remediation.

IT still manages integration, architecture, and security. However, repetitive, high-volume governance shifts to the people closest to the data, such as procurement, product, and finance, who hold the domain knowledge and decision-making authority. The results: fewer errors, faster feedback loops, and a complete audit trail. Additionally, this approach delivers business outcomes such as accelerated time-to-value through business-led configuration, empowering teams with self-service and no-code governance, and driving data-driven decision-making with trusted master data.

Why No-Code Matters for SAP Enterprises?

SAP landscapes are complex and sensitive to change. Whether preparing for S/4HANA or managing global finance and supply chains, the quality of master data is crucial for ensuring smooth processes. No-code MDG addresses three persistent challenges:

• Speed: Configure rules and validations in hours rather than weeks. Intelligent Workflow accelerates approvals with role-based tasks, AI-driven recommendations, and seamless SAP integration, supporting both parallel and sequential workflows to meet business needs.
• Adoption: User-friendly interfaces and familiar terminology enhance engagement. AdviseMe provides real-time guidance throughout the workflow, enabling stewards to learn as they work.
• Cost: Reduced custom development enables IT to focus on integration and architecture, thereby lowering the total cost of ownership.

Beyond these benefits, no-code strengthens strategic SAP objectives: achieving a cleaner core for S/4HANA core, establishing repeatable governance for rollouts, and accelerating the ERP value realization.

How No-Code MDG Works in Practice

Consider a global manufacturer dealing with inconsistent material master data across its plants.

• Rule Definition(Business-Led) – A materials manager uses the No-Code Rule Builder to require product hierarchy, primary unit of measure, and default procurement type. Conditional logic and reference lists streamline the setup.
• Sandbox Validation – The rule is tested against a sandbox copy. Data Quality Management profiles records, flags exceptions, and proposes sample fixes, building confidence before going live.
• Automated Cleansing and Suggestions – Data Consolidation and AI-assisted matching propose merging duplicates and filling missing attributes with trusted reference data, complete with confidence scores.
• Exception Routing & Approval – Intelligent Workflow directs items to designated stewards, providing full context and enabling one-click approval or rollback. Every step is recorded for full traceability.
• Monitoring & Continuous Improvement – The Performance Dashboard tracks rule effectiveness, incident trends, and time-to-resolution. Owners refine rules based on measurable impacts.

This “configure → validate → automate → approve → measure” cycle eliminates lengthy IT ticket processes while maintaining governance and traceability.

Deep Dive: Golden Records That Stay Golden

Most teams can build a clean record once. The challenge is maintaining data integrity as it flows between systems and regions. SimpleMDG Golden Record solves this by maintaining a single, trusted version of master data across your landscape. It consolidates, validates, and enriches data from multiple sources. It harmonizes attributes, eliminates duplicates, and keeps the results audit-ready through continuous checks and business-led workflows. You can be confident in the outcome when every time a downstream process calls for master data, it receives the most current and governed version.

Architecture Snapshot: SAP BTP – Native by Design

SimpleMDG is built 100% on and powered by the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). This integration ensures that SAP roles, authorizations, and security models are seamlessly transferred. Direct integration with S/4HANA and ECC helps you avoid fragile custom code and minimizes upgrade risks. The System Control Center centralizes user, role, policy, Workflow, and audit log administration, with no coding required. This provides the agility of a no-code environment while maintaining the enterprise-grade standards expected in SAP settings.

Real-World Scenarios by Role

• For CXOs: Establish a solid foundation for reliable decision-making. The Golden Record and Performance Dashboard highlight key performance indicators (KPIs), including cycle time, approval backlogs, and defect rates. You can witness an improvement in time-to-value.
• For Business Teams: Easily create, update, and approve data using familiar language. AdviseMe guides users through tasks in context. The Business Partner Portal enhances self-service capabilities for vendors, customers, and partners, while ensuring governance of integrity.
• For Data Management Teams: Launch governance at scale with 100+ master data types & accelerators. Leverage Network Process Intelligence (NPI) to bundle related objects into a single, governed flow, and replicate that strategy for similar rollouts using cloning capability.
• For IT Teams: Manage the backlog while maintaining control and efficiency. You oversee integration, identity, and architecture, while business teams handle rules and workflows. With Microsoft Teams Integration, approvals can be processed more swiftly without having to switch tools.

Data Quality You Can Prove

Data Quality is only as strong as what you can measure. SimpleMDG brings that visibility to the forefront with the following features:

• Performance Dashboard: Track live KPIs and perform drilldowns for deeper insights.
• Advanced Data Insights: Detect anomalies, identify trends, and quantify the impact of rules by plant, region, or business unit.
• Reference Data Governance (RDG): Ensure consistent codes and values across systems to prevent discrepancies and reduce rework.
• Address Validation and Tax ID Matching: Verify critical attributes at scale. Usage alerts trigger at defined thresholds to keep teams aligned and protect downstream processes.

