Press Release

EPO AFS (Advanced Fulltext Search) – Flexibility in SAP Search

Vienna, 31.01.2020
With the Advanced Fulltext Search (EPO AFS Search) you can search basically all SAP data in full text. The full-text search delivers search hits at an unprecedented speed, regardless of the performance of the corresponding SAP system.

I would like to test the EPO AFS Advances Fulltext Search for SAP for free

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EPO AFS – The innovative search engine for SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA

SAP users will be pleased: The Advanced Fulltext Search (AFS) offers an easy-to-use, customizable web app in Fiori design. The advantages are particularly apparent when searching for SAP document data and master data with a complex structure, such as bill of material or classified data (SAP classes and characteristics). Regardless of the data format, the EPO AFS Search searches all SAP fields. Thanks to its innovative architecture, it enables response times for simple search queries of less than 100 milliseconds and quick answers to complex fuzzy logic and similarity queries.

The fascinating speed of the EPO AFS search is based on the use of elastic.co’s state-of-the-art technology. Below is an example of the demo of the SAP search on the EPO homepage: The search for the SAP object sap-fi-posting (> 660.000 records) including a logic during the query takes almost 0.1 seconds and leads to 277 search hits.

Our high-performance and flexible SAP search is standard software that is ready for immediate use. The implementation effort for the IT department is low, i.e. the initial implementation of the EPO AFS search for a specific topic is a typical IT support task and does not constitute a project.

The EPO AFS Search for SAP consists of the following components

  1. Web App: The modern user front-end
  2. Elastic Server: The preconfigured search server of elastic.co
  3. EPO Web Server: Extracts the SAP data, updates the Elastic Server in real-time. It provides security and permissions
  4. EPO Connector ETL for SAP: Provides the SAP data
I would like to test the EPO AFS Advances Fulltext Search for SAP for free

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EPO AFS Search – Infrastructure and Installation

Both the EPO Web Server and the Elastic Server are delivered as dockers. Docker can be integrated into any infrastructure. As an option B&IT offers external hosting with the consequence that corresponding pilot projects can be started immediately and without own servers. The EPO Connector as well as the ETL transport orders are installed in the existing SAP system. The configuration is done within shortest time in cooperation with the IT staff of the customer.

The EPO AFS Search is based on the EPO Connector, which is certified for both SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA systems. Therefore the EPO software is also independent of the current patch level of the SAP system.

How the EPO AFS Search works

The EPO software loads the data from SAP via the EPO Server into the Elastic Server. In addition, the EPO AFS solution includes a simple concept for data synchronization. Data synchronization options range from periodic updates to real-time synchronization. The configuration per SAP object (corresponds to a SAP function module) is provided. Search queries are possible immediately after the initial loading of SAP data.
Pilot projects can be implemented in a short time and with little effort, for example for the SAP object “SAP material master” (in the screenshot above called “sap-lo-material”).

SAP data that can be searched flexibly

The EPO AFS Search concept is based on SAP objects. For each SAP object a standardized function is delivered in SAP with the EPO Connector ETL. Customers can easily develop their own ETL functions for other SAP objects in ABAP on the base of to the delivered templates.

For example, the integration of the following SAP objects is technically possible:

  • Material master
  • Classes
  • Characteristics
  • Bill of materials (BOM)
  • Customer master – Accounts receivable
  • Vendor master – Accounts payable
  • G/L account master data
  • Fixed assets
  • FI postings
  • CO postings
  • Customer orders
  • Invoices
  • Purchase orders
  • Goods receipts
  • IDocs
  • …

SAP objects can be stored in Elasticsearch in their own indexes. – In addition to SAP objects, all other data sources can also be indexed in Elasticsearch. For example, you can also index documents, drawings and entire file shares.

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EPO Software – Advantages and qualification

Advantages

  • Search across all fields of an SAP object at breathtaking speed
  • Simple and complex queries can be executed via web interface for all users
  • Modern software with a web interface for all SAP releases that fits perfectly into any IT infrastructure
  • Expansion of the Elasticsearch server for search queries and business intelligence applications including AI functions
  • Extremely high performance and stable SAP integration through the SAP certified EPO Connector
I would like to test the EPO AFS Advances Fulltext Search for SAP for free

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EPO AFS, the new software generation for flexible search in SAP

With the EPO AFS Search, the second generation of software for flexible search in SAP is now available. Already some years ago our sister company EPO Consulting successfully launched the EPO Smart Search as a software product for flexible search on the market. Due to the well known technical parameters of the SAP F4 search help the first software generation still had some limitations.

The experience of many years in using EPO Smart Search as first product generation for well-known customers has now been incorporated into the development of EPO AFS Search as successor product.

The EPO Smart Search as the first product generation was used by well-known customers for several years. The resulting findings have now been incorporated into the development of the successor product EPO AFS Search. Due to its technical architecture, the EPO AFS Search is extremely flexible in its use. Restrictions in SAP search are completely avoided with the new software generation.

Qualification of EPO software

Track record and qualification of the B&IT affiliate company EPO Consulting as producer of the EPO software:

2003 Foundation of EPO Consulting GmbH in Vienna and start of development of the EPO Connector for SAP
2005 First SAP certification of the EPO Connector for SAP integration
2011 ebInterface (eInvoice Austria) – Participation in the definition of the standard
2012 Development of the SAP based mobility solutions (web applications)
2013 EPO Smart Search – Launch of the first product generation
2014 Mutual shareholding of B&IT and EPO Consulting – 30 employees in total, > 100 customers using the EPO Connector software
2015 Subsidiaries in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, EPO VAT Validation Check – real-time verification of the VAT ID
2017 SAP S/4HANA certification
2019 Fattura PA e-invoice for Italy, XRechnung development (Germany, EU), EPO AFS search as second product generation, Recapitulative Statement (VAT)
2020 Further development and maintenance of EPO software for SAP customers, > 150 customers with the EPO Connector

Need additional information?

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B&IT:

B&IT has positioned itself as a specialized, independent and owner-operated IT consulting company that serves industrial and commercial customers from the mill/metals sector, mechanical and plant engineering and the manufacturing industry. We are a professional IT service provider in process and application management with a strong focus on SAP S/4HANA, OpenText and shop-floor applications, and have at our disposal a wide variety of relevant customer references.

In addition, as a partner of enowa AG, we can act as a full-service provider of comprehensive IT solutions that also include SAP Basis, SAP Operation and SAP Licenses as well as other IT technologies and services.

In addition, the following additional EPO software solutions are available:

For further information, contact:

B&IT Business & IT Consulting GmbH
Erwin Prodinger
CEO
Naumanngasse 38a
5020 Salzburg / Austria
Phone: +43 (0) 664 884 38 625
E-mail: erwin.prodinger@businessandit.com