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PHOENIX International

How PHOENIX International Holdings achieved end-to-end SAP test coverage with Tricentis Tosca

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automation of SAP regression tests

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faster regression testing cycles

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requirements now covered by test automation

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Company overview

The PHOENIX group, headquartered in Mannheim, is the European leader in pharmaceutical wholesale, pharmacy retail, and services for the pharmaceutical industry. With a presence in 29 healthcare markets, the company offers unique geographical coverage throughout Europe, making a vital contribution to comprehensive healthcare with more than 45,000 employees.

The PHOENIX group is active in the pharmaceutical wholesale and pre-wholesale business areas with 224 sites in 29 countries supplying pharmacies, doctors, and medical institutions with medicines and health products.

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    Industry: Pharmaceuticals
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    Organization size: 45,000
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    Location: Global
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Difficulty maintaining test coverage of large-scale SAP ecosystem

Before implementing Tricentis Tosca, PHOENIX’s testing process relied almost exclusively on manual testing, which made it challenging to consistently run large-scale regression tests, particularly for their SAP-based processes within SAP Enterprise Warehouse Management (EWM), SAP Financial Accounting and Controlling (FICO), and SAP Fiori. According to Benjamin Jahnes, PHOENIX’s Technical Administrator, managing extensive regression tests manually across numerous locations and warehouses would have been “hellish.”

Testing under PHOENIX’s old ERP system lacked the structure and automation needed to effectively support their expanding business processes. Each SAP system upgrade or warehouse migration revealed more critical testing needs, and the lack of automated regression testing posed a risk to business continuity. As Jahnes noted, “If we can’t ensure orders flow in and goods out of the warehouses, the business does not earn revenue.”

Challenges

  • Heavy reliance on manual testing, making it difficult to scale with expanding SAP operations
  • Need to automate regression testing for critical business processes, especially for SAP Enterprise Warehouse Management (EWM)
  • Requirement for consistent documentation and traceability in testing, as required by European GxP practices
  • Pressure to minimize production errors and maintain high quality across large, complex warehouse environments

Expanding regression test coverage with Tricentis Tosca

With Tricentis Tosca, PHOENIX was able to achieve full regression test automation for SAP modules, including EWM, connection to old ERP system and SAP Fiori. Tosca’s capabilities allowed the testing team to ensure quality and continuity across SAP environments, as well as to capture critical end-to-end business processes.

PHOENIX implemented Tosca to automate regression testing for critical SAP functions across warehouses and contributing functions from old ERP system. “We now have 100% regression test automation for end-to-end processes in SAP applications,” Jahnes shared, emphasizing that Tosca enabled comprehensive test coverage across SAP modules crucial to PHOENIX’s operations. The focus on SAP testing proved invaluable as PHOENIX prepared to replace their internally developed ERP with SAP, requiring seamless integrations and uninterrupted business flows.

A key feature of Tosca that benefited PHOENIX was the modular test re-usability functionality. This enabled Jahnes’ team to create reusable test components, saving time on test creation for different SAP functions and environments. The recording function also allowed testers to record tests easily and generalize them across all PHOENIX warehouses. As Jahnes noted, “We can record tests in an easy way, then generalize them for every environment.”

In an industry governed by stringent GxP practices, documentation and traceability were paramount. Tosca’s automation streamlined PHOENIX’s testing processes, providing improved traceability between requirements and tests. This not only satisfied compliance requirements but also minimized the risk of fines from auditors, allowing PHOENIX to maintain its high standards for quality assurance.

Transforming the team's testing strategy

The transformation brought by Tricentis Tosca extended beyond improved test coverage; it fundamentally reshaped PHOENIX’s approach to quality assurance. Before Tosca, PHOENIX had minimal automation in place, but now, they have a robust testing strategy with 100% regression automation for SAP processes. Jahnes highlighted that his team’s role in overhauling testing methodologies brought greater visibility to quality efforts within PHOENIX, giving the test team a “seat at the table” in strategic planning discussions.

Test automation has also boosted the overall quality of the team’s SAP migrations. Jahnes remarked, “The speed to deployment is definitely faster – running regression testing now takes only 2-3 days, versus manual testing, which took 2-3 weeks.” By automating end-to-end tests, PHOENIX has been able to detect errors before production, minimizing disruptions and supporting consistent revenue generation across their distribution network.

Looking at future quality engineering enhancements

PHOENIX is already planning to expand its use of Tosca to test its internally developed ERP system and to launch a test data creation initiative. The success of Tosca in SAP has spurred further interest in test automation across PHOENIX’s teams. To further strengthen their quality assurance processes, PHOENIX is considering Tricentis qTest for centralized test management, which will facilitate defect tracking and enhance collaboration across departments.

Looking ahead, PHOENIX anticipates using NeoLoad for performance testing as part of their continuous improvements in ERP and SAP testing. Jahnes, who has begun working with Tricentis advisory services, is optimistic about building a mature test management strategy for the company.

Results

  • 100% automation of SAP regression tests: Achieved across key SAP modules, reducing manual effort and improving test reliability.
  • 1-month faster deployments: Test automation has accelerated go-live timelines for SAP releases by up to a month.
  • Improved error detection: Identified 2-3 software errors per test cycle that were previously missed.

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