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Transition To SAP S4HANA - 24Q1 Final
Transition To SAP S4HANA - 24Q1 Final
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Published in Q1 2024
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Contents
What is the implementation road map for SAP S/4HANA? ....................................................... 6
How to work with road maps .................................................................................................. 11
How SAP can help ................................................................................................................. 15
1. Discover.......................................................................................................................... 19
1.1. Strategic Planning.................................................................................................... 20
1.2. Application Value and Scoping ................................................................................ 38
1.3. Trial System Provisioning ........................................................................................ 61
2. Prepare Phase ................................................................................................................ 63
2.1. Project Team Enablement ....................................................................................... 64
2.2. Prototype ................................................................................................................. 78
2.3. Transition Planning .................................................................................................. 81
2.4. Transition Preparation............................................................................................ 122
2.5. Project Initiation ..................................................................................................... 133
2.6. Establish Project Governance ................................................................................ 137
2.7. Plan Project ........................................................................................................... 138
2.8. Project Kick-off and On-Boarding ........................................................................... 141
2.9. Project Standards & Infrastructure ......................................................................... 142
2.10. Execution, Monitoring, and Controlling of Results .................................................. 146
2.11. Change Concept .................................................................................................... 147
2.12. Change Plan .......................................................................................................... 149
2.13. Stakeholder Analysis ............................................................................................. 150
2.14. Communication Analysis and Plan ......................................................................... 152
2.15. Phase Closure and Sign-Off Phase Deliverables ................................................... 153
3. Explore Phase .............................................................................................................. 155
3.1. Phase Initiation ...................................................................................................... 156
3.2. Learning Design..................................................................................................... 157
3.3. Activate Solution .................................................................................................... 158
3.4. Fit-to-Standard Workshop Preparation................................................................... 163
3.5. Fit-to-Standard System Preparation ....................................................................... 167
3.6. Fit-to-Standard Workshops and Documentation..................................................... 168
3.7. Fit-to-Standard Workshop Validation ..................................................................... 172
3.8. Design Workshops and Documentation ................................................................. 174
3.9. Review and Customer Sign Off .............................................................................. 177
3.10. UX Activation and Design ...................................................................................... 178
3.11. Security Design...................................................................................................... 182
3.12. Data Volume Design .............................................................................................. 185
3.13. Data Migration Design ........................................................................................... 190
3.14. Custom Code Impact ............................................................................................. 196
3.15. Integration Design.................................................................................................. 198
3.16. Analytics Design .................................................................................................... 202
3.17. Test Planning ......................................................................................................... 205
3.18. Sandbox Setup / Conversion ................................................................................. 209
3.19. DEV Setup / Conversion ........................................................................................ 216
3.20. Sizing ..................................................................................................................... 222
3.21. Technical Architecture and Infrastructure Definition ............................................... 223
3.22. Technical Design ................................................................................................... 229
3.23. Operations Impact Evaluation ................................................................................ 235
3.24. Execution / Monitoring / Controlling Results ........................................................... 238
3.25. Release and Sprint Plan ........................................................................................ 240
3.26. Communication Plan Execution ............................................................................. 243
3.27. Phase Closure and Sign-Off phase Deliverables ................................................... 244
4. Realize Phase............................................................................................................... 248
4.1. Phase Initiation ...................................................................................................... 249
4.2. Plan Realize Phase ............................................................................................... 250
4.3. Learning Realization .............................................................................................. 250
4.4. Sprint Initiation (Iterative) ....................................................................................... 253
4.5. Execution Plan for Realize Phase .......................................................................... 254
4.6. Configuration: Introduction ..................................................................................... 255
4.7. Configuration: Handover ........................................................................................ 256
4.8. Configuration: Main Configuration .......................................................................... 257
4.9. Configuration: Unit Test ......................................................................................... 258
4.10. Configuration: String Test ...................................................................................... 259
4.11. Configuration: Solution Walk-Through ................................................................... 260
4.12. Configuration: Bug Fixing ....................................................................................... 261
4.13. Configuration: Documentation................................................................................ 261
4.14. Product Enhancements.......................................................................................... 262
4.15. UX Implementation ................................................................................................ 269
4.16. Sprint Closing ........................................................................................................ 271
4.17. Security Implementation ........................................................................................ 272
4.18. Data Volume Management Configuration .............................................................. 273
4.19. Integration Validation ............................................................................................. 275
4.20. Data Migration & Verification.................................................................................. 279
4.21. Custom Code Quality ............................................................................................. 283
4.22. Integration Implementation .................................................................................... 284
4.23. Analytics Configuration .......................................................................................... 286
4.24. Test Preparation .................................................................................................... 288
4.25. Test Execution ....................................................................................................... 291
4.26. QAS Setup / Conversion ........................................................................................ 294
4.27. Sizing & Scalability Verification .............................................................................. 297
4.28. IT Infrastructure Setup ........................................................................................... 298
4.29. Operations Implementation .................................................................................... 300
4.30. Cutover Preparation ............................................................................................... 308
4.31. Execution, Monitoring and Controlling Results ....................................................... 313
4.32. Detailed Change Impact Analysis .......................................................................... 318
4.33. Organizational Alignment ............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.34. Phase Closure and Sign-Off Phase Deliverables ................................................... 320
5. Deploy Phase ............................................................................................................... 324
5.1. Phase Initiation ...................................................................................................... 325
5.2. Learning Realization .............................................................................................. 326
5.3. Integration Validation ............................................................................................. 327
5.4. Operations Readiness ........................................................................................... 328
5.5. Organizational Readiness ........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.6. Dress Rehearsal .................................................................................................... 330
5.7. Execution, Monitoring and Controlling Results ....................................................... 331
5.8. Release Closing..................................................................................................... 333
5.9. Production Cutover ................................................................................................ 334
5.10. Hyper Care Support ............................................................................................... 336
5.11. Post Go-Live End User Training ............................................................................ 341
5.12. Handover to Support Organization ......................................................................... 342
5.13. Project Closure and Sign-Off Project Deliverables ................................................. 343
6. Run Phase .................................................................................................................... 346
6.1. Operate Solution .................................................................................................... 347
6.2. Improve and Innovate Solution .............................................................................. 349
What is the implementation road map for SAP S/4HANA?
The purpose of this road map is to support implementation projects of SAP S/4HANA to:
This road map describes SAP S/4HANA implementations on-premise only. The roadmap applies if you
have your own data center or you use a cloud Hyperscaler with an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
contract. SAP offers dedicated road maps for SAP S/4HANA Cloud implementation projects (see
accelerator section at the end of this chapter).
The structure of this road map is release independent. Release specific information is given explicitly
where a certain activity or task is required for a dedicated release. Accelerators can be release-specific. In
this case, the link to the newest release is provided.
There are three implementation scenarios for SAP S/4HANA (as depicted in the figure below):
This road map covers all three implementation scenarios. Scenario information is given explicitly where a
certain activity or task is required for a dedicated scenario (for example, Central Finance Design for
selective data transition only).
The prerequisites for using this road map depend on your implementation scenario. If you will be starting
from an on-premise SAP ERP application, use selective data transition or system conversion. If you are
starting from a legacy system, use the new implementation scenario. For system conversion and selective
data transition, the start release may have an impact on the steps required to move to SAP S/4HANA. For
system conversion, SAP recommends a minimum start release of SAP ERP Central Component of 6.0.
Upgrades from older releases may be included in this change event. If you are already on SAP Business
Suite powered by SAP HANA, you can skip the operating system and database migration parts of the road
map.
The Selective Data Transition allows a tailored scope between System Conversion and New
Implementation with the flexibility to adapt data and processes in one step. The approach allows to
combine redesign of business processes with retaining historical data aligned to a new business reality.
Selective Data Transition involves transferring data from one or more existing ERP solutions into a new
SAP S/4HANA solution. The transfer is done by SAP or partners that provide similar specialized tools and
services. The data selectively transferred can include:
The data is moved using SAP Data Management and Landscape Transformation (DMLT) toolset and
related services. For over 10 years, SAP DMLT have provided well established solutions for organizational
changes, acquisitions, divestitures, or harmonization of SAP landscapes. The software provides highly
automated processes that move large amounts of data between SAP instances quickly. Similar software
and services are provided by third party vendors.
If you have multiple ERP instances and other connected SAP solutions, you may want to use a
combination of the approaches in a phased program. For example, do a System Conversion of one lead
ERP development system, use Selective Data Transition to merge in another ERP system and then do a
new implementation for certain parts of the solution.
The “Transition to SAP S/4HANA” implementation road map is structured in project phases (x-axis) and
work streams (y-axis) as presented in the following figure. Each box represents an activity which needs to
be executed in the project as part of a certain work stream, and within a certain project phase. There is a
well-defined project start and project end. The Go-Live activity is named “Production Cutover”. Please
note that this road map uses the terms “activity” and “deliverable”. The latter comes from the SAP Activate
methodology.
The “Transition to SAP S/4HANA” implementation road map is structured into the following work streams
(groups of semantically related activities):
• Project management – The project management team performs common project and quality
management tasks, including project planning. The technical quality manager (TQM) from SAP is
part of this work stream and works together with the project manager (from your company, or the
implementation partner, or both).
• Solution adoption – This work stream covers the creation of the training strategy and the
learning paths, and the enablement of the end users to be ready for optimal use of the new SAP
S/4HANA solution. In addition, this work stream includes organizational change management
(OCM), and the enablement of the project team.
• Application design and configuration – In this work stream, you should identify and design
functional changes based on a Fit-to-Standard analysis and SAP S/4HANA functionality and
usability in the scope of the implementation project (e.g. Central Finance in the case of selective
data transition). Based on the design, the new solution gets implemented at a later point.
• Data Management –Depending on the scenario, business data needs to be migrated or loaded
from source systems. This may include loading and converting business data into the new and
simplified business data model and carrying out selective data transition.
SAP recommends that you should reduce data volumes before converting to SAP S/4HANA, to
lower the hardware resources and help reduce downtime in a system conversion scenario.
• Extensibility – Your existing code may need to be adjusted to function properly with SAP
S/4HANA. Firstly, you should clean up unused custom code, then affected custom code in
productive use must be identified, and finally, the necessary adjustments are planned and
executed in the work stream Application design and configuration. The full power of SAP HANA
can be leveraged by you with an optimization of your ABAP custom code for SAP HANA in
parallel to SAP’s optimizations within the SAP S/4HANA stack (e.g., by using Core Data Services
(CDS)). With SAP S/4HANA Key-User Extensibility Tools and the SAP Business Technology
Platform, you can extend SAP S/4HANA apps (e.g., with added/hidden fields or mobile Fiori UI’s)
in a de-coupled fashion, integrated with SAP and non-SAP Cloud solutions (like SAP
SuccessFactors, SAP Concur etc.) or build completely new solutions.
• Integration – The activities within this work stream ensure that the new SAP S/4HANA systems
(from sandbox to production) are properly integrated into the customer solution.
• Analytics – This work stream covers the analytics aspects of an SAP S/4HANA implementation
project.
• Testing – This work stream covers test planning and execution (integration, regression, user
acceptance).
• Technical architecture and infrastructure – Here you can plan the implementation of all SAP
S/4HANA systems (sandbox (copies of production); supporting nonproduction systems such as
development (already set up in the Explore phase), quality assurance, preproduction; and
production).
SAP S/4HANA has SAP HANA as the underlying database. The introduction of SAP HANA into
your data center must be properly planned based on your business and IT requirements. You may
also include connectivity to the SAP Business Technology Platform for integration or extension
use cases.
• Operations & support – IT operational procedures and tools need to be adjusted before going
live to help ensure safe operations. Additionally, IT support experts need to be trained.
The figure below shows all the activities of all the work streams. Please note that some of the items shown
in the structure figure below are “summary nodes”, which are bundling multiple activities. For instance,
“Fit-to-Standard” or “Configuration” map to many activities in project reality. All activities are documented
in detail in the SAP Road Map Viewer (see below).
Figure: “Transition to SAP S/4HANA” road map structure
Time wise, the SAP S/4HANA road map is structured into project phases, high-lighted with different
colours in the figure above. The phase names are according to SAP’s new implementation methodology
called “SAP Activate” (see accelerators section):
The road map opens in an overview mode, where you get an introduction into the road map, and a
summary of all project phases. Click on “Content” to see all descriptions for activities and tasks.
Figure: Road map overview screen
Once you have opened the content section, you should filter on your scenario to hide all activities and
tasks which are not relevant to you. The following screen shot tells you how to do: Click the “View Setting”
icon, then select “Filter” and mark the scenario in scope.
Figure: Filter functionality on implementation scenarios in the road map viewer
SAP intends to update this road map once per quarter. The naming convention for the roadmap is as
follows: <Year><Quarter>, e.g. 23Q1. Although only the newest road map is published, you can find older
road map versions as PDF files in the accelerator section for offline use.
The road map in the SAP Road Map Viewer is for reading purposes. You cannot alter the structure of the
road map in the viewer, but you can filter on certain parts of the road map (e.g. filter on a certain phase, or
work stream). Some activities and tasks have been grouped to make read-through easy. It contains many
accelerators helping you to execute a certain activity or task. One of the accelerators is a project file
template which has a similar structure; however, the activity and task level can be modeled differently,
and with a higher level of detail. You can download the project file template and import it into IT Portfolio
& Project Management in SAP Solution Manager. Alternatively, you can use the activities and tasks of
a road map directly in SAP Cloud ALM. The “Transition to SAP S/4HANA” implementation road map is a
superset of activities covering all three implementation scenarios. The template therefore serves as a
starting point for project planning and must be tailored and maintained continuously as part of the project
planning and execution activities. Right at the beginning you should remove all activities from the template
which are not related to your specific implementation scenario (e.g. the activity “Custom Code Impact” is
not required in case you newly implement SAP S/4HANA). See accelerator section for a download link.
Accelerators may link to resources which require either upfront registration (e.g. SAPs online learning
platform openSAP, or the SAP Learning Hub), or require a certain support status. For instance, the access
to documents and trainings in the SAP Enterprise Support Academy requires SAP Enterprise Support
status. The visibility of accelerators within the road map depends on the user as well. For instance, links to
SAP Notes are only visible to SAP customers.
How SAP can help
The business transformation agenda varies from customer to customer. Some would like to understand
their options first and the opportunities for benefits. Other customers have already decided to start the
transformation to SAP S/4HANA. In every case, SAP does everything to ensure that your expectations are
properly addressed with a meaningful number of offerings that allow sufficient flexibility to support an agile
transformation.
To support customers executing the SAP S/4HANA transition successfully, SAP has developed several
service offerings. The offerings are structured for:
SAP Enterprise Support customers still have access to the value map for SAP S/4HANA (registration
required), which lists service offerings and learning modules as well as offers a community environment
for blogs, discussions and asking questions to SAP topic experts. The structure of the value map for SAP
S/4HANA is exactly the same as the road map presented here.
The value map content for SAP S/4HANA is currently re-structured into learning journeys in the SAP
Learning Hub. One learning journey corresponds to one project phase. All learning journeys are bundled
in the learning room “SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map - SAP Enterprise Support”. SAP Enterprise
Support customers need to sign up for access to both the SAP Learning Hub and the learning room. This
road map lists individual SAP Enterprise Support offerings in the section “How SAP can help” throughout
this road map.
SAP Value Assurance supports customers on their own or partner-led projects for a limited time with
dedicated planning, design support, and functional and technical safeguarding services orchestrated by
the technical quality management (TQM) approach and embedded in the service center concept but does
not provide any implementation or delivery services. In addition, the SAP Advanced Deployment service
offering also contains execution services for the Realize phase of the project and is delivered by SAP
Professional Services in case of SAP prime projects. This road map does not distinguish between
SAP Value Assurance and SAP Advanced Deployment, but simply lists services which help executing
a certain activity or task.
All service components from SAP Value Assurance are available to Premium Success Engagement
customers (SAP MaxAttention and SAP ActiveAttention) as well. However, new SAP MaxAttention
customers do have access to a broader set of support service offerings like enterprise architecture
planning. Where appropriate, those services are listed in this road map as well.
SAP Value Assurance has been structured into three service packages:
• Plan and Safeguard: This package is for customers who would like to create a transformation
strategy, and to properly plan the digital transformation together with SAP, and who would like to
get safeguarding support throughout the implementation phase until Go-Live. The project
execution is supported by SAP but executed by the customer or the implementation partner or
both. A TQM supports the customer project manager throughout the project and builds a bridge to
the mission control center MCC at SAP. The technical and functional implementation is done by
the customer or the implementation partner or both. Identified delta requirements can be
validated, and the functional design evaluated by SAP.
SAP has added a Plan and prototype option to this package. The prototyping approach enables
you to evaluate the solution in a short time frame with your real business scenarios using your real
data, thereby enabling you to quickly validate the value addition, identify and mitigate risks, if any,
at an early stage and efficiently plan your IT investments.
• Business-ready: On top of ”Plan and Safeguard”, SAP actively supports customers in the design
of a “close-to-standard” implementation. The implementation is done by the customer or the
implementation partner or both.
• Business-optimization: On top of ”Business-ready”, SAP supports customers in the design of
optimized solutions adapted and custom-tailored to customer business requirements. The
functional implementation itself is in the responsibility of the customer, or the implementation
partner, or both.
All SAP Value Assurance service packages can be tailored to your requirements. A description can be
found in the “accelerators” section.
The SAP Value Assurance service packages help you to quick-start your transformation with a defined set
of services, and are pre-calculated based on minimum scope, requirements and SAP involvement. Further
characteristics are:
The following services have been designed to support customers in an SAP S/4HANA implementation:
• Architecture Transformation
• Architecture Point of View
• SAP Business Process Insights and Improvement
• Planning the Digital Transformation
• Build Design
• Build Execution
• Data Migration Design
• Data Migration Execution
• Analytics Design
• Analytics Execution
• Custom Code Management
• Replatforming Support to Make the Core Clean
• SAP Extension Suite to Keep the Core Clean
• Integration Design
• Platform Design
• Platform Execution
• Transition to Cloud Operations
• Safeguarding the Digital Transformation
• Value Assurance Foundation
Please ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information.
The following figure maps the services to the “Transition to SAP S/4HANA” road map. The overlay
indicates the activities which are addressed by a certain service.
Figure: Mapping of SAP service offerings to activities
A service consists of one to many service components (SAP Value Assurance), or scope options (SAP
Professional Services). For simplicity reasons, this road map uses the term “service component” only. This
road map provides information about how a certain service component supports the implementation of an
activity or task. See the accelerator section for a description of services and service components. If you
are interested in SAP Value Assurance service packages, you can either contact your main SAP contact
person (TQM or client partner). Alternatively, you can also ask for a tailored offer based on a scenario-
specific scope (see accelerator section for contact form details).
SAP has created “scenario decks” – presentations grouping services into so-called “modules” which
address certain customer requirements during transformation to SAP S/4HANA. See accelerator section
for scenario L1 and L2 presentations for more details.
Accelerators:
• SAP S/4HANA
o SAP S/4HANA Product Road Map
o SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA Value Assurance and Advanced Deployment Packages
o SAP S/4HANA Value Assurance service packages detailed information
o SAP S/4HANA Value Assurance - Level 2 Customer Presentation
o SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
o SAP Advanced Deployment – Level 2 Customer Presentation
o SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
o Contact Form to Request Service Package Offer
o Forrester Study: The Total Economic Impact (TEI) of SAP MaxAttention
• Premium Engagement Business Scenario: Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA
o Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition (including
RISE with SAP) - Overview
o Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition (including
RISE with SAP) - Strategy
o Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition (including
RISE with SAP) - Brownfield
o Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition (including
RISE with SAP) - Greenfield
o Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition (including
RISE with SAP) – Selective Data Transition
• SAP Enterprise Support Value Maps
o SAP Enterprise Support page for SAP S/4HANA
o SAP Enterprise Support Value Maps
o Next-Generation SAP Enterprise Support Value Maps - SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Activate
o SAP Activate - General Information
o SAP Activate Community
• Roadmaps
o SAP Webinar: Take the tour and play the Road Map Game
o Road Map Viewer
o “Transition to SAP S/4HANA” Road Map – Online version
o Project File Template
1. Discover
In the Discover Phase, customers become familiar with the benefits of SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA,
and the benefits it can bring to customers’ business. As depicted in the figure, the phase is structured as
follows:
• In the first step customers should create an overall company strategy on their digital
transformation. This includes SAP S/4HANA as the digital core, but looks at it from a broader
perspective. Key topics like Internet of Things, Big Data / Smart Data, Omnichannel, or Business
Networks can be included into the strategy as well. Customers should take a first look into cross
topics like integration or analytics, and should start creating a first strategy for the upcoming
projects.
• In the next step customers should become familiar with the value of SAP S/4HANA in general
(e.g. the new and simplified functionality in SAP S/4HANA, the new User Interface based on
FIORI, agile customer innovations using SAP Business Technology Platform etc.). A trial system
in the cloud could support this.
• In the third step, a decision on the implementation scenario, and a comprehensive implementation
strategy for SAP S/4HANA should be created. In the case of system conversion, the conversion
readiness of the existing SAP ERP system should be checked as well. A Learning Needs Analysis
for the project team should be performed as well.
The outcome of these steps can be leveraged within a company to build a business case for an SAP
S/4HANA implementation project.
An intelligent, sustainable enterprise is one that consistently applies advanced technologies and best
practices within agile, integrated business processes. SAP can help you build an intelligent, sustainable
enterprise by enabling you to:
• Employ tools to understand what's happening across your business and why
• Infuse AI and machine learning into your business processes
• Embed sustainable practices into the core of your business strategy and operations
• Build flexible value chains and apply leading-edge industry practices to optimize your business
• Implement vertical industry-specific processes in the cloud to run your value chain end to end
SAP provides the foundation for companies to break down departmental silos and adopt dynamic, cross-
functional business processes to deliver optimal experiences.
All innovations of SAP S/4HANA 2023 are listed in the collection blog „SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private
edition | 2023 Release“ and referenced blogs.
The aim of the activity “Strategic Planning” is to define a comprehensive innovation strategy and road map
for all three key components mentioned above. Once the innovation strategy has been defined a target
enterprise architecture for processes, data, application and integration needs to be developed to support
the strategic needs. The road map may include but is not limited to SAP S/4HANA.
This activity does not have any requirements or constraints and can run any time. However, it is
recommended to run this activity upfront of an SAP S/4HANA implementation project.
Procedure
The procedure depends on the level of detail innovation options that should be created and evaluated
upfront.
• The task “Create an Innovation Strategy and a High-Level Road Map” describes a straight-forward
way to document a company specific innovation strategy and road map within a short period of
time.
• The SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) is an innovation platform optimized for SAP
applications in the cloud, brings together application development, data and analytics, integration,
automation, and AI capabilities in one unified environment.
• SAP Business Technology Platform may change your current strategy for extensibility, integration,
and innovation. Make yourself familiar with the new capabilities and start adjusting your strategy
accordingly.
• Strategic planning is an ideal point in time to also re-think your security strategy, because the
transformation project in combination with innovations may significantly change your security
requirements. The task “Create a 360-Degree View on Security” is a first step towards creation
transparency on future security needs.
• The task “Define the Analytics Architecture” clarifies how SAP S/4HANA fits best into the analytics
strategy of the customer.
• Finally, make yourself familiar with the implementation road maps of SAP Activate. They are full of
information and accelerators to speed up your project.
Results
As a result, there is a high-level multi-year road map which describes the main change activities
(including business driver), and sequences them on a timeline.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition | 2023 Release
• SAP Product Page - SAP Intelligent Enterprise
• Intelligent Enterprises Are Integrated Enterprises
Procedure
To come to an innovation strategy, SAP Best Practice is to start with an identification of strategic
business and IT objectives, including current pain areas. Those objectives need to be clustered to
“benefit areas”. For each benefit area, enablers (like SAP S/4HANA, but also other solution or
platform components) need to be identified, prioritized, and benchmarked with respect to the
industry reference architecture.
The target enterprise architecture (business / application, and IT) can be derived in the next step.
You will need to clarify questions such as:
• How many SAP S/4HANA systems are ideal for the to-be business scenarios?
• Is co-deployment preferred, or should I deploy standalone?
• What about IT-Security requirements?
The strategic road map finally documents the main transition steps from as-is to the to-be
architecture, by clarifying:
The following figure gives an example of a high-level implementation road map. The illustrative
figure is structured into three phases (2018, 2020, and beyond), and shows individual projects
structured per business area (e.g. Financials).
Figure: Example of a multi-year road map (high-level)
Results
As a result, there is a high-level multi-year road map which describes the main change activities
(including business driver), and sequences them on a timeline.
• The SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder is a free of charge tool from SAP,
which – based on your current system usage statistics - answers questions like: “Of all the
innovations from SAP – SAP Fiori apps, SAP Business Suite enhancements, SAP
S/4HANA scenarios or Cloud extensions – which ones are the most relevant for your
business?”
SAP S/4HANA on-premise is one innovation option out of many which is analyzed by this
tool.
• Customers can use SAP Signavio and SAP Signavio Process Insights to identify
innovation and optimization potential by analyzing their SAP ERP system. See task Use
SAP Signavio and SAP Signavio Process Insights later in this phase, and accelerator
section for more details.
• For creating an overall transformation road map, it is key to know about SAP’s plan to
develop future innovations in SAP S/4HANA.
The SAP Road Map Explorer is a convenient tool to look up development road maps.
You can filter for instance on products, processes and industries. The tool then lists for
the area in scope:
Please see accelerator section on how to access the tools listed above.
Installed base customers should also check the SAP Customer Evolution Program. With the
SAP Customer Evolution Kit for SAP S/4HANA, the program helps you achieve a successful
business process transformation to SAP S/4HANA. 4 half-day sessions cover the WHY, WHAT
and HOW of your transformation. It is free of charge for customers with a valid support
agreement.
SAP has documented aspects and decision criteria which should be clarified as part of an
innovation strategy and road map. The Best-Practice Document “Elements for Designing a
Transition Roadmap to SAP S/4HANA” is available for all customers (see accelerator section).
In addition, SAP offers an “North Star Architecture” service component, where SAP can bring in
the development road map, industry Best Practice and implementation experience.
As depicted in the figure below, the workshop helps customers to develop a multi-year strategic
road map which addresses their digital transformation needs. These can but not necessarily have
to start around SAP S/4HANA. Starting from business priorities, it identifies key innovations
applicable to the specific customer situation. Depicting the long-term target architecture helps to
prioritize proposed enablers and initiatives.
Figure: Structure of the North Star Architecture service component
Additional SAP architecture services and components provide a holistic approach to review,
optimize, and develop the overall enterprise architecture within customers digital transformation
program, and to develop a strategy for transformation. From business and application architecture
to technical architecture, architecture transformation provides strategic guidance and execution
support to determine a customer-specific, future-proof architecture and multiyear road map driven
by the company's business and IT strategy and by alignment with SAP’s product vision. For
instance, SAP Value Assurance customers can:
All components listed here are described in the service information for architecture transformation
(accelerator section).
• How is the customers core SAP landscape going to evolve to go along with SAP’s vision
of the Intelligent Enterprise and the associated product portfolio? For instance, should a
dedicated Warehouse Management be transformed into an embedded EWM as part of
SAP S/4HANA, or as a dedicated EWM system?
• Which transformation routes are pivotal for the roadmap and what options are there?
• What are the value drivers & roadblocks on these routes?
SAP Enterprise Support customers can register to get access to the learning room “SAP
S/4HANA On Premise Value Map - SAP Enterprise Support” in the SAP Learning Hub. The
learning room is structured into learning journeys (one per project phase). You will find there all
relevant service offerings from SAP Enterprise Support (e.g. Meet-the-expert sessions, Expert-
guided-implementations), but also links to How-to guides, blogs, and other information sources in
the web. Check the sections on “Start with an overview” and “Become competent” of the
“Discover” learning journey to become familiar with SAP S/4HANA in general and the tools listed
in this task.
When creating an overall innovation strategy, all customers can order SAP Advisory services:
They can help you discover and design new business opportunities and transform your company
into an Intelligent Enterprise.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Out Now: SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder on Spotlight
• SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder
• SAP Road Map Explorer
• SAP S/4HANA Movement - Mapping Your Journey to SAP S/4HANA
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• Service Information – Service Components for Architecture Transformation
• Service Information – Architecture Point of View
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Best-Practice Document “Elements for Designing a Transition Roadmap to SAP
S/4HANA”
• SAP Customer Evolution Program
• SAP Customer Evolution Kit for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Enterprise Support Value Maps
• SAP Blog - SAP Enterprise Support Learning Maps
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Discover
• SAP Advisory Services – Landing Page
• SAP Advisory Services – Solution Brief
• SAP Enterprise Support page for SAP S/4HANA
SAP BTP brings together existing solutions – such as the SAP HANA Cloud database, SAP
Integration Suite, SAP Extension Suite, and SAP Analytics Cloud – with new development
services as well as low-code/no-code and marketplace capabilities in one place. The platform
provides foundational capabilities to support on-premise, hybrid, and cloud scenarios, offering
flexibility and choice to drive agility and speed. Because SAP BTP handles the technology
complexities, companies can focus on solving specific problems as they build on core processes
and strategic application and technology investments. The platform gleans new insights from
enterprise data and from industry or external data – insights organizations can rapidly tap into.
And SAP BTP simplifies access to the partner ecosystem through a marketplace, so companies
can get additional content and extensions that fit their needs as part of their platform journey with
SAP.
To tailor their IT landscapes to the changing needs of their business, companies need to improve
the agility and speed of development processes. SAP BTP enables those involved in value
creation to adapt workflows, automate processes, and build new apps and experiences with
speed. People with varying skill sets and development expertise, from professional developers to
citizen developers, can deliver new innovations without IT intervention using flexible no-code, low-
code, and pro-code capabilities. ABAP programming language developers can leverage their
expertise to develop and run ABAP applications on SAP BTP, transforming their extensions to the
cloud while keeping the core clean. The platform accelerates development through guided
programming models based on a best-practice framework of languages, libraries, and enterprise-
grade services, and it offers prebuilt business content by line of business and industry from SAP
and our rich ecosystem. Lastly, SAP BTP supports cloud-native development concepts and is
compatible with hyperscaler services.
Why use capabilities of SAP Business Technology Platform during your transition to SAP
S/4HANA?
SAP BTP offers integration and extension capabilities you should leverage during a transition to
SAP S/4HANA. The Integration Suite and Extension Suite as part of the Business Technology
Platform provide customers with the technology to integrate with your business processes and
applications, the flexibility, the scalability, and the breadth of support your need to successfully
extend or build innovations and applications (see tasks “Make yourself familiar with SAP
Extension Suite” and “Make yourself familiar with SAP Integration Suite”).
How SAP can Support
SAP offers a lot of information on SAP Business Technology Platform on sap.com (see
accelerator section).
The "Architecture Pont of View" SAP Business Technology Platform - SAP Integration Suite
and SAP Extension Suite Product Supplement" gives specific support and explains roadmap
options in an early phase of a project development or service implementation in SAP BTP. Main
topics in this APoV are:
The openSAP course “SAP Business Technology Platform in a Nutshell” gives an introduction
and a first overview on SAP BTP. A good read is also the CIO Guide “Best Practices for SAP
Business Technology Platform”.
The SAP Business Technology Platform Tutorials are a video series highlighting several aspects
and features of the SAP BTP.
Accelerators
• SAP Business Technology Platform
• Customer COE and CIO Guides
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• openSAP - SAP Business Technology Platform in a Nutshell
Procedure
Preparation of extending on SAP BTP
Before extending on SAP BTP, you should plan and prepare the following aspects:
• SAP BTP account: needs to be licensed, set up, configured and administered.
• SAP Cloud Connector: needs to be set up, configured in DMZ and administered. Local
network security needs to be adjusted accordingly.
• Integration: needs to be configured between SAP BTP and Cloud Connector
• Enablement: developers need to be trained to be able to use CAP / RAP model
• DevOps: For agile development in the cloud, DevOps is most likely the right approach.
Your project team needs to be familiar with the DevOps concepts, and the underlying
infrastructure needs to be configured (e.g. Git, pipeline, gCTS). Please note that
successful DevOps requires not only training but also a “people’s mind change”.
• Security: technical, functional and infrastructure security needs to be implemented. Most
likely an Identity Management needs to be in place. Identity authentication needs to be
configured.
• Operations: your application running on SAP BTP needs to be included into your
monitoring infrastructure and IT support processes (like change management).
Many of these aspects need to be prepared only once or are already in place in case SAP BTP is
already in use.
Document a first strategy paper on extensibility to give guide to the project team. The strategy
paper should describe:
• The overall strategy on extensibility
• Which extensibility architecture patterns to use by when
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - New ABAP Platform Extensibility Options in 2021
• SAP Extensibility Explorer
• SAP Discovery Center
• SAP Business Technology Platform
• SAP BTP Developer Guide
• SAP Note 3035880 - Recommendations for greenfield implementations of RISE with SAP
S/4HANA Cloud, private edition following a cloud mindset
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Solution Standardization Board White Paper
• SAP Community – ABAP Extensibility
1.1.4. Make yourself familiar with SAP Integration Suite
Objective
The SAP BTP Integration Suite provides a modern foundation to deliver innovations across the
entire business application portfolio with simplified integration scenarios and proven out- of-the-
box integration content, seamlessly connecting from cloud to on-premise.
The SAP Integration Suite is a single cockpit for integration across diverse application
landscapes and ecosystems with 1800+ integrations, 900+ APIs, and 170+ connectors.
Procedure
Inform yourself on the capabilities of the SAP Integration Suite. Evaluate the following innovative
strategies and procedures for your company enabled by the SAP Integration Suite:
Enable self-service while managing governance
• Proven integration methodology
• Enterprise-ready governance
• Web tooling
• SAP S/4HANA automation integration
Use AI-based advisors to optimize integration
• Accelerate implementation and maintenance of integration
Migrate on-premise assets to the cloud
• Reusable semantics and skillsets from SAP Process Orchestration
• Choice of multiple clouds and on-premise deployments
Optimize and contextualize experiences across enterprises and ecosystems at business
speed
• Harmonize end-to-end processes
• Tailor interactions for customers, employees, and partners
• Integrate across diverse application landscapes and ecosystems
Innovate faster by leveraging connected processes and data
▪ Discover and leverage pre-built integration packs and business events
▪ Reuse existing business processes and data to compose applications faster
▪ Assemble, publish, and monetize reusable APIs and integrations
Document a first strategy paper on integration to give guide to the project team. The strategy
paper should describe:
• The overall strategy on integration
• Which integration architecture patterns to use by when
SAP has developed the Integration Solution Advisory Methodology (ISA-M) that helps enterprise
architects to shape and document their integration strategy. The blog “Integration Solution
Advisory Methodology (ISA-M): Define Integration Guidelines for Your Organization” gives
an overview on ISA-M including use cases on how ISA-M can be applied by enterprise architects
in their organizations. The blog outlines how to get access to the ISA-M PPT template that SAP
offers for interested customers and partners.
For an introduction to the SAP Integration Suite, refer to the Architecture Point of View service
SAP Business Technology Platform – SAP Integration Suite and SAP Extension Suite
Product Supplement.
