Systems don't control themselves
We all know SAP as a powerful, complex ERP system that helps organizations run efficient operations. But that complexity also presents some challenges, including that of data access, risk and internal controls.
Trend toward more rapid SAP implementations
Not so long ago, multi-year implementations of SAP ERP were fairly typical. It’s now common to talk about SAP implementations in months as opposed to years, and this has an impact. Getting the core system up in running in such a short period of time certainly has an effect on risk and controls. Consider this:
- Some controls are just not turned on by default. Have these already been examined?
- Some controls are turned on by default but, in many cases, the tolerances and numbers that have been set are not right for your business
- SAP has the ability to deploy useful reports when issues of concern are going on in your system. But you need to have people who are paying attention to these reports and making the required corrections.
Combine these issues, and all of a sudden, you have an environment that’s ripe for risk!
ACL Direct Link™ Direct and seamless access to SAP data
While SAP does have some ability for auditors to get to standard reports, in many cases you get more detailed data for in-depth audits by going directly to the tables. However, these can be a challenge to navigate if you don’t read German. And because SAP was designed to be largely database-agnostic, there is information in SAP that the system sees as a table which never appears at the database layer. Therefore, there are tables you won’t be able to see through some of your normal query tools.
Here’s where ACL Direct Link can help. Direct Link is an SAP-certified product, written in ABAP, that goes directly against the SAP system. Direct Link allows you to get to your tables directly, pull them outside of your SAP system and conduct analysis, securely outside of the production environment.
Peace of Mind from a Security Perspective
Direct Link uses the same security and access rights associated with your SAP user ID. Therefore, the tables you don’t have access to in your core SAP system, will not be accessible through Direct Link. And as a read-only tool, it provides additional assurance that you can access and isolate the data you need, conduct your analysis in a protected environment, and deliver quick results that provide value.
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- Demo Video: Introduction to ACL Direct Link: ACL’s SAP Connectivity
- Data Sheet: Direct Link™ for SAP® ERP Data Sheet
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- Case Study: Anglogold Ashanti
- Case Study: Metcash
- Case Study: Technicolor
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“Fraud prevention and detection is an ongoing focus. ACL Direct Link collects data from SAP overnight and the results of the tests including ‘high probability exceptions’ are delivered to some 70-end users, broadening and deepening our Continuous Monitoring strategy.”
– Glen Laslett, Group Audit Manager, Metcash Limited“ACL AuditExchange and ACL DirectLink for SAP ERP provide seamless access to SAP data and the ability to interact with multiple source systems, efficiently handling very high data volumes.”
– Umesh Jadhav, Head of IT Assurance, Essar Investments Ltd.“Our team’s success using ACL Direct Link for SAP ERP supports Essar’s ongoing integration of each business unit into our overall portfolio. Our continuous auditing framework enables us to meet management and stakeholders’ increasing expectations of comprehensive assurance spanning compliance, IT controls effectiveness, process and operations, and fraud prevention.”
– Arvind Chopra, Group President – Assurance, Essar Investments Ltd“We believe ACL is at the forefront of data interrogation programs and the Direct Link tool ensures Dow Corning is a world leader in business technology. ACL offers an effective means for us to devise audit tests which are global in nature and rigorous enough to pinpoint the specific details that we need in each audit location.”
– Aaron Rylance, Business Process Auditor, Dow Corning“With ACL’s powerful, built-in data analysis functions, we can further enhance our auditing skills. It’s easy to extract data for analysis from a report format and share scripts and queries developed in ACL and Direct Link to streamline repetitive download tasks.”
– Larry Young, Senior Auditor, CLP Holdings Limited“By independently comparing and analyzing data from Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Supply Chain Management (SCM), or other enterprise applications, ACL technology enables audit, financial, and controls professionals to gain immediate insight into the transactional data underlying their business processes and financial reporting.”
– Katharine Janisch, General Manager, Risk & Internal Audit, AngloGold Ashanti“ACL AuditExchange has revolutionized our audit methodology. We can now analyze large data files from SAP and cross-reference the information to find errors and control gaps.”
– Jacob Bérangère, VAT Manager, Technicolor
