Establishing Enterprise Data Privacy Governance Across SAP Ecosystems Through Context-Aware Masking, Lifecycle Retention Enforcement, and Cross-Jurisdictional Regulatory Compliance

Abstract

Enterprise data privacy governance remains a critical challenge across SAP ecosystems, where sensitive business information is distributed among transactional systems, integrated applications, and analytical environments. Inconsistent masking practices, inadequate retention controls, and fragmented regulatory enforcement can expose organizations to unauthorized disclosure, excessive data storage, and compliance failures. This study examines the establishment of an integrated privacy governance framework that combines context-aware data masking, lifecycle-based retention enforcement, and cross-jurisdictional regulatory compliance across SAP ERP and analytics platforms. A mixed-method research approach is adopted, incorporating architectural analysis, comparative evaluation of privacy controls, and qualitative assessment of established enterprise data protection practices. The proposed framework examines data sensitivity classification, role-dependent masking mechanisms, purpose-based retention policies, controlled information deletion, and accountability requirements aligned with GDPR and CCPA principles. Findings indicate that coordinated privacy controls can improve information confidentiality, strengthen regulatory traceability, reduce unnecessary data exposure, and establish greater consistency in enterprise data handling. The study further demonstrates the importance of integrating privacy requirements into data architecture, operational workflows, and analytical processing rather than treating compliance as an isolated administrative responsibility. Its principal contribution lies in connecting technical data protection mechanisms with enterprise governance requirements through a unified architectural approach. The framework provides practical guidance for SAP architects, security professionals, and compliance specialists while contributing an integrated perspective to research on enterprise privacy engineering and regulatory data governance.