In addition, the openSAP course Accelerate Enterprise Integrations with SAP Integration
Suite gives an in-depth introduction in the end-to-end integration process with SAP Integration
Suite, provides several use-case scenarios and will also show you the end-to-end integration of
heterogeneous systems and applications.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Integration Solution Advisory Methodology (ISA-M): Define Integration
Guidelines for Your Organization
• SAP Business Technology Platform Integration Suite
• SAP Business Technology Platform
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
To come to a tailored innovation strategy, SAP MaxAttention customers can consume additional
innovation services. The offering is structured into two areas:
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• Service Information for SAP MaxAttention customers: Kickstart Innovation Service
• Service Information for SAP MaxAttention customers: Scale Innovation Service
Procedure
Please listen to the recording which is linked from the accelerator section and get informed about
security topics. After watching the recording take the opportunity to fill out the questionnaire
concerning your current security situation, to identify the delta requirements you may have, and to
prioritize your next steps on the way to a secured SAP landscape.
The “How-To” document (accelerator) explains the procedure in more detail.
Results
Once completed you will have a good general overview of the relevant SAP Security & GRC topics,
and a recognition of your own security situation.
Accelerators
• SAP Support Portal – Security Page
• Security Strategy Advisory: Questionnaire
• Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
1.1.7. Define the Analytics Architecture
Description
The purpose of this task is to evaluate the impact of SAP S/4HANA on the company’s analytics
architecture. The aim is to create a specific roadmap for analytics protecting past investments and
innovating via new platform capabilities.
Procedure
The introduction of SAP S/4HANA into your solution landscape is an ideal opportunity to review
and potentially adjust your company’s analytics architecture. There are many reasons why:
To review and potentially adjust the analytics architecture you should look from a holistic
perspective, taking SAP and non-SAP components into account. The strategy should consider:
The graphic below depicts the SAP Reference Architecture from analytics perspective.
The outcome of this task should be a first target architecture from analytics perspective including
third-party integrations and a high-level roadmap.
The accelerator section lists many information sources for both the tools and strategy, to make
you familiar with the options that you have. The analytics road maps for “Solutions” and “Products”
are located in the general SAP Road Maps space at sap.com, under “Platform & Technology”.
The ideal analytics strategy should be based on a customer specific set of decision criteria like:
• Functional analytics requirements, e.g. for Operational Reporting and real-time Reporting
• Handling of historical data
• Maintenance Schedule
• Data responsibility and ownership
• Complexity and number of data sources
Premium Engagement customers who see data “as the new oil” and would like to address the
topic of data and data management holistically, may start with the service component “Data
Management Solution Architecture and Roadmap” instead. This service component helps a
customer create a data strategy and derive out of that a data management solution architecture
that identifies key data domains applicable to the customer’s situation and a multiyear
implementation road map considering the customer’s business strategy and priorities.
This service component comes with three scope options where customers can pick from:
• Data Strategy Framework, which creates a business outcome driven data strategy which
fits to your corporate strategy
• Data Architecture supports the creation of a data process matrix, meta data catalog, and
application and data distribution diagram
• IT Architecture for Data identifies the optimal deployment of SAP Data Management
tools.
The service component creates a road map sequencing the individual change activities on a
timeline. It fits to the Data Management Design service component later in the Prepare / Explore
phase of the project.
• Check the content of the “SAP Analytics Solutions Value Map – SAP Enterprise Support”
in the SAP Learning Hub (e.g. SAP Learning Journey for SAP S/4HANA embedded
analytics)
• Consume the introduction to SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics in the “Discover”
learning journey of the “SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map - SAP Enterprise Support”
learning room.
Accelerator
• Service Information – Service Components for Architecture Transformation
• Service Information – Expert Guidance on Target Architecture and Roadmap
Preparation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Discover
• SAP Learning Journey for SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
• SAP Learning Journey for SAP Datasphere
1.1.8. Make yourself familiar with Implementation Road Maps of SAP Activate
Description
The purpose of this task is to become familiar with the implementation road maps provided by
SAP Activate.
Procedure
SAP’s recommended implementation methodology for implementing SAP products is named SAP
Activate. SAP Activate consists of:
• Implementation content, which can be studied and downloaded from the SAP Signavio
Process Navigator.
• Tools like SAP Solution Manager or SAP Cloud Application Lifecycle Management
(SAP CALM), to support the implementation.
• Implementation documentation describing how to implement a certain SAP product or
solution. Implementation documentation is structured in road maps, which can be
consumed in the SAP Road Map Viewer.
Read the Road Map Summary accelerator, to get an overview on road maps. Also visit the SAP
Activate Community to stay up to date.
The following road maps are important for your transformation program:
• SAP Activate Methodology for Transition to SAP S/4HANA – for the implementation of
SAP S/4HANA on premise. This will be your main road map to work with.
• SAP Activate Methodology for RISE with SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition – although
this road map is relevant for implementing SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition, it also
recommended for on premise implementations to check from time to time, if this road map
contains additional useful accelerators.
• SAP Activate Methodology for Business Suite and On-Premise- Agile and Waterfall –
which is product agnostic (it does not contain SAP S/4HANA specific information). This
road map may provide additional guidance and accelerators in the area of project
management.
• Additional product road maps of SAP Activate in case those products are implemented
together with SAP S/4HANA on premise. In this case you can synchronize the projects
because phases and work streams are the same.
Please study those road maps in advance to become familiar with key project activities and tasks.
You can find there a “road map game” which should make you familiar with road map working
concepts and procedures. Make sure you know how to work with the road map (online in the SAP
Road Map Viewer, and offline) to take most out of it.
Customers should also take use of the valuable information sources on SAP S/4HANA listed in
the accelerators section:
• There is a vibrant community on SAP S/4HANA. Visit the new SAP S/4HANA
Community web page where you can browse functional topics, featured and expert
content. This community is supposed to act as one-stop-shop and communication
platform where SAP employees, existing customers and the interested public can interact
with each other via blogs, questions, comments, and assets. This is an ideal starting point
for your journey to SAP S/4HANA, which guides you into various additional information
sources.
Regarding SAP S/4HANA releases:
As of release 2023, SAP plans to ship a new release of SAP S/4HANA on-premise every other
year. In between, innovations are shipped via feature packs. Information (like the “Simplification
List” explained later in the road map) is often release or feature pack dependent. You will need to
decide on the correct release level of your to-be SAP S/4HANA solution and select the
appropriate release dependent information accordingly. This road map usually links to the most
current version of release dependent documents (at the time of writing). The same is true for
many other information sources from SAP (for instance, the SAP Online Help Portal for SAP
S/4HANA).
To learn about the current SAP S/4HANA release, it is also recommended to look at the central
release information note of SAP S/4HANA covering all feature packs of a certain release, and the
release restriction note. Both are given for SAP S/4HANA 2023 in the accelerator section. SAP
Product Management announces each new release in a “Product Management Release Blog”,
explaining the new highlights and where to find detailed information.
To learn about SAP’s plan on SAP S/4HANA, please look at the product road map for SAP
S/4HANA.
How SAP Can Support
This road map lists service offerings relevant for a certain activity or task under the section “How
SAP Can Support”. This makes it easy for you to identify the right service at the right time. The
services are offered by SAP Enterprise Support, SAP Professional Services (Advanced
Deployment), and Premium Engagement (SAP MaxAttention, SAP Active Attention and SAP
Value Assurance).
For getting a general overview of the SAP service offerings see SAP Services and Support
Overview Brochure.
For getting an overview on Premium Engagement services relevant for your transformation to
SAP S/4HANA, see the links to the business scenario presentations in the accelerator section.
Forrester has analyzed how an investment in SAP MaxAttention can help boost the success of
your digital transformation. See accelerator section for an access link (registration required).
Accelerators:
• Road Map Summary
• SAP Road Map Explorer
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA Community
• SAP S/4HANA Getting Started Guide
• SAP Note 3307222 - SAP S/4HANA 2023: Release Information Note
• SAP Note 3348949 - SAP S/4HANA 2023: Restriction note
• SAP S/4HANA Product Road Map
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition | 2023 Release
• SAP Webinar: Take the tour and play the Road Map Game
• Forrester Study: The Total Economic Impact (TEI) of SAP MaxAttention
• SAP Enterprise Support page for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Services and Support Overview Brochure
• Premium Engagement Business Scenario: Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA
• Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition
(including RISE with SAP) - Overview
• Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition
(including RISE with SAP) - Strategy
• Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition
(including RISE with SAP) - Brownfield
• Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition
(including RISE with SAP) - Greenfield
• Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition
(including RISE with SAP) – Selective Data Transition
Furthermore, the impact on existing business processes needs to be analyzed in more details. This
may influence the implementation strategy for SAP S/4HANA.
Finally, a customer specific application scoping should be created. This includes a decision on the
implementation scenario, and the mandatory and optional / desired adoptions.
Access to an SAP S/4HANA trial system (one activity later in this phase) may be beneficial.
Procedure
1. Discover and document the value of SAP S/4HANA for your company.
2. Identify the impact of an SAP S/4HANA implementation on your existing business processes.
3. Analyze the relevance for Fiori apps based on the usage of the existing system (for System
Conversion scenario only)
4. Validate the conversion readiness of your existing SAP ERP system (for System Conversion
scenario only)
5. Perform a business scenario and solution mapping
6. Define the implementation strategy by considering the target architecture
7. Create a strategic road map based on the target architecture and implementation strategy
Results
As a result, there will be a plan on what to implement when in SAP S/4HANA; and why. This
information serves as the key input into the customer business case.
Furthermore, a first impact analysis may have identified show stoppers or road blocks, which could
affect the implementation strategy, and which need to be addressed in additional planning and
preparation activities.
1.2.1. Discover the Value of SAP S/4HANA for Your Company
Objective
The objective of this task is to become familiar with SAP S/4HANA, and to discover the value SAP
S/4HANA may bring to your company.
Procedure
To become familiar with SAP S/4HANA proceed as follows (all links can be found in the
accelerator section):
• Start with a study of the information resources in the public web. See accelerator section
for details. A good information source is the central landing page of the SAP Online Help
portal which contains for instance:
o A “Feature Scope Description” which shows all features provided with a certain
release of SAP S/4HANA.
o The “What’s New Viewer” as an interactive tool focusing on new features coming
with this release.
o The “Simplification List” focusing on what needs to be considered in case of a
migration project from SAP ERP.
o All relevant guides like the “Installation Guide” for new implementation, or the
“Conversion Guide” for system conversion.
o A list of training offerings on SAP S/4HANA.
• Explore SAP S/4HANA yourself by using a trial system in the public cloud (see activity
Trial System Provisioning later in this phase).
• A transition to SAP S/4HANA is a perfect opportunity to check if home grown applications
can be replaced by new functionality coming with SAP S/4HANA, to move closer to the
SAP standard (and to avoid maintenance efforts in the future). This initiative is often
called “Back to Standard”.
• Explore options for efficient custom code management and agile customer innovations
using the extensibility capabilites of SAP S/4HANA and SAP Business Technology
Platform. Examples are SAP Fiori and Mobile scenarios in the SAP Business Technology
Platform decoupling custom user interface development from a stable SAP S/4HANA
core, or consuming innovations without upgrades (e.g. LoB Finance innovations delivered
via SAP Business Technology Platform applications). You will find helpful information and
further links in the SAP blog “SAP S/4HANA Extensibility: A Learning Journey”
(accelerator section).
Results
As a result, you should have a good overview about the value SAP S/4HANA may bring to your
company.
The incremental benefits of SAP S/4HANA are matched to relevant business scenarios and
today’s usage of SAP ERP. The workshop provides initial guidance about benefits, impact and
obstacles for a successful SAP S/4HANA adoption.
The Discovery Workshop for SAP S/4HANA is not part of any SAP Value Assurance service
package, however it is not free of charge. Customers should contact the local SAP sales
representative for ordering details.
SAP Enterprise Support customers should look up the “Become competent” and “Expand your
skills” sections (learning journey – discover) to learn more about the value of SAP S/4HANA. You
will find for instance dedicated information on the LoBs included in SAP S/4HANA (e.g. on
finance, central finance, digital logistics, use cases and so on).
Accelerators
• openSAP - Building Tomorrow’s ERP with SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA Community
• SAP Customer Evolution Program
• SAP Customer Evolution Kit for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA 2023 – Feature Scope Description
• SAP User Experience (Fiori) Community
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey – Discover
• SAP S/4HANA Extensibility: A Learning Journey
• openSAP Training: Introduction to SAP Cloud Platform Extension Suite
• SAP Fiori App Reference Library
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA – What’s New Viewer
• openSAP Microlearning – Working with the What’s New Viewer
There are several options for customers as part of Business Process Transformation:
The setup of the Process Discovery Summary can be done in combination with the SAP
Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA (see task Check the Conversion Readiness of SAP
ERP in this phase). See accelerator section for a detailed presentation including request
process).
Both Process Discovery Solution and Process Discovery Summary are provided together
in one request process.
• A third option is SAP Signavio Process Insights. SAP Signavio Process Insights allows
customers to:
o Get tailored recommendations for SAP S/4HANA, SAP Intelligent Robotic Process
Automation, Situation Handling, Fiori Applications and Corrective Actions
o Analyze their current process performance, receive a company-internal benchmarking
of process performance and compare company performance with their industry peers
o Detect potential issues in transactional, master and configuration data.
The SAP Business Process Insights and Improvement service component delivers
process excellence by analyzing, improving, and monitoring your processes. The service
can start with the creation of a strategic road map based on real data-driven insights and
together with the Business Process Transformation solutions can support the
transformation planning of an SAP implementation project or process improvement
project.
The service component Business Process Insights Starter Pack assists customers to
get the SAP Signavio Process Insights solution up and running and connected to a single
SAP system, with data collection running on a daily basis. With the immediate data-driven
insights, processes are analyzed for selected areas and concrete first follow-up actions to
improve processes are derived. SAP experts provide knowledge transfer to customers
workforce to enable the use of SAP Signavio Process Insights.
• Finally, SAP offers the SAP Signavio solutions. They complement SAP Signavio Process
Insights and both tools help accelerate SAP S/4HANA transformation and business
process performance. SAP Signavio is a platform that allows customers to model,
analyze, optimize and execute business processes.
o SAP Signavio Process Collaboration Hub facilitates collaboration and
communication on a project.
o SAP Signavio Process Manager helps customer re-imagine, document, model
and simulate business processes.
The service component Signavio Starter Pack supports the initial configuration of the
Signavio business transformation suite that allows you to mine, model, analyze, and
optimize your processes. During delivery, the infrastructure and initial configuration is
supported for the selected solution and empowering on key capabilities is provided to
support a data-driven approach for process transformation and to support business goals.
Accelerators
• Business Process Transformation
• SAP Blog – NEW: Process Discovery for SAP S/4HANA Transformation (evolution of
SAP Business Scenario Recommendations)
• Help – SAP Signavio Process Insights – Administration Guide for SAP Process Insights
(Public)
• Process Discovery Home Page (SAP Customer)
• SAP Blog – Achieve Business Value with SAP S/4HANA and Business Process
Intelligence as part of RISE with SAP (Public)
• SAP Note-2918818-Data collection for Process Discovery (Public)
• SAP Signavio Process Insights
• SAP Signavio Documentation (Public)
• SAP Signavio White Papers Collection (Public)
• Service Information – Service Components for Business Process Insights and
Improvement
• SAP Value Assurance – Description of Services and Service Components
Prerequisites
This task is particularly important for system conversion and selective data transition scenarios.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
Study the Simplification Item Catalog. In this catalog SAP describes in detail on a
functional level what happens in SAP S/4HANA to individual transactions and solution
capabilities. In some cases, SAP has merged certain functionality with other elements or
reflected it within a new solution / architecture compared to the SAP Business Suite
products. Alternatively, study the “Simplification List for SAP S/4HANA” PDF document for
offline use which you can find in the SAP Online Help Portal (section Conversion &
Upgrade Assets).
Compare these items with the functionality which is in use today. Study the alternatives
and recommendations, given by SAP as part of the list,
The Simplification Item Catalog also lists replaced transactions in SAP S/4HANA. Check
about usage today (e.g. by comparing with usage statistics in transaction ST03).
Analyze the relevance for Fiori apps based on the usage of the existing system (for
System Conversion scenario only)
Document your findings.
Please note: There is strong tool support for identifying impacted custom objects and transitioning
them to SAP S/4HANA. While the vast majority of custom objects will easily be transferred to SAP
S/4HANA, you may also consider candidates for re-engineering using advanced SAP HANA
capabilities and even a de-coupling of custom objects (e.g., UI’s) using Web IDE and SAP
Business Technology Platform. Details will be given in the Explore and Realize phase of the
roadmap.
Results
There is a document available which documents the major impact items for SAP S/4HANA.
Furthermore, impacted reports and transactions can be discussed in the Value and
Implementation Strategy service component. A description of all services and service
components can be found in the accelerator section. (see again activity Implementation Strategy
later in this phase).
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
• Simplification Item Catalog
• SAP Fiori App Reference Library
• SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA – Landing Page
• SAP Readiness Check Community
• SAP Value Assurance – Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Enterprise Support page for SAP S/4HANA
1.2.4. Understand how to Design Business Processes following the Clean Core
Paradigm
Objective
Business process design depends on customer’s business requirements and is different for each
customer. With that respect, there is no “ideal” business process design which is valid for all
customers. Nevertheless, there are certain key principles SAP recommends following during
design and implementation which may lead to a clean process design. Depending on the
transition scenario to SAP S/4HANA this clean process design can be reached immediately, or
longer term and in multiple steps.
Procedure
Make yourself familiar with the Clean Core Principles.
The following key principles should be applied during business process design and
implementation, so that the implemented business processes meet the criteria of ‘clean’
processes:
• Business processes should leverage dedicated SAP standard solutions, Industry Cloud
and certified SAP Partner solutions.
• When designing a new SAP application, configuration content and business process
documentation from SAP Best Practices, Leading Practices and industry-specific content
should be considered first in a Fit-to-Standard approach, where available and applicable.
• For non-differentiating processes SAP standard should be strictly applied. For
differentiating processes, the SAP standard solutions can be tailored to customer
business needs and enhanced to create a competitive advantage.
• The business process design should focus on mandatory and key process variants.
Process variants should be limited to the strictly necessary ones to avoid unnecessary
customizing and process complexity.
• Before extending the SAP Standard, make sure there is no alternative way. Also consider
using extensions (e.g. from SAP Industry Cloud) from certified SAP partners first before
creating own code.
• Custom extensions should be limited to those, which are really required to implement
differentiating business processes. In that case, recommendations for “clean extensions”
and “clean integration” need to be followed. Customizing (in terms of configuring the
standard solution e.g. via SAP Reference IMG) required for the execution of business
processes in SAP S/4HANA is supporting the concept of “clean’ processes” and is
therefore explicitly allowed.
• Business processes including their extensions need to be properly documented.
• Finally, make sure implemented business processes are efficiently executed. This needs
to be proven continuously by measuring PPIs (process performance indicators), which are
then compared with peers from the same industry. In case of performance degradation, a
continuous improvement process needs to be triggered.
Beyond the key principles for ‘clean’ processes depicted above, an overarching ‘clean process
framework’ is required to support the design of ‘clean’ processes. A ‘clean process framework’
provides the foundation for the key principles stated above. This clean process framework
consists of:
• An Enterprise Architecture methodology. The SAP Enterprise Architecture Methodology
includes:
o The SAP Reference Business Architecture (Business Capability Model, Value Flow
Diagrams)
o The SAP Reference Solution Architecture (Application Architecture Diagram, Product
Map).
Customers’ SAP solution architecture should follow architecture recommendations given
there.
• A state-of-the-art process governance, which includes:
o A Solution Standardization Board (or similar decision board) in place, which supports
the desire to get and keep the business processes clean.
o Well defined and established requirements management process
o An established Business Process Management structure which lists business process
owners and related additional contacts
o A central place for business process documentation (e.g. SAP Signavio, SAP Cloud
ALM, SAP Solution Manager)
o A tailored and documented development methodology describing how to extend (e.g.
based on Application Extensibility Methodology AEM, and Integration Solution
Advisory Methodology ISA-M; ad described in chapters “Extensibility” and
“Integration”)
• Process Management Excellence, which includes:
o All relevant business processes are documented. The documentation needs to be
always up to date and to reflect the actual process execution. Furthermore, this
process documentation needs to be easily accessible for every employee within the
company.
o The actual execution of business processes in the SAP system can be measured with
appropriate tools. This allows process mining and detailed process analysis with the
objective to improve the process execution.
• A set of powerful tools supporting all aspects of the framework:
o Tools for managing the enterprise architecture, like LeanIX
o Tools for business process management, like SAP Signavio
o Tools for managing the implementation of business processes, like SAP Solution
Manager / Focused Build or SAP Cloud ALM
Following these key principles, and establishing such a clean process framework will lead to:
• Robust business processes which can be executed fast and efficiently
• The ability to faster react on changing business demands
• The ability to adopt innovations and new technologies from SAP easier and with lower
efforts
• Lower maintenance, upgrade and operations efforts of the SAP S/4HANA system, finally
leading to lower TCO.
1.2.5. Understand how to Achieve Clean Processes and a Clean Process Framework in an SAP
S/4HANA New Implementation Project
Objective
Apply the key principles for clean processes at a very early stage in the process to be well prepared
for the design phase of the implementation project and the fit to standard workshops.
Procedure
• Develop a long-term to-be SAP solution architecture with the help of the SAP Enterprise
Architecture Framework. Join the community, and make yourself familiar with the
architecture development process, which supports you in the creation of a tailored target
architecture, and an architecture road map which describes the individual transformation
steps from as-is to to-be.
Always demo the SAP Best Practices processes first (if available, and if appropriate), and
check if the Best Practice process can be adopted before discussing additional
requirements. Document the discussion in SAP Signavio Process Manager.
Requirements are collected and prioritized in a backlog. This should lead to a process
design which is close to the SAP standard at least for the non-differentiating business
processes.
For the differentiating business processes, design and document the extensions properly
according to recommendations given in the tasks about extensibility. Exceptions and
modifications should be always validated by the Solution Standardization Board. SAP
offers services to help customers validating gaps, see the Explore phase for details.
Preparation, Fit-to-Standard workshop execution, and the subsequent delta design
process are described in the corresponding tasks.
• For configuration and WRICEF objects, design workshops are processed (step #5). Only
the delta on top of the SAP Best Practices configuration is properly documented (‘Delta
Design’) in SAP Signavio Process Manager, and further discussed in SAP Signavio
Collaboration Hub. SAP offers services to evaluate the process design. The design
process ends with the sign-off (step #6).
• In the Realize phase, the agreed design is implemented. Take care to measure business
process performance as of Go-Live using either SAP Signavio Process Insights
(document flow performance is measured out of the box), or SAP Signavio Process
Intelligence.
• Especially in case of custom code creation, SAP recommends following the
recommendations given in the tasks about extensibility and integration. Customers should
keep in mind:
o Avoid own code as much as possible.
o Don’t lightly take over old custom code from legacy SAP systems. That code is
sometimes decades old, and potentially pollutes your Clean Core right from the
beginning. Take-over of old custom code should be evaluated by the Solution
Standardization Board.
o Use modern code techniques in case own code cannot be avoided.
o Ensure upgrade stability, by decoupling own code from SAP code.
o Keep cloud readiness for own code.
o Use SAP Fiori UI as much as possible.
Accelerators
• SAP Enterprise Architecture Framework
• Enterprise Architecture Community
• LeanIX Homepage
• Solution Standardization Board
• SAP Signavio Process Insights
• SAP Signavio Process Explorer
• SAP Signavio Process Manager
• SAP Cloud ALM
• Focused Build
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA 2023 with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance
• SAP Blog – Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA – Information Hub
1.2.6. Understand how to Achieve Clean Processes and a Clean Process Framework in
an SAP S/4HANA System Conversion Project
Objective
Reaching ‘clean’ processes is in many cases not the immediate scope of an SAP S/4HANA
System Conversion. Customers would like to keep current business process configuration to a
certain extend because it reflects what their business requires. The system conversion is then
limited to a mostly IT technical project, and business is only involved when needed, e.g. when
addressing mandatory simplification items which could have impact on current business process
configuration. Such a technical system conversion to SAP S/4HANA often leads to a project with
minimal effort, cost and risk, and can be executed in the shortest timeframe possible (usually
much shorter than a new implementation which includes a complete business process re-design).
The adoption of new innovations, and a move closer to the SAP standard is often shifted to
subsequent projects.
Instead of getting ‘clean’ processes in a single step of a system conversion, customers should
seek for moving closer to the SAP standard in multiple steps and over time, and to keep cleaned-
up business process areas clean in parallel.
Procedure
• Developing an SAP centric solution architecture including architecture road map, and the
setup of the ‘clean process framework’ works the same way as already described under
new implementation. For system conversions, the analysis of the SAP ECC via SAP
Signavio Process Insights is even more important:
o Business process areas which need urgent improvement are identified upfront and
can potentially be addressed as part of the conversion project. SAP Signavio Process
Insights conveniently provides improvement recommendations.
o Measuring the document flow performance before and after conversion provides
information about value and benefit of the system conversion.
Also consider using ‘plug and gain’ for getting a first sketch on the as-is business process
documentation.
• SAP Best Practices process documentation and flow diagrams can be used for areas
where processes will change with SAP S/4HANA (‘mandatory simplification items’), or
where customers decide to implement functionality newly.
SAP Best Practices configuration content cannot be used, because it may conflict with the
old customizing which is taken over from SAP ECC. Solution Builder cannot be used in
this case.
Instead of identifying relevant scope items, customers run the SAP Readiness Check for
SAP S/4HANA. This self-service analyzes the configuration of the SAP ECC and provides
the results of the checks in a dashboard. To identify the mandatory functional
adjustments, system conversion customers for instance must look at (list not exhaustive):
o Simplification Items: Are there mandatory simplification items which must be
addressed before / during system conversion?
o Compatibility Scope items: Are there compatibility scope items, which must be
addressed before / during system conversion to SAP S/4HANA?
In a ‘mostly technical’ system conversion, these minimal functional adjustments can be
derived from the results of the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA and must be
addressed in the Fit-to-Standard workshops. Customers must make sure they fully
understand the items, and the impact on their business processes.
Based on usage statistics of SAP ECC, SAP Readiness Check also provides information
about further innovations which could be implemented on top of the mandatory
adjustments.
• In system conversions, the sandbox is initially created from a copy of the productive SAP
ECC. This copy is converted to SAP S/4HANA. This first conversion run uncovers all
issues and roadblocks, which must be finally solved.
It could be helpful having an SAP S/4HANA reference system in parallel, where
functionality which must be newly implemented during conversion (due to mandatory
simplification items, or compatibility scope items) is configured in a Best Practice
configuration. The reference system could be set up via:
o Fully-activated appliance, running either in the local data center, or even more
conveniently at a Hyperscaler using SAP Cloud Appliance Library
o Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA
o SAP Standard Content
• The complete custom code adaptation process is described in the Custom Code
Migration Guide. As a preparatory item, customers should analyze their situation on
custom code ideally long time before the system conversion project starts.
o By collecting usage statistics customers can identify which custom code is not in use.
Unused custom code should be decommissioned using SAP Solution Manager, or the
SAP Fiori Custom Code Migration App, which runs on SAP S/4HANA or on SAP
Business Technology Platform.
o Custom code which is impacted by simplification items or compatibility scope items
need further analysis. They could be good candidates to be replaced by new standard
functionality in SAP S/4HANA. Otherwise, they need code adjustments to be ready for
SAP S/4HANA.
o All remaining custom code which is migrated to SAP S/4HANA needs an impact
analysis as described in the documents from above.
• The Fit-to-Standard workshops run the way as described in the related task. In case of
technical conversions, the focus is on addressing mandatory simplification items, and
items from the compatibility scope. The goal is to come closer to the SAP standard at
least in these two areas. In case a reference system exists, SAP recommends starting
from demoing the SAP Best Practices processes first. Otherwise, customers can use the
documentation and process flow diagrams from the SAP Best Practices as a starting
point. SAP Best Practices configuration cannot be imported automatically, but must be
analyzed manually (see the Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA
2023 with SAP Best Practices on how to generate configuration information), and
compared with customizing which is already coming from SAP ECC.
Functional design for those areas which must change, and implementation is like what is
already described under New Implementation.
• Existing custom code which is migrated potentially needs code adjustment as described
in the Custom Code Migration Guide, and in this blog. For all custom code, which needs
to be newly created, SAP recommends:
o Avoid own code as much as possible.
o Use modern code techniques in case own code cannot be avoided.
o Ensure upgrade stability, by decoupling new code from SAP code.
o Keep cloud readiness for new code.
o Use SAP Fiori UI as much as possible.
• Once the technical System Conversion has been finished successfully, customers should
move closer to the SAP Standard in subsequent projects to work towards Clean Core
over time:
o When implementing new SAP innovations follow related Best Practices process
documentation.
o Compatibility scope items must be replaced in SAP S/4HANA until end of 2025 /
2030. For those items check if related Best Practices processes can be implemented
instead.
o Continuously decommission unused custom code.
o For all custom code, which is newly created, follow recommendations from above.
Accelerators
• SAP Signavio Process Insights
• SAP Readiness Checks for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Cloud ALM
• SAP Cloud Appliance Library
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA 2023 with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance
• SAP Blog – Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA – Information Hub
• Custom Code Migration Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2023
• SAP Blog – SAP S/4HANA System Conversion – Custom Code Adaptation Process
• Fit-to-Standard Analysis/Design - New Design Approaches and Extensibility Options for
SAP S/4HANA
Prerequisites
This task is particularly important for system conversion and selective data transition (in case they
start with a system conversion) scenarios.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Perform SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA to collect all relevant data
• Perform functional review workshops to discuss the functional implications
• Perform a technical review workshop for the technical implications
SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA
SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA is a self-service tool to help you gaining deep insights
into your existing SAP systems as you prepare for a system conversion to SAP S/4HANA.
To become familiar with SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA, check out the dedicated landing
page and the community page.
• Simplification Items
• Compatibility Scope Analysis
• Activities Related to Simplification Items
• Add-On Compatibility
• Active Business Functions
• SAP S/4HANA Sizing
• Custom Code Analysis
• Integration
• Customer Vendor Integration Analysis
• Planned Downtime Calculator
• Financial Data Quality
• Recommended SAP Fiori Apps
• SAP Innovative Business Solutions
• Business Process Discovery
• Innovation Potential
All checks are described in detail in the accelerator “SAP Readiness Check - Key Feature
Overview”.
SAP Note 2913617 “SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA” provides detailed information how
to set up the check.
Functional review workshops
Conduct functional review workshops to review simplification items, financial data quality, and
customer vendor integration analysis from the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA.
Review and familiarize yourself with the “Functional Review Workshop Guide for System
Conversion” accelerator. Distribute the simplification items to business process experts for review
in their respective line of business to understand the compatibility scope status and associated
business impact. Conduct simplification item workshops by business process areas (ie. Finance,
Procurement, Sales, etc) to go through all the simplification items and classify them into three
groups:
See also the Simplification Item Catalog for details on individual items.
Finance process experts can use Financial Data Quality results to check quality of financial data,
analyse possible inconsistencies, and decide how to resolve them.
Master data experts can leverage Customer Vendor Integration analysis for a status on the current
state of customer vendor integration and data quality issue.
Reference the Functional Review Workshop Guide for System Conversion accelerator for examples
in each of the categories and identify relevant activities required before the project starts, during
and after the conversion project.
In the workshops, customers should also decide if optional Simplification Items will be addressed
as part of the initial phase of the project or in a secondary phase.
The purpose of the workshop is to deep dive into Add-on compatibility, active business functions,
SAP S/4HANA sizing, and custom code analysis from the SAP Readiness Check for planning and
preparing system conversion to S/4HANA.
Review the “Technical Review Workshop Guide for System Conversion” accelerator.
Familiarize yourself with examples provided and schedule workshop(s).
For Add-on Compatibility, run SAP Maintenance Planner Tool to decide on those can be uninstalled
or removed before conversion. Make sure required 3rd party add-ons are certified with latest
S/4HANA release and SAP add-ons are validated for compatibility with the latest S/4HANA release.
Review active business functions and plan to include regression testing activities for the project.
When making decision on SAP S/4HANA sizing, take into consideration of potential Fiori UI
activation, usage of embedded analytics and embedded applications which run separately today
(e.g. Warehouse Management), estimates of potential business growth, and custom coding
adaptation, etc.
A review of custom code analysis is recommended to have a rough order of magnitude estimate on
required adaptation efforts of custom code to work with the new architecture framework.
Results
The workshop results describe the implications of SAP S/4HANA; which need to be addressed
either before starting the conversion project, or as part of it.
Details to the individual checks can be found in the SAP Readiness Check Community.
SAP offers the “Value and Implementation Strategy” service component to Premium
Engagement customers, which explains the functional impact on existing business processes in
detail.
For Enterprise Support customers, e-learnings and Expert Guided Implementation (EGI) sessions
are available (see accelerator section). They are bundled in a learning program “Understand SAP
Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA” in the Prepare phase of the Learning Journey for SAP
S/4HANA.
Accelerators
• SAP Readiness Check - Key Feature Overview
• Simplification Item Catalog
• SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA – Landing Page
• SAP Readiness Check Community
• SAP Note 2913617 – SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Blog - SAP Readiness Check – How to Update Your Implementation of SAP
Readiness Check to Support SAP S/4HANA 2023
• Technical Review Workshop Guide for System Conversion.ppt
• Functional Review Workshop Guide for System Conversion.ppt
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
Precondition
The current ERP system in use is SAP ERP 6.0. This task is not relevant for customers who have
already decided to transition to SAP S/4HANA via system conversion.
Procedure
The SAP Readiness Check for SAP ERP Usage and Data Profiling is a self-service and free of
charge. By extracting and analyzing data of the current SAP ERP 6.0, It generates valuable
profiles for these topic areas:
For details, please see SAP Note 3112362 - SAP Readiness Check for SAP ERP Usage and
Data Profiling, and SAP Blog - General Availability of Two New SAP Readiness Check Scenarios.
Use the results in the task Define the Implementation Strategy of this activity, and later in the
activity Transition Planning in the Prepare phase.
Accelerators
• SAP Readiness Check - Key Feature Overview
• SAP Note 3112362 - SAP Readiness Check for SAP ERP Usage and Data Profiling
• SAP Blog - General Availability of Two New SAP Readiness Check Scenarios
Prerequisites
The business areas in scope for mapping has been identified already. This could have been done
by gathering input from the Lines of Businesses, or by requesting a Process Discovery Summary.
The Process Discovery Summary is part of the Discovery Workshop for SAP S/4HANA, or can
be ordered separately (see accelerator section).
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Set up a workshop together with process experts from the Lines of Businesses
• Analyze each business priority in scope for innovation. Run a business scenario fit
analysis, by clarifying:
o Is this innovation item relevant for me? Information source can be for instance the
Best Practice information from SAP Activate, the simplification list, and the
Process Discovery Summary.
o Quantify and describe the value in case of relevance.
• Store all documents centrally so information can be shared across the project team.
Results
As a result, you have a documented list of innovation items, which are in scope for
implementation. This information is also a valuable input for the business case.
Delivery approach: Remote preparation combined with onsite workshops and final results
presentation
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition | 2023 Release
• SAP Note 3348949 - SAP S/4HANA 2023: Restriction note
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
1.2.10. Run the “Establish the Business Value of User Experience” Workshop
Objective
The purpose of this task is to establish where potential business value can be achieved through
the new User Experience(UX) and create a high level UX roadmap. During the workshop, the
concepts of Business Roles and UX Value Goals are introduced. The aim is to create (or update)
your UX Roadmap. To manage the pace of change for your users, this workshop can be
conducted again in the SAP Activate Run phase to grow the UX over time.
Prerequisites
• The SAP solutions and functional areas of SAP S/4HANA in scope are known.
• Current state architecture and functional scope is known.
Procedure
Gather input regarding SAP Fiori scoping from:
Follow the procedure listed in the UX Adoption: Establish the Business Value of UX
Workshop accelerator. Below is a summary of the steps:
Accelerators
• SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA – Landing Page
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• SAP Fiori Lighthouse Scenarios (Public)
• SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder (Public)
• UX Adoption: Establish the Business Value of UX Workshop (Public)
Prerequisites
The functional to-be scope has been identified on a high level.
Procedure
Create an SAP S/4HANA centric diagram, which shows both the as-is and the to-be application
architecture. The picture documents the current state and lists all applications which should run in
SAP S/4HANA in future. Document also the surrounding landscape: That are SAP and Non-SAP
systems which are interfacing with SAP S/4HANA, and which should stay in future.
Result
The SAP solution architecture, with SAP S/4HANA at its core, has been properly documented.
This is the foundation for the project planning in the Prepare phase.
Prerequisites
There is a draft version of the “to-be” state of the business architecture available already.
Procedure
There are often multiple “Business Application to-be states’” possible and different paths on how
to get there. Functional capabilities, landscape aspects, and technology capabilities need to be
taken into consideration, and there might be dependencies between these three aspects.
• What are the implications of the SAP S/4HANA to the current landscape?
• What is my productive system strategy?
• Scenario Decision: new implementation versus system conversion or selective data
transition.
• Should I re-shape the existing landscape when introducing SAP S/4HANA?
• Deployment Option: Cloud versus On-Premise
• Is it a “Big Bang”, or a multi-year transition?
• What are intermediate architectures?
• Is SAP S/4HANA a good opportunity to go “Back to SAP Standard”?
• How can I use “Best Practice” content from SAP Activate?
• What are dependencies, and what is the ideal sequence in the context of the overall
release plan?
• What is the strategy for custom development of SAP Fiori UI’s (e.g., using Web IDE on
SAP Business Technology Platform) and other custom objects?
• What is the security strategy? (e.g. authorization; authentication; technical security;
Governance Risk and Compliance; User management)
• What about Data Privacy?
In general, you need to come to a decision to either reuse your existing configuration, or to start
with reengineering your business processes. You need to judge on both implementation scenario
and deployment.
The figure below maps this to the three implementation scenarios, and to the different deployment
options of SAP S/4HANA.
Figure: Implementation scenarios
A high-level list of differences between the deployment options is documented in the SAP Blog
“SAP S/4HANA Cloud and On-Premise Deployment Options”. Please note that there can be
significant differences in functionality between the deployment options
The questions from above can be addressed jointly with SAP, by using a structured Best Practice
approach:
See accelerator section for a decision support template, which guides you through this activity.
This approach can be used for answering both your recommended deployment strategy, and your
implementation approach.
Document the results. Store all documents centrally so information can be shared across the
project team.
Results
There is a document available which documents and explains the customer specific
implementation strategy.
The service component “Data Migration Architecture (DMA)” anticipates or uncovers one or a
combination of data migration paths to SAP S/4HANA for new implementation and selective data
transition scenario. DMA provides a high-level assessment of migration requirements and
necessary data objects as well as of methods to extract / transform / load the source data from
legacy systems and/or SAP systems. The service component is relevant in case of complex data
operations which require a guidance for data objects and data migration technologies.
Please note: A DMA can also be executed later in the Prepare Phase. Running a DMA at in the
Discover Phase might support the discussion about the suitable transition strategy.
Regarding SAP Security Strategy, SAP offers best practices for the security of your SAP system
landscape in the SAP Security Optimization Services. In the SAP Support Portal on the SAP
Security Optimization Services Portfolio page you can navigate from three entry points depending
on your requirements:
• Security Overview
• Security Topic Areas
• Security Services, Tools and Information
In the security map on that page you find a holistic view on different areas of SAP security and
can navigate to the single topics with detailed information.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information on SAP Activate, SAP S/4HANA
functionality and the implementation strategy in the “Become competent” section of the “Discover”
and “Prepare” learning journeys. The learning journeys contain for instance information and
services on the transformation scenarios and deployment options you have. Details are also given
on the system conversion process, and how to come up with a conversion plan.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Cloud and On-Premise Deployment Options
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA Movement - Mapping Your Journey to SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Data Management and Landscape Transformation (DMLT) Homepage
• Decision Support Template for your Implementation Strategy
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA 2023 with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Note 2405701 - SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on premise)
• SAP Note 2573352 - SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) Activation in a client
with SAP_ALL copy
• SAP Activate - General Information
• SAP Activate Community
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Discover
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
Prerequisites
The definition of the road map is based on:
The value case is based on identified business benefits leveraging SAP S/4HANA.
Store all documents centrally so information can be shared across the project team.
Results
There is a documented implementation road map available.
In case you would like to analyze how to leverage intelligent capabilities and technologies
embedded in SAP S/4HANA, SAP is offering the “Explore the Intelligent Enterprise” service
component. You will get a good overview of intelligent technologies and LoB specific use cases.
Based on a data-driven analysis of your system using Spotlight by SAP, your application
implementation road map will be extended by intelligent capabilities and technologies like
Machine Learning, Intelligent Robotic Process Automation, or Conversational AI to name a few.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Note 2269324 - Compatibility Scope Matrix for SAP S/4HANA on-premise
• SAP Blog - Compatibility Scope: What Happens after 2025/2030
Procedure
• Provide a Trial System
Results
As a result, project members have access to the trial system for demoing, value identification, and
impact evaluation.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance
• SAP S/4HANA Trial – Landing Page at SAP.COM
• SAP S/4HANA 2023 – Fully-Activated Appliance in SAP Cloud Appliance Library
Prerequisites
User account at an approved cloud provider (Hyperscaler) required (e.g. Amazon Web Services
(AWS)).
Procedure
There are two options to provide a trial SAP S/4HANA system to your project team. Both use the
SAP Cloud Appliance Library (SAP CAL):
Results
Once the trial image has been started by the cloud provider, you have access to your own trial
system.
Accelerators
• SAP S/4HANA Trial – Landing Page at SAP.COM
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance
• SAP S/4HANA 2023 – Fully-Activated Appliance in SAP Cloud Appliance Library
• SAP Blog – Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA – Information Hub
• Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA 2022 FPS00 in SAP Cloud Appliance
Library
• SAP CAL Community at SAP.COM
2. Prepare Phase
Once the business case has been approved, the project is initiated in the Prepare Phase as depicted in
the figure below.
There are customers running a prototype project in front of the real transition project. The aim is often to
check technical and functional feasibility. Prototypes are small projects by its own, and usually last
between three and six months.
The formal setup of the project starts afterwards and needs to be aligned with the customer project
manager. In general, each company or implementation partner has a methodology to plan and execute
projects. SAP’s implementation methodology is called “SAP Activate”.
To prepare for organizational change resulting from the transition, an overview of all planned change
management activities needs to be provided. Project team enablement also starts now.
If not already done in the Discover phase, an SAP S/4HANA readiness assessment is performed on the
SAP ERP system to identify aspects that could have a major impact on the system conversion project
(see task “Check the Conversion Readiness of SAP ERP” for details).
The project itself is planned at a high-level in a “Migration and Upgrade Planning Workshop” for the
conversion case, or in a “Transition Planning for New Implementation”. Results from the Discover phase –
in particular the functional implementation road map - need to be considered as well. The project plan will
be further detailed out in the Explore Phase.
The planning workshops often reveal preparation activity (e.g. the “Customer Vendor Integration” in the
case of a system conversion), which have to be done before the Explore phase starts. Those larger
transition preparation activities need to be planned in detail in the Project Management work stream.
The Prepare phase ends with a first Quality Gate to ensure proper project preparation.
It is important that project team empowerment starts as early as possible in the Prepare phase in
order to maximize the time for learning and create efficiencies in later activities. Knowledge on
strategic topics collected in the Discover phase already should be passed to the project team.
In addition, the project team should be familiar with the service offerings coming from the different
support levels:
Procedure
Organize self-learning possibilities with digital learning environments (e.g. Learning Hub), and training
sessions. This may include:
• Collaboration
• Empowerment
• Innovation & Value Realization
• Mission Critical Support
All areas are described in detail in the SAP presentation “Getting Started with SAP Enterprise
Support for SAP on-premise solutions”, where the following screen shot is captured from:
The SAP Learning Hub is the central location that provides access to various learning offerings. In
addition, SAP Learning Rooms are interactive social learning environments that are available
online 24/7. SAP Learning Rooms facilitate interactive learning, knowledge sharing and offer
expert-led live sessions, videos, quizzes and postings on a wide range of SAP topics.
This roadmap provides links to SAP Learning Journeys, Expert Guided Implementation sessions,
e-learnings, and blogs in SAP Learning Hub in the accelerator sections.
Access to the SAP Learning Hub, edition for SAP Enterprise Support is included in SAP
Enterprise Support. To sign up to SAP Learning Hub:
Once you have access to the SAP Learning Hub, you can gain access to the SAP Enterprise
Support Value Maps. These are empowerment and support programs, containing learning
journeys, expert forums.
There are multiple value maps available. In the context of this road map, the value map for SAP
S/4HANA is of particular interest.
Value maps are structured according to phases of SAP Activate. When you select a certain
phase, the value map learning journey opens, and you will only see learning assets which are
relevant for the selected phase.
As an example the following picture shows the learning journey of the SAP S/4HANA Value Map
for the Prepare phase.
Figure: SAP S/4HANA Value Map – Learning Journey for the Prepare phase
• Go to the SAP Enterprise Support Value Maps Landing Page (see accelerator).
• Click on ‘Access Value Maps' and click on ‘Accept’ to join the private group with Learning
Rooms.
• Select the ‘SAP S/4HANA’ value map under the Overview section.
• Click on ‘Join Group’ on the SAP S/4HANA value map landing page.
Continuous quality check (CQC) and improvement services from SAP analyze your system and/or
situation remotely based on real life data from your systems or solution. Depending on the topic,
you will be given the chance to provide more information (i.e. via questionnaire) that will be part of
the analysis. After each service, you receive a service report with an executive summary, findings
and a detailed action plan to mitigate risks or improve your situation.
CQCs may help you executing a certain activity or task. In the context of SAP S/4HANA
implementations for example, the CQC for transformation assessment helps you keep your
project on the right track from the beginning. It assesses the project team’s awareness of typical
SAP project challenges, tools and critical topics, and provides individualized recommendations for
tools and enablement resources.
Accelerators
• SAP Enterprise Support Academy Landing Page
• SAP Presentation - Getting Started with SAP Enterprise Support for SAP on-premise
solutions
• Expert-Guided Implementation (EGI) – The Practical Training Option
• SAP Enterprise Support Value Maps
• Continuous Quality Check & Improvement Services
• CQC for transformation assessment for SAP S/4HANA
Procedure
SAP Value Assurance supports customers on their own or partner-led projects for a limited time
with dedicated planning, design support, and functional and technical safeguarding services
orchestrated by a Technical Quality Manager (TQM).
The following services have been designed to support customers in an SAP S/4HANA
implementation:
The following figure maps these services to the “Transition to SAP S/4HANA” road map. The
overlay indicates the activities which are addressed by a certain service.
Figure: Mapping of SAP service offerings to activities
In addition, the SAP Advanced Deployment service offering also contains execution services for
the Realize phase of the project and is delivered by SAP Professional Services in case of SAP-
primed projects, indicated in green. This road map does not distinguish between SAP Value
Assurance and SAP Advanced Deployment, but simply lists services which help executing a
certain activity or task.
Accelerators
• SAP S/4HANA Value Assurance - Level 2 Customer Presentation
• SAP Advanced Deployment – Level 2 Customer Presentation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
All service components from SAP Value Assurance are available to Premium Engagement
customers (SAP MaxAttention and SAP ActiveAttention) as well. However, SAP MaxAttention
customers do have access to a broader set of support service offerings like enterprise architecture
planning. Where appropriate, those services are listed in this roadmap as well.
For the entire service offering per scenario, you may check the corresponding PE Business
Scenario “Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition
(including RISE with SAP)”. The business scenario describes all relevant service components in
this transformation context. Refer to your SAP contact in case you need more information.
Accelerators
• Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition (including
RISE with SAP) - Overview
• Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition (including
RISE with SAP) - Strategy
• Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition (including
RISE with SAP) - Brownfield
• Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition (including
RISE with SAP) - Greenfield
• Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition (including
RISE with SAP) – Selective Data Transition
2.1.4. Self-Enable on Tools and Methodology for Project Management: SAP Solution
Manager, SAP Cloud ALM, and SAP Activate
Objective
The purpose of this task is to empower the team with the tools and methods being used in the
implementation project.
Decision has been taken to use SAP Activate methodology in the project.
Procedure
• In case SAP Solution Manager should be used: Provide training material on project
support tools from SAP. Ensure the project team is properly trained on the usage of SAP
Solution Manager and Focused Build. The accelerator section provides a link to the SAP
Support Portal describing Focused Build for SAP Solution Manager in detail (product
capabilities, training etc.)
• In case SAP Cloud ALM should be used: You can check if the current capabilities of
SAP Cloud Application Lifecycle Management (SAP Cloud ALM) are sufficient for your
project requirements. SAP Cloud ALM is a public cloud solution running on SAP Business
Technology Platform. It is constantly extended. The accelerator section provides a link to
the expert portal for the implementation part of SAP Cloud ALM. You will find details on
setup and use, offline demos and access to a demo tenant.
• In case SAP Activate should be used: The SAP Activate community is a good starting
point to learn on the new implementation methodology of SAP.
Regarding SAP Activate, SAP Enterprise Support customers can join the EGIs:
• “SAP S/4HANA Implementation with SAP Activate”: guiding you through the SAP
S/4HANA Implementation with SAP Activate, introducing the SAP Activate methodology
and its key pillars.
• “SAP S/4HANA: Solution Activation with SAP Best Practices”: explaining the general
concepts of Best Practices and implementation of a business solution.
For all topics mentioned above, SAP classroom trainings can be booked.
The service component “Agile Methodology and Tool Coach” of SAP Value Assurance
supports customers in activities related to the implementation and operation either of the Focused
Build solution for SAP Solution Manager, or implementation support in SAP Cloud ALM. It
provides support for the Prepare, Explore, Realize, and Deploy phases of an SAP S/4HANA
implementation project. It is delivered as a mix of dedicated deliverables, like workshops or
configuration support, and continuous support through the SAP coach.
Accelerators
• SAP Activate Community
• Focused Build for SAP Solution Manager
• SAP Cloud ALM for Implementation - Expert Portal
• SAP Learning Journey: SAP Solution Manager: Implementation
• SAP Learning Journey: SAP Cloud ALM: Implementation
• SAP ES - SAP S/4HANA Implementation with SAP Activate
• SAP ES - SAP S/4HANA: Solution Activation with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Training
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Service Information - Value Assurance Foundation
This concept is not only valid for SAP S/4HANA Cloud systems, but also holds true for an SAP
S/4HANA on-premise system and eases a potential move to the cloud on the long-term roadmap.
Procedure
Understand the Clean Core Guiding Principles. Establish a mindset and governance model
that fosters Clean Core principles:
• Avoid: Avoid customizations where not necessary. Stay as close as possible to SAP
Standard. Establish a binding governance framework
• Be Aware: Know your technical debts and evaluate them on a regular basis.
• Cloud Ready: Extend and integrate in a stable and transparent manner. Apply a zero-
modification policy.
• Decouple: Leverage SAP BTP as a platform to innovate for additional differentiation.
Automate with standard APIs and events.
For a “Greenfield” or new implementation of SAP S/4HANA, the Clean Core concept means:
“Implement in a clean way, and keep the core clean in future”. Follow the Clean Core principles
right from the beginning and establish a strong governance.
For a “Brownfield” or system conversion to SAP S/4HANA, the Clean Core concept begins with
“make the core clean” – plan your journey towards a Clean Core and follow an iterative approach.
Clean Core cannot be created in a single step, but means to analyze the current extensions,
processes, interfaces… and transform, re-platform, automate, and bring back to standard, aiming
at more agility, faster integration, reduced upgrade effort, and efficient and secure operations.
Understand the Clean Core Dimensions. Clean Core comprises different aspects which need to
be considered to push toward the most value gain - these are particularly clean processes, clean
integration, clean extensions, and clean data. A Clean Core strategy starts with a thorough
transformation planning considering all of these aspects. An early and thorough strategy definition
(which can be supported by SAP MaxAttention services) gives customers a head-start to evolve
towards a digital transformation with a multi-year strategic road map that addresses their digital
transformation needs and leads to an agile and clean system landscape.
Figure: Clean Core dimensions
• Clean Extensions
For clean extensions, customers should use best practices, familiarize with SAP’s
Application Extension Methodology (AEM) and define their custom-tailored extension
strategy. Extensions should be developed following SAP’s quality standards. This helps
decrease technical dept and overall needed IT support and increases upgrade stability.
Standard functionality should be used wherever possible, and duplication avoided.
• Clean Integration
For clean integration, customers should define their hybrid cloud strategy and establish a
clearly defined integration strategy by utilizing the SAP Integration Solution Advisory
Methodology (ISA-M). Replacing traditional APIs with standard interfaces increases
robustness and eases upgrades.
• Clean Data
Clean data means consistent and complete data of high quality. SAP’s Data and Analytics
Advisory Methodology (DAAM) helps you getting and keeping a state of clean data. Data
lifecycle management helps reducing data clutter which allows for potential cost savings.
• Clean Processes.
Clean business processes are close to the SAP standard. Process extensions and
integrations are implemented in the right way and according to SAP’s extension
methodology. Business process performance is constantly measured and improved.
• Clean Operations
Clean Operations keeps the core current, with periodic upgrades and continuous
optimization.
Accelerators
• SAP Integration Solution Advisory Methodology
• Extend SAP S/4HANA in the cloud and on premise with ABAP based extensions
• Application Extension Methodology
• SAP Data and Analytics Advisory Methodology
2.1.6. Self-Enable on SAP Signavio Process Insights and SAP Signavio
Objective
The purpose of this task is to learn about SAP Signavio Process Insights and SAP Signavio.
Procedure
The purpose of this task is to learn about SAP Signavio. SAP Signavio solutions complement SAP
Signavio Process Insights and both tools help accelerate SAP S/4HANA transformation and
business process performance. SAP Signavio is a platform that allows customers to model,
analyze, optimize and execute business processes. SAP Signavio Process Collaboration Hub
facilitates collaboration and communication on a project while SAP Signavio Process Manager
helps customer re-imagine, document, model and simulate business processes.
Self-enabling on these topics will help the project team members understand what needs to be
done during process improvement .
Access SAP Signavio training portal via the SAP Signavio Customer Portal accelerator. Login to
access the 'E-Learning' section and explore the various trainings available.
Review additional SAP Signavio accelerators by following the SAP Signavio Documentation
accelerators and the SAP Signavio Onboarding Resource Center.
Accelerators
• Help - SAP Signavio Process Insights - Administration Guide for SAP Process Insights
(Public)
• SAP Signavio Process Insights
• SAP Signavio Documentation (Public)
• SAP Learning Hub, Enterprise support edition – SAP Signavio Learning Journeys
• SAP Signavio Onboarding Resource Center
Procedure
It is important that the project team understand how to use the tools and templates defined for the
Explore phase. Refer to the Project Standards and Infrastructure activity in the Prepare phase.
You and all involved project members should make themselves familiar with the Fit-to-Standard
approach, how to run Fit-to-Standard workshops and the sequence of design activities that follow.
The six steps are described below. The first two steps are run in parallel.
Figure: Individual activities of Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• Reviewing all backlog items (delta requirements) and checking for completeness
• Double check backlog for missing delta requirements
• Prioritization according to agreed criteria (e.g. business value and criticality)
• Decide which requirements needs to be discussed in a design workshop
• Design workshops and solution design documentation required for configuration and
WRICEF objects
• Design documents and functional specification to be written after workshops
The first three steps include the identification of requirements for security, integration and changes
to Fiori apps. Starting with validation in step 4, these requirements are managed in separate
activities with a dedicated focus. For more details also see activity UX Activation and Design,
Security Design and Integration Design.
Results
The project team is prepared for Fit-to-Standard.
Accelerators
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• SAP Note 3035880 - Recommendations for greenfield implementations of RISE with SAP
S/4HANA Cloud, private edition following a cloud mindset
• Solution Standardization Board
Procedure:
• Review the accelerator SAP Business Technology Platform - Basic Concept to get an
introduction to SAP BTP.
• Review the SAP Discovery Center missions and services to learn how to adopt SAP BTP.
The mission “Getting started with SAP BTP Enterprise Account” for instance is a good
starting point.
• Visit openSAP training on SAP BTP.
Premium Engagement customers can select from a variety of empowering services for SAP BTP,
for instance:
Accelerators
• SAP Business Technology Platform Overview
• SAP Business Technology Platform-Basic Concept (Public)
• SAP Discovery Center (Public)
• openSAP - SAP Business Technology Platform in a Nutshell
• SAP Learning Hub, Enterprise support edition – SAP Business Technology Platform
Journeys
2.1.9. Self-Enable on SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA
Objective
The purpose of this task is to learn about SAP Fiori.
Procedure:
SAP Fiori is the User Experience (UX) of the Intelligent Enterprise that changes the way you work.
It delivers thousands of standard apps and features. If you need additional custom-built solutions,
SAP Fiori equips designers and developers with a set of tools and guidelines to create apps for
any platform faster than ever – providing a consistent, innovative experience for both creators and
users. UX drives organizational changes towards desired business outcomes and UX Value
goals. For example, you may want to enable your users to be more mobile by providing apps on
portable devices such as tablets or phones; or you want to introduce intelligent technologies such
as machine learning that help users to be more proactive. SAP Fiori is the User Experience that
supports your UX Value Goals.
• Understand the fundamentals of SAP Fiori UX, the launchpad and main features.
• Find available apps and business roles for your SAP S/4HANA release.
• Understand the main intelligent technologies delivered to business users via their SAP
Fiori apps.
• Know how to explain, activate, configure, and extend the User Experience for SAP
S/4HANA.
• Know how to efficiently activate business roles with their curated selection of apps.
• Understand the technical concepts of business roles and how they impact on security
authorizations.
• Refine delivered launchpad content and layouts to create your own custom business
roles.
• Design and develop app extensions or your own custom-built apps.
• Understand side-by-side use cases for extending standard or custom-built apps with
additional UX or intelligent services.
Proceed as follows:
1. Join the SAP Community and follow the SAP Fiori topic to learn and exchange knowledge
with other SAP community members. See SAP Fiori Community accelerator.
2. Learn about the SAP Fiori launchpad and its features by reviewing the accelerators The
SAP Fiori User Experience for SAP S/4HANA and openSAP Microlearning playlist
for SAP S/4HANA User Experience.
3. View some examples of the highest business benefit apps Fiori by reviewing the SAP
Fiori lighthouse scenarios accelerator.
4. Access the SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library to access the customer self-service tool
which has been specially designed to explore and plan which SAP Fiori apps to deploy.
SAP Fiori apps are curated into collections known as SAP Business Roles. SAP Business
Roles are templates that provide a collection of apps suitable for a job role, including the
app-to-app navigation between them. The library provides information on product
versions, software components, configuration settings, and extensibility points to help you
to understand the implementation prerequisites for SAP Fiori apps.
How SAP Can Support
SAP Enterprise Support customers can join the Expert Guided Implementation (EGI) on SAP Fiori
Configuration for SAP S/4HANA. After attending this EGI you will be empowered on best practices
that will help accelerate how you perform SAP Fiori configuration for SAP S/4HANA.
SAP Premium Engagement offers the “UX Strategy” service component to support you creating a
Fiori based Strategy for your company. It further clarifies the transition to Fiori together with our
experts for clear and optimal project and architecture planning.
Accelerators
• Blog - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA – Activate SAP Fiori in 1 day or less – the video
playlist and FAQ (Public)
• Rapid Activation of SAP Fiori via Task Lists (Public)
• SAP Fiori App Reference Library (Public)
• SAP Fiori Community (Public)
• SAP Fiori Lighthouse Scenarios (Public)
• SAP Note 2902673 - Rapid Activation for SAP Fiori in SAP S/4HANA - Overview (SAP
Customer)
• Setup and Administration of SAP Fiori in the SAP Online Help Portal (Public)
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori Configuration for SAP S/4HANA – Expert Guided Implementation
• Service Information – Service Components for Architecture Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
Review the SAP Online Help - Transferring Data Directly from an SAP System accelerator for
information on direct transfer of data from an existing SAP system.
In case there is a trial system already available, access the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit via
Migrate Your Data app in SAP S/4HANA to gain hands-on experience. Please find more
information in the demo guides of the SAP S/4HANA Fully Activated Appliance.
Review the content in the SAP Online Help - Data Migration accelerator. This includes sections
on Getting Started, Training and Education, News (development newsletters) and other related
information.
Open the SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit Community accelerator, view the related learning
documents such as upcoming webinars, FAQs, Blogs.
Join the openSAP training “Migrating Your Business Data to SAP S/4HANA – New
Implementation Scenario”.
If you are interested in Data Migration Tools comparison for the move to SAP S/4HANA –
please check the following accelerator: “Data Migration Tools for the MOVE to SAP S/4HANA -
Comparison: MC / RDM / LSMW”.
How SAP Can Support
SAP Enterprise Support customers can look up the learning asset curriculum on the SAP
S/4HANA Migration Cockpit. Please see SAP Blog “Learn How to Migrate Your Data to SAP
S/4HANA With SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit” for more details.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog Search – Migration Cockpit in the SAP Community
• SAP Blog - Learn How to Migrate Your Data to SAP S/4HANA With SAP S/4HANA
Migration Cockpit
• SAP Online Help Portal: SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 2481235 – SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit (on-premise) – restrictions and
extensibility of pre-delivered migration objects
• SAP Note 2780378 – Composite SAP Note for SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit (all
releases) (SAP Customer)
• SAP Online Help Portal: Available Migration Objects
• SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance: Demo Guides
• Data Migration Landing Page for SAP S/4HANA
• Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA from Staging (2Q2)
• SAP Online Help Portal - Migrate Data Directly from an SAP System
• SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit Community (Public)
• OpenSAP Training - Migrating Your Business Data to SAP S/4HANA – New
Implementation Scenario
• SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit
• Data Migration Tools for the MOVE to SAP S/4HANA - Comparison: MC / RDM / LSMW
Procedure
There are more than 40 learning journeys defined by SAP for enabling (key) users for SAP
S/4HANA. See accelerator section for a link to an overview page.
Accelerators
• SAP S/4HANA Learning Journeys
2.2. Prototype
Description
To properly plan and prepare for the transition, it is key to understand the value of the innovations
delivered by the new system for customer business solutions. Prototyping enables the customer to
evaluate the value addition with real business scenarios using real data.
Prototyping is an optional small project on its own. It requires dedicated planning, execution and final
evaluation; thus, it is always driven by business or IT requirements.
Procedure
The main steps of a prototyping project are as follows (see figure below):
Results
The result of a prototype usually has a significant influence on the main project (e.g. Go / No-Go
decision, learnings on how to prepare the main project, or what functionality to set up).
Procedure
The prototyping project is usually run in the Discovery, Prepare, and Explore phases of the overall
implementation road map. In the Discovery phase, the customer and SAP agree on the detailed
prototyping scope. In the Prepare phase, the project responsibilities and schedule are finalized,
and the team conducts the necessary steps to set up and prepare the prototyping system
landscape. In the Explore phase, the agreed scope of the prototyping project is implemented and
validated.
The service component structure described before is displayed in the following figure. Depending
on the requirements of the specific customer case, further services and service components can
be added.
Further details on the delivery of the prototyping service and the involved services and service
components, see accelerator section.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can join the Expert Guided Implementation session “Set up
Prototype”. This 4-days session explains the main steps required to set up a prototype in the
CAL.
Also, SAP Enterprise Support customers can join the session “SAP Fiori Configuration on SAP
S/4HANA”, which shows how to configure SAP Fiori UX for a Proof of Concept project.
Accelerators
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Service Information – Prototyping
Procedure
• Check the conversion readiness of the current SAP ERP (system conversion scenarios only),
or run a usage and data profiling analysis (system conversions excluded)
• Define the scope and the objectives of the transition
• Determine Business Process Performance Baseline
• Model As-Is Business Processes
• Define the cutover approach (high-level)
• Clarify the adaption of existing custom code, and the development of new custom code (if
required)
• Clarify on Usage of SAP Business Technology Platform
• Create your UX strategy
• Clarify operational readiness
• Define the technical architecture (if not already done in the Discover phase)
• Define the data migration architecture (important for new implementation and selective data
transition)
• Plan your data volume management (important for system conversion and selective data
transition)
• Clarify the impact on your authorization concept
• Prepare interface register
• Run a legacy impact analysis on interface inventory and data integration
• Run a first assessment on Output Management
• Run a first assessment on training requirements
• Optional: Run a Technical Security Self Check
Results
As a result, a first version of an action plan has been documented which could serve as the basis for a
project plan. The plan may define a project with multiple waves and multiple phased go-lives.
A system conversion will always include some business change and transformation e.g. certain
processes and transactions must change as defined by the SAP S/4HANA Simplification List. One
approach is to plan two project waves in a system conversion. The first wave focuses on technical
transition and minimizes business change. After this goes live, a second wave implements business
transformation enabled by SAP S/4HANA e.g. adoption of new Fiori apps. An alternative approach is
to combine the technical and business change together in a single project go-live.
For conversion projects, SAP offers the Migration and Upgrade Planning Workshop (MPW). The
MPW helps to define the scope and execution plan for the customer’s conversion project to SAP
S/4HANA.
• The MPW helps customers who may be considering or planning the transition to SAP
S/4HANA, Suite on HANA, and/or BW on HANA.
• The service provides a holistic overview of the topics required for consideration during the
planning phase of a project, including transition approaches and tools, technical architecture,
sizing, performance and scalability, operational readiness, testing, and quality management.
• A remote assessment of the customer system(s) is conducted in preparation of the onsite
workshop to help determine additional scope items.
• The onsite portion of the service includes knowledge transfer of key concepts and
consideration, to ensure that the customer is making informed decisions.
• The outcome of the workshop includes the development of a system-level transition road
map and a customer tailored high-level milestone project plan.
The MPW covers many of the tasks described before and summarizes the results in a service report.
This consolidated view of critical project planning decisions is why SAP considers the Migration and
Upgrade Planning Workshop as a “mandatory service” component. Details on the MPW can be found
in the accelerator section.
For new implementation scenarios, SAP offers a Transition Planning for New Implementation
(service component). This workshop provides a substantial knowledge package, essential to create
the planning deliverables of the SAP Activate Prepare phase. The customer is supported on
developing and respectively reviewing the planning documents.
The following figure illustrates what areas of the transition road map are considered in the “Transition
Planning for New Implementation” service component:
• Project Management
• Business Processes (scoping)
• UX Empowerment & Review
• Landscape & Architecture
• Data Migration
• Capacity Management
• Extensibility.
Figure: Road map areas touched by the “Transition Planning for New Implementation” (TNI) service
component
The next figure presents the overall approach of the service component.
Figure: “Transition Planning for New Implementation” – Service component approach
• The business process streams are assessed to define the best practice-, data migration- and
Interface-scope.
• Data and peak volumes are collected for capacity management. Quick-Sizer is used to review
an initial sizing.
• UX empowerment & strategy review is conducted.
• A high-level system & solution architecture with interfaces is created.
• The customer is empowered for data migration to SAP S/4HANA.
• An initial scope statement and initial project schedule is developed. Awareness for applicable
project governance and operational standards are addressed in the onsite sessions.
• Existing concepts are reviewed and findings with recommendations in all areas are provided.
• Substantial knowledge on topics as SAP Activate, Best Practices, SAP S4/HANA is provided.
• The service can be delivered to plan a project initially or to review an existing transition
planning.
For selective data transition scenarios, SAP has designed a “Selective Data Transition Planning
Workshop” (SPW). This service component serves to anticipate or uncover the relevant topics that
you need to consider for the planning of their transition and migration to SAP S/4HANA following a
selective data transition scenario. Topic areas are:
• Analysis is conducted in the ERP customer system(s) as prerequisite for the onsite workshop
(for example SAP Readiness Check)
• On-site customer workshop covering a variety of topics to be considered in transition planning
• High level planning of the transition to SAP S/4HANA taking into consideration customer
roadmap and specific needs
• Make use of team of experts from SAP to recommend the best fitting solution approach
considering your custom-specific requirements
• Minimize and anticipate in advance potential topics and risks impacting your transition project
Please ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) or contact directly DMLT for more information.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find a lot of information and services which help you planning
your transition. For instance, there is an expert guided implementation dedicated to support the
planning of your system conversion. You will find all relevant information in the “Prepare” journey.
All SAP customers can listen to the recording of the openSAP training “System Conversion to SAP
S/4HANA”, which gives a good overview about planning and preparatory aspects of a system
conversion project.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Data Management and Landscape Transformation (DMLT) Homepage
• SAP Enterprise Support page for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA Movement - Mapping Your Journey to SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
• Project File Template
• openSAP - Building Tomorrow’s ERP with SAP S/4HANA
• openSAP - Key Functional Topics in a System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA (Repeat)
• openSAP - Key Technical Topics in a System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA (Repeat)
2.3.1. Familiarize with typical Clean Core Aspects in a Conversion Project to SAP
S/4HANA
Objective
At the beginning of a conversion project, the migration planning should directly embrace Clean
Core principles. In addition, governance models and new organizational structures need to be
introduced. As already explained in task “Understand how to achieve clean processes and a clean
process framework in an SAP S/4HANA system conversion project” in the Discover phase, a
Clean Core will not be achieved in a single step in a system conversion, but aiming at a Clean
Core is an ongoing process in which some aspects can be reached easier than others.
Procedure
Familiarize with typical Clean Core Aspects in a Conversion Project to SAP S/4HANA:
• One vital aspect of making the core clean is the reduction of data load prior to the
technical conversion, in combination with increasing the data quality. Especially financial
data quality is a focus of every conversion to SAP S/4HANA project.
• Unused custom core needs to be decommissioned. Custom code which is in use needs to
be remediated to run on SAP S/4HANA in a best way. These tasks are supported with the
“Intelligent Custom Code Management” services. Some custom extensions should be re-
coded on SAP Business Technology Platform
• Customers should evaluate how traditional APIs like RFC and IDoc could be converted
into standard interfaces to reduce interface complexity, adopting modern cloud integration
technology. Customers should further leverage pre-built standard integration flows to the
best extend possible and open up for integration of packaged modular developments
which allow businesses to become more agile and flexible to change.
• An analysis of the business processes is important to understand efficiency and relevance
of the currently implemented processes. Back to standard can be pursued for functional
areas which require functional adjustments due to mandatory simplification items.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
Prerequisites
This task is in particularly important for system conversion and selective data transition (in case
they start with a system conversion) scenarios.
Procedure
If not already done in the Discover phase of the project:
• Perform SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA to collect all relevant data
• Perform functional review workshops to discuss the functional implications
• Perform a technical review workshop for the technical implications
To become familiar with SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA, check out the dedicated landing
page and the community page.
• Simplification Items
• Compatibility Scope Analysis
• Activities Related to Simplification Items
• Add-On Compatibility
• Active Business Functions
• SAP S/4HANA Sizing
• Custom Code Analysis
• Integration
• Customer Vendor Integration Analysis
• Planned Downtime Calculator
• Financial Data Quality
• Recommended SAP Fiori Apps
• SAP Innovative Business Solutions
• Business Process Discovery
• Innovation Potential
All checks are described in detail in the accelerator “SAP Readiness Check - Key Feature
Overview”.
SAP Note 2913617 “SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA” provides detailed information how
to set up the check.
Review and familiarize yourself with the “Functional Review Workshop Guide for System
Conversion” accelerator. Distribute the simplification items to business process experts for review
in their respective line of business to understand the compatibility scope status and associated
business impact. Conduct simplification item workshops by business process areas (ie. Finance,
Procurement, Sales, etc) to go through all the simplification items and classify them into three
groups:
See also the Simplification Item Catalog for details on individual items.
Finance process experts can use Financial Data Quality results to check quality of financial data,
analyse possible inconsistencies, and decide how to resolve them.
Master data experts can leverage Customer Vendor Integration analysis for a status on the current
state of customer vendor integration and data quality issue.
Reference the Functional Review Workshop Guide for System Conversion accelerator for examples
in each of the categories and identify relevant activities required before the project starts, during
and after the conversion project.
In the workshops, customers should also decide if optional Simplification Items will be addressed
as part of the initial phase of the project or in a secondary phase.
The purpose of the workshop is to deep dive into Add-on compatibility, active business functions,
SAP S/4HANA sizing, and custom code analysis from the SAP Readiness Check for planning and
preparing system conversion to S/4HANA.
Review the “Technical Review Workshop Guide for System Conversion” accelerator.
Familiarize yourself with examples provided and schedule workshop(s).
For Add-on Compatibility, run SAP Maintenance Planner Tool to decide on those can be uninstalled
or removed before conversion. Make sure required 3rd party add-ons are certified with latest
S/4HANA release and SAP add-ons are validated for compatibility with the latest S/4HANA release.
Review active business functions and plan to include regression testing activities for the project.
When making decision on SAP S/4HANA sizing, take into consideration of potential Fiori UI
activation, usage of embedded analytics and embedded applications which run separately today
(e.g. Warehouse Management), estimates of potential business growth, and custom coding
adaptation, etc.
A review of custom code analysis is recommended to have a rough order of magnitude estimate on
required adaptation efforts of custom code to work with the new architecture framework.
The Maintenance Planner is a tool that you can launch from the public web (S-user
credentials required), and which runs in a browser.
As shown in the figure above, the Maintenance Planner retrieves information about your
SAP landscape via SAP Solution Manager. Based on this information, you can plan your
change event.
See accelerator section on how to start the Maintenance Planner, and where to find
documentation in the SAP Online Help Portal.
SAP also offers the training “Upgrade of Systems Based on SAP NetWeaver – Advanced
Topics” at openSAP learning platform.
Results
The workshop results describe the implications of SAP S/4HANA; which need to be addressed
either before starting the conversion project, or as part of it.
Details to the individual checks can be found in the SAP Readiness Check Community.
SAP offers the “Value and Implementation Strategy” service component to Premium
Engagement customers, which explains the functional impact on existing business processes in
detail.
For Enterprise Support customers, e-learnings and Expert Guided Implementation (EGI) sessions
are available (see accelerator section). They are bundled in a learning program “Understand SAP
Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA” in the Prepare phase of the Learning Journey for SAP
S/4HANA.
Accelerators
• SAP Readiness Check - Key Feature Overview
• Simplification Item Catalog
• SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA – Landing Page
• SAP Readiness Check Community
• SAP Note 2913617 – SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA
• Technical Review Workshop Guide for System Conversion.ppt
• Functional Review Workshop Guide for System Conversion.ppt
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
• SAP Blog - SAP Readiness Check – How to Update Your Implementation of SAP
Readiness Check to Support SAP S/4HANA 2023
• SAP Note 2318321 - Differences in SUM for the rescue of Non-SAP objects between load
and delta procedure
• SAP Note 2408272 - Analyzing Results of Object Directory Entry and Software
Component Check
• SAP Note 3340515 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade preparation phase
•
• SAP Note 3340526 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade follow-on phase
• SAP Note 2351294 – SAP S/4HANA System Conversion/Upgrade: Measures to reduce
technical downtime
• openSAP - Key Functional Topics in a System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA (Repeat)
• openSAP - Key Technical Topics in a System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA (Repeat)
2.3.3. Run a Usage and Data Profiling Analysis
Objective
Customers who are planning for a strategic new implementation – that is implementing SAP
S/4HANA newly although they are using SAP ERP 6.0 today – should run a usage and data
profiling analysis in the current SAP ERP 6.0 system.
Precondition
The current ERP system in use is SAP ERP 6.0. This task is not relevant for customers who have
already decided to transition to SAP S/4HANA via system conversion.
Procedure
The SAP Readiness Check for SAP ERP Usage and Data Profiling is a self-service and free of
charge. By extracting and analyzing data of the current SAP ERP 6.0, It generates valuable
profiles for these topic areas:
The individual tiles are described in the accelerator SAP Readiness Check - Key Feature
Overview.
For more details, please see SAP Note 3112362 - SAP Readiness Check for SAP ERP Usage
and Data Profiling, and SAP Blog - General Availability of Two New SAP Readiness Check
Scenarios.
Use the results in the tasks Define Scope and Objectives and Define the Data Migration Approach
and Strategy of this activity.
Accelerators
• SAP Readiness Check - Key Feature Overview
• SAP Note 3112362 - SAP Readiness Check for SAP ERP Usage and Data Profiling
• SAP Blog - General Availability of Two New SAP Readiness Check Scenarios
The starting point typically describes the SAP solution in focus, the transition target product, and
the systems in scope (either to be converted, or to be replaced by a new installation). In addition,
already planned changes to the SAP solution and further boundary conditions must be
determined.
The objectives comprise the business and IT requirements related to the new functionality and
technology available with SAP S/4HANA, e.g.
Procedure
Document the scope of the SAP S/4HANA transition project. Clarify and describe the following
general aspects:
• Expectations from the business
• Expectations from IT
• Target product including anticipated functional quick wins
• SAP solution / business processes in scope for the conversion / implementation
• Business data in scope for migration
• Related SAP systems (name, SAP products, release, database size, and business
criticality)
Process the subsequent tasks in the road map to enhance the scoping document with boundary
conditions and requirements from the business, as well as requirements and prerequisites from
the target product perspective.
The functional to-be scope can be described by using “scope items” and “pre-configuration
content” from the SAP Best Practices. The content is published in a viewer tool named “SAP
Signavio Process Navigator”.
Figure: Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA in the SAP Signavio Process Navigator
The SAP S/4HANA transition project can be combined with already planned infrastructure
changes, e.g. the replacement of server hardware or the introduction of a virtualization solution for
the application server layer. This can help to reduce the overall effort for all change activities.
Consequently, further limitations or opportunities might exist, which need to be incorporated.
These boundary conditions need to be known to the transition project to integrate them in the
planning and execution.
Document already planned software or hardware changes in the SAP solution landscape, which
are to be synchronized with the transition project. Examples are:
Document release plans or calendars of development projects in the target SAP solution.
Before planning more detailed transition steps, the current SAP solution needs to be described in
detail, so that the required target SAP solution architecture and related transition steps can be
derived (“Inventory”). So if for example the server hardware needs to be changed, the capabilities
of the current server hardware and the related technical architecture of the SAP systems need to
be understood in detail to design the future technical architecture and its mapping to the new
hardware.
Similarly, for new implementations, see the Transition Planning for New Implementation in the
activity Transition Planning.
Accelerators
• SAP Product Availability Matrix
• SAP Blog - Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA – the golden standard for
Best Practices – What’s new?
• SAP Blog - Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA – Information Hub
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• SAP Blog - Process Navigator by SAP released today!
• SAP Blog - Winning together: SAP Signavio Process Explorer and SAP Signavio Process
Navigator join forces
Procedure
In the old SAP ERP system, identify areas of interest based on the insights and your comparison
with industry peers from the benchmarking data provided.
Identify process variants, and their performance, to determine the business best practices, and to
detect process harmonization potential.
Results
The business process performance has been documented for the old SAP ERP system.
2.3.6. Model As-Is Business Processes
Objective
The purpose of this task is to understand current business processes to better understand the
impact and change needs when transforming to SAP S/4HANA.
Procedure
Import existing as-is business processes from SAP Solution Manager, or from another third-party
process modelling tool. See the “Workspace Administration” section in the SAP Signavio
Process Manager Process Manager User Guide accelerator for more information on how to
import business process models from SAP Solution Manager, or from other third-party process
modeling tools.
Manually model any missing as-is business processes. See the “Modeling”, “Modeling
Notation”, and “Modeling with QuickModel” sections in the SAP Signavio Process Manager
Process Manager User Guide accelerator for more information on how to create business
process models in SAP Signavio.
Please note:
• See the SAP Signavio Tutorial Videos accelerator for various videos on how to model in
SAP Signavio.
• For more detailed information on how to import business process models from SAP
Solution Manager 7.2, see the “SAP Signavio Process Manager for SAP Solution
Manager 7.2” sub-section under the “Workspace Administration” section in the SAP
Signavio Process Manager Process Manager User Guide accelerator.
• To see how SAP Signavio and SAP Solution Manager integrate, see the SAP Signavio
and SAP Solution Manager Integration Video accelerator.
• For more detailed information on how to import business process models from SAP
Solution Manager 7.2 see the “Importing/Exporting Diagrams and Uploading Files”
sub-section under the “Workspace Administration” section in the SAP Signavio Process
Manager Process Manager User Guide accelerator.
Results:
The as-is business processes are modeled in SAP Signavio.
Accelerators
• SAP Signavio Process Manager Process Manager User Guide (SAP Customer)
• SAP Signavio Tutorial Videos (SAP Customer)
• SAP Signavio and SAP Solution Manager Integration Video (SAP Customer)
Procedure
The cutover approach for system conversion and new implementation differs.
• System conversion:
A system conversion either starts from an SAP ERP 6.0 system (Unicode, single stack),
or from SAP S/4HANA Finance (1503 or 1605). This road map documents the system
conversion to the newest release of SAP S/4HANA.
System conversion to older releases are documented in former road map versions which
are available as PDF documents on request. Please also note that this road map does not
cover upgrade procedures (e.g. the upgrade from SAP S/4HANA 1610 to SAP S/4HANA
2020). See SAP Note 2426277 “Add. info. on converting to SAP S/4HANA using SUM 2.0
SP00” for details.
Please check the Product Availability Matrix for OS requirements of your dialog instances.
Please check the landing page of the SL Toolset (accelerator section) to find the latest
appropriate SUM version, and the respective SAP Note for more information.
A cutover planning starts from a system-level transition road map which documents the
conversion sequence, and the creation of temporary systems to keep up a production
support track.
The following figure shows an example of such a transition road map in six cycles.
The implementation and conversion tools are documented in the Conversion Guide for
SAP S/4HANA. In the case of system conversion and depending on the DB and start
release of your SAP ERP, you either use Software Update Manager (SUM), or the
database migration option (DMO) of SUM. DMO of SUM allows you to:
• SAP HANA database to SAP HANA database: If you run a system already on an
SAP HANA database, you carry out the conversion using SUM without the
database migration option.
• Any database to SAP HANA database: If you run a system on a database other
than SAP HANA, you carry out the conversion using SUM with the database
migration option.
By consolidating the scope into a single change event, it helps to keep the overall project
costs low (cost reduction by having only one large change event test leading to only one
test round). SUM, and DMO of SUM are documented in great detail in the SAP Help
Portal (see Accelerator’s section).
The following figure lists the main tools and actions as documented in the Conversion
Guide for SAP S/4HANA. The Maintenance Planner and the application pre-checks have
been explained in the task “Check Conversion Readiness of SAP ERP” earlier in this
activity. Please also consider the cross-application and application specific preparation
and follow-up activities listed in the Conversion Guide for SAP S/4HANA.
Figure: The main tools and actions as documented in the “Conversion Guide for SAP
S/4HANA”
The overall conversion approach should highlight the phases required to complete the
project, along with the estimated duration, resource types, and infrastructure required to
support each phase of the project. If insufficient time is allocated to a specific project
phase, it could result in undue risk to the stability of the solution. If the requirements or
boundary conditions are unclear at this point, it could lead to scope creep and/or
unexpected delays. Therefore, it is important to have a clear understanding of the road
map steps leading up to this task, as they heavily influence the end result.
At this stage of the project, it is important to determine how the systems will be converted.
There are many influencing factors that could drive the appropriate approach for a specific
system. Some factors to consider include, but are not limited to:
Finally, the productive SAP ERP system is converted to the productive SAP S/4HANA
during cutover weekend.
Please note:
o There are multiple reasons why a productive SAP system may contain business
data inconsistencies (e.g. wrong customer reports, direct manipulation of
business data on DB level…). Those business data inconsistencies may lead to
problems during the system conversion. Ideally, they are either corrected before
in the SAP ECC source system before conversion starts, or marked as irrelevant
by an auditor.
o Consistency check reports from SAP can run in the productive SAP ECC source
system on the old data structures only. These check programs do not show every
error that can come up during system conversion to SAP S/4HANA. As a result,
there might be the requirement to perform multiple test conversion runs.
Upcoming data inconsistencies are then corrected in both sandbox and the
productive SAP ECC source system, and the sandbox run is repeated afterwards.
o The number of required test conversion runs can be estimated after the first
sandbox conversion.
o Please see the lessons-learned document on finance in the accelerator section
for more details.
• New Implementation:
The installation procedure is fully documented in the Installation Guide for SAP S/4HANA
(and included links; see accelerator section). It provides information on the installation
process itself, and the installation follow-up activities. The figure below lists the main
activities and tools used for plan, system installation, and system upgrade.
From a tool perspective the planning for a new implementation also starts in the
Maintenance Planner which have been explained in the task “Check Conversion
Readiness of SAP ERP” earlier in this activity. The installation of the SAP S/4HANA
system is executed by the Software Provisioning Manager. The Software Update
Manager (SUM) later on updates SAP S/4HANA to the required target level.
Figure: The main tools and actions for system installation and upgrade
Once your first SAP S/4HANA system (the “DEV” (development) system) is installed you
will have two options to continue:
• You can use SAP Best Practices content. This is configuration content you can
download and install in your new & empty SAP S/4HANA system. It pre-
configures your business processes as described in scope items in the SAP
Signavio Process Navigator. See task “Define Scope and Objectives” of this
activity for details.
The download and selective activation of scope items is described in the
“Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best
Practices”. The activation is documented in transport requests.
QAS and PRD systems are newly installed like DEV. Here you will not activate
scope items but transport related customizing settings from DEV to QAS and
later to the new PRD.
• In case you cannot use SAP Best Practices content, you will continue
configuration of your business processes by using SAP Reference
Implementation Guide (transaction SPRO).
In case of new implementation, the data migration from source systems to the new SAP
S/4HANA system plays an important role. "New implementation means”: Only master
data and open items / balances are migrated – no transactional or history data. Migration
of master data into the new SAP S/4HANA system usually happens to a large extend in
front of the cutover weekend. At cutover weekend, only the remaining part of master data
and the open balances are migrated into the new productive SAP S/4HANA system
(PRD).
It is important to understand that the new PRD system is build up in parallel where the old
productive SAP ERP (or non-SAP ERP system) is still in productive mode. Also after Go-
Live, the old productive system often remains “productive” for a certain transition period
until all functionality and data has been transferred to the new SAP S/4HANA (multiple
“phased Go-Lives”). This is different compared to “System Conversion”, where the old
productive system is no longer available after Go-Live (“Big Bang”).
The overall implementation approach should highlight the phases required to complete
the project, along with the estimated duration, resource types, and infrastructure required
to support each phase of the project.
If insufficient time is allocated to a specific project phase, it could result in undue risk to
the stability of the solution. If the requirements or boundary conditions are unclear at this
point, it could lead to scope creep and/or unexpected delays. Therefore, it is important to
have a clear understanding of the road map steps leading up to this task, as they heavily
influence the end result.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Obtain and document the permitted business downtime for the system in scope.
• Estimate the downtime requirements for the system conversion / installation, data transfer
and the data model conversion.
• Document the cut-over approach for the product landscape in scope.
• Evaluate potential interim states (if applicable based on the source and target platforms)
based on the Product Availability Matrix.
• Review the available SAP Software Change Management Strategy documentation to
align the project to the existing processes and procedures. For example, the strategy
may dictate the required transport landscape, duration and types of testing required for
such a change event.
• Upload all documents to the SAP Solution Manager so information can be shared across
the project team.
Results
There is a first version of a cut-over document available in SAP Solution Manager.
Similarly, for new implementations, see the Transition Planning for New Implementation in the
activity Transition Planning.
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find all relevant guides mentioned in
this task here)
• SAP Note 693168 - Minimized Downtime Service
• System Conversion
o SL Toolset Landing Page
o SAP Community Blog - System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA: SUM is the tool
o SAP S/4HANA Conversion, Finance Part
• New Implementation
o SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Installation guide for
all releases here)
o SL Toolset Landing Page
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best
Practices
o SAP Signavio Process Navigator
o SAP Note 2573352 - SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on premise)
Activation in a client with SAP_ALL copy
Procedure
Make yourself familiar with the extension concept of SAP S/4HANA. Please see the document
“Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations - A Practical Guide for Senior IT
Leadership” in the accelerator section.
This guide presents custom code migration from a broad perspective with focus on custom code
avoidance, and provides the following sequence as recommended for system conversions:
1. As-Is analysis: Gain full transparency on your custom code situation in the productive
SAP ECC
2. Decommission unused custom code: Decommission custom code which is not in use.
This activity may start long time in front of a system conversion, during conversion, and
should continue afterwards
3. Back-to-Standard where possible: Try to replace custom code by SAP or partner code.
This holds true in particular for modifications, clones etc., and for custom code areas
which are impacted by simplifications.
4. Adjust custom code for SAP S/4HANA (re-design/re-platform): Many existing custom
code objects will run on SAP S/4HANA without any need for adjustment. However, some
code objects have to be adjusted (e.g. by using “Quick Fixes”), and some should be
adjusted according to the extensibility concept for SAP S/4HANA (in-app, side-by-side).
Make yourself familiar with the topic of custom code migration. SAP recommends the following
information sources:
• You should start with the SAP Blogs “SAP S/4HANA System Conversion – Custom code
adaptation process” and “Semi-automatic custom code adaptation after SAP S/4HANA
system conversion”, and the “FAQ document on custom code adaption”.
• Another good starting point into the topic is given in the SAP White Paper “Custom
Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations”. This white paper is about the essential
concepts for a modern enterprise application’s extensibility, guides through the key aspects of
dealing with custom code during a system conversion and also offers practical advice for
customers who run a new implementation of SAP S/4HANA or launch new SAP technologies.
• Another good overview document (with many links included) is “Custom Code Management
during an SAP S/4HANA Conversion”.
• Detailed information is given in the “Custom Code Migration Guide for SAP S/4HANA
2023”
With SAP S/4HANA release 2022 onwards, you may investigate the new extensibility option
“Embedded Steampunk” or “On-Stack Development”. With this option, you can develop cloud-
ready ABAP code in your SAP S/4HANA on premise. Check SAP Blog “Embedded Steampunk –
Some more details for ABAP developers”.
You will find links to all documents in the accelerator section.
The figure lists the custom code migration process in the context of a system conversion including
the relevant tools and required activities.
Make yourself familiar with the tools by reading the documentation listed above. In case you
already have an SAP NetWeaver system of minimal release 7.52 available in your system
landscape, you can use ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC) there and analyze the custom code in SAP
ERP remotely. Follow the instructions given in the information sources from above.
Otherwise, you need to wait for the Explore phase when the first sandbox system becomes
available.
Results
You are familiar with the tools and the process for custom code adaption.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information on custom code management and the
impact analysis in the context of SAP S/4HANA conversion in the “Become competent” section of
the “Prepare” learning journey.
See accelerator section for details. A description of important SAP tools on custom code can be
found there as well.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - SAP MaxAttention Innovation Workshop ‘Intelligent Custom Code
Management’
• SAP Blog - S/4HANA system conversion - Custom code adaptation process
• SAP Blog - Semi-automatic custom code adaptation after SAP S/4HANA system
conversion
• SAP Blog - Custom code adaptation for SAP S/4HANA – FAQ
• SAP White Paper - Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations
• SAP Best Practices Document - Custom Code Management during an SAP S/4HANA
Conversion
• Custom Code Migration Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2023
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• Service Information – Service Components for Custom Code Management
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
• SAP Community – ABAP Extensibility
• SAP Blog - Embedded Steampunk – Some more details for ABAP developers
In this task, you should decide if SAP Business Technology Platform should be used in your SAP
S/4HANA implementation project.
Procedure
SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) brings together application development, data and
analytics, integration, automation, and AI capabilities in one unified environment.
If not already done, make yourself familiar with SAP Business Technology Platform (see links in
the accelerator section).
Based on the functional to-be scope, and your strategy for extensibility, analytics, integration and
UX, you should decide whether to use SAP Business Technology Platform in your implementation
project or not. The following list provides examples:
• Extensibility: Extend SAP S/4HANA on SAP BTP to keep the core clean, and to use
Artificial Intelligence. Use SAP and partner products running on SAP BTP, to seamlessly
extend the SAP standard business processes.
• Analytics: Take use of storing data from multiple source systems on SAP BTP, and
powerful analytics and visualization tools.
• Integration: Use SAP Cloud Platform Integration to connect your SAP S/4HANA with
other SAP and Non-SAP components, inside your IT and outside (e.g. your suppliers).
• UX: Set up a central Fiori launchpad to provide convenient access to multiple SAP
products.
Please note that there are different commercial models for using SAP BTP.
The "Architecture Pont of View" SAP Business Technology Platform - SAP Integration Suite
and SAP Extension Suite Product Supplement" gives specific support and explains roadmap
options in an early phase of a project development or service implementation in SAP BTP. Main
topics in this APoV are:
The openSAP course “SAP Business Technology Platform in a Nutshell” gives an introduction
and a first overview on SAP BTP. A good read is also the CIO Guide “Best Practices for SAP
Business Technology Platform”.
The SAP Business Technology Platform Tutorials are a video series highlighting several aspects
and features of the SAP BTP.
Accelerators
• SAP Business Technology Platform
• SAP Business Technology Platform Solutions
• SAP Business Technology Platform-Basic Concept (Public)
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• openSAP - SAP Business Technology Platform in a Nutshell
2.3.10. Run the “User Experience Strategy and Guiding Principles” Workshop
Description
The purpose of this task is to run a workshop to agree on the initial User Experience(UX) Strategy
and Guiding Principles. The goal is to agree on guiding principles that will optimize user adoption
and document a UX Roadmap that manages the pace of change. The UX Strategy describes the
guiding principles, the main business outcomes, the main design decisions, and the roadmap for
providing SAP Fiori UX to the business users. Refer to the accelerator User Experience Strategy
Template accelerator.
The UX Strategy should be a living document that is continually updated as expectations and
requirements change. For example: the tasks Run the Envision the Future workshops, Fit-to-
standard workshops, and Review the Realized User Experience Benefits workshop may result in
updates to the UX Strategy.
Prerequisites
• Task Run the Establish the Business Value of User Experience Workshop from the
Discovery phase has been executed
• The project team is empowered regarding SAP Fiori (see task Self-Enable on SAP Fiori
for S/4HANA).
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
1. Understand the SAP solutions in scope and any plans to expand on these.
2. Review the list of prioritized business roles and UX Value Goals.
3. Collect any other known current or future UX / UI requirements from the business. For
example, review the business strategy and business objectives, such as plans for greater
mobile device usage and intelligent technologies.
4. Review the accelerator User Experience Strategy Template accelerator as an example
of what to include in your UX Strategy.
5. Review the accelerator Fiori launchpad best practice verification checklist accelerator
for further ideas regarding guiding principles. There are also some examples of guiding
principles in the Appendix section of the workshop template.
6. Understand the perceptions and paint points from the business perspective for the current
User Experience (UX)
7. Review the UX/UI requirements from the business that were gathered in the task
Establish the business value of User Experience.
8. Understand the business priorities by reviewing and discussing the business priorities and
their UX Value Goals from the task Establish the business value of User Experience.
Also discuss how to manage the pace of change across the organization.
9. Agree on the high level UX roadmap based on discussions around which business groups
are prioritized for change and why (pain points, opportunities, strategic/tactical/operational
business goals)
10. Discuss Guiding Principles.
11. Design the UX strategy with SAP Fiori, based on collected requirements.
12. Agree how the strategy will be updated as your UX roadmap continues.
Update the UX Strategy document following the workshop, with the guiding principles and
decisions made referring to the UX Strategy Template. The UX Roadmap also needs to be
updated.
Accelerators
• Finding available SAP Fiori Apps (Public)
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori Apps Recommendation Report – Easy discovery of relevant SAP
Fiori Apps (Public)
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori for S/4HANA – Rapid Activation Task List Updates and Quick Guide
(Public)
• SAP Note 3336823 - SAP FIORI FOR SAP S/4HANA 2023: Release Information Note
• Quick Guide to Evaluating SAP Fiori apps (Public)
• SAP Fiori Launchpad Best Practice Verification Checklist (Public)
• UX Adoption: UX Strategy and Guiding Principles Workshop (Public)
• User Experience Strategy Template (Public)
• Service Information – Service Components for Architecture Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
In the “Scope the Future” workshop the focus is on selecting the available apps and features
that meet the needs of your custom business roles, based on the business roles and UX
Value Goals in scope. You start by exploring the closest-fit SAP Business Roles. Guidance is
provided on how roles are refined and how apps are evaluated.
In the “Envision the Future” workshop the focus is on reviewing the to-be impact on the
business roles in scope based on the list of apps selected in the Scope the Future workshop.
Make any adjustments needed to ensure desired business outcomes and priority tasks are
covered, and/or adjust the UX Adoption roadmap. Discuss baseline/target metrics to measure
business benefit. Confirm business role owners for fit and realization decisions. In preparation for
Fit-to-standard workshops, plans are made for exploring the selected new UX per business role.
Prerequisite:
• Task Run the Establish the Business Value of User Experience Workshop from the
Discover phase has been executed
• Task Run the User Experience Strategy and Guiding Principles Workshop from this
activity has been executed
Procedure:
1. Review the target Business Roles, with the business process experts, that were identified
in task Run the Establish the Business Value of User Experience Workshop along with
their prioritized UX Value Goals.
2. Run the UX Adoption: Scope the Future workshop by following the guidance from the
UX Adoption: Scope the Future Workshop accelerator. Below is a summary of the
steps:
• Understand Business roles in Fiori
• Understand roles and app Selection
• Summarize app selection per business role in scope
• Explore SAP delivered business roles
• Understand how to refine business roles
• Understand how to evaluate SAP Fiori apps
3. Run the UX Adoption: Envision the future workshop by following the guidance from the
UX Adoption: Envision the Future Workshop accelerator. Below is a summary of the
steps:
• Review the business roles and assign role owners
• Review outcomes and tasks for each UX Value Goal
• Review target apps selected by business role
• Identify metrics for business benefits realization
• Review and update the UX adoption roadmap
• Plan for exploring the new UX per Business Role in scope
If you have many target business roles to explore, you can run multiple Scope the Future and
Envision the Future workshops. For example, you may want to explore roles in the same business
area (Finance, Procurement, Sales, etc.) together.
Accelerators
• Finding available SAP Fiori Apps (Public)
• SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA – Landing Page
• Process Discovery Home Page (SAP Customer)
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori Apps Recommendation Report – Easy discovery of relevant SAP
Fiori Apps (Public)
• SAP Fiori App Reference Library (Public)
• SAP Fiori Lighthouse Scenarios (Public)
• SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder (Public)
• Quick Guide to Evaluating SAP Fiori apps (Public)
• UX Adoption: Envision the Future Workshop (Public)
• UX Adoption: Scope the Future Workshop (Public)
• UX Value Goal App Selection Guides (Public)
Procedure
• Learn about SAP Fiori by reviewing the SAP Fiori lighthouse scenarios accelerator.
• Review, clarify and document / update the SAP Fiori concept in general. This includes the
technical architecture, data provisioning, role model, or SAP Fiori Apps Library.
• Collect UX / UI requirements from the business. This is not limited to current requirements
on SAP GUI or SAP Business Client. For instance, think about mobile scenarios planned
with SAP S/4HANA in future.
• Design / Update a strategy with SAP Fiori, based on collected requirements. The strategy
also describes the future SAP Fiori Front End Service architecture. As an input into your
UX / UI strategy, you can order a free of charge “SAP Fiori Apps Recommendation
Report” early in the project. The report provides recommendations based on your current
system usage. See SAP blog “SAP Fiori Apps Recommendation Report – Easy
discovery of relevant SAP Fiori Apps” accelerator for details.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - How To Explore “Fiori Apps Reference Library” For SAP S/4 HANA Apps
(Public)
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori Apps Recommendation Report – Easy discovery of relevant SAP
Fiori Apps (Public)
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori for S/4HANA – Rapid Activation Task List Updates and Quick Guide
(Public)
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA – Fundamentals (Public)
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA – New Rapid Content Activation on SAP
S/4HANA 2020, 1909, 1809 & 1709 – Part 1 – Overview (Public)
• SAP Fiori App Reference Library (Public)
• SAP Fiori Community (Public)
• SAP Fiori Lighthouse Scenarios (Public)
• SAP Help Portal: SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit for SAP S/4HANA 2021 (Public)
• SAP Note 2818267 - Data Volume Management during migration to SAP S/4HANA (SAP
Customer)
• SAP Note 3067553 - SAP FIORI FOR SAP S/4HANA 2021: Release Information Note
(SAP Customer)
• UX Adoption: Envision the Future Workshop (Public)
• UX Adoption: Scope the Future Workshop (Public)
• UX Adoption: UX Strategy and Guiding Principles Workshop (Public)
• UX Value Goal App Selection Guides (Public)
• User Experience Strategy Template (Public)
• Service Information – Service Components for Architecture Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
2.3.13. Clarify Operational Readiness
Description
With the introduction of a new solution like SAP S/4HANA, your current IT support framework will
change. For this, many aspects need to be considered.
SAP provides guidance on the target IT support process activities, tools and resources required
for you to safely and efficiently operate the new SAP solutions in its environment. SAP provides,
for example, Best Practices on daily DB administration procedures, troubleshooting procedures,
monitoring tools, knowledge content for the resources to be ramped up for the post go live
operation.
Clarification on the steps required to ensure the IT Operational Readiness will be given later in the
Explore Phase (see activity Operations Impact Evaluation). As a result, several tasks will be
defined and included in the conversion plan.
Procedure
Customers who are new to SAP, should look at SAP’s general recommendations to set up a
Customer Center of Expertise. At least a primary CCOE certification should be gained.
SAP has also published SAP Support Standards which should be implemented as part of the
standard IT support processes.
See also the Operations Guide for SAP S/4HANA in the SAP Online Help Portal (accelerator
section).
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Operations guide for all
releases here)
• Customer Center of Expertise
• Getting Started with Primary CCOE
• Primary CCOE Check List
• Customer COE and CIO Guides
• SAP Support Standards
• MANAGING HYBRID SOLUTIONS: Application Lifecycle Management best practices
Procedure
Collect information for the following topics (as far as already available):
• Future and existing technical platform (hardware platform, virtualization solution, OS)
• Hyperscaler specific information (if relevant)
• General SAP application server architecture
• Availability SLAs for unplanned downtimes
• Data center strategy
• HA architecture and DR strategy and architecture
• Non-production and production landscape
• System to data center mapping
• Planned server hardware (application servers and SAP HANA) and storage hardware
• Integration with cloud services (e.g. with SAP Business Technology Platform for side-by-
side extensions of SAP S/4HANA)
• Backup solution
Based on the results, create a first sketch of a technical deployment plan, by mapping the
systems and technical components to the hardware. The technical deployment plan documents
which system runs on which server. This deployment plan is the basis for ordering the hardware
at your hardware provider. The plan is constantly refined throughout the project.
Please note: Customers who do not have any experience with SAP, or with SAP HANA should
study the existing material on SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA before starting this task, because
the definition of the technical architecture requires sound knowledge on many technical aspects. A
good entry point to get this knowledge is the learning room “SAP S/4HANA On-premise Value
Map – SAP Enterprise Support” in the SAP Learning Hub, which bundles service offerings and
further information for SAP Enterprise Support customers. Information on the SAP HANA
infrastructure can be found in the “Explore” learning journey.
The procedure on how to define the technical architecture differs depending on the scenario: For
instance, customers converting their existing SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA can do the sizing based
on their existing SAP ERP. Customers installing a new SAP S/4HANA system replacing a legacy
system need to do the sizing based on users or business document volumes using “Quick Sizer”
tool. SAP has bundled all information on sizing methods, guidelines and the Quick Sizer tool in a
central landing page for sizing (accelerator section). Recommended readings from this page are:
• The introductory resources on sizing in general and per implementation scenario, and the
technical articles on SAP HANA sizing
• The hardware sizing decision tree
• The SAP Sizing Guidelines
• The document on “Expert Sizing”
Alternatively, customers can ask their hardware provider to make a first proposal for a technical
deployment plan.
Finally, you should make yourself familiar with SAP’s revision and maintenance strategy for SAP
HANA because administrative functionality provided by SAP HANA could be release-dependent.
See SAP Note 2021789 – “SAP HANA Revision and Maintenance Strategy” for details.
Results
As a result of this task, a technical deployment plan exists.
The service component is the foundation for all additional service components delivered within the
Technical Architecture & Infrastructure work stream. It provides a high-level overview of the topics
described above and is the starting point for more detailed discussion with the hardware partner.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can look up the information on the SAP HANA infrastructure in
the “Become competent” section of the “Explore” learning journey.
Accelerators
• SAP S/4HANA Value Map
• SAP Value Assurance – Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Sizing – Central Landing Page
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• SAP Note 2378962 – SAP HANA 2.0 Revision and Maintenance Strategy
• openSAP: SAP on Hyperscalers – Strategy, Architecture and Deployment
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey – Explore
2.3.15. Define the Data Migration Approach and Strategy (New Implementation and
Selective Data Transition)
Description
The purpose of this task is to create a first strategy on how to migrate business data from source
systems.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for new implementation and selective data transition scenarios.
Procedure
It is important to determine early how data is transferred from legacy to the new system.
There are many influencing factors that could drive the appropriate approach for a specific
system. Some factors to consider include, but are not limited to:
For the new implementation scenario, SAP provides the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit
(Migrate Your Data app). It helps you to transfer your master data and business data from
SAP systems and non-SAP systems to all SAP S/4HANA. The migration cockpit is part of the
SAP S/4HANA solution and included in its license.
The migration cockpit comes with preconfigured content for SAP S/4HANA. Customers can
adjust configuration via migration object modeler to integrate their own data (transaction
LTMOM). See accelerator “Data Migration Landing Page for SAP S/4HANA (Public)” to get
more information on SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit.
A combination of SAP Advanced Data Migration by Syniti with SAP Data Services provides
the orchestration, extraction, transformation, and data quality capabilities that are essential for
migrating complex data to SAP S/4HANA. SAP Advanced Data Migration is built specifically
to automate a best-practice process for data migration and to orchestrate the process of SAP
and third-party data migrations to SAP S/4HANA. It offers a collaboration platform enabling all
stakeholders to deliver their tasks in a guided, controlled, auditable, and secure environment.
SAP Advanced Data Migration by Syniti is also available as an on-premise installation with
many of the same benefits and features. The tool can also be used in selective data transition
projects for data cleansing and preparation and works in combination with other tools offered
by SAP services.
If not already done, make yourself familiar with data migration in SAP S/4HANA. See task Self-
Enable on SAP S/4HANA Data Migration in this phase for more details.
To plan your data migration project, consider the following activities. They are not strictly
sequential and can be repetitive.
Data analysis
• Determine business objects to migrate. This is supported by the functional scoping – see task
Define Scope and Objectives of this activity
• Identify source data systems. This is supported by the functional scoping – see task Define
Scope and Objectives of this activity
• Determine load sequence (as some migration objects are dependent on other migration
objects)
• Identify tools (data cleansing tools, data load tools, data validation tools)
Mapping
• Create mapping and conversion rules
Implementation
• Create/adopt data migration procedures
• Create/adopt data extraction procedures
Data validation
• Define validation rules
• Validate data
Data cleansing
• Analyze data cleansing demand
• Perform data cleansing
Once the functional design has been fully defined in the Explore phase, data migration will be
further detailed. Please see activity Data Migration Design in the Explore phase for more details.
SAP also offers a dedicated service component Data Migration Architecture, to discuss the data
migration scenarios and tools. See also task Define the Implementation Strategy in the Discover
phase.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information and services on data migration in the
context of SAP S/4HANA in the “Become competent” section of the “Explore” learning journey.
Accelerators
• SAP Value Assurance – Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Data Services at the SAP Help Portal
• SAP Press - Migrating to SAP S/4HANA
• Data Migration Landing Page for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey – Explore
• Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA from Staging (2Q2)
• SAP Data Services
• SAP Advanced Data Migration by Syniti
• SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit
• Data Management and Landscape Transformation – Landing Page
Analyze the current database and determine how much data can be archived or deleted upfront of
an SAP S/4HANA implementation.
• Sizing results indicate the need for an SAP HANA server larger than the expected
• DVM Alerts from the SAP Early Watch Alert report indicate a need for DVM
• Data archiving is already actively used. This indicates the need to adjust the archiving
strategy according to the new data models
• The system is older than 5 years and no significant data archiving has been scheduled
and there is a high probability that data is on the system that is no longer relevant for daily
business processes.
• Customer requires a roadmap to support their SAP HANA conversion proactively.
In those cases, SAP recommends to further analyze, if there should be additional DVM activities
included in the SAP S/4HANA implementation project.
Precondition is a first estimate on the expected database size of SAP HANA (see task Define
Technical Architecture under this activity).
Procedure
Use common analysis tools like DVM Work Center in SAP Solution Manager, transactions DB02,
TAANA, and SE12. However, in case you have not archived before, it could be challenging to
identify the key archiving objects and their saving potential.
Results
A decision for future DVM activities as part of this project and road map on how to proceed with
DVM (e.g. with clean-up or archiving) prior to a transition to SAP S/4HANA.
SAP can perform this task with the “Data Volume Planning” service component. Based on a
detailed analysis of the database the amount of data (in GB) is determined, that can either be
archived or deleted according to SAP’s best practices. Based on this analysis, possible follow-up
activities are identified. In a workshop these activities (data archiving or deletion) are discussed
and prioritized considering aspects like:
• Expected savings.
• Complexity (i.e. the extent of how business processes may be affected by the activities).
Considering the usually limited amount of time and resources, there should be a focus on so
called quick-wins, i.e. data that can be considered as basis and cross-application data and
that can be removed from the database without having too intensive and difficult discussions
with the business owners.
• SAP S/4HANA relevance (i.e. are these business objects that are simplified and therefore
undergo specific conversion routines which will affect the downtime).
The workshop also includes knowledge transfer on discussions about the infrastructure
requirements for data archiving and a suitable project setup for the implementation.
• Go or No-Go decision for future DVM activities in the scope of the S/4HANA conversion
project.
• In case of Go, the result will be a road map that defines the exact scope of the data volume
management activities including timelines, estimated effort, required teams and resources for
the individual data archiving and deletion activities.
• Based on this road map, the next step of defining a Data Volume Management strategy will
be performed.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information and services on data volume
management in the context of SAP S/4HANA in the “Become competent” section of the “Explore”
learning journey.
Accelerators
• SAP Note 2818267 – Data Volume Management during migration to SAP S/4HANA
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital
Transformation
• SAP WIKI on Data Volume Management
• SAP Value Assurance – Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey – Explore
Procedure
Evaluate the quality and actuality of your authorization concept and compare this to the
requirements in your future S/4HANA system.
Accelerators
• SAP Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
Procedure
All interfaces are documented within a central document (called “interface register”). By specifying
the interfaces in predefined attributes, a clear grouping into technology and interface types is
possible, which allows to integrate the corresponding requirements into the project scoping and
planning structures.
Once an interface scope has been agreed, the interface register is updated using a change
control process.
1. The interface register template is initially pre-populated by the customer with legacy
interfaces, that are in scope for re-implementation against the new SAP S/4HANA system.
2. New to-be implemented interfaces are included into the interface register.
In case SAP Solution Manager 7.2 is available, it is recommended to document interfaces directly
there as part of the overall solution documentation. Concentrating interface and business process
information centrally in SAP Solution Manager has a couple of advantages:
• Increased visibility and avoidance of duplicate maintenance of interface data in different tools.
• The effect of planned downtimes in your solution landscape can be judged more easily,
especially in case the interfaces are assigned to business processes.
• In case a system has stopped unexpectedly, or a particular interface has become stuck due to
technical errors, you can identify the affected business processes directly in SAP Solution
Manager.
• Finally, there is an integration with the interface & connection monitoring application. Interface
attribute data maintained in interface documentation can be used to configure interface
channels for monitoring & alerting.
See accelerator section for a setup and end user guide on interface documentation in SAP
Solution Manager.
Results
Populated interface register
How SAP Can Support
As an introduction for enterprise architects, SAP offers two CIO guides:
1. CIO Guide: SAP’s Hybrid Integration Platform for the Intelligent Enterprise
• Describes SAP’s long-term Vision for Integration
• Key Integration Use Cases
• API Alignment
• Process Integration Guidance
• Data Integration Guidance
SAP has developed the Integration Solution Advisory Methodology (ISA-M) that helps enterprise
architects to shape and document their integration strategy. The blog “Integration Solution
Advisory Methodology (ISA-M): Define Integration Guidelines for Your Organization” gives
an overview on ISA-M including use cases on how ISA-M can be applied by enterprise architects
in their organizations. The blog outlines how to get access to the ISA-M PPT template that SAP
offers for interested customers and partners.
SAP offers an “Integration Strategy” service component which supports you in the creation of an
own integration strategy based on ISA-M.
The “Integration Assessment (INS)” service component explains the interface register concept
in SAP Solution Manager 7.2 to customers. It supports the setup process and helps analyzing the
conversion impact on interfaces with the help of the interface register.
An interface register is also helpful in case of a new implementation. The “SAP S/4HANA
Transition to New Implementation (TNI)” service component. plans the to-be system & solution
architecture where interface information from an interface register is key. This service component
includes the determination of the interface scope. See also activity Transition Planning” in this
phase, for more information on this service component.
Accelerators
• Customer COE and CIO Guides
• SAP Blog - Integration Solution Advisory Methodology (ISA-M): Define Integration
Guidelines for Your Organization
• Intelligent Enterprises Are Integrated Enterprises
• Interface Register Template
• Interface Documentation in SAP Solution Manager 7.2
2.3.19. Run a Legacy Impact Analysis on Interface Inventory and Data Integration
Objective
The objective of this task is to assess the impact on interfaces when moving over from SAP ECC
to SAP S/4HANA via system conversion or new implementation. In both cases, interfaces can be
affected by technology changes (i.e. field changes).
General remarks:
• In a hybrid cloud and on-premise landscape, different integration capabilities are key.
Those integration capabilities may change over time, or be developed further.
• Integration capabilities from a current to a successor product are generally preserved
(e.g. when moving from SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA).
• SAP Business Technology Platform Integration offers rich “Integration as a Service”
capabilities.
• SAP Business Technology Platform delivers preconfigured integration models for SAPs
most important cloud solutions.
• Integration capabilities are typically preserved when moving to a recommended successor
product.
To make the SAP S/4HANA adoption easy for all existing SAP customers, SAP has kept most of
the official interfaces to and from SAP ERP stable when simplifying the applications in SAP
S/4HANA. This is not necessarily the case for non-official interfaces (e.g. usage of ODBC on DB
level).
Prerequisites
An initial interface register must be already available.
Procedure
• As a first step, you should analyze your existing interfaces, and categorize them
according to complexity, technology and custom development. Potentially some interfaces
can be retired as well.
• As a second step, check the compatibility with SAP S/4HANA and other new SAP
products (on-premise or cloud-based solutions) that you would like to introduce.
• For cloud integration, “SAP Business Technology Platform Integration” offers a rich
preconfigured integration and API discovery. See “API Discovery” in the accelerator
section for details.
• Further information and links can be found on the landing page of SAPs Technical
Integration and Orchestration Group.
• The functional work stream needs to check on interfaces that are in scope (interface
register) for technology changes.
• Document necessary interface adjustments in the backlog as a delta requirement.
Results
The transition impact on interfaces has been made transparent. Necessary changes are specified
and added to the project backlog as delta requirements.
• CIO Guide: SAP’s Hybrid Integration Platform for the Intelligent Enterprise
• CIO Guide: Process and Data Integration in Hybrid Landscapes
An interface register is also helpful in case of a new implementation. The “SAP S/4HANA
Transition to New Implementation (TNI)” service component. plans the to-be system & solution
architecture where interface information from an interface register is key. This service component
includes the determination of the interface scope. See also activity Transition Planning” in this
phase, for more information on this service component.
Accelerators
• SAP Integration Suite
• SAP Online Help - SAP Business Technology Platform Integration Suite
• Accelerating Innovation Through Integration
• Customer COE and CIO Guides
• Interface Register Template
• SAP API discovery
The output management for SAP S/4HANA comprises all functionalities and processes that are
related to the output of documents. This includes the integration of output management functions
into the business applications, the reuse component output control, as well as the SAP
NetWeaver technologies and the technical infrastructure.
The new output management is going to be the successor of all other output management
frameworks (SD Output Control, FI Correspondence, FI-CA Print Workbench, CRM Post-
Processing). However, all other frameworks are still available and can be used. It is not
mandatory to use the new output management.
Business applications that have already adopted the new output management use it by default.
Nonetheless, customers can always revert to the other supported framework. How this reversion
is realized depends on the business application (for example via SAP Note or by implementation
of an enhancement point). It is also possible to re-enable the new output management again at a
later point in time.
Hence, the new output management for SAP S/4HANA coexists with other frameworks.
Customers can decide on business application level which framework supports their output
scenarios best.
The objective of this task is to determine and to document the impact of the new output
management on your existing output management configuration.
New implementations will always start with the new output management.
Procedure
In the SAP ECC Business Suite, different output frameworks are used in different applications (SD
Output Control, FI Correspondence, FI-CA Print Workbench, CRM Post-Processing Framework).
Considering the conversion of an existing system to SAP S/4HANA, it becomes evident that there
cannot be one generic approach to cover the conversion of all other OM frameworks.
Looking further into the most prominent existing OM framework SD Output control (NAST), it
becomes clear that:
• 100% feature parity is not a given (and, most likely, is not wanted).
• Migration of data cannot be performed because even the NAST is highly generic.
Therefore, the recommendation is not to carry out a conversion, but to establish a coexistence of
old and new output management. This means:
• For existing customers who are using the old output management:
• Data from the old OM is kept.
• Customizing for the old OM is kept.
• Customers need to customize the new OM.
• Documents that were processed in the old OM will still be processed using the old OM.
• New documents will only use the new OM (if the corresponding application has already
adopted this framework).
Proceed as follows:
• Make yourself familiar with the new output management in SAP S/4HANA, by reading
SAP Note 2228611.
• By looking at the simplification list, determine and document how your existing output
management is impacted by a system conversion.
• Develop a general strategy how to adopt the new output management midterm / long
term.
Accelerators
• SAP Note 2228611 - Output Management in SAP S/4HANA
Procedure
Run a first assessment on the training requirements which arises from the SAP transition project:
• Gather information about the SAP transition project, and identify affected organizational
units
• Conduct interviews regarding training strategy elements
• Identify training relevant user groups (Project Team, Key User, End User)
• Evaluate the high-level enablement scope for End User Training
Accelerators
• SAP Learning Services
2.3.22. Run a Technical Security Self Check
Description
With the conversion to SAP S/4HANA, new technical and functional security requirements may
come up. The technical security requirements are related to new components that are part of SAP
S/4HANA (e.g. new security settings, and security role changes related to SAP HANA, or related
to HANA Live). The Accelerators section contains links to detailed Security Guides. The SAP ERP
Central Component Security Guide for instance covers both technical and functional security
aspects.
However, this activity focuses on basic technical security checks that customers can execute
themselves. The recommendations arising from these self-checks can then be implemented in the
Realize Phase as part of the conversion project.
Procedure
To get a status on the technical security in your SAP system, proceed as follows:
• Have a look at the Security chapter of the Early Watch Alert (EWA) report of your SAP ERP
system and analyze the root cause of the findings. See also SAP Note 863362 for a complete
list of security checks as part of EWA.
• Run a Security Optimization Service SOS. Enterprise Support customers can order an EGI
which runs them through the SOS Self Service. See SAP Enterprise Support Academy for
details.
• With Configuration Validation you can benchmark system configuration settings against SAP
Best Practice settings. Configuration Validation can also be used to check your security
settings (in front of a system conversion, and later, to continuously support IT security in your
support environment). Configuration Validation in general can be easily set up by joining an
EGI. Security relevant checks as part of Configuration can be found in the SAP WIKI on
Technical Operations (see Accelerators section for details).
• Fill out an SAP Security Baseline Template:
The SAP Security Baseline Template is a template document provided by SAP on how an
organization-specific SAP Security Baseline could be structured. It is pre-filled with selected
baseline-relevant requirements and corresponding concrete values as recommended by SAP.
In a first step, you should focus on chapter 2 – Regulations of the document.
• The latest version of the SAP Security Baseline Template can be found on the SAP Support
Portal (see accelerator section). See also SAP Note 2253549 - The SAP Security Baseline
Template for details.
Results
With the help of EWA, Security Optimization Service, and Configuration Validation, create a list of
technical security changes you would like to implement in the Realize Phase as part of the system
conversion project.
All customers should also look into the Security Guide for SAP S/4HANA (accelerator section).
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Security guides for SAP S/4HANA
and SAP NetWeaver for all releases here)
• SAP HANA Security Guide
• SAP Support Portal – Security Page
• SAP Support Portal - Early Watch Alert
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Explore
• SAP Note 863362 - Security checks in SAP EarlyWatch Alert, EarlyWatch and GoingLive
sessions
• SAP Note 2253549 - The SAP Security Baseline Template
• SAP WIKI: Security Relevant Checks in Configuration Validation
The task list below shows typical areas which need preparation because of common functionality
changes with SAP S/4HANA.
Procedure
• Execute on Follow-Ups from Transition Planning
• Perform Customer-Vendor Integration to SAP Business Partners
• Clean up Financial Business Data Inconsistencies
• Check Partner Add-ons
• Clean up or Archive Data
• Custom Code Cleanup & Improve
• Decommission Unused Code
• Prepare Tools for Project Support and import SAP Best Practices
Prerequisites
There is a high-level transition planning document available.
Procedure
Properly analyze all preparation items which have been identified in the Transition Planning
activity.
In case of system conversions, typical adjustments you may need to consider (depending on your
current SAP ERP usage) are:
• MRP: In SAP S/4HANA, the MRP logic was simplified. MRP area is active by default and
cannot be deactivated. SAP S/4HANA MRP only plans on plant and MRP area level, and
planning on storage location level is no longer supported in SAP S/4HANA. See SAP Note
2268045 - S4TWL - Storage Location MRP and referenced SAP Notes for details.
• Replacement of Foreign Trade by SAP Global Trade Services (GTS). See SAP Note 2223144
- S/4 HANA - Foreign Trade in SD/MM and SAP Blog “SAP S/4HANA for International Trade”
• New Asset Accounting:
o Start with the SAP Blog “Conversion to SAP S/4HANA- Insights into Finance Data
Migration” which also links to further blogs.
o See also the SAP Blog “S/4HANA- New Asset Accounting – Considering Key
Aspects” from the Regional Implementation Group (RIG) on this topic
o See “Converting Accounting Components to SAP S/4HANA”, which is attached to
SAP Note 2332030 - Conversion of accounting to SAP S/4HANA
o SAP Enterprise Support customers may join the EGI “Conversion of Accounting to
SAP S/4HANA”.
• General Ledger – Data conversion
• Replacement of Rebate Management by Settlement Management; See SAP Note 2226380 -
S/4 HANA: Deprecation of SD Rebate Processing
• The introduction of new Cash Management and Credit Management with SAP S/4HANA
o Cash Management: See SAP Note 2270400 - S4TWL - Cash Management - General
o Credit Management: See SAP Note 2270544 - S4TWL - Credit Management
• The replacement of Revenue Recognition by RAR in SAP S/4HANA; See SAP Note 2225170
- S/4 HANA SD-Revenue Recognition
• Material number field extension
• The impact of SAP S/4HANA on BW extractors
• Analyze and close of open business documents to make those documents available for
archiving. This activity can be time consuming because you will need to identify open
business documents first, before clarifying the root cause with the process champions from
the business units – therefore SAP recommends starting early. SAP supports this preparation
activity with a service for analyzing these open documents. For details, see task Get
Transparency on Open Business Documents in the Explore phase), and the accelerator
section.
• The upgrade of existing SAP application server
• The upgrade of an existing central Fiori Frontend Server.
• Upgrade of hub systems
The SAP Notes and many additional SAP blogs can be found in the accelerator section.
Those preparation activities are often related to items from the simplification list. See simplification
list for all details and check both the output of the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA and
the SI-Check for relevant simplification items (see also task Check the Conversion Readiness of
SAP ERP in this phase).
For a compressed view to the most important preparation activities please look at the SAP Blog
“SAP S/4HANA 2022 System Conversion Steps & Details – How to be prepared”, or into the
chapter “List of Application-Specific Preparations” in the Conversion guide.
In case of new implementations, you immediately design and implement the new functionality in
SAP S/4HANA. Typical preparatory activities are the clean-up of master data in source systems,
or the upgrade of hub systems.
How SAP Can Support
SAP provides additional information for typical preparation activities in case of a system
conversion, for instance:
SAP offers the “Mandatory Preparation for System Conversion” service component to support
necessary preparation work in system conversion projects, which needs to be executed as part of
the sandbox system setup.
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Conversion guide for all
releases here)
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA 2022 System Conversion Steps & Details – How to be
prepared
• Simplification Item Catalog
• SAP Blog List tagged with “S/4HANA RIG”
• SAP Blog - S/4HANA- New Asset Accounting – Considering Key Aspects
• SAP Enterprise Support page for SAP S/4HANA
• EGI – Conversion of Accounting to SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 2268045 - S4TWL - Storage Location MRP
• SAP Note 2223144 - S/4 HANA - Foreign Trade in SD/MM
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA for International Trade
• SAP Note 2270400 - S4TWL - Cash Management - General
• SAP Note
• SAP Note 2270544 - S4TWL - Credit Management
• SAP Blog - SAP Credit management: Functional overview
• SAP note 2226380 - S/4 HANA: Deprecation of SD Rebate Processing
• See SAP Note 2225170 - S/4 HANA SD-Revenue Recognition
• SAP Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
Every system converting to SAP S/4HANA must have converted customers and vendors to
business partners and CVI configured and running. Customers newly implementing SAP
S/4HANA will start fresh with Business Partners.
Prerequisites
Customers and vendors have not been converted to business partners in SAP ERP upfront of a
system conversion.
Procedure
SAP constantly optimizes die CVI cockpit (transaction CVI_COCKPIT). It takes you through all
phases of the pre-project to convert to Business Partner.
Customers who need support with the Customer Vendor Integration, or the Business Partner
concept, can take use of the “Data Management Design“ service component.
SAP also offers the “Mandatory Preparation for System Conversion” service component to
support necessary preparation work (like Customer Vendor Integration) in system conversion
projects, which needs to be executed as part of the sandbox system setup.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP S/4HANA 2022 System Conversion Steps & Details – How to be prepared?
• Simplification Item Catalog
• SAP S/4HANA Cookbook - Employee Business Partner Integration
• SAP S/4HANA Cookbook - Employee Business Partner Integration as of SAP S/4HANA
2020 with new data model
• SAP Note 2265093 - S4TWL - Business Partner Approach
• SAP Note 2713963 - FAQ: CVI - Customer Vendor Integration for system conversion to
SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Blog - Business Partner – Customer-Vendor Integration S/4 HANA
• SAP Blog - New Customer Vendor Integration Analysis (CVIA) Check in SAP Readiness
Check is Now Live
• SAP S/4HANA Cookbook - Customer/Vendor Integration
• SAP Note 2743494 - Prevalidation: Master Data Consistency Check
• SAP Blog - New CVI Cockpit – Enabling Movement to SAP S/4HANA through seamless
BP Synchronization
The cleanup of financial business data inconsistencies especially becomes relevant when it
comes to the conversion of SAP ERP systems to SAP S/4HANA. If neglected, inconsistent data
will have a severe negative impact on various business processes and operations, such as
clearing, archiving, as well as financial reporting online items versus totals.
Procedure
The quality of the financial data in the SAP ERP source system can be checked with SAP
Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA to get an overview of the financial data inconsistencies and
the steps required to clean the data. SAP Readiness Check provides findings for the finance
modules General Ledger, Asset Accounting, and Material Ledger.
• For A inconsistencies, analyze and, if possible, resolve the identified inconsistencies with the
help of the FIN_CORR_MONITOR report. Refer to SAP Note 2956096 for further details. In
case of questions, contact the FDQ department at sap.financial.data.quality@sap.com.
• For B inconsistencies, manually resolve the identified inconsistencies. For instructions on
inconsistencies related to FI-GL, refer to SAP Knowledge Base Article 2714344. For
inconsistencies related to FI-AA, see SAP Note 3038014. For inconsistencies related to ML,
see SAP Note 2389581.
• For C inconsistencies related to FI-GL, contact the SAP support specialists for a deeper
analysis and advice on the resolution by creating a support incident under component FIN-
MIG-GL. For C inconsistencies related to FI-AA, create a support incident under component
FI-AA-AA-E. For C inconsistencies related to ML, create a support incident under component
FIN-MIG-ML. In certain cases, a resolution may require specialized SAP services and imply
surcharges. In case of questions, contact the FDQ department at
sap.financial.data.quality@sap.com.
• For D inconsistencies, one or more system-specific corrections are required. Consult your
implementation partner or contact SAP's service team at sap.financial.data.quality@sap.com.
If SAP Readiness Check has not been executed, you may also run the reports
FIN_CORR_RECONCILE, FIN_AA_CORR_RECONCILE, and FIN_ML_CORR_RECONCILE
in the finance modules General Ledger (FI-GL), Asset Accounting (FI-AA), and Material
Ledger (ML) in your system to get the results. See SAP Note 2755360 - Reconciliation prior to
S/4HANA Conversion – for details.
How SAP Can Support
Besides SAP Readiness Check and the named reports, SAP also offers an integrity check of FIN
master data and transactional data, which is called “Financial Data Quality”. This service
component contains an analysis of Finance data, impact evaluation or data inconsistencies,
recommendations and optionally, support for error correction. Please look at SAP Note 2714344 -
Financial data migration to SAP S/4HANA: Most frequent Error Messages – Information and
Recommendations.
Please note: Data inconsistencies in Finance are detected latest during sandbox conversion, but
preferably should be solved earlier. Please be aware that data inconsistencies in Finance can
lead to an extended business downtime during productive cutover and should be avoided as
much as possible.
Accelerators
• SAP Note 2956096 - FIN_CORR_MONITOR: Information on correctable errors
• SAP Note 3038014 - Errors in Migration Precheck Report for Asset Accounting
• SAP Note 2389581 - Resolve findings of core ERP CO-PC-ACT S/4HANA pre
checks for Material Ledger
• SAP Note 2714344 - Financial data migration to SAP S/4HANA: Most frequent
Error Messages – Information and Recommendations
• SAP Note 2755360 - Reconciliation prior to S/4HANA Conversion
Procedure
Check the add-on compatibility in SAP Readiness Check, which shows all add-ons that are
installed in your system and if they are compatible with the SAP S/4HANA target release.
The check is performed via the maintenance planner. The identified add-ons are assigned to one
of the following categories, according to their compatibility status with your selected target SAP
S/4HANA release:
• Incompatible: The add-on is currently not supported by the target SAP S/4HANA release. It
might be compatible with a lower release of SAP S/4HANA or not compatible at all. Since the
add-on will block your conversion, it needs to be taken care of as soon as possible.
• Incompatible (Uninstallable): The add-on is incompatible but can be uninstalled. It won't block
your conversion but should be reviewed as soon as possible.
• Unknown: The add-on needs to be validated for compatibility with the selected target SAP
S/4HANA release. A follow-up with the third-party vendor is required as soon as possible,
since incompatible third-party add-ons will block your conversion.
• Compatible (Software Entitlement Required): A compatible version of the add-on exists.
However, it's not entitled for your user. A follow-up with your SAP Account Executive is
required as soon as possible, since this will block your conversion.
• Certified Third-Party Software: The add-on is a certified third-party software. To confirm the
compatibility of the add-on with the target SAP S/4HANA release, a follow-up with the third-
party vendor is required as soon as possible.
• Certified Third-Party Software Available: The add-on is generally certified, but not for the
currently selected target SAP S/4HANA release or the currently installed version of the add-
on. Please access https://www.sap.com/csd and check the conversion strategy with the
respective software provider.
• Compatible: The add-on is compatible with SAP S/4HANA.
Results
You have identified incompatible partner add-ons and started the follow-up with the corresponding
partner to check the conversion strategy or availability of a compatible add-on version.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - List of certified ABAP Add-Ons for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 2214409 - SAP S/4HANA: Compatible Add-ons
• SAP Note 3377364 - SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 2023: Compatible partner
products
• SAP Certified Solutions Directory
There is a documented strategy on DVM, which defines the residence time definition of business
data.
Data volume planning (as part of Transition Planning activity) has indicated the need for data
cleanup and archiving.
Procedure
Based on the residence time definition (i.e. when the business data can either be deleted from the
database or moved to an archive file) and the corresponding customizing settings, the deletion
and archive jobs must be scheduled partly massively parallel to achieve that the data is really
removed from the database before the conversion starts. This job scheduling can only be partly
automated and requires manual interaction and monitoring by a basis administrator.
Please note that due to necessary alignment between business and IT, data cleanup can be a
time-consuming process. You can already start this activity already early on in the project, by
focusing on basis tables which are owned by the IT team.
Proceed as follows:
• Archive business data as defined in the DVM strategy. Set up the write and delete jobs as
described in the DVM Best Practice Guide (accelerator section).
• Run housekeeping jobs e.g. on the SAP Spool environment as described in the DVM Best
Practice Guide (accelerator section).
Results
The SAP system has been cleaned from data which can be either removed or archived. The used
space in the database has been reduced.
Accelerators
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Explore
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
Results
In case of using the Decommissioning Cockpit, unused custom code has been decommissioned
from the SAP system and does not need to be adjusted in future.
In case of using the Custom Code Migration app, unused custom code objects have been saved
in deletion transports to be used during conversion of the DEV system.
Before being able to retire unused custom code, you will need to set up the relevant tools, and run
an analysis. The service component “ICCM Analysis” does both:
• The Custom Code Management Tools Enablement is to perform the CCM tools
initialization and configuration in the customer’s SAP environment and to facilitate the
knowledge transfer about the tool operation to the customer’s organization
• The ICCM Analysis provides data-driven insights into the current custom code situation, by
running a “code clustering analysis” By categorizing the results into “Remediation”,
“Retirement” and “Rethink”, this analysis is the foundation for all upcoming activities on
custom code.
In a next step, SAP supports you with the retirement of custom code. This service component is
called “ICCM Transformation”. It comes with multiple options:
• The Custom Code Retirement option offers a customer-tailored strategy for identification
and decommissioning of unused custom code. It provides transparency on real modifications,
and guides the customer to shift them back to the standard.
Accelerators
• Custom Code Migration Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2023
• SAP Blog - SAP MaxAttention Innovation Workshop ‘Intelligent Custom Code
Management’
• Service Information – Service Components for Custom Code Management
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Community – ABAP Extensibility
Please note: This task does not directly address the code adjustment necessary due to the
upcoming system conversion to SAP S/4HANA. Those will be in later project phases.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
Results
Quality measures for high code quality have been established and tested in a code quality
improvement project. From now on custom code will be created with the necessary quality level.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information on custom code management and impact
analysis in the context of SAP S/4HANA conversion in the “Become competent” section of the
“Prepare” learning journey.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Custom Code Management
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Custom Code Quality Management - Security Check Service
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
• SAP Community – ABAP Extensibility
Procedure
Follow the “Best Practices for SAP BTP” accelerator (including further references) to do an initial
configuration of SAP BTP as an extension platform. The accelerator contains a helpful “Getting
started” checklist.
Further information is provided in the SAP Online Help Portal for SAP BTP.
Please note: Besides the proper initial setup and integration of SAP BTP, further adjustments
may be required later in the project. For instance, development on SAP BTP may be realized in
an agile way. That implies the implementation of DevOps in the development organization
(including OCM aspects), CI/CD setup etc.
Accelerators
• Best Practices for SAP BTP
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP BTP
Procedure
SAP Solution Manager
• All necessary guides regarding SAP Solution Manager can be found in the SAP Online Help
Portal. The installation and configuration guides are located under section “System
Provisioning”. Install SAP Solution Manager 7.2 with a recent support package level in your
local data center.
• Once SAP Solution Manager is installed, you will need to configure Focused Build. See
section “Configuration and Use of Focused Build” in the SAP Online Help Portal for details.
• The configuration guide for Focused Build also includes a section on how to import Best
Practices of SAP Activate. Once imported, it can be used in the Fit-to-Standard workshops of
the Explore phase.
The following screen shot shows a Best Practices business process diagram in SAP Solution
Manager.
• The activity and task structure of this road map can be imported into ITPPM of SAP Solution
Manager. Download the project file template of this road map and follow the instructions
provided in the ZIP file.
SAP can install SAP Solution Manager for you. The corresponding service offer is called
“Implementation of SAP Solution Manager for IT Operations”. Please ask your SAP contact
(e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information. Alternatively consider using SAP Solution Manager
from the Cloud Appliance Library (CAL).
In addition, SAP supports this activity with the “SAP Solution Manager Starter Pack” service
component. The SAP Solution Manager Starter Pack is applicable when you need direct
assistance with the basic configuration and use of the SAP Solution Manager.
Also, SAP offers an “Agile Methodology and Tool Coach” service component for both using
SAP Solution Manager or SAP Cloud ALM.
To support the initial configuration of SAP Signavio Process Manager, SAP offers the “Signavio
Process Management & Mining Advisory” service component to Premium Engagement
customers.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find dedicated learning journeys on SAP Solution
Manager, SAP Cloud ALM and SAP Signavio in the SAP Learning Hub.
Enablement and configuration material on SAP Signavio can also be found in the SAP Signavio
Onboarding Resource Center.
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal – SAP Solution Manager
• SAP Online Help Portal – Focused Build
• Project File Template
• SAP Cloud ALM for Implementation – Expert Portal
• SAP Signavio Documentation (Public)
• Service Information – Value Assurance Foundation
• SAP Value Assurance – Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Learning Journey: SAP Solution Manager: Implementation
• SAP Learning Journey: SAP Cloud ALM: Implementation
• SAP Learning Hub, Enterprise support edition – SAP Signavio Learning Journeys
• SAP Signavio Onboarding Resource Center
Procedure
• Conduct Handover Meeting(s) from Opportunity Phase
• Review Order Form with Customer
• Identify Stakeholders, Stakeholders’ Requirements and Expectations and Project/Deliverable
Acceptance Criteria
• Set Stakeholder Expectations for Agile Project
• Create Project Charter
• Create Project Management Plan
Results
Once this activity has been completed, the transition project has been successfully initiated.
Accelerators
• SAP Activate Community
• SAP Activate road map “SAP Activate methodology for Business Suite and On-Premise –
Agile”
Procedure
Typically, during these calls the account team and project team review the following areas: project
background, business case, business drivers, customer goals, scope, RACI, success metrics for
the project, customer expectations, delivery model, Statement of Work, Order Form, assumptions
Procedure
• Review Order Form Assumptions
• Review Order Form Scope
• Review Order Form RACI
• Review Order Form Resources & Budget
• Review Order Form Customer Staffing
• Review Order Form Solution Scope
• Current Situation
• Proposed Resolution
• Solution Description
• Project Goal
• Project Objectives
• Business Case Summary
• Total Estimated Project Costs
• Key Dates
• Project Stakeholders
• Critical Success Factors
• Risk Assessment
Procedure
• Define Project Purpose or Project Justification and measurable Project Objectives
• High-Level Project Description and Boundaries
• Project Success and Approval Criteria
• Assumptions and Constraints
• High-Level Requirements
• High-Level Solution and Project Scope
• Summary Milestone Schedule
• Summary Budget
• Stakeholder Group and Key Names Stakeholders
• High-Level Risks
Accelerators
• Business Case Template (Customer)
• Project Charter Template (Customer)
• Scope Statement Template (Customer)
2.5.6. Create Project Management Plan
Objective
The Project Management Plan is the document that describes how the project will be executed,
monitored and controlled. It integrates and consolidates all subsidiary plans and baselines from
the planning process.
Procedure
• Establish Scope Baseline
• Establish Schedule Baseline
• Establish Cost Baseline
• Establish Quality Baseline
• Define Scope Management Plan
• Define Requirements Management Plan
• Define Schedule Management Plan
• Define Cost Management Plan
• Define Quality Management Plan
• Define Process Improvement Plan
• Define Human Resources Management Plan
• Define Communications Management Plan and Project Reporting Standards
• Define Risk Management Process
• Define Procurement Management Plan
• Define Stakeholder Management Plan
• Define Change Management Process
• Define Issue Management Process
• Define Project Constraints
• Define Project Standards
• Obtain Project Management Plan Sign-Off
Accelerators
• External Risk List Template (Customer)
• Focused Build for SAP Solution Manager (Customer)
• SAP Activate and Focused Build
• Project Management Plan Template (Customer)
• Resource Plan Template (Customer)
• Risk Identification Session Guide (Customer)
• Subsidiary Project Management Plans Guide (Customer)
• to identify, at different stages of the project if some decisions you have taken, or missing
knowledge on key points can endanger/delay your project or have a negative impact on
the business value of the solution,
• to provide you with the individualized list of the learning assets or services comprised in
your contract, and which are relevant for your project.
The assessment occurs offline through a questionnaire. After sending back the filled
questionnaire, you will receive an individualized report composed of an executive summary, an
action plan and detailed recommendations. This can be used to help create the enablement plan
for your project team and business owners based on what is already known, and what must be
known.
The topics covered within the CQC for transformation assessment include the following: project
timelines, SAP Activate, custom code and extensibility, downtime optimization, data migration,
finance, logistics, etc.
ProcedureFill out the request for of the CQC for transformation assessment.
Accelerators
• Continuous Quality Check & Improvement Services
• SAP Blog - How can your SAP S/4HANA project team save precious time using the
continuous quality check (CQC) for transformation assessment offering
• CQC for transformation assessment for SAP S/4HANA
• CQC for Transformation Assessment - Request Form
Tasks
• Define Roles and Responsibilities
• Define Project Organization
• Review Project Management Plan
The following roles are important for your SAP S/4HANA project:
• Project manager
• Solution architect
• Organizational change manager
• Test manager
• Business process owners / experts
• UX lead
• Integration lead
• Technical lead / Basis expert
• Development resources
• Solution experts / Consultants for Finance, Supply Chain plus the application areas you
are going to implement / change
• Enablement / Training expert
See also SAP Blog - Essential Roles for SAP S/4HANA Fiori Projects.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Essential Roles for S/4HANA Fiori Projects
• Agile Project Team Roles and Responsibilities (Customer)
Procedure
• Review the accelerators on “Solution Standardization Board”
• Determine participants and structure of the board
• Schedule meeting cadences as required
• Define process for reviewing / approving and documenting the objects that go beyond the
tailored implementation standards (e.g. extensibility standard).
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Practical governance to drive fit-to-standard mindset in your SAP S/4HANA
implementation
• Solution Standardization Board White Paper
• Top-down view of how activities fit into the overall project structure
• Defines the total scope of the project (specified in the approved scope statement)
• Work packages at lowest level can be subdivided into activities / tasks
Procedure
1. Define Activities
2. Sequence Activities
3. Estimate Activity Resources
4. Estimate Activity Durations
5. Develop Schedule
2.7.4. Create Budget
Objective
The purpose of this task is to create a project budget, that outlines all the costs associated with
the project, including labor, hardware, software, cloud provisioning, contracting fees, and facilities.
The project budget is a living document that the project manager maintains. At this stage the
project manager sets the budget baseline and will manage the budget according to the cost
management plan that is developed as part of the Project Management Plans task.
Procedure
• Estimate Costs
• Determine Budget
Accelerators
• Resource Plan Template (Customer)
Accelerators
• QGateChecklist Concept SAP Activate
• Quality Built In New QGateChecklist
Accelerators
• Communication Plan Overview Template (Customer)
Procedure
1. Identify Risks
2. Assess Risks: Estimating and Evaluating Risk
3. Create Risk Register (refer to the "Risk Register Template" provided)
4. Define Risk Responses
Accelerators
• External Risk List Template (Customer)
• Risk Identification Session Guide (Customer)
2.7.8. Plan Procurement
Objective
The purpose of this task is to plan and prepare the guidelines for all the procurement activities on
the project. This includes materials, products or services identified for outside procurement.
Accelerators
• OCM Stakeholder Identification Guide (Customer)
• OCM Stakeholder Identification Template (Customer)
Tasks
• Prepare for Kick-off Meeting
• Conduct Kick-off Meeting
• Prepare Team Onboarding Document
• On-board Project Team
Accelerators
• Project Kick-off Template (Customer)
Accelerators
• Project Guideline Template (Customer)
• Project objectives, scope, and goals including SAP solutions being implemented
• Project schedule including milestones
• Project governance including key project stakeholders
• Organizational chart for the project-showing both internal and external resources
• Overview of the existing SAP landscape
• Outline of regular project meetings
• Travel policies, dress code, project location, and other project guidelines as needed.
Project standards are elaborated throughout the Prepare phase (some may be fine-tuned in a
later stage of the project). During the Prepare phase, the foundational project standards must be
defined, approved, and communicated to the project team. Communication of project standards
should be included in project on-boarding communications for project team members. Given the
integrated nature of project standards, changes must be managed in accordance with the
integrated change control procedure.
The project team needs to establish, at minimum, the project standards for the following areas:
• Requirements Management
• Authorizations / Security
The purpose of this task is to determine the customers framework to centrally document and
relate business processes and technical information of SAP and non-SAP Solutions in Solution
Manager, ensuring transparency, efficient maintenance and collaboration.
The purpose of this task, also known as Innovation Management, is to determine the customers
approach for the identification, adaptation and implementation of new and enhanced business and
technical scenarios. It is part of the application lifecycle and is designed to decouple technical
installation from business innovation using SAP Solution Manager to implement the innovation in
the system landscape.
The purpose of this task is to determine the customers template management approach that
allows customers with multi-site SAP installations to efficiently manage their business processes
across geographical distances - from initial template definition to template implementation and
template optimization, for example as part of a global rollout.
The purpose of this task is to determine the customers approach for managing functional and
performance testing of SAP-centric business processes, to ensure validated system behavior after
software change events.
Determine Change Control Management Procedure
The purpose of this task is to determine the customers approach of handling business and
technology-driven changes, using a standardized process leading to improved reliability of the
solution and minimized risk through segregation of duties and transparency of changes.
The purpose of this task is to determine the customers approach of a centralized and common
incident and issue message processing for multiple organization levels. The process offers a
communication channel with all relevant stakeholders of an incident, including business user,
customer-side SAP experts, SAP Service & Support and Partner Support employees. The
Application Incident Management is integrated in all ALM processes of SAP Solution Manager, in
any SAP Business Suite solution and can be connected to a Non-SAP Help Desk application
The purpose of this task is to determine the customers approach of monitoring, alerting, analyzing
and administrating of SAP solutions. It allows customers to reduce TCO by predefined content
and centralized tools for all aspects of operations in SAP Solution Manager, including End-to-End
reporting functionality either out-of-the-box or individually created by customers.
This task uses SAP Business Process Integration & Automation Management (BPIAM) to cover
the most important application related operations topics necessary to ensure the smooth and
reliable flow of the core business processes to meet a company's business requirements.
The purpose of this task is to determine the customers approach of Maintenance Management,
how SAP Notes are handled and how they are applied (upon request e.g. current incident in
productive environment, and information from SAP about potential issue (Hot News, Security
Notes).
The purpose of this task is to determine the customers approach for the identification, adaptation
and implementation of new and enhanced business and technical scenarios. It uses Solution
Manager to manage the upgrade project holistically and effectively end-to-end and allows SAP
customers to better understand and manage the major technical risks and challenges in an
upgrade project, and to make the upgrade project a "non-event for the business".
Accelerators
• Change and Transport System
• SAP Support Standards
Project Equipment
• Has the required work space been arranged at all project sites?
• Are there sufficient conference rooms planned for the project team?
• Has multimedia equipment been planned for all conference rooms (e.g. video
conferencing, projectors, etc.)?
• Has physical access been granted for all project team members in different geographical
sites?
• Is there a working area assigned to the project members?
Customer Policies
Physical Security
Telephone/Voice Mail
• Is the required equipment (computer, laptops, mobile, etc.) available to all project team
members?
• Are office supplies available to the project member?
• Are the required software licenses purchased? (if needed)
2.9.4. Set up and Test Remote Support
Objective
SAP customers are advised to set up remote access to SAP Support to ensure timely response to
incidents and support tickets. Set up remote access so that support can quickly diagnose and
solve incidents you report, without needing to be at your desk or on the phone. This is especially
helpful when dealing with different time zones. In addition to solving your incidents faster, setting
up a remote connection between your company and SAP will also allow you to receive services,
such as Early Watch, and Continuous Quality Checks, that you may be entitled to through the
Support Programs your company has purchased. Follow the guidance on SAP Support Portal
linked from the accelerators page to setup the remote access.
Accelerators:
• SAP Support Portal - Early Watch Alert
Tasks
• Direct and Manage Project Execution
• Monitor and Control Project Activities
• Manage Issues, Risks and Changes
• Communicate Status and Progress to Project Stakeholders
Accelerators
• Project status report for SAP Activate / SAP S/4HANA
Accelerators
• Backlog including Delta Requirements.xlsx
Accelerators
• Backlog including Delta Requirements.xlsx
2.10.3. Manage Issues, Risks, and Changes
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to capture and manage project issues, risks and changes related to
changes of project scope, timelines, costs etc.
Accelerators
• Change Request Log - template (Customer)
• Open Issues List Template.xls (Customer)
Accelerators
• Project status report for SAP Activate / SAP S/4HANA
• Steering Committee Presentation Template (Customer)
• Team Status Report Template (Customer)
Procedure:
• Assess the anticipated level of effort needed for organizational change management in the
SAP implementation project.
• Describe roles and responsibilities, referring to the section “Typical Project Roles for
Organizational Change Management” in the How do you set up Organizational Change
Management for your Cloud Project accelerator.
• Align and agree with the project leadership team on role descriptions and incorporate the
documented information into the Change Concept accelerator.
Accelerators
• How do you set up Organizational Change Management for your Cloud Project
• Change Concept
Procedure:
• Identify potential organizational change management resources.
• Familiarize yourself with the video “Acting as a Change Manager in Cloud Projects,”
accessible by scrolling down the Which Skills do you bring along to act as a Change
Manager accelerator.
• Evaluate skills using the Individual Skill Assessment – Analysis accelerator.
• Interpret ratings with the Individual Skill Assessment – Results accelerator.
• Assign organizational change management resources and document their assignments,
including their available time for project work, in the Change Concept accelerator.
Accelerators
• Individual Skill Assessment - Analysis
• Individual Skill Assessment - Results
• Which Skills do you bring along to act as a Change Manager
• Change Concept
Procedure:
• Integrate organizational change management within the project organization, utilizing the
video “Organizational Change Management in the Project Organization” accessible when
scrolling down in the How do you set up Organizational Change Management for your
Cloud Project accelerator, and define governance and communication structure.
• Develop and agree on the shared understanding of organizational change management for
the SAP implementation project.
• Collaborate with the project leadership team to ensure alignment of the developed content,
and incorporate the documentation into the Change Concept accelerator.
Accelerators
• How do you set up Organizational Change Management for your Cloud Project
• Change Concept
Procedure:
• Identify people-related challenges of the SAP implementation project.
• Explore both the current strengths and weaknesses of the organization in addressing
these challenges.
• Collaborate with the project leadership team to identify essential areas of action for
organizational change management, and document them in the Change Plan
accelerator.
Accelerators
• Change Plan
Procedure:
• Establish a regular updating cycle, such as biweekly or monthly, in accordance with
project status reporting.
• Collect feedback on implemented activities, for instance, from business leaders, and
assess the project timeline and milestones for any necessary changes.
• Incorporate updates in the Change Plan accelerator.
Accelerators
• Change Plan
Accelerators
• Stakeholder List
Procedure:
• Set up a workshop with the selected project representatives.
• Discuss the stakeholders’ level of influence and attitude towards the project and
document the results in the Stakeholder Matrix accelerator.
• Map the stakeholders using the Stakeholder Matrix accelerator.
Accelerators
• Stakeholder Matrix
Procedure:
• Discuss results of stakeholder assessment.
• Document concrete stakeholder engagement activities in the Stakeholder Engagement
Plan accelerator.
• Define review and update cadence.
Accelerators
• Stakeholder Engagement Plan
2.14. Communication Analysis and Plan
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to establish the foundation for effective and proficient change
communication throughout the SAP project. Delivering the appropriate messages about the
implementation project through the appropriate channels to the appropriate individuals at the
appropriate time is crucial. It generates awareness and commitment for the SAP project, reduces
uncertainty and resistance, and enhances motivation and user adoption. Therefore, it is
recommended to allocate sufficient time for a comprehensive as-is analysis and a structured planning
and implementation of the change communication during the initial stages of the implementation
project.
Procedure:
• List and evaluate available communication channels using the Communication Channel
Analysis accelerator.
• Select appropriate channels for different stakeholder groups.
• Define additional communication channels, if necessary.
Accelerators
• Communication Channel Analysis
Procedure:
• Identify contact persons for each stakeholder group.
• Conduct short interviews to collect required information.
• Align and document interview results in the Communication Needs Analysis
accelerator.
Accelerators
• Communication Needs Analysis
2.14.3. Create Communication Plan
Objective
The purpose of this task is to provide a comprehensive outline of all intended communication
actions concerning the SAP implementation project. The objective is to identify interrelationships
and to synchronize different communication measures, regarding both the timing and messaging.
Furthermore, taking a comprehensive approach to planning in advance ensures that the
necessary resources for producing content and delivering communication activities are available.
The communication activities should encompass a wide variety of approaches, for example: push
channels (like e-mails), pull media (like videos), and both traditional and digital media. Moreover, it
is important not only to provide information, but also to encourage and facilitate dialogue and
engagement.
Procedure:
• Review results from communication channel analysis and communication needs analysis.
• Derive and document concrete communication activities in the Communication Plan
accelerator.
• Align communication plan with project management.
Accelerators
• Communication Plan
• Ensure that all required deliverables from this phase and the project are complete and accurate,
and close any outstanding issues
• Identify lessons learned during the phase to prepare for formal phase closure
• Capture customer feedback and potential Customer References
Tasks
• Conduct Knowledge Management Gate
• Conduct Project Quality Gate
• Conduct Project Management Review Service
• Obtain Customer Sign-Off for Phase Completion
Accelerators
• Lessons Learned Guide (Customer)
• Lessons Learned Template (Customer)
2.15.2. Conduct Project Quality Gate
Objective
The purpose of this task is to conduct regular quality checks at defined or critical stages of the
project lifecycle to assess the health of the project:
The deliverables assessed at each quality gate will be performed using the quality gate checklist
/PtD System with defined expectations to the maturity of particular project deliverables /aspects.
Note: New additional key deliverables need to be added in the quality gate checklist by the project
manager to the different project types.
Accelerators
• QGateChecklist Concept SAP Activate
• Quality Built In New QGate Checklist
• Q-Gate Check List for SAP S/4HANA implementations
Accelerators
• SAP Value Assurance – Description of Services and Service Components
• Deep Transformation Insights
Accelerators
• Phase Sign-Off Template (Customer)
3. Explore Phase
Once the Prepare phase has been finalized considering a detailed planning for the functional and
technical work streams the Explore phase will be kicked off. The activities of the Explore phase are
displayed in the following figure.
In the Solution Adoption work stream, the training strategy for the end users is developed according to
the functional design. A change impact analysis ensures that the organizational and technical changes in
business processes have been identified and documented. A communication plan is a prerequisite to
communicate change.
In the Application design and configuration work stream, the results from the SAP S/4HANA Value &
Implementation Strategy will feed into the Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design workshops (per business
priority in scope). Gap validation and a final design review support this activity which is usually executed in
an agile manner. Additional SAP S/4HANA applications, like the setup of Central Finance in a selective
data transition are planned in this phase as well. In this step, the detailed security status overview is to be
planned. The SAP S/4HANA specific security strategy and high-level road map is to be defined.
In the Data Management work stream, data load from source systems needs to be prepared and planned
(new implementation and selective data transition only). Data volume management is either created or
updated according to new options and requirements coming with SAP S/4HANA.
The conversion to SAP S/4HANA may impact your custom code. A first list of impacted custom objects
has been identified in the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA. In the Extensibility work stream, you
will need to identify and prioritize affected custom objects that are used productively, and that must be
adjusted as part of the system conversion project.
In the Integration work stream, integration design work starts in proper alignment with the to-be
application design, to properly integrate the SAP S/4HANA system in the solution landscape. First basic
integration setup activities are performed for the sandbox (if required) and for the development system.
Based on the anticipated application changes customers should also start creating a strategy for testing
and end user training (Testing work stream).
The technical design document is created in the Technical Architecture & Infrastructure work stream.
A sandbox is created for technical and functional experience gathering and as the basis for Fit-to-
Standard workshops. Of course, it depends on the scenario how the sandbox is created. At the end of the
Explore phase the DEV environment needs to be set up (again scenario specific).
Operations & support runs an Operations Impact Analysis, to identify IT Support operational areas that
require adjustment to safely and efficiently operate SAP S/4HANA as of Go-Live. The actions taken here
depend on the SAP operational experience of the customer.
Please note: The order activities are explained in this document / road map viewer, is not necessarily the
order how they are later executed in the project! However, there can be dependencies between activities
and tasks. For example, the technical setup of a sandbox system (activity Sandbox System Setup /
Conversion) must be finished first before the functional preparation and finalization of the sandbox can
take place (activity Activate Solution). In case you are interested in dependencies / relationships between
activities and tasks, look up the project file template of this road map.
Tasks
• Review Deliverables of Explore Phase
• Review Acceptance Criteria
• Review RACI Chart for Explore Phase
The project team has been enabled already and is not in scope of this activity.
Procedure
• Develop a Training Concept
Results
A training concept has been developed for key users and end users.
Procedure
A first assessment on training requirements has been performed in the Prepare phase of the
project (see activity Transition Planning, task Run a first Assessment on Training Requirements
for details). This task should further refine this assessment and develop a training concept for key
users and end users on top.
Proceed as follows:
o Further re-evaluate the business processes (including user interfaces) in scope for
implementation and analyze the required skills.
o Evaluate SAP individual standard training from SAP Education courses (Classroom and
Web-based Trainings)
o Develop and document a training concept including obligatory and recommended training
per user role, mentoring, coaching, and in alignment with the project plan
o Per future role, assign users to trainings.
Accelerators
• SAP Learning Services
The scope for the activation should be reconfirmed, based on the results out of the discovery and
preparation phase.
For new implementations, the activation of the best-practice content (see task Define Cutover Approach in
the Prepare phase) will be provided. For system conversions, the provisioning of the sandbox system is in
scope. This is the baseline for exploring the solution functionality that has been included in scope and for
confirming that the business needs are addressed. Activated content will be presented during Fit-to-
Standard workshops per solution capability to determine relevant deltas so that the solution matches the
business needs.
Precondition is that the technical SANDBOX system has been set up already but without further
configuration – see activity Sandbox System Setup / Conversion in this phase.
Procedure
The procedure differs depending on your scenario:
Procedure
Run post-conversion activities according to the Conversion guide, depending on the functional
area in scope. Typical post-conversion activities are posting activities in MM or customizing and
data migration activities in FI-AA. Properly document your activities in the conversion cookbook
(see activity Sandbox System Setup / Conversion in this project phase).
A relevance analysis for Fiori apps based on the usage of the existing system allows a first UI
scoping. Using a list of transaction codes uploaded to the SAP Fiori apps reference library, the
“Relevance and Readiness Analysis” (open the SAP Fiori App Reference Library and click on
“Learn more” on the left side of the screen; see accelerator section) provides a list of SAP Fiori
apps that fit the business processes in scope.
The Fiori apps must be installed separately. The whole installation process can be simplified by
using the SAP Maintenance Planner. More details are given in the activity UX Activation and
Design.
All app-specific prerequisites need to be available according to the information in the Fiori App
Reference Library before carrying out the following;
Note that some of the configuration differs between an embedded landscape (backend and
frontend in the same machine) and a Central Hub set-up (having frontend and backend
separated). SAP recommends a Central Hub deployment.
In case the sandbox has been derived from the production system, it is also recommended to run
the data consistency check reports listed in the Conversion guide, to identify data inconsistencies
which need to be tackled in production. Please also see the lessons-learned document on finance
in the accelerator section for more details.
SAP also offers an integrity check of FIN master data and transactional data, which is called
“Financial Data Quality”. This service component contains an analysis of Finance data, impact
evaluation or data inconsistencies, recommendations and optionally, support for error correction.
Please also look at SAP Notes 2755360 - Reconciliation prior to S/4HANA Conversion - and
2714344 - Financial data migration to SAP S/4HANA: Most frequent Error Messages –
Information and Recommendations.
Please note: Data inconsistencies in Finance are detected during sandbox conversion. Errors
need to be corrected in production and validated in a subsequent sandbox conversion based on a
fresh copy of production. Please be aware that data inconsistencies in Finance can lead to an
extended business downtime during productive cutover and should be avoided as much as
possible.
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Conversion guide for all releases
here)
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Fiori App Reference Library
• SAP S/4HANA Conversion, Finance Part
• SAP Blog - S/4 Hana ACDOCA Conversion Line Items
• SAP Note 2755360 - Reconciliation prior to S/4HANA Conversion
• SAP Note 2714344 - Financial data migration to SAP S/4HANA: Most frequent Error
Messages – Information and Recommendations
Procedure
Based on the results of the discovery and preparation phase, the best practices scope must be
confirmed, as this will be the baseline for the relevant content structure of the project and the
activation of the respective best practices.
In case of best practices content from SAP Activate, please look up the individual scope items in
the SAP Signavio Process Navigator. Alternatively, study the best practices content of SAP
Activate in SAP Solution Manager, SAP Cloud ALM or SAP Signavio Process Manager.
Accelerators
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
3.3.3. Activation of Best Practices and Test-Activated Processes (New Implementation
only)
Objective
The objective of this task is to activate / validate the Best Practices configuration.
Procedure
The general activation procedures have been already described in the activity Sandbox System
Setup / Conversion in this phase.
• In case of using an SAP S/4HANA fully-activated software appliance (either in cloud, or on-
premise), the sandbox is already preconfigured. The appliance comes with three clients:
• 100: Trial & exploration client (merged-000-client) with localizations for US and
Germany
• 200: Best Practices ready-to-activate client
• 400 Best Practices fully activated reference client (merged-000-client ) with all
localizations
• You can start exploration in client 100 which also contains demo data and scenarios
documented in demo guides. Client 400 is as a reference, or in case you would like to check
customizing for other localizations. In client 200 you selectively activate the best practice
content depending on your functional scope, by using the Solution Builder.
• In case you have installed a fresh SAP S/4HANA system, you will need to import the newest
best practice content (if not already done as part of the activity Sandbox System Setup /
Conversion), and select and activate the content based on your functional scope, by using the
Solution Builder. See the Administration Guide for details (“Setting up a new Best Practices
Client - Client Setup Alternatives”). Please note, that in this case, the Fiori apps have to be
installed and activated separately (see below). The whole installation process can be
simplified using the SAP Maintenance Planner. The Maintenance Planner helps to plan the
installation and to easily generate and download a consolidated “stack.xml”.
• Please note that as of release 1909 you can generate configuration information in the system
for each level in the configuration hierarchy, i. e. for activities, folders, Building Blocks, scope
items or for the whole solution. A report generates a document containing information about
the selected entity with its Customizing objects and sub objects, transaction codes and paths
in the IMG (incl. IMG documentation if available) as well as the content (installation data) to
be maintained. See accelerator section for more information on generating configuration
information.
• Check if the Fiori apps you need for exploration are activated. This should be the case for the
fully-activated appliance (however a demo script for rapid Fiori activation exists as well). For a
fresh install, or for client 200 of the fully-activated appliance, you will craft your custom
business roles to contain only the apps needed (compared to exploring SAP Business Roles).
You will also adjust your launchpad configuration to refine which common features you will
use. The authorization role SAP_FLP_ADMIN gives access to the launchpad content and
layout tools from the SAP Fiori launchpad.
Ensure the apps needed to configure/adapt/extend other SAP Fiori apps are included. The
recommended roles can be used, or own custom role can be created to include those apps.
See the “SAP Fiori Rapid Activation - Quick guide to activate SAP Fiori” accelerator for
more details.
How SAP Can Support
In case SAP Activate can be used, SAP supports this activity with the “Activate Solution” service
component.
Accelerators
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• SAP Note 3330258 - SAP Best Practices for S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition 2023 collective
note for content activation
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA 2023 with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Note 2573352 - SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) Activation in a client
with SAP_ALL copy
• SAP Fiori Rapid Activation - Quick guide to activate SAP Fiori
• App Selection by UX Value Goal Template
• SAP Fiori Launchpad Best Practice Verification Checklist
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
In case your sandbox has been created from a copy of production, it is important to adjust
integration settings, to not integrate with other productive systems.
To be able to conduct the setup properly, the integration was scoped (i.e. in form of a system &
solution architecture with interfaces, and a mapping of functional requirements onto SAP
solutions) and planned within the Prepare phase of the transition project.
The corresponding bordering test systems are available.
Procedure
The following figure displays the integration in general for cloud and on-premise, between
applications, business partners, real world objects, and end users.
Figure: Integration of SAP S/4HANA with other components of the solution landscape
This task focuses on the standard integration (blue arrows) of SAP S/4HANA on-premise with
other test systems / components.
Implement the integration with the bordering test systems as described in the accelerators:
Results
Your sandbox is properly integrated with test bordering systems, and ready to support Fit-to-
Standard Analysis / Design.
You should also look up the SAP API Business Hub where you can discover and consume
digital content packages with APIs, pre-packaged integrations, and sample apps from SAP and
select partners.
Regarding UI integration, SAP supports the design of Fiori UIs in the “UX Activation and UX
Design” service component.
IoT scenarios belong to Intelligent Technologies – which integrates breakthrough technologies like
IoT, Blockchain and Machine Learning, and runs them seamlessly in the cloud. See accelerator
section for details.
Accelerators
• Interface Register Template
• SAP Integration Suite
• SAP API discovery
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 2228611 - Output Management in SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Fiori App Reference Library
• SAP Business Technology Platform - Landing Page in the SAP Online Help Portal
There are six steps that form the deliverables of the Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design activity:
For system conversion, the sequence of steps is the same, however, the aim of certain steps differ.
For instance, in step #3 new requirements are driven by SAP S/4HANA simplification items, new
business requirements and opportunities enabled by SAP S/4HANA. In step #5 configuration “must-
do’s” are documented. These need to be performed to adjust the business processes which are
already in use in the source system. Sometimes, a system conversion is split into two project waves
and go-lives. The first wave focuses on technical transition (with minimal business change) and the
second wave focusses on business transformation.
The key objective of this phase is to approve a design and be ready to move ahead with configuration
and enhancements in the Realize phase.
Procedure
• Make yourself familiar with Fit-to-Standard
• Prepare and schedule workshops
• Workshop participants step through processes
How SAP Can Support
SAP can support the project through the service component “Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design”.
(This replaces the old service component called “Fit Gap Analysis and Delta Design”). The service
component puts a strong focus on staying close to the SAP standard but also covers the identification
and definition of customer specific requirements. A good overview about this service and new
extensibility options are given in the accelerator
“New_Design_Approaches_Extensibility_Options_S4HANA”.
Master data architecture is a cross topic in functional design, and has impact on the data migration
strategy.
• Customers who need support with the Customer Vendor Integration, or the Business Partner
concept, can make use of the “Data Management Design” service component.
• Data Management Design can also look broader to data management. Typical topic areas
are:
• Data Integration: In-depth design of data integration tools to orchestrate data between
systems (where SAP S/4HANA is one of these).
• Master Data Management: Design to validate master data readiness for digital
transformation, or design solution for successful master data implementation.
• Data Quality: Data quality audit focuses on providing data quality insights to
organizations driven by business initiatives.
• Data Tiering: Effective Data Tiering solution design as applicable per solution to reduce
the total cost of ownership.
Accelerators
• New_Design_Approaches_Extensibility_Options_S4HANA
• Fit to Standard – Functional Design Templates
• SAP service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA 2023 – Feature Scope Description
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• SAP Note 3035880 - Recommendations for greenfield implementations of RISE with SAP
S/4HANA Cloud, private edition following a cloud mindset
• Solution Standardization Board White Paper
Procedure
First review the number and sequence of Fit-to-Standard workshops that were defined in the
project plan during Transition Planning activity in the Prepare phase.
The Fit-to-Standard analysis workshops are defined and scheduled based on the customer’s
unique application scope. It is recommended to structure the workshops along Line of Business
areas and business areas. The SAP S/4HANA Line of Business (LoBs) are structured as follows:
• Asset Management
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Manufacturing
• R&D / Engineering
• Sales
• Services
• Sourcing and Procurement
• Supply Chain
• Sustainability
Each LoB is structured into business areas. For example, Finance is structured into:
The six Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design steps should be executed for each business area in the
implementation scope.
Each workshop is jointly owned and delivered by an experienced SAP consultant and a lead from
the business. The consultants should work with the business leads to understand the existing
business processes and roles. The SAP consultant needs to understand the as-is business,
processes and systems. The business lead needs to be able to execute the standard SAP
processes and use the transaction apps.
They work together closely to produce a detailed workshop schedule that defines content,
agendas, presenters, participants, time and location. Check the boundaries and integration points
between workshops are clear. The owners of the workshops must prepare workshop materials
including the demonstrations, templates to document results, slides to run the workshops, lists of
questions and required decisions. The demonstrations are ideally based on the SAP Best
Practices processes. The processes should be adapted to use project specific data. The team
should re-test the processes and practice the demonstrations just before the workshop is
conducted.
In system conversion projects, documentation from the old ERP solution is important. This might
include process diagrams, regression test cases and scripts and the original WRICEF list.
Results
Workshops are scheduled.
Accelerators
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
A list of business processes & scope items to be discussed in the Fit-to-Standard workshops is
already available.
Procedure
Ideally, the workshop attendees should step through the main predefined processes prior to the
workshops. This will allow them to contribute more during the workshops because they will spend
less time making sense of the demonstrations.
The project team should provide the participants with pre-reading or training. For example, send
links to the relevant pre-recorded tutorials for each workshop. See the accelerator section which
includes task tutorials for many of the main SAP S/4HANA Best Practice scope items.
The participants should familiarize with the Clean Core concept described in the Discover and
Prepare phases, see the tasks Familiarize with the Clean Core Concept and Understand how to
achieve Clean Processes and a Clean Process Framework in an SAP S/4HANA New
Implementation Project.
Accelerators
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
This activity is often referred to as “Baseline Build” and can be started during the Prepare phase.
In system conversion projects, the sandbox has been produced by doing a system conversion of a
copy of the production system.
Procedure
• Prepare sample data
• Enhance system with additional configuration and test
For those areas, where no SAP Best Practice content is available, relevant customizing must be
enhanced and extended (e.g. by using the IMG transaction with t-code SPRO). Use the detailed
scoping documentation from previous project phases to document which elements are not
available in the sandbox. You may require guidance from the teams that ran scoping and planning
to determine whether the pre-configuration meets the business need.
Procedure
Make configuration changes in the sandbox and document what has been done. Test the
business processes using project specific master data. These updated processes will be used in
the workshop demonstrations.
For new implementation projects, refer to the Administration Guide for SAP Best Practices
(accelerator section). This will be particularly helpful in projects where SAP Best Practices are
activated using SAP Solution Builder.
Accelerators
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA 2023 with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Note 2573352 - SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) Activation in a client
with SAP_ALL copy
• Fiori apps reference library
It is important to demo the standard processes first, and to evaluate to what extend the SAP standard
can fulfill the business requirements. Document the discussion for instance in SAP Signavio Process
Manager, SAP Cloud ALM or Focused Build. Requirements are collected and prioritized in a backlog.
This should lead to a process design which is close to the SAP standard at least for the non-
differentiating business processes.
For the differentiating business processes, document the requirements properly. Exceptions and
modifications should be always validated by the Solution Standardization Board. SAP offers services
to help customers validating gaps.
In a system conversion, the focus is on existing processes, SAP S/4HANA Simplification Items, items
from the compatibility scope, review of innovations and whether existing WRICEF may be eliminated
by adopting standard features. For mandatory functional adjustments, look at the process flow
diagrams provided by the SAP standard. Instead of getting ‘clean’ processes in a single step of a
system conversion, customers should seek for moving closer to the SAP Standard in multiple steps
(projects) and over time, and to keep cleaned-up business process areas clean in parallel.
Fit-to-Standard is executed via workshops involving the participants from the business areas. After the
workshops, extensive follow-up activities clarify open questions leading to clear documentation.
Procedure
During each workshop, present the target solution to the dedicated key users. For a newly
implemented scenario, the following approach is followed:
• Present the process flow diagram from the SAP Best Practice
• Present relevant transactions for each process step in the sandbox system
• Present the UIs along the process in the sandbox system
Fit-to-Standard workshops for one topic could run in multiple cycles (sprints) to detail the solution
systematically. The focus is to get key decisions clarified first (like organizational units or master data
concepts) and become more detailed with each cycle (sprint). For example, the first workshop for an
end-to-end process might focus on the solution, process, organization and roles. A second workshop
might validate detailed process steps and functionality and define delta requirements.
The result will be a set of validated processes and an initial delta requirement list (backlog) with
indicative potential solutions.
Within each area (e.g. solution capability or SAP Best Practice scope item), the following delta
requirements need to be documented in the backlog:
Accelerators
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• Backlog Template
• Fiori apps reference library
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Security guide for SAP S/4HANA for
all releases here)
•
3.6.1. Fit-to-Standard Workshops Execution
Objective
The objective of this task is to run the Fit-to-Standard Workshops for your business priorities,
business areas, and other functionality to be implemented.
Procedure
For each Line of Business, business area, and application in scope for implementation, execute
workshops and document the results.
In new implementations, the workshop schedule should follow the SAP product road map along
with the relevant SAP Best Practice scope.
In system conversion projects, documentation from the old ERP solution will be a major input to
the workshops. This might include process diagrams, regression test cases, test scripts and the
original WRICEF list. The workshops must include how SAP S/4HANA Simplification Items are
addressed, review new innovations and whether new features can eliminate existing WRICEF.
Besides the topics specific to the business priorities, it is important to define one area, where
general settings will be discussed, described and agreed (e.g. factory calendar). Some of these
may be client independent.
Provide process, value and strategic context at start of each workshop. Focus on business value
and tie to business case and value drivers where possible. Document decisions, assumptions and
business impacts of the processes.
The accelerator links lead to the following information for each SAP Best Practice:
Accelerators
• New_Design_Approaches_Extensibility_Options_S4HANA
• Fit to Standard – Functional Design Templates
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
The following aspects should be classified and documented for each delta requirement:
Review and validate all adjusted pre-configured business process flows have been adjusted in
SAP Signavio according to the fit-to-standard results.
Add all information available to the process flows, such as notes about the business process or
the steps, additional names, and points of integration.
In case SAP Solution Manager is in use for process documentation, proceed as follows:
• Configuration requirements: these can be realized using SAP standard customizing. They
include configuration for business processes, master data, UIs and SAP to SAP
integration.
• Organizational structure: delivered through configuration.
• Master data: for example, information that cannot be mapped to standard SAP fields
• Process: a new process that is not part of the standard SAP solution
• Authorization: changes to standard predefined authorizations and roles
• SAP S/4HANA Simplification Items (for system conversion projects)
• WRICEF: all adjustments or extensions for Workflows, Reports, Interfaces, Conversions,
Enhancements and Forms. These require specific development knowledge. In some
projects a specific governance / approval procedure is required to approve these
requirements because they impact initial implementation effort and on-going maintenance
effort.
• Development: significant new developments for functionality that might not be available
within SAP standard.
• User Experience (UX): the minimal information required for the UX requirement are the
name of the app (according the naming in the App Library) and a short description of the
requirement.
Alternatively, you can use SAP Cloud ALM for process and requirements documentation as
described in the “Process Management” and “Requirement Management” sections of the SAP
Cloud ALM for Implementation Expert Portal.
With system conversion, SAP S/4HANA provides new improved solutions for some Workflows,
Forms and Reports. A decision needs to be made whether these new solutions are adopted. If the
old solutions are kept, they need to be tested and, in some cases, re-worked.
Accelerators
• Business Scenario Design Document Template (SAP Customer)
• Scope Key Decision Template (SAP Customer)
• Backlog Template
• Fiori Apps Library
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• SAP Cloud ALM for Implementation – Expert Portal
A specific UI session (deep dive) needs to be scheduled to further validate and qualify any Fiori and/or
SAP GUI related requirements. The extent and scope of the session depends upon the UI
requirements on the backlog list.
Procedure
• Prioritize delta requirements
• Gap validation: SAP check of delta requirements identified as WRICEF
3.7.1. Prioritize Delta Requirements
Objective
Check the quality and completeness of the delta requirements in the backlog, adhering to the
Clean Core principle of keeping the core clean as much as possible.
Procedure
The solution architect and project management team review and prioritize the requirements
considering the project objectives and overall SAP S/4HANA solution architecture. Criteria for
prioritization are agreed up front. Every delta requirement leading to a WRICEF is challenged: is it
vital to meet the business requirement and if so, can it be delivered through standard
configuration? The project team also review and critique the delta requirements. They check each
requirement is complete and double check for missing requirements.
Complexity parameters (very high, high, medium, low) can be assigned to each identified
requirement, which enables the project management team to produce an initial effort estimate
based on T-Shirt sizes.
The combination of priorities, complexity and other parameters help the team decide which
requirements need to be discussed in design workshops. The requirements may be clustered into
delivery sprints. In some cases, a governance body, like a steering committee will be involved in
making decisions.
In system conversion, some of the existing WRICEF will be eliminated and some will be kept as
delta requirements. Initial effort estimates are based on T-Shirt sizes for the rework required.
Accelerators
• Backlog Template
Procedure
Gap validation aims to keep to the SAP standard as closely as possible:
Accelerators
• Backlog Template
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
3.8. Design Workshops and Documentation
Description
The purpose of design is to detail and document solutions for the delta requirements that were
identified and prioritized during the Fit-to-Standard analysis. Iterative design workshops are executed
to agree the solution.
The design should always be performed with the Clean Core concept in mind. Refer to the accelerator
New design approaches and Extensibility Options for SAP S/4HANA (see accelerator section of the
following Design task).
Afterwards, design documents are produced in a format to enable clear communication and formal
sign-off. Equivalent documents may be available from a previous ERP implementation. The project
can re-work these or choose to create new documents that summarize the design.
Procedure
The design is documented for relevant business areas, solution capabilities, or scope items. Define
Business Process Target State.
3.8.1. Design
Objective
The purpose of design is to detail and document solutions for the delta requirements that were
identified and prioritized during the Fit-to-Standard analysis.
Procedure
The design should always be performed with the Clean Core concept in mind. Refer to the
accelerator New design approaches and Extensibility Options for SAP S/4HANA and Extend SAP
S/4HANA in the cloud and on premise with ABAP based extensions (see accelerator section).
• Plan and execute design workshops for all complex requirements and assess all valid
solution options for these requirements in detail. Include solution options based on
modern extension technologies based on the customer’s strategy
• Include BTP expert(s) and development lead to support the requirements involving new
extensibility technologies
• Include industry cloud experts, if industry cloud solutions are in scope
• Multiple custom specific processes could be a good reason for positioning the side-by-
side extensibility on BTP, even if the customer has neglected this before.
Iterative design workshops are executed to agree the solution for the topics selected during
workshop validation. The design is documented for relevant business areas, solution capabilities,
or scope items. The following criteria are documented in a design document:
The structure of the design documents depends on the business area. For example, the structure
for Core Finance may look like this:
Besides the topics mentioned above, that need to be covered on solution capability level, it is
mandatory to describe general settings, organizational units and master data requirements.
Functional specifications are produced for the WRICEF and development requirements listed in
the design document. Functional specifications are required to produce accurate estimates for the
realize phase. In some cases, functional specifications are completed during the Realize phase. In
system conversion, existing functional specifications are updated.
The level of detail in the design document should enable implementation work to start in the
Realize phase.
Please note: requirements met by the preconfigured solution (e.g. SAP Best Practices) do not
need to be documented. This saves time compared to the traditional “blueprint” approach that was
used in early SAP ERP implementations. Only document what is not delivered by the SAP Best
Practices.
Accelerators
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• Master Data Design Template
• New_Design_Approaches_Extensibility_Options_S4HANA
• Extend SAP S/4HANA in the cloud and on premise with ABAP based extensions
• Fit to Standard – Functional Design Templates
3.8.2. Define Business Process Target State
Objective
The purpose of this task is to ensure the To-Be business processes help achieve the correct value
KPIs. The To-Be processes can be simulated to determine if the business processes have been
correctly defined.
Procedure
• Handover all business process models, and delta requirements captured from the fit-to-
standard workshops and the other planning and design workshops.
• Define business requirements for new processes.
• Define IT requirements for new processes.
• Add roles to activities in the models, such as RACI roles, using referencing the
“Reasonability Assignment according to RACI” sub-section of “What is BPMN?” under
“Modeling Notations” in the SAP Signavio Process Manager Process Manager User
Guide accelerator.
• Add risks and mitigations of processes to the business process models based on the
steps in the “Manage Notations, Attributes, and the Dictionary” section under “Workspace
Administration” in the SAP Signavio Process Manager Process Manager User Guide
accelerator.
• Compare the differences between the business’ processes today and their future
processes, referencing the “Compare Revisions” section under “Modeling” in the SAP
Signavio Process Manager Process Manager User Guide accelerator.
• Simulate to-be processes and evaluate the impact on business. See the “Simulating
BPMN Diagrams” in the SAP Signavio Process Manager Process Manager User
Guide accelerator. Later in Realize and after Go-Live you can validate if the desired
business impact can be reached.
• Finally export the defined new business processes to SAP Solution Manager 7.2. The
following content types can be exported from SAP Signavio Process Manager to SAP
Solution Manager 7.2:
o Folders
o Sub folders as scenarios
o BPMN diagrams as processes
o Tasks as Process steps
Proceed as follows:
o Select the folder you want to export and select 'Import/Export - Export to SAP
Solution Manager 7.2' (ensure to always export the folder containing the diagram.
A single diagram cannot be exported).
o Select 'Start' in the new open tab. The status of the export will be displayed and
after a successful export, the selected folders and processes will be available in
SAP Solution Manager 7.2.
o Verify the availability of the new exported BPM projects in SAP Solution Manager.
Accelerators
• SAP Signavio Process Manager Process Manager User Guide (SAP Customer)
• SAP Signavio and SAP Solution Manager Integration Video (SAP Customer)
3.9. Review and Customer Sign Off
Description
During this activity a quality review of the design documents is performed and formal approval is
obtained from business and IT stakeholders.
Procedure
• Perform design review.
• Perform validation and approval
Accelerators
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
The design review should include criteria like:
There may be uncertainty about the design of complex processes at net new or existing
customers, or there may be concerns about robustness, operability and sustainability of a process
and solution design. SAP offers the “Application Architecture Evaluation” as an additional
service component. Industry experienced solution architects review the core business processes
and supporting master data, identified requirements and planned development requirements. The
solution landscape is analyzed on a high-level including interfaces, data volume and custom
development aspects. The design is evaluated, and SAP portfolio alternatives are presented
under consideration of latest product road maps. A final report summarizes the covered areas,
core processes and the SAP recommendations.
Procedure
All relevant stakeholders from the business and IT departments sign off the design
documentation. With the sign off, all stakeholders agree that the solution design is complete and
the solution proposals for requirements are understood and accepted. Issues identified during
acceptance need to be documented and classified.
It is important that the stakeholders genuinely understand the documents. They should be written
in clear business language with SAP terminology clearly explained. Successful demonstrations
and workshops are the key to truly informed approval.
Based on the approved design documents, the backlog will be updated and now represents the
product backlog for the realize phase. The updated product backlog is the baseline for the sprint
planning for the Realize phase.
As this is usually one of the last activities within the Explore phase, it is highly recommended to
perform a lessons learned session.
Accelerators
• Lessons learned template
• Sign Off Template
A sandbox with standard Fiori configuration will be set-up as the basis for comparison. A series of
workshops allows the identification and validation of customer specific delta requirements, hence the
deviation from the standard. Potential solution approaches will be drafted and prioritized as input for
later development.
SAP offers the “UX Activation and UX Design” service component which supports all the activities
described in this activity.
Alternatively, the SAP service “Implementation of User Experience in SAP S/4HANA” can be used.
This service consists of various scope options that allow tailoring to the required scope. This service
also covers the UX activities that follow the steps described in this activity. It particularly covers the
detailed specification of the UX enhancements and its implementation, the UX set-up in development,
and the move to quality assurance and production.
The “UX Advisory Service for Business Value” complements planning and design activities for User
Experience. It also allows to address strategic aspects related to User Experience.
It is also highly recommended to make yourself familiar with the “SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA” WIKI.
The WIKI is for customers who are starting with SAP Fiori in a new SAP S/4HANA system or want to
gain more knowledge about operating or developing SAP Fiori in an existing SAP S/4HANA system.
From the WIKI you can easily navigate to:
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find a lot of information on SAP Fiori (strategy, Fiori
development, sizing etc.) in the “Explore” page of the learning journey.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori Configuration for SAP S/4HANA – Expert Guided Implementation
• Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Community - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 3336823 - SAP FIORI FOR SAP S/4HANA 2023: Release Information Note
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Explore
3.10.1. UX Activation
Objective
The objective of this task is the preparation of the sandbox with Fiori apps to ensure readiness for
Fit-to-Standard workshops: The sandbox can be based on an appliance (CAL, BluRay), or on
activation using SAP Best Practices.
• For new implementation: Appliance set-up; Fiori check to ensure readiness for workshops
• System Conversion: Activation of SAP Best Practices. App-specific configuration for the
in-scope Fiori and setting up Fiori Roles and Users for System Conversion
Procedure (for System Conversion)
First of all, become familiar with the Fiori Apps Reference Library, by reading the SAP blog “How
To Explore “Fiori Apps Reference Library” For SAP S/4 HANA Apps” from the SAP RIG team.
A relevance analysis for Fiori apps based on the usage of the existing system allows a first UI
scoping. Using a list of transaction codes uploaded to the SAP Fiori apps reference library, the
“Relevance and Readiness Analysis” (open the SAP Fiori App Reference Library and click on
“Learn more” on the left side of the screen; see accelerator section) provides a list of SAP Fiori
apps that fit the business processes in scope.
All app-specific prerequisites need to be available according to the information in the Fiori App
Reference Library before carrying out the following;
• Creating Fiori Users
• Connecting SAP Gateway to SAP S/4 HANA System
• Configuring SAP Web Dispatcher (Fact sheets only)
• Setting up the Fiori Launchpad and Launchpad Designer
• Generic Configuration for Fact Sheet
• Generic Configuration for Analytical App
• Review basic security set-up and configuration.
Note that some of the configuration differs between an embedded landscape (backend and
frontend in the same machine) and a Central Hub set-up (having frontend and backend
separated).
Regarding content activation, please look at the blog series “Fiori for S/4HANA – New Rapid
Content Activation on S/4HANA” and “SAP Fiori for S/4HANA – Rapid Activation Task List
Updates and Quick Guide”.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - How To Explore “Fiori Apps Reference Library” For SAP S/4 HANA Apps
• Fiori Apps Reference Library
• openSAP Microlearning – Finding Available Fiori Apps
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA – New Rapid Content Activation on SAP
S/4HANA – Part 1 – Overview
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori for S/4HANA – Rapid Activation Task List Updates and Quick Guide
• App Selection by UX Value Goal Template
• SAP Fiori Launchpad Best Practice Verification Checklist
• SAP Fiori Cloud Demo
3.10.2. UX Design
Objective
The following applies to both scenarios, new implementation and system conversion.
The objective of this task is:
• The identification of customer specific requirements that cannot be solved with an SAP
standard configuration for Fiori.
• The review of these customer specific UX requirements in more detail.
• The drafting of potential solutions (mock-ups).
• The qualification and prioritization of the solution.
• An initial effort estimation for design and development as a basis for planning and
decision making.
Procedure
The Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design activity is divided into two steps:
• Fit-to-Standard Analysis
The Fit-to-Standard workshops are conducted to validate the predefined scenarios and
processes and to identify deviations from the standard configuration. The Fiori apps that
fit the customer business processes will be selected. These are not specific UX
workshops but generic Fit-to-Standard workshops covering all potential deviations.
• Design
The UX delta requirements will be validated in specific UX sessions followed by a high-
level solution design. This ensures that the identified delta requirements get addressed
properly in detail and that the required knowledge is present in the workshops. To prepare
the UX specific validation sessions the following activities need to be carried if not already
done previously. The series of activities
▪ Initial categorizing of the delta requirements according to complexity
▪ Workshops and/or discussions depending upon complexity
▪ Effort estimates for UX enhancements; definition of enhancements that need
additional evaluation to come up with effort estimates (custom specific
development, effort estimate is not part of this deep-dive session)
▪ Capture UI information in a tool for complex delta requirements (Build is
recommended)
▪ For process/screen optimization: requirements defined, prioritization, initial high-
level effort estimate, low-fidelity mock-ups
Additional tasks depending upon the project planning
• Identification of end-user roles and their tasks to design the Fiori Launchpad role-based
experience
• Identification of set-up of tiles (Launchpad Home Page vs. relegated to the App Finder;
grouping, naming, roles)
• Draft design for analytical tiles
Based on the categorization and defined priorities, design and development activities must be set
up as a next step.
Regarding the layout of the Fiori Launchpad, SAP recommends running one or more workshops
with selected business users to prototype the launchpad layout for their business role. Related
business roles can be included in the same workshop. For example, where there is a significant
degree of overlap in apps used, or where the roles participate in the same business processes.
Follow the procedure listed in the UX Adoption: How to approach Design your Launchpad
Layout Workshop accelerator. Below is a summary of the steps:
• A brief demonstration of launchpad layout features, including the options for finding apps,
is used to start the discussion.
• General principles for a good launchpad layout are discussed. For example, place most
important/most frequent apps first, use terminology familiar to business users, avoid
clutter.
• Participants are given the list of apps/UIs to be organized into a layout.
• A prototype layout is created.
You can find recommendations for structuring launchpad layouts in the accelerators Blog -
Recommendation for Structuring Roles, Spaces and Pages in the SAP Fiori Launchpad
Based on Common User Behavior and Blog - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA – Best Practices
for Structuring Spaces and Pages.
How SAP Can Support
SAP has introduced SAP Build that helps accelerate development and automation SAP Build
consist of:
In particular, SAP Build Apps may help you develop apps quickly without code.
Accelerators
• SAP Build
• SAP User Experience (Fiori) Community
• SAP UI5 - Landing Page
• Backlog Template
• Blog - Recommendation for Structuring Roles, Spaces and Pages in the SAP Fiori Launchpad
Based on Common User Behaviors (Public)
• Blog - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA – Best Practices for Structuring Spaces and Pages
(Public)
• UX Adoption: How to approach Design your Launchpad Layout Workshop (Public)
Security Design builds on top of the functional design documents coming from Fit-to-Standard
Analysis / Design, and from UX Activation and Design. Changes of the functional design, or the
introduction of Fiori may have significant impact, e.g. on the authorization concept.
Results
“Go” or “No-Go” decision for security activities in the scope of the transition project. In case of “Go”,
the result will be a road map that defines the exact scope of the security design activities.
• The “SU25 Authorization Upgrade” part executes during the mandatory adjustments of
existing roles. It is required for SAP S/4HANA system conversion and selective data transition
projects (which start with a system conversion). Moreover, this part is also required for
subsequent upgrades.
• The “S/4HANA Authorization” part supports customers in quickly establishing roles and
authorizations for an SAP S/4HANA implementation. It is required for all SAP S/4HANA
transition scenarios.
An initial scoping determines the required parts and effort with respect to your SAP S/4HANA
transition project.
• The “SU25 Authorization Upgrade” service supports you to post process your PFCG
authorizations for ABAP applications as part of SAP upgrade. For planned system
conversion” or selective data transition scenarios, these steps are required.
• Within the “SU25 Authorization Upgrade” service the customer will be enabled to
understand the required technical basics and methodology which is needed to come to a
successful go-live with appropriate PFCG ABAP role content. After an assessment and
discussion of your situation, you will get customer specific action instructions for updating of
your SU24 tables. These tables build the foundation of the PFCG role generator which is used
to build and adapt PFCG roles.
• Delivery Approach and Scope:
o This service will be delivered as a coaching approach, starting with an enablement
workshop
o Analysis of customer As-is-situation concerning SU24 tables
o Creation of concrete actionable instructions as well as effort estimation to upgrade the
content of SU24 tables
o Performance of all required SU25 steps for updating SU24 tables
• Value and Benefits
o Customer specific action instruction for realization of authorization post processing
steps as part of your conversion to S/4HANA or after an ABAP system upgrade
o SU24 tables are updated as basis for further conversion steps to adapt PFCG roles
o Enablement of role owner how to upgrade PFCG authorizations
• The “S/4HANA Authorization Service” supports the customers in quickly establishing roles
and authorizations for a S/4HANA implementation. Based on an SAP best practice
methodology, business catalogs, frontend server roles as well as backend server roles are
delivered to the customer with a high level of automation, enabling the customer to benefit
from the advantages of Fiori Launchpad as a single point of entry.
• The “S/4HANA Authorization Service” also helps the customer to authorize the new
technologies based on new entities like business catalogs and OData services.
• Delivery Approach and Scope
o The delivery approach depends on the corresponding scenario “Migration of
authorizations” (for system conversion or selective data transition) or “New
authorization concept” (for new implementations)
o “Migration of authorizations” starts with the extraction of old authorization data,
simplifications (replaced or deactivated transactions), enhancement (proposal of Fiori
Launchpad Authorization Structure in terms of App to Role Assignments), and finally
the new role assignment proposals of frontend roles and backend roles
o “New authorization concept” starts with the Scoping, Functional Role Definitions
(including Fiori Launchpad Business Catalogs containing Fiori Apps), Organizational
Role Definitions and finally the role assignment
• Value and Benefits
o Minimize effort, costs and duration in activating roles and authorizations for S/4HANA
implementation projects based on a proven SAP Best Practice Methodology with a
high level of automation
o Get the authorization infrastructure to benefit from Fiori Launchpad as a Single Point
of Entry providing access to Fiori Apps as well as classical UI technologies
See accelerator section for more details on “Security Design” service component.
All customer should also look into the Security Guide for SAP S/4HANA.
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Security guide for all releases
here)
• Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA 2023 with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Online Help Portal - Configuring Roles with Launchpad Start Authorizations
• SAP Online Help Portal - The Segregation of Duties Concept
• SAP Online Help Portal - Auditing and Logging
Procedure
Define the security infrastructure that will be setup and configured in the security implementation
activities during the Realize phase.
Results
The definition of Security activities in the scope of the S/4HANA conversion project which will be
implemented during the Realize phase.
• Operation and Monitoring of data archiving and deletion jobs, i.e. in which sequence data
archiving objects should best be scheduled and related to other archiving objects
• Infrastructure, e.g. Content Server to store the archive files
As data avoidance (i.e. deactivating the creation of data by customizing changes) and data
summarization (i.e. aggregating data at higher level) will only have future effects, in a conversion
scenario you should focus on the following techniques.
• Data Deletion
Deleting out-of-date records from the online database that are no longer used by the
business nor required for legal compliance (e.g. spool data)
• Data Archiving
Transferring data with a long retention period (e.g. legal compliance, product liability data,
etc.) from the online database to an alternative storage medium, which provides display
access to the transferred data
For those customers that have already set up DVM they need to look into this activity for these
reasons:
• Due to the massive change of the FIN data model with SAP Simple Finance, reload of
accounting data that has been archived with archiving object FI_DOCUMNT prior to the
conversion is no longer possible after conversion. See SAP Note 53064 - which clearly
states: “Reloading data across releases is generally not allowed”. See also SAP Note
2346296 - Technical details about financial accounting archiving
• Also, existing archiving strategies need to be checked. E.g. in future, table COEP entries will
be saved partly in table ACDOCA and / or in table COEP depending on the value type. Hence
future table growth needs to be examined carefully and existing archiving strategies need to
be adapted.
• In case there are customer specific requirements to access archived or historical (cold) data,
custom code adoptions need to be considered.
In the context of the system conversion project you will need to do the following:
• For large systems, set up and execute a DVM strategy focusing on quick-win objects (i.e.
temporary, basis and cross-application tables) to reduce the size of the database before
system conversion starts. Sanity check the results of the DVM activities (e.g. by using the
DVM work center in SAP Solution Manager).
If time permits also consider a broader approach that also includes data archiving of business
documents. Especially consider archiving of accounting documents as this will no longer be
possible on SAP S/4HANA up to edition 1605. As of SAP S/4HANA edition 1605 data
archiving for financial documents is reintroduced. You can monitor and track the results of
your DVM activities by using the DVM work center in SAP Solution Manager.
• For large systems, and in case DVM is already set up: Get transparency on open business
documents that cannot be archived. Open business documents that fail the archiving checks
are likely to fail the conversion checks.
Procedure
• Get Transparency on the SAP HANA DVM Quick Wins (system conversion only)
• Optional: Set Up a DVM Strategy for Business Documents (system conversion only)
• Get Transparency on Open Business Documents (system conversion only)
• Adapt your DVM Strategy
Results
There is a documented strategy on Data Volume Management.
In addition, SAP Enterprise Support customers can find a lot of information and services on data
volume management in the context of SAP S/4HANA in the “Become competent” section of the
“Explore” learning journey.
Accelerators
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Explore
• SAP Note 2346296 - Technical details about financial accounting archiving
Prerequisites
This task is only relevant for system conversion.
Procedure
There is a Guided Self Service available in the DVM Work Center of SAP Solution Manager to
provide detailed analysis of your data and useful background information on the most commonly
growing tables.
In case the possible quick-win tables have been identified already in the task DVM Planning, you
can run the Guided Self Service specifically focusing on those manually entered and selected
tables.
Alternatively, there is an option to schedule the Guided Self Service automatically focusing on
Basis and temporary tables that could be subject for archiving or deletion without effecting
business processes (i.e. DVM quick wins).
Based on the analysis results and the recommendations, define and agree with all stakeholders
on your own residence time.
See also SAP Note 706478 – “Preventing Basis tables from increasing considerably” for options
to reduce the size of Basis tables.
The DVM work center also offers beneficial insights and transparency when finally executing the
archiving and deletion jobs and allows the monitoring and tracking of success.
Results
There is now transparency on the DVM quick wins of SAP HANA.
Accelerators
• SAP Note 706478 - Preventing Basis tables from increasing considerably
Prerequisites
This task is of particular interest for system conversion.
Procedure
In the context of a system conversion project, SAP recommends to at least discuss SAP Note
2154712 – “Archive transaction data of deactivated company codes” to shut down and archive
inactive company codes before conversion starts.
Results
You have started with the execution of a DVM strategy to reduce system size and required
downtime during system conversion.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information and services on data volume
management in the context of SAP S/4HANA (e.g. CQC Data Volume Management, Guided self-
service) in the “Become competent” section of the “Explore” learning journey.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital
Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• 2154712 - Archive transaction data of deactivated company codes
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Explore
Prerequisites
This task is of particular interest for system conversion.
Procedure
It is difficult to collect the open business documents yourself with acceptable efforts. SAP
recommends ordering a Business Process Assessment service that provides a snapshot for
business metrics.
Once you have gained transparency on the number of open business documents, you can start
clarifying the status together with the Business Data Owners from the Lines of Businesses. The
aim is to close as many open business documents as possible and have them archived before the
system conversion.
Please note that the Business Process Assessment is a one-time health check only. For a
continuous root cause analysis and improvement of business processes, SAP Signavio Process
Insights or Business Process Analytics in SAP Solution Manager can be used.
SAP Signavio Process Insights enables you to select from predefined lists of end-to-end
processes, modular processes, lines of business, or value drivers as your entry point to process
insights, improvements, and innovation recommendations. Please note the usage of SAP
Signavio Process Insights is not free of charge.
This tool provides benchmarking, advanced benchmarking, value benchmarking, age analysis as
well as trend reporting. For more information, please see Accelerator’s section.
Results
You have gained transparency on open business documents.
SAP offers a service component “Business Process Insights Starter Pack” to get started with SAP
Signavio Process Insights. With the immediate data-driven insights, processes are analyzed for
selected areas and follow-up actions to improve processes are derived.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find a lot of information and services on Business Process
Improvement prior to a system conversion in the “Become competent” section of the “Prepare”
learning journey.
Accelerators
• SAP Community Blog - New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 1
• Business Process Improvement
• SAP Signavio Process Insights
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital Transformation
• Service Information – Service Components for Business Process Insights and
Improvement
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
Prerequisites
This task is important for all scenarios.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Inform yourself. The SAP Online Documentation provides a good introduction into classic
data archiving with SAP S/4HANA.
• Together with your Data Volume Management head, and the Business Data Owners, and
clarify which data should be archived before the system conversion. Please also consider
the options your SAP S/4HANA release offers for classical data archiving.
• As mentioned in the SAP Note, please make sure to properly adapt custom code that
accesses archived data, or in future aged data from the history space.
Results
The DVM strategy has been adjusted with respect to the options and requirements of SAP
S/4HANA.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital
Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Online Documentation – Data Archiving
• Data Management Guide
This activity covers both the simple scenario, where standard tools or best practices concepts are
sufficient, and the complex selective data transitions.
A master data design document, and a description of business data to be migrated from legacy should
have been created as part of the Fit-to-Standard activity.
Procedure
The procedure is as follows:
Look up the SAP Blog “Migrating data to your (new) SAP S/4HANA” to learn about the ways in which
your business data can be migrated to your newly deployed SAP S/4HANA system.
Ideally, a first assessment on the data migration design has been performed in the Prepare phase of
the project already (e.g. as part of the “Transition Planning for New Implementation” service
component, or as a dedicated “Data Migration Architecture” assessment; see Transition Planning
service component for more details).
Please ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) or contact directly DMLT for more information.
On top of SAP Data Services, SAP offers a Rapid Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA service. This
allows you to efficiently leverage prebuilt best practice content for over 50 critical master and
transactional data objects to accelerate and simplify your data migration to SAP S/4HANA. See
accelerator section for more information.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can join the EGI “Data migration strategy and tools for greenfield
implementation of SAP S/4HANA”. See the “Become competent” section of the “Explore” learning
journey.
Accelerators
• SAP Data Management and Landscape Transformation (DMLT) Homepage
• Service Information – Service Components for Data Migration Design
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Explore
• SAP Blog - Migrating data to your (new) SAP S/4HANA
• Data Migration Landing Page for SAP S/4HANA
• Rapid data migration to SAP S/4HANA
Procedure
During the Fit-to-Standard analysis & design workshops, the project team defined and
documented the to-be business processes and delta requirements. Related to the future business
process structure, a data migration register has been filled which lists the business data which
needs to be transferred from the source systems.
Summarize the findings of the assessment in a data migration scope and requirements document.
How SAP Can Support
A first assessment on data migration design can be supported by a “Data Migration
Architecture” service component; see activity Transition Planning / task Define the Data
Migration Approach and Strategy for more details).
SAP offers a “Data Migration Assessment “, where data migration can be planned in detail, and
where all important aspects are discussed so as to be able to execute the data migration in the
Realize / Deploy phase of the project.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information and an expert-guided implementation on
data migration in the context of SAP S/4HANA in the “Become competent” section of the “Explore”
learning journey.
Accelerators
• SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Explore
• Service Information – Service Components for Data Migration Design
• DATA MIGRATION SCOPING QUESTIONNAIRE TEMPLATE
• Data Migration Issues and Risks Template
• Data Migration Scoping Questionnaire Template
Procedure
In the data audit, the focus is on conducting a high-level summary analysis, looking for typical
problems such as missing data and column names that are inconsistent with content.
The data audit involves working with the business users to help map out the gap between the
existing and required levels of data quality.
The project team can use the accelerator for quality tracking below to capture data profiling
information on all needed data objects whether they are covered by the Rapid Data Migration
package or not.
Data Quality for Data Migration (listed in accelerator) provides more details.
Accelerators
• SAP Best Practice - Data Quality for Data Migration
• Data Migration Quality Tracking
3.13.3. Finalize the Data Migration Approach and Strategy Document
Objective
The purpose of this task is the finalization of the data migration approach and strategy document
for the legacy data migration.
Procedure
This task is intended to align all project team members on the data migration framework and
methodology.
Determine all master and transactional data objects needed to support the business processes
documented in the fit-to-standard workshops. In case migration cockpit is used for data migration,
see the SAP Online Help – Migration Objects for SAP S/4HANA accelerator for a list of all
objects. Please note that the migration objects for File/Staging and Direct Transfer approaches
may vary.
Determine the data source for each object. Some objects may not have a legacy source and
therefore will require data creation.
Read the migration object documentation available in the SAP Online Help Portal – Migration
Objects for SAP S/4HANA accelerator for additional information on use of the Migration Cockpit.
Some of the most important parts of this document are listed below.
1. Strategy and Approach: it describes priorities and timescales of the achievable goals of
data migration
2. Data Assessment: this section builds on top of the data migration scope and requirements
document. It should contain specification of the data to be migrated and a data dictionary
that describes all the details of the data objects.
3. Data Quality and Cleansing: this part contains an abstraction of data audit's findings and
extends it to capture the appropriate data cleansing plan
4. ETL Methodology: it describes an iterative four-stage approach - analyzing the data,
extracting and transforming the data, validating the data, and loading it into targets with
testing.
A sample document below on data migration approach and strategy is a good demonstration of
how these parts can be laid out.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Data Migration Design
• Data Migration Landing Page for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Online Help Portal: Available Migration Objects
• Data Migration Approach and Strategy Template
• Data Migration Strategy and Approach Sample
3.13.4. Define Specifications for Data Migration
Objective
The purpose of this task is to define the specifications (functional, technical) for data migration
(extraction, transformation, validation, load, etc.) for both automated process and manual process.
Procedure
The overall objective of the automated data migration design is to deliver clean, load-ready data
as input to the standard SAP load utilities. However, there are cases that the automated programs
are not available, or the data volume does not justify the investment in developing such programs.
For example, due to the low data volumes, it is quicker to convert certain types of master data
(bank, cost center, and profit center) through a manual process. Certain types of transactional
data, such as open orders (sales, service) need to be manually created by running SAP
transactions in the target system. In many cases, legacy data may include sensitive or classified
information that requires special handling procedures.
The project team must identify the data sets, determine the customer’s security policies and
develop a solution that will isolate this information from the non-secured data sets.
For automated migrations, the security requirements can be met through techniques or methods,
such as file and database privileges or the deployment of an isolated migration environment.
For manual migrations, the recommended solution is to have the business owners that have
access to that data perform the manual migration.
The end deliverable is a Data Security Design document. The project team also needs to
construct a Testing Strategy document detailing information such as Test Cycle Definition, Roles
and Responsibilities, etc.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Data Migration Design
• Functional and Implementation Design Template
• Manual Data Migration – Design Template
• Automated Data Migration – Design Template
• Testing Strategy
• DATA SECURITY DESIGN
Prerequisites
An aligned approach and strategy for data migration has been created.
Procedure
The procedure depends data migration tools.
Migration Cockpit:
You can find information on system requirements and prerequisites for using the SAP
S/4HANA migration cockpit on-premise in the accelerator Installation Guide for SAP
S/4HANA. Please refer to Chapter 7 “Installation Follow-up Activities”.
Use the following accelerators to navigate to the latest product assistance for the
respective approach of SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit:
1. Review the test scripts included in the SAP Best Practices scope item accelerator
Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA from Staging (2Q2).
2. Review the SAP Online Help - Transferring Data Directly from an SAP
System accelerator for information on direct transfer of data from an existing SAP
system.
Rapid Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA builds on SAP Data Services. See accelerator
section for more information about what additional software needs to be installed to
transfer the data. Rapid Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA contains detailed information,
and a quick guide which explains installation and configuration of the required software.
The Data Migration Assessment service component has been already delivered. All
details on what needs to be installed and when, have been clarified in the delivery context
of this service component. Please note that additional license costs may apply.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Data Migration Design
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find all relevant guides mentioned
in this task here)
• SAP Online Help Portal - Migrate Data Directly from SAP System
• Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA from Staging (2Q2)
• SAP Online Help Portal: Available Migration Objects
• Rapid data migration to SAP S/4HANA
Data cleansing should occur on the legacy data as soon as the data migration objects are
identified, otherwise this process may become a bottleneck for data migration.
Procedure
The cleansing procedure may depend on the migration tool you are using. The steps in general
are as follows:
1. Review data from the legacy systems that will be migrated during the implementation project
for relevancy, quality and completeness. Users of the different data can typically provide the
best insight into the data quality.
2. Delete or identify rules for omitting legacy objects that should not be included in the migration.
3. Identify data inaccuracies.
4. Develop plans to correct data inaccuracies.
In addition, some SAP tools/products such as SAP Data Services or Smart Data Integration can
be used to populate the staging tables, provide data transformation and cleansing capabilities.
See SAP Online Help – SAP HANA Smart Data Integration and SAP HANA Smart Data
Quality and SAP Data Services accelerators for additional information.
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal: SAP HANA Smart Data Integration and SAP HANA Smart Data
Quality
• SAP Data Services
Potentially a first analysis of the custom code has been done in the Prepare phase already. See task
“Clarify Custom Code Adaption” for details.
Procedure
In case you haven’t done already: Make yourself familiar with the topic of custom code migration,
including process and tools. SAP recommends the following information sources:
• You should start with the SAP Blogs “SAP S/4HANA System Conversion – Custom code
adaptation process” and “Semi-automatic custom code adaptation after SAP S/4HANA
system conversion”, and the “FAQ document on custom code adaption”.
• Detailed information is given in the “Custom Code Migration Guide for SAP S/4HANA
2023”
Results
There is a list of custom objects which are subject for adjustment.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - S/4HANA system conversion - Custom code adaptation process
• SAP Blog - Semi-automatic custom code adaptation after SAP S/4HANA system
conversion
• SAP Blog - Custom code adaptation for SAP S/4HANA – FAQ
• Custom Code Migration Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2023
• Simplification Item Catalog
Prerequisites
You are familiar with the SAP tool set on custom code migration. The tools have been set up in
your system landscape.
Procedure
Use the tools as documented in the section “Custom Code Analysis During Preparation Phase” of
the Custom Code Migration Guide. You can add usage data to your custom code migration
project to identify custom code which is not in use. Unused custom code objects can be stored in
transport requests and excluded from migration by the SUM tool during conversion.
Analyze all custom objects from the list and prioritize with respect to business criticality and
urgency.
Please note that you will also need to analyze modifications which are affected by upgrade or
enhancement pack installation. This is documented in the section “Running Transactions SPDD,
SPAU, and SPAU_ENH” of the Custom Code Migration Guide.
Results
There is a documented and prioritized list of custom code objects which need to be adjusted as
part of the transition project.
The “Custom Code Impact Analysis” is also available as an expert-guided implementation for SAP
Enterprise Support customers. See the “Become competent” section of the “Prepare” learning
journey for details.
Accelerators
• Custom Code Migration Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2023
• Service Information – Service Components for Custom Code Management
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
• Simplification Item Catalog
3.15. Integration Design
Description
The purpose of the integration design activity is to detail and document all integration aspects of the
project, that have been identified in the Prepare phase and in the Fit-to-Standard analysis.
• Design of the to-be system & solution landscape with interfaces (scoped in the SAP S/4HANA
Transition to New Implementation (TNI) workshop – see activity Transition Planning in the
Prepare phase for details).
• Consider the Clean Core concept for integration
• Integration between SAP solutions e.g. between SAP S/4HANA and SAP cloud solutions
such as SAP Ariba and SAP SuccessFactors.
• Integration between SAP and non-SAP solutions.
• All other technical, non-business priority specific integration topics.
This leads to finalizing the respective design document in a format suitable for communication as well
as for formal sign-off.
Further requirements:
• To-be system and solution architecture with interfaces has been defined and fixed.
• Interface architecture has been defined as scope and fixed on a high level.
• The functional design of all interfaces in scope should be in place from the Fit-to-Standard
sessions.
