Service VI · USMM & LAW

The measurement is the audit.

Independent preparation of the SAP self-measurement submission. USMM configuration review, user-classification clean-up, LAW consolidation logic, and the file that goes to SAP.

The Research Position91% of self-submissions overstate the licence position by a material amount.

Section I · The Brief

The single most overlooked file in SAP licensing.

USMM (User and System Measurement) is the SAP-internal program that produces the licence-measurement output per system. LAW (License Administration Workbench) is the consolidation layer that aggregates USMM outputs across multiple systems into a single submission to SAP. The output of LAW is the entire factual basis for the audit.

In our research, ninety-one per cent of unprepared self-submissions overstate the licence position by a material amount. The cause is rarely deliberate. It is misclassified users, miscategorised engines, mis-consolidated cross-system identities, and configuration that has not been touched since the last go-live.

The measurement is also the moment of least leverage. Once the file is transmitted to SAP, the conversation moves from "what is the right classification" to "what is the basis for revising the submission". The defensible position is to prepare the measurement before it leaves the building, not to defend it afterward.

An effective measurement run starts with a configuration review, runs through a classification clean-up, reconciles cross-system identities in LAW, models the output against the contractual entitlement, and produces the submission file with a written record of every decision behind it.

Section II · What's Included

Six workstreams, one file.

— I.

USMM Configuration Review

Measurement program version, customising tables, special-use settings, and the historical configuration trail since the last measurement cycle.

— II.

User Classification Clean-Up

Each user mapped to the correct named-user category against actual activity. Reclassification candidates surfaced. Dormant accounts retired.

— III.

Engine Metric Validation

Each priced engine measured against the contract metric. Misconfigured measurements corrected before the measurement run.

— IV.

LAW Consolidation Logic

Cross-system identity matching. Duplicate user detection. Consolidation rules applied so a single user across three systems counts once, not three times.

— V.

Output Modelling

The submission output modelled against the contractual entitlement. Variances explained. The exposure quantified before the file is sent.

— VI.

Submission Pack

The LAW output file, the supporting documentation, and the written record of every classification decision. Held in case the submission is later challenged.

Section III · The Method

Four phases. Four to twelve weeks.

— Phase i.

Inspect

USMM configuration audited per system. Customising tables reviewed. The current measurement output extracted and analysed before any clean-up begins.

— Phase ii.

Clean

User classifications corrected. Engine measurements recalibrated. Dormant accounts retired. Cross-system identities matched ahead of consolidation.

— Phase iii.

Consolidate

LAW run. Consolidation logic validated. Sample output reconciled against the contractual entitlement. Variances explained line by line.

— Phase iv.

Submit

Final measurement run. Submission pack assembled. Written record of every decision preserved. File transmitted to SAP with the position defensible on every line.

— Matter Profile · USMM/LAW Preparation

A media group's self-submission went from $14M overstated to a clean position in nine weeks.

A European media group preparing for its triennial measurement run produced a draft LAW output showing a licence shortfall of $14M against entitlement. The shortfall was, on inspection, almost entirely an artefact of misclassified users and a duplicated cross-system identity match.

We rebuilt the user classification, retired 8,400 dormant accounts, corrected the LAW consolidation logic, and re-ran the submission. The submitted position showed a shortfall of $0.4M, paid as a like-for-like top-up under the existing contract.

Read the case file →

Draft Position

$14M

overstated shortfall

Final Position

$0.4M

defensible submission

Retired

8,400

dormant accounts removed

Duration

9wk

draft to submitted file

Questions, frequently.

What are USMM and LAW?

Why does the measurement matter so much?

The measurement output is the entire factual basis for the audit. If the classification is wrong, the audit position starts wrong. In our experience, ninety-one per cent of unprepared self-submissions overstate the licence position by a material amount.

How long does preparation take?

Four to eight weeks for a single-system run; eight to twelve weeks for a LAW-consolidated submission across multiple production landscapes. The work scales with the size of the user base and the complexity of the engine metric configuration.

What if we have already run USMM?

The output can usually be reviewed and corrected before submission, provided it has not already been transmitted to SAP. A re-run with corrected configuration and classification is the normal pathway. If the file has been sent, the work shifts to a post-submission audit defence.

Do you have direct system access?

Typically yes, on a read-only, audited basis for the duration of the engagement. Where direct access is not granted, we work from extracts and from sanitised copies of the configuration. The deliverable is the same.

Is the submission ever rejected by SAP?

SAP may request clarification, additional documentation, or a re-run on specific configuration points. A well-prepared submission anticipates those questions and answers them in the supporting documentation, which is part of the deliverable.