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Overview on Business Architecture

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to describe the key components of the Business Architecture and their roles.

Business Architecture

The illustration provides an overview of SAP's sustainability management approaches, highlighting key components such as SAP Sustainability Footprint Management, SAP S/4HANA for EHS environment management, SAP Sustainability Control Tower, and SAP Analytics Cloud. The framework integrates multiple data sources and processes to facilitate emissions tracking, footprint calculations, and regulatory compliance.

Key Components and Their Roles

SAP S/4HANA for EHS Environment Management (Emissions and Waste)

This module within SAP S/4HANA manages emissions, waste, and environmental compliance.
It captures GHG emissions, pollution data and waste management metrics for organizations.
The data collected here feeds into SAP Sustainability Footprint Management and SAP Sustainability Control Tower for further processing and reporting.

SAP Sustainability Footprint Management (SAP Business Technology Platform)

This component enables calculation, inventory tracking, and modeling of environmental footprints.
It processes GHG emissions, energy consumption, and other sustainability metrics.
Core functionalities:
- Footprint Inventory – Stores emissions and sustainability data.
- Footprint Calculation – Computes footprints using factors such as energy usage and emissions.
- Extraction, Modeling, Mapping, and Derivation – Uses advanced data processing to ensure accurate environmental reporting.
The processed data is integrated with business networks, analytics platforms, and third-party applications.

Steering and Analytics: SAP Sustainability Control Tower and SAP Analytics Cloud

These tools provide business intelligence and analytics for sustainability performance.

SAP Sustainability Control Tower

Provides real-time insights into carbon footprints, compliance tracking, and sustainability goals.
Helps organizations align with regulatory frameworks (CSRD, ESRS, GHG protocol).

SAP Analytics Cloud

Enables dashboarding, visualization, and trend analysis for emissions and energy data.
Helps businesses make data-driven sustainability decisions.

Business Networks and Third-Party Applications

Business Networks (Carbon-Data Exchange): Allows companies to share sustainability data with suppliers, regulatory bodies, and external stakeholders.
Third-Party Applications: External analytics and disclosure management tools can be integrated for compliance reporting.

Sustainability Integration Re-use Component

Acts as the data provisioning layer, ensuring smooth data extraction from SAP and non-SAP systems.

Uses a Footprint Provisioning and Data Extractor to integrate sustainability data into end-to-end business processes.

End-to-End Processes

Supports business processes such as:

Idea to Market
Source to Pay
Plant to Fulfill
Lead to Cash
Finance

Third-Party Data Providers

External data sources contribute additional sustainability factors, including:

Emission Factors – Used to calculate footprints (for example, CO2, CH4, N2O emissions).
Carbon Tools – Advanced carbon accounting software for reporting.
ERP and Other Data Sources – Provide historical and operational data for footprint calculation.

How the Components Work Together

SAP S/4HANA for EHS environment management collects emissions (for Scope 1 and 2) and waste data.
SAP Sustainability Footprint Management processes this data into footprints using calculations and modeling.
SAP Sustainability Control Tower and SAP Analytics Cloud provide insights, dashboards, and reporting functionalities.
Business Networks and third-party applications ensure compliance and facilitate data exchange with regulatory bodies.
Sustainability integration re-use component enables seamless data extraction and integration into end-to-end business processes.

Summary and Benefits

Comprehensive Emissions Tracking: Integrates EHS data into footprint management.
Regulatory Compliance: Supports CSRD, ESRS, GHG protocol reporting.
Real-Time Insights: SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Sustainability Control Tower enable data-driven decisions.
Seamless Integration: Works with SAP S/4HANA and third-party systems for a holistic approach.

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