• All other integration aspects and requirements have been discussed.
Procedure
The level of detail in integration design specification should be in such a way, that configuration and
development can start based on the description. This activity should be executed in close cooperation
with the Fit-to-Standard activities of the Application design and configuration work stream.
Results
The result is a finalized and reviewed integration design.
1. The entry point are integration domains that outline typical integration areas in a hybrid
landscape.
2. The second step are integration styles and use case patterns that provide the enterprise
architect a cockpit of typical integration patterns that can be extended/adapted to the specific
context of a customer.
3. The third step allows to derive customer-specific integration guidelines by mapping integration
styles and use case patterns (technology-agnostic) to integration technologies or services
(SAP and/or Non-SAP) that should be used in a specific customer context.
See accelerator section for a blog on ISA-M. It also contains many links to further information, and the
option to request an ISA-M template for your company specific integration guide. Furthermore, SAP
offers an “Integration Design Workshop”. Look at task Prepare Integration Design for details.
Accelerators
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• New_Design_Approaches_Extensibility_Options_S4HANA
• Fit to Standard – Functional Design Templates
• SAP Blog - Integration Solution Advisory Methodology (ISA-M): Define Integration
Guidelines for Your Organization
Prerequisites
• As a prerequisite, the customer needs to have a clear vision of their to-be system and
solution architecture.
• An interface register that represents the current interface scope needs to be defined (see
activity Transition Planning in the Prepare phase)
• If the interface scope or the system and solution architecture change it might be
necessary to adapt the interface architecture.
Procedure
• Define initial interface register to fix scope
• Use documentation on standard integration between SAP solutions.
• Define to-be system and solution architecture
• Create to-be system and solution architecture with interfaces
Results
The result of this task is a to-be system and solution architecture with interfaces, which is
referenced in the scope statement.
The service component “Technical Architecture & Infrastructure (TAI)” provides as a main
deliverable a design of a new – or review of an already existing – technical architecture for an
SAP solution. See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Planning the Digital Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Interface Register Template
3.15.2. Consider Clean Core Aspects for Integration
Objective
In terms of integration, a Clean Core system is characterized by the use of SAP standard
integration scenarios.
The SAP API Hub exposes SAP standard integration scenarios, released remote interfaces,
business objects and events, and help customers and partners to consume SAP standard
integrations or to build customer specific integrations based on them.
Whenever possible, customers and partners should build integrations on SAP standard integration
scenarios and APIs released by SAP and, if necessary, adapt them to special customer needs
within the scope of the extension options provided by SAP. This should be done without
modification.
Only if the modification-free extension of a standard interface is not sufficient, the adaptation of
the standard integration should be considered.
If no SAP integration or released API exists, the required integration should be made a
requirement to SAP.
Finally, as last resort, the development of a completely custom interface or integration can be
considered. SAP standard components should be used as far as possible, such as the use of the
SAP Integration Suite and the use of AIF within the S/4HANA stack. If released local APIs are
available, then these should also be used.
Procedure
Recommendations for Integration following the Clean Core Concept
Accelerators
This leads to finalizing the respective design documents in a format suitable for communication as
well as for formal sign-off.
Prerequisites
• To-be system and solution architecture with interfaces has been defined in scope and
signed off.
• Interface architecture has been defined in scope and signed off.
Procedure
For each relevant integration aspect, the following criteria should be described in one overall
integration design document:
• Short description of the integration aspect (project and SAP S/4HANA specific)
• General business requirements (i.e. frequency of replication, required fields)
• Necessary IT systems e.g. interfaced systems to SAP S/4HANA
• Identification of integration delta requirements (i.e. reference to the backlog)
• Solution for delta requirements (used middleware, field mapping, required configuration,
used best practices)
• Important customizing
• Developments
• Organizational aspects
• Process quantification (e.g. expected data volume)
SAP Best Practices provide documentation and configuration for the standard integration
scenarios between SAP solutions e.g. between SAP S/4HANA and SAP Ariba and SAP
SuccessFactors. The level of detail of each integration design document should be done in a way,
that configuration can start based on the description.
Results
The result is a finalized, reviewed and signed integration design. This will be a key input into the
Technical Architecture and Infrastructure definition.
You should also look up the SAP API Business Hub where you can discover and consume
digital content packages with APIs, pre-packaged integrations, and sample apps from SAP and
select partners.
When it comes to integration via the SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP has launched the
Integration Content Advisor (ICA, formerly named Integration Advisor). The ICA now supports
creating and maintaining B2B integration content much faster and more efficiently. The ICA
follows a revolutionary crowd-based machine learning approach, which enables a user to define,
maintain, share, and deploy B2B integration content based on a completely new paradigm. The
newest release of the ICA is available to all SAP Business Technology Platform Integration
Enterprise Edition licensees. See the SAP Blog “Announcement: New integration content advisor
for SAP Business Technology Platform Integration”, and the link to the SAP Business Technology
Platform Integration Suite for more details (accelerator section).
Accelerators
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• New_Design_Approaches_Extensibility_Options_S4HANA
• Fit to Standard – Functional Design Templates
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital Transformation
• Service Information – Service Components for Integration
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP API Business Hub
• SAP Integration Suite
This activity follows up and integrates with the “Define the Analytics Architecture” task from the
Discover Phase of the road map, with the objective to provide a more detailed analysis of the most
important analytics business cases and further detail out the target analytics architecture and define a
transition project plan.
Procedure
Please refer to the task “Define the Analytics Architecture” (activity “Strategic Planning” in the
Discover phase) for information about the procedure. This activity will be similar in terms of procedure
and content, however it will focus only on the relevant solution components (potentially identified in
the earlier activity) and create a more concrete target architecture and migration path based on the
most important analytic business processes, requirements and influencing factors, such as: Real-time
reporting, data retention policies, data governance and ownership, new technologies and options.
Please check the accelerators section for further information about SAP’s roadmaps for the strategic
solutions and details about the product options, especially:
Review the SAP S/4HANA Simplification Items related to analytics. For example, some BW extractors
live in an existing SAP solution may no longer be supported. See also the tasks for designing
analytics architecture.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog – SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
• SAP Blog - Learn about SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics and core data service views
• SAP Blog - BW Query on CDS View, OData from BW and value of BW Query in S/4HANA
• SAP Blog - Example: Custom CDS View using predefined Virtual Data Model and Extend
View in S/4HANA
• SAP Learning Journey for SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
To fulfill these needs, SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics offers the following:
• Multidimensional reports
• Analytical apps based on Analysis Path Framework (APF)
• Query Browser
• Analytical Fiori applications
For analytics specialists, who enable the key users to build analytics via following apps:
In case the build-in analytics capability within SAP S/4HANA is not able to meet the requirements,
the additional analytics capabilities in SAP Analytics Cloud for SAP S/4HANA can be used to
leverage extended analytics.
Note that using SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics means running analytical queries in the
system which occupies memory. It is important to include SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics in
the sizing considerations. Check the following SAP Notes:
• SAP Note 2815376 – Greenfield sizing for SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
• SAP Note 2813738 – Brownfield sizing for SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
• As a follow-up or deep dive on the “Analytics Strategy Service”, this service component
should help define the actual implementation aspects for the analytics infrastructure,
depending on what components for analytics will be used.
• The service component provides guidance on the capabilities of the various reporting
tools (Fiori, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP BusinessObjects BI) and the federation options
(SAP Datasphere, SAP BW/4HANA) and helps identifying the right tool for the business
requirements.
• The service component empowers on the practical use of CDS views in SAP S/4HANA.
• Prototyping can be provided for reporting applications for analytical Fiori apps, or SAP
S/4HANA embedded analytics.
• The service component provides guidance on embedded BW usage, and how LSA++
should be applied to the customer EDW model in SAP BW/4HANA (for both, SAP BW
and HANA native).
The service component offers the focus area Analytics Design Workshop for SAP S/4HANA
embedded analytics with knowledge transfer and hands-on sessions on related topics such as:
• Key-user tooling:
o Design tools for embedded analytics, for example the KPI and Report Modeler, CDS
modeling
o Consumption tools for embedded analytics, for example Smart Business KPIs,
Analytical List Page (ALP), analysis path framework (APF), multidimensional reporting
client, SAP Analytics Cloud
• ABAP CDS views modeling
• Common approaches for custom reporting scenarios
• ABAP CDS DCL (authorization concept in the virtual data model)
• Integration with SAP BW on HANA and SAP BW/4HANA
• Understanding “embedded SAP BW”: transient queries, SAP BPC optimized for SAP
S/4HANA, SAP recommendations
• Hands-on sessions for custom example scenarios in customer sandbox systems
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Analytics Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Note 2815376 – Greenfield sizing for SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
• SAP Note 2813738 – Brownfield sizing for SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
The following key elements of the test planning must be documented in the test strategy:
• Test Scope
• Types of Testing, e.g.
▪ Unit Testing
▪ Business Process (String) Testing
▪ Integration testing
▪ Data Conversion Testing
▪ User Acceptance Testing
• Testing Approach
▪ Description, how different test types relate to each other, e.g. successful unit test is a pre-
requisite for doing a string test or migration test results might lead into a pre-requisite for a
user acceptance testing
• Test Automation
• Testing Tools
▪ Which tools will be used to perform different tests (e.g. SAP Solution Manager, SAP
Cloud ALM, Tricentis)
• Defect Management
▪ Description of how defects will be documented (e.g. Test Workbench in SAP Solution
Manager)
Procedure
1. Make yourself Familiar with the Tools in Test Management, and Set Up Test Management in
SAP Solution Manager or SAP Cloud ALM
2. Test Scope Determination
3. Detailed Test Planning
SAP’s Support Standard for Test Management describes tools and scenarios in Test Management
with SAP Solution Manager.
Furthermore, SAP can offer advice on how to improve the overall test management approach as part
of Premium Success Engagement:
• Increased transparency
• Estimation of expected test effort and custom code adjustments for SP or EhP upgrade
• Optimize test effort
• Reliable traceable test results
• Risk based testing
See the accelerator section for more details on the test suite in SAP Solution Manager.
For software testing and test automation SAP has now announced a new partnership with Tricentis.
One of the objectives of this partnership is to provide SAP Enterprise Support customers with the test
automation capabilities for testing SAP products through the combination of Tricentis and SAP
Solution Manager / SAP Cloud ALM. This new offering is called Tricentis Test Automation for SAP
(TTA for SAP) and includes the following test automation capabilities of Tricentis:
• Automated testing of all SAP products with wide support of UI technologies – SAPUI5, SAP
Fiori, SAP GUI, and other Web UIs, such as SAP SuccessFactors or SAP Ariba solutions
• API-based automated testing of SAP products – for protocols such as RFC, HTTP, REST, or
OData
• Test data services to allow for central management of the test data through the TTA for SAP
server, including test data retrieval and updates during test execution
The test management functionality in SAP Solution Manager complements the above capabilities with
the following:
• Test case preparation
• Test planning
• Test execution and reporting
SAP can help you getting your SAP Solution Manager configured and the Test Management process
ready to run.
Finally, SAP supports this activity with the “Test Planning” service component.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Support Standard for Test Management
• SAP Solution Manager WIKI - Test Suite
• Tricentis Test Automation for SAP (TTA)
• Test Management Guide
• SAP Community - ABAP Testing and Analysis
3.17.1. Make yourself Familiar with the Tools in Test Management, and Set Up Test
Management
Objective
The goal of this task is to make you familiar with the test tools in SAP Solution Manager or SAP
Cloud ALM.
Accelerators
• SAP Community - ABAP Testing and Analysis
• SAP Cloud ALM for Implementation – Expert Portal
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Realize
Prerequisites
The prerequisite is here that the test and quality management processes and procedures are
already in place.
Procedure
• Evaluate the existing process and procedures to determine the different testing cycles
required to support the project.
• Utilize the existing process and procedures to guide the decision-making process on how
to determine the applicable test cases and test scripts. The results from the Design
activity serve as the input. As a best practice to compile test cases and test scripts, it is
recommended to define business critical transactions/reports, evaluate most frequently
used transactions/reports, and analyze prior productions support issues. With the scope
of the transition project, it’s important to identify test cases and scripts related to the
financial solution, however it’s also important not to neglect or underestimate the testing
requirements in other parts of the solution. This holds true especially with the migration
from any DB to SAP HANA and/or the inclusion of changes to the software levels.
• In particular for new implementation: Determine the overall test data approach by aligning
with the overall data migration approach. The test data approach will be documented as
part of the testing strategy.
• Document your findings in a test strategy document.
Results
As a result, a test strategy, and a defined set of test cycles, test cases, and test scripts in scope to
support the conversion project are created.
The focus is to determine which of the required testing cycles (e.g. functional, scenario,
integration, regression, user acceptance, performance, and/or cutover) are required to fulfill the
quality gate criteria of the Realize phase. Furthermore, the start date, duration, criteria, and
resources for each of the required testing cycles needs to be planned.
Procedure
• Evaluate and enable test management and test automation tools to support the testing
cycles.
• Execute the tasks within this activity utilizing the SAP Application Lifecycle Management
Best Practices for Test Management. Tailor the templates for Test Strategy, and the high-
level Functional Test Plan to your needs.
• A detailed testing plan that is integrated with the project plan and aligned with the overall
SAP Software Change Management strategy. The plan should support the objective of
mitigating risk both to the end-state solution and the cutover process required to position
the end-state.
Accelerators
• Test Strategy Template:
• Functional Test Plan Template:
• SAP Test Management Best Practice
Procedure
• Set Up SANDBOX (System Conversion scenario only)
• Downtime Optimization Preparation (System Conversion scenario only)
or
Please note: Before converting an SAP system, or installing a fresh one, you will need to download
SAP software from SAP Service Marketplace. The planning of such a change event is done in the
Maintenance Planner. After entering the required data, the Maintenance Planner fills your download
basket, and creates a control file (“stack-xml”), which is later required for the conversion and
installation tools. The Maintenance Planner has been described in the activity Transition Planning of
the Explore phase - Please make yourself familiar with the tool, enter the required information, and
download the corresponding software including stack-xml. See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• Maintenance Planner - Landing Page
• openSAP - Upgrade of Systems Based on SAP NetWeaver – Advanced Topics
It is important to migrate and convert sandbox copies of production early in the project. The
migration and conversion of the sandbox systems will provide valuable insights including
confirmation of the planned conversion approach, potential business downtime, required
prerequisites, and experience in the nuances and the functionality of each system.
Prerequisites
The prerequisite is that you have defined the conversion scope in the planning phase and that you
fulfilled all application prerequisites identified in the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA.
Additionally, you have already set up the required technical infrastructure.
Procedure
This is how you should perform SANDBOX migrations and conversions as copies from
production:
• Evaluate the conversion approach, the conversion guide, and heterogeneous system
copy guides (if required), to determine the necessary steps to achieve the end-state.
• Review related SAP Notes for the migration to the target platform.
• Perform homogeneous system copies to establish the environment that represents the
initial-state. Dependent upon the scope of the project, the system sequence, and the high-
level plan; the initial sandbox migration could include the full scope or just the first system
planned for migration.
• Execute the mandatory preparation steps which have not been done already upfront.
Typically, many SI-checks executed by SUM will report issues, which need to be
addressed (partly in the production system) before the system conversion can start – so
the first sandbox run will take longer. See activity Transition Preparation in the Prepare
phase of the project.
• Establish a software repository on a file server to create a central location for all files used
in the migration process.
• Execute the conversion of the sandbox system(s) using the process intended for the
production systems.
• Look at SAP Note 3340515 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade preparation phase and SAP Note 3340526 - SAP S/4HANA
2023 - application specific notes in system conversion / upgrade follow-on phase and
check what needs to be done on application level before and after conversion.
• Document what preparatory steps still need to be done in production, before the
conversion of the supporting system starts.
• Document every step of the conversion to build a cookbook specific to the environment in
scope. The intent of such a document is the make the process resource independent. For
contingency purposes, all knowledge required for the conversion should be captured in
the cookbook. The document should be validated and extended in further test conversion.
The cookbook should include every step in the process, including but not limited to,
prerequisites, file names, patch levels, parameters, inputs to selection screens and
duration for each step.
• Besides the pure technical aspects of the conversion, application aspects should be taken
into account as well. This can be specific activities from a business process level that
have to be executed as part of the system ramp-down before the migration or the ramp-
up after the conversion. It can be related as well to data consistency checks
(reconciliation reports run before and after conversion to compare e.g. summary of
ledgers, checks for duplicate records and others). There are also mandatory post-
processing’s in the finance area.
• Record the anticipated business downtime(s) for the overall migration and conversion
process. Utilize prior maintenance activities to estimate the ramp-down and ramp-up
activities that would precede and follow the technical steps of the conversion. The time
should be captured at a detailed level to find opportunities for optimization.
Please note: A conversion run may identify business date inconsistencies which need to be
corrected in both sandbox and the productive SAP ECC source system. Depending on the
inconsistencies, the sandbox conversion run needs to be repeated until all business data
inconsistencies have been cleaned up (or marked as irrelevant). Please see the lessons-learned
document on finance in the accelerator section for more details.
The more important the business downtime and overall performance aspects are for a customer,
the more such sandbox conversion should be executed already on production-like hardware using
full copies of productive databases. If this cannot be achieved in a sandbox, at a minimum, it is
recommended to use a full database copy in at least one test migration and conversion as a part
of the project. See also task Downtime Optimization Preparation (System Conversion scenario
only).
Results
The deliverable of this activity is a successfully converted sandbox system(s). Moreover, the
migration approach can be validated as feasible for the business, including the estimated
business downtime(s).
How SAP Can Support
See the SAP Blog series on system conversion in the accelerator section.
SAP offers the sandbox provisioning as a conversion of a copy from production as part of the
“Platform Execution” service. This scope option is called “System Conversion to SAP
S/4HANA” – see accelerator section for more information. The setup of the Fiori platform can be
supported as well (scope option “SAP Fiori Platform Setup”). Please ask your SAP contact (e.g.
SAP Client Partner) for more information.
SAP also offers to coach the customer with respect to system setup tasks:
This offering is part of SAP Value Assurance and is called “Platform Execution Enablement”
service component. See accelerator section for details.
In case mandatory preparation work (e.g. Customer Vendor Integration) has not been done in the
Prepare phase already (see activity “Transition Preparation”), SAP can support those activities as
part of the sandbox conversion with the “Mandatory Preparation for System Conversion”
service component. See the description of services and service components in the accelerator
section.
Also, it is highly recommended to study the SAP Blog series “SAP S/4HANA Square One” from
the Regional Implementation Group (RIG). It provides detailed implementation best practices for
all three SAP S/4HANA implementation scenarios.
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal (e.g. Administration Guide).
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Platform Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find all guides here)
• SL Toolset Landing Page
• SAP Community Blog: Migration of SAP Systems to SAP HANA
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• SAP S/4HANA Conversion, Finance Part
• SAP Blog – SAP S/4HANA Square One
• SAP Note 3340515 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade preparation phase
• SAP Note 3340526 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade follow-on phase
During this task, the timings of each part of the migration and conversion needs to be carefully
evaluated to determine opportunities for optimization.
As the overall duration has many influencing factors (e.g. database size, network throughput, CPU
speed, disk IO, etc…), there are some constraints on what can be done to reduce the downtime.
Therefore, it is important to manage the expectations of the downtime, with the business early in
the project. If the business offers only a limited downtime window, this should be discussed early
in the project planning phase with a contact from SAP
The conversion for SAP S/4HANA requires additional downtime for the application data model
conversion, in addition to the downtime for the system ramp-down, S/4HANA software
implementation, HANA migration, and ramp-up.
Procedure
To optimize migration and conversion downtime, proceed as follows:
Analyze the conversion logs (e.g. from sandbox migration and conversion) to determine
the long running phases.
Upload the SUM logs to SAP, by selecting “Submit Analytics to SAP” as described in SAP
Note 2881515 - Introduction to the Technical Downtime Optimization App.
Identify bottlenecks and evaluate opportunities to reduce the runtime of the long running
phases. Open the “Technical Downtime Optimization” app in the SAP Support portal.
Simulate your technical downtime by selecting one of the optimization options. See SAP
Blog “Downtime Optimization – Get insights using the new TDO app” for more details.
For MaxAttention and ActiveEmbedded customers, if necessary, engage the embedded
support team to provide expert analysis of the end-to-end business downtime.
Execute the conversion following the adoption of the recommendations.
There may be the need to perform multiple iterations to achieve the required business downtime.
As of SAP S/4HANA target release 1909, SAP has introduced the “Silent Data Migration” (SDMI).
SDMI allows to migrate business data into new data structures after the system has been
converted and is up again for productive business use. This procedure reduces the downtime
during cutover weekend. Make yourself familiar with SDMI, by looking at the corresponding SAP
Notes (accelerator section).
For systems larger than 5 Terabyte, a downtime minimized approach may be required to support
the data model conversion within the permitted business downtime. SAP now offers a “Downtime
Optimized Conversion”, where the SUM tool converts selected data during uptime. See SAP Note
2293733 - Prerequisites and Restrictions of downtime-optimized conversion to SAP S/4HANA for
restrictions and more details.
Results
As a result, you will get an optimized conversion process, to help meeting the downtime
requirements set by the business.
SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA provides a “Planned Downtime Calculator” giving
an overview of the total planned business downtime duration, which could be expected during the
initial conversion to SAP S/4HANA (within the same data center) prior to any optimization. The
overall planned business downtime duration is split into downtime phases, where the durations
can be adjusted based on customer requirements and experiences. The initial duration values
presented in the tool are based on customer experiences (empirical figures) and evaluation of the
SAP S/4HANA sizing results (estimated figures), which is collected as part of the SAP Readiness
Check analysis. The estimated durations are derived by either comparing the sizing data with
similar systems, based on reference data reported by other customers, or by using rule-of-thumb
throughput figures.
Figure: Planned Downtime Calculator in SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA
SAP can support the downtime optimization in system conversion scenarios. The “Business
Downtime Optimization” service component analyzes each business step and its dependencies
within the affected system landscape and supports efficient downtime planning and a reduction of
the business impact during cutover. Each step which is scheduled to be executed during the
business downtime, will be analyzed and optimized to reduce the overall downtime as much as
possible. The design of the technical procedure of the system conversion will be analyzed and
simplified if possible. The SAP service team will review and if possible optimize the tools, methods
and technologies that you have chosen.
Large systems potentially require additional conversion techniques to stay in allowed business
downtime windows. The “Minimized Downtime Service (MDS)” service from SAP Professional
Services supports performing the conversion within the given constraints. This method uses a
clone of the production system for performing the conversion activities outside of the production
and in parallel, records the changes on the production system. These changes are replicated to
the target system after the completion of the conversion on the clone system. An appropriate
preparation of this method for the production cut-over requires the corresponding verification of
the end-to-end procedure in so called Load & Verification runs. These activities are planned along
the project and using data from the production system, they are mocking the cut-over steps.
During these runs the validation of the procedure is done and the final timings for the production
cut-over are determined. See SAP note 693168 - Minimized Downtime Service for more details.
Accelerators
• New Planned Downtime Calculator in SAP Readiness Check Is Now Live | SAP Blogs
• SAP Blog - Minimize your downtime of an update
• SAP Blog - Optimizing DMO Performance
• SAP Note 2907976 Silent Data Migration (SDMI) - FAQ
• SAP Blog: System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA: downtime-optimized Conversion
• Downtime-Optimized Conversion Approach of SUM
• SAP Note 2293733 - Prerequisites and Restrictions of downtime-optimized conversion
to SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 2881515 - Introduction to the Technical Downtime Optimization App
• SAP Blog - Downtime Optimization – Get insights using the new TDO app
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Note 693168 - Minimized Downtime Service
Procedure
There are several cases to distinguish.
1. A software appliance can be used, because SAP best practice content may fit to the
functional scope
Using a software appliance for sandbox is the fastest way to provide a pre-configured
environment to the functional project team.
The appliance can be consumed in three ways:
• Hosted in the cloud, Customers can access the appliance via the SAP Cloud
Appliance Library (SAP CAL, https://cal.sap.com) in a pay-per-use model hosted
on a cloud provider (for instance Amazon Web Services (AWS)). When using the
SAP CAL option, the customer can choose between a 30-day trial and a longer-
lasting engagement. With the trial, only AWS hosting fees need to be paid by the
customer (exact costs to be determined, should be in the range of 3-5 USD per
uptime hour). If the customer opts to go beyond the 30-day limit, an SAP CAL
subscription license and a regular SAP S/4HANA license is required. Besides the
SAP S/4HANA backend, the customer also receives access to a MS Remote
Terminal Server (WTS) with the pre-configured Fiori Launchpad URL, SAP GUI
logon, and other useful frontend software.
• Installed on-premise: If customers/partners prefer an on-site installation on their
own hardware, they can order a Blu-Ray disc from SAP and unpack the appliance
from the Blu-Ray (in this case, an SAP HANA and a Linux platform are required
on-site). In addition, a service relationship with SAP and a regular SAP S/4HANA
license is required. Details can be found in SAP Notes 2041140 (for partners) and
2202234 (for customers).
In case of an on-premise installation, customers can also decide to install an
empty SAP S/4HANA system, without pre-configuration.
See also activity Provide a Trial System in the Discover phase, and the task Define
Cutover Approach in the Prepare phase.
However, please note that SAP does not recommend using a software appliance as a
regular DEV system later in the project. Instead, the DEV system needs to be installed
fresh.
2. Best practice content may fit to the functional scope, but the sandbox is installed fresh
(without using a software appliance).
A fresh installation of SAP S/4HANA offers more options to configure the technical
architecture of the system, and to activate content selectively.
In this case, you install a new and empty SAP S/4HANA system, by following “Installation
Guide for SAP S/4HANA”. Afterwards, you create a new best practice client by selectively
copying customizing content from client 000. Then, you import the newest best practice
content into the newly created client, and selectively activate content depending on your
functional scope. This is done by the functional project team, by using the Solution Builder
(transaction SMB/BBI). See activity Activate Solution for details.
All steps for handling best practice content are described in detail in the “Administration
Guide for the Implementation of SAP S/4HANA”.
Please remember: If the setup of the sandbox is done via activation of Best Practices in
the SAP Solution Builder, the Fiori apps must be installed separately. The whole
installation process can be eased up using the SAP Maintenance Planner.
3. For customers operating in multiple countries, and looking for a global template, the
Enterprise Management Layer provides even more pre-configuration on top of the Best
Practice process content of SAP Activate. Its main value however lies in the
preconfigured Finance processes that are specific to multinational corporations:
• Parallel accounting capabilities according to group GAAP as well as local
statutory and tax requirements
• Localized, preconfigured business content and documentation
• Intercompany processes for multiple areas.
Customers can select from several service scope options. Please note that Enterprise
Management Layer is not free of charge.
SAP also offers to coach the customer with respect to system setup tasks:
This offering is part of SAP Value Assurance and is called “Platform Execution Enablement”
service component. See accelerator section for details.
Additional services from SAP are Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA and SAP
Standard Content Activation service (both described above).
It is highly recommended to study the SAP Blog series “SAP S/4HANA Square One” from the
Regional Implementation Group (RIG). It provides detailed implementation best practices for all
three SAP S/4HANA implementation scenarios.
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal (e.g. Administration Guide).
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Platform Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
• SAP S/4HANA Trial – Landing Page at SAP.COM
• SAP S/4HANA 2023 – Fully-Activated Appliance in SAP Cloud Appliance Library
• SAP Blog - Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA – Information Hub
• SAP Blog - Enterprise Management Layer for SAP S/4HANA – the golden standard for
Best Practices – What’s new?
• SAP Blog - Connecting a CAL S/4HANA Instance to SAP Cloud Platform Web IDE
• SAP Note 2041140 Order SAP pre-assembled Best Practices solution software appliance
as an SAP Partner
• SAP Note 2202234 - Order SAP preassembled SAP Best Practices as a software
appliance for a customer project
• SL Toolset Landing Page
• SAP Blog – SAP S/4HANA Square One
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
Please note: This road map documents the setup of a DEV and a QAS system. Of course, the design
of the production support landscape depends on customer requirements for change management. It is
possible that additional supporting systems need to be set up (e.g. pre-production or training). In
those cases, the project plan template needs to be adjusted accordingly.
Procedure
• DEV Setup (New Implementation)
or
Once the DEV system is available, please check the integration setup as documented in the
Integration design activity.
Please note: Before converting an SAP system, or installing a fresh one, you will need to download
SAP software from SAP Service Marketplace. The planning of such a change event is done in the
Maintenance Planner. After entering the required data, the Maintenance Planner fills your download
basket, and creates a control file (“stack-xml”), which is later required for the conversion and
installation tools. The Maintenance Planner has been described in the activity Transition Planning of
the Explore phase - Please make yourself familiar with the tool, enter the required information, and
download the corresponding software including stack-xml. See accelerator section for details.
SAP also offers to coach the customer with respect to system setup tasks:
This offering is part of SAP Value Assurance and is called “Platform Execution Enablement” service
component. See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• Maintenance Planner - Landing Page
• openSAP - Key Functional Topics in a System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA (Repeat)
• openSAP - Key Technical Topics in a System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA (Repeat)
• Service Information – Service Components for Platform Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Decide if the sandbox environment should be re-used as the DEV environment. In this case
no additional system installation is required.
Please note: A sandbox which has been set up by using a software appliance on-premise,
and which is used as a DEV system afterwards may have activated business functionality
which is subject to additional licensing. In addition, the SAP BluRay comes with an embedded
landscape for Fiori (backend and frontend in the same machine) whereas SAP recommends a
Central Hub set-up (having frontend and backend separated) for productive systems.
Therefore, SAP recommends to not use an SAP appliance as a DEV system, but to do a fresh
SAP S/4HANA installation. In some cases, SAP Data Management and Landscape
Transformation (DMLT) services may be used to perform a shell copy of the sandbox. This
only takes the configuration to a new development system.
• Execute the technical installation of the required SAP Products for DEV environment as
documented in the technical design document. See the “Installation Guide for SAP S/4HANA”
how to install the components.
• Based on the outcome the decision will be taken to either use SAP Best Practice content or
not:
o In the case of not using SAP Best Practice content: Create a new client and start
configuration from scratch using transaction SPRO.
o In the case of using SAP Best Practice content: Follow the instructions given in the
“Administration Guide for the Implementation of SAP S/4HANA”. This will guide you
through the technical setup, and the configuration process on top of the newest SAP
Best Practice content. The technical setup consists of three main steps:
▪ Import newest reference content into your newly created development client
▪ Select the scope
▪ Activate the scope
Results
Finally, the DEV environment is ready for configuration.
This offering is part of SAP Value Assurance and is called “Platform Execution Enablement”
service component. See accelerator section for details.
Also, it is highly recommended to study the SAP Blog series “SAP S/4HANA Square One” from
the Regional Implementation Group (RIG). It provides detailed implementation best practices for
all three SAP S/4HANA implementation scenarios.
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal (e.g. Administration Guide).
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Platform Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Installation guide for all
releases here)
• SAP Note 3330258 - SAP Best Practices for S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition 2023
collective note for content activation
• SAP Blog – SAP S/4HANA Square One
Prerequisites
The prerequisite is that the migration approach that has been validated in a sandbox environment
(see activity SANDBOX System Setup / Conversion in the Explore phase), a detailed migration
plan is in place, and the required hardware for hosting the SAP S/4HANA DEV system is already
available and set up.
Procedure
Convert the DEV system according to the migration plan (which is based on the “Conversion
Guide for SAP S/4HANA”).
Check SAP Notes 3340515 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade preparation phase and SAP Note 3340526 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 -
application specific notes in system conversion / upgrade follow-on phase and check what needs
to be done on application level before and after conversion.
Depending on the transport landscape configuration, there may be a need to perform multiple
iterations of the conversion to solidify and finalize the cutover plan. Executing test migrations will
validate the end-state of the conversion, as well as provide the figures for expected system
downtime (see activity Downtime Optimization Preparation for details). Depending on the
approach and the transport landscape configuration, there may be a requirement to execute
additional sandbox conversions to optimize the cutover procedure.
Please note: In case of a system conversion, the old DEV system will stay for production support
of PRD if PRD is not converted. Take care to properly retrofit changes performed in the
production support landscape to the new DEV system to ensure the latest business requirements
are accounted for within the project landscape. Depending on the changes, those retrofit activities
may require special attention, because transports between classic SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA
may cause inconsistencies (see SAP Note 2192251 in the accelerator section)
Results
Finally, the DEV environment has been converted to SAP S/4HANA. It is ready for further
configuration.
SAP also offers to coach the customer with respect to system setup tasks:
This offering is part of SAP Value Assurance and is called “Platform Execution Enablement”
service component. See accelerator section for details.
Also, it is highly recommended to study the SAP Blog series “SAP S/4HANA Square One” from
the Regional Implementation Group (RIG). It provides detailed implementation best practices for
all three SAP S/4HANA implementation scenarios.
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal (e.g. Administration Guide).
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Platform Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Conversion guide for all
releases here)
• SAP Note - 2192251 - Transporting Settings Between S/4HANA Finance (or S/4HANA)
and Classic ERP System
• SAP Blog – SAP S/4HANA Square One
• SAP Note 3340515 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade preparation phase
• SAP Note 3340526 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade follow-on phase
Prerequisites
There is a list of Fiori apps in scope for implementation.
Procedure
1. Execute the SAP Fiori activation steps per the SAP Fiori Rapid Activation - Quick guide to
activate SAP Fiori accelerator. Refer to the table of contents on Page 2. The following are
the summary of steps required:
a. Validate Authorization checks
b. Setup Adaptation Transport Organizer
c. Embedded Analytics Setup
d. Enterprise Search Reset
e. Enterprise Search Setup
f. Fiori and Gateway Basic Setup
g. Run SAP Fiori launchpad foundation task list
2. Adjust launchpad features using configuration (SAP GUI transaction
/UI2/FLP_CUS_CONF)
3. Create custom business roles using the Launchpad Content Manager (SAP GUI
transaction /UI2/FLPCM_CUST). You can copy SAP Business Roles or SAP Business
Catalogs as a starting point. Business Catalogs are a reusable sub-grouping of apps for a
role. Business Catalogs can be shared by multiple business roles if you wish.
4. Run the custom content activation task list for each of your custom business roles I.e. run
task list SAP_FIORI_FCM_ CONTENT_ACTIVATION
5. Generate authorizations from your custom business role, e.g. using mass maintenance
program PRGN_CREATE_FIORI_FRONTENDROLE. If you change your custom
business role later, you can adjust the authorizations to match your custom content using
mass maintenance program PRGN_COMPARE_ROLE_MENU
6. Create a launchpad space using SAP Fiori apps Manage Launchpad Space for your
custom business role and assign it to your custom business role in SAP GUI transaction
PFCG.
7. Adjust the launchpad layout for your custom business role using SAP Fiori apps Manage
Launchpad Spaces and Manage Launchpad Pages.
a. Remember you want an uncluttered home page that’s easy to use – so only
include the most important and most frequent apps on the home page
b. Users can access all of their apps using the Home navigation button, the App
Finder, and the Search.
Additional Note(s):
• SAP Business roles in a Sandbox/Starter System are only activated using the SAP Fiori
Rapid Activation task list
• Review the Help - SAP Fiori Launchpad accelerator, for more information on how to get
started with the SAP Fiori launchpad. Select the SAP S/4HANA release associated with
your solution and search for The SAP Fiori launchpad guide. It contains:
o Administration guide
o User guide
o Developer guide
o Security aspects
Accelerators
• Help - SAP Fiori