Extended Capabilities (Packages & Tailored Options)

• Multiple ERP & Business App Integrations (SAP and non-SAP): Sync master data across various platforms, both SAP and non-SAP, to drive consistent operations and automation.
• Network Process Intelligence (NPI): Bundle related objects (such as materials, vendors, and plant views) into a single- governed process for enhanced visibility and faster time to market.
• NPI Cloning: Duplicate entire processes, including associated objects and structures, to expedite the setup for similar datasets.
• Mass Processing: Execute bulk create/update/approve actions with Excel uploads and rule-driven validations, governing high-volume changes without relying on ETL tooling.
• Electronic Records & eSignature (ERES): Capture compliant e-signatures and maintain immutable records, essential for GxP-regulated industries, with out-of-the-box CSV certification.
• Microsoft Teams Integration: Review and approve requests directly in Teams, complete with real-time notifications and interactive tasks.
• SAP Business AI Services: Enrich data, detect anomalies, and generate insights using SAP’s AI within your governance flows (an SAP account is required).
• Enhanced Business AI & OpenAI Integration: Interact using natural language, automate complex tasks, and receive intelligent recommendations inside SimpleMDG.
• Business Partner Portal: Enable vendor, customer, and partner self-service according to governance rules, synchronizing with SAP Ariba SLP and S/4HANA.
• Unified MDG (UMDG): Keep SAP MDG operational while transforming SimpleMDG into a modern, user-friendly control plane. Extend with over 100 ready-made objects, reduce custom development, and accelerate innovation while preserving past investments and lowering total cost of ownership (TCO).

Clean Core for S/4HANA: From Vision to Reality

S/4HANA programs succeed when master data is clean, complete, and well-governed. SimpleMDG supports a clean-core strategy in three keyways:

• Pre-cutover cleansing: Business users validate and remediate records before migration, with guidance from AdviseMe and the use of dashboards.
• Governed creation post-go-live: Intelligent workflow enforces policies at the point of data entry. Golden Records prevent data drifting as new information is added.
• Repeatable rollout model: NPI templates and cloning enable you to extend the model to new regions or entities without needing to start over.

This approach reduces migration risk, speeds up hyper care, and maintains a lean core.

Security, Compliance, and Auditability

Governance must adhere to enterprise standards. SimpleMDG is designed to align with these standards through:

• Role-based access that respects SAP authorizations.
• Approval trails and immutable records for regulated processes.
• Electronic signatures (E-Signatures) are required when compliance demands signed attestations.
• Centralized administration in the System Control Center to manage policies and users from a single location.

This empowers your team while maintaining robust control.

KPIs That Matter

Track the metrics that truly reflect real business value:

• Time from request to approved master
• First-pass yield and rework rate
• Duplicate rate and merge time
• Policy adherence by domain
• Automation coverage (rules executed without manual touch)
• Data quality score by entity, plant, or region

These KPIs keep programs focused on outcomes rather than just activities.

Why SimpleMDG’s No-Code Approach Wins

SimpleMDG is designed to empower businesses, protect the enterprise, and accelerate outcomes. Here’s how it stands out:

• SAP-Native on SAP BTP – Maintain SAP roles, security, and performance with seamless integration.
• 100+ Master Data Types & Accelerators – Get started quickly with templates for materials, vendors, customers, and finance.
• Intelligent Workflow (No-Code) – Easily orchestrate parallel or sequential approvals, automatically assign tasks based on role or data values, and enforce policies without coding.
• Golden Record – Establish a trusted, harmonized master record across systems that allows for continuous validation, enrichment, and deduplication ensuring a single source of truth.
• System Control Center – Manage users, roles, policies, workflows, and audit logs from all centralized locations – no coding required.
• Performance Dashboard – Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), identify bottlenecks, and optimize rules to improve cycle time.
• AI-Powered Automation – Utilize AI-assisted matching, merging, and attribute filling to reduce manual effort.
• Auditability and Governance – Implement role-based access, maintain approval trails, and generate reports to support enterprise compliance.
• Rapid Time-to-Value – Deploy each master type in 8 – 12 weeks and evaluate the impact by the end of this quarter.
• Future-Ready, Scalable Architecture – Built to support S/4HANA and evolving SAP landscapes.

Gain confidence in your decisions, relieve IT bottlenecks, and enjoy the empowerment that comes from intuitive self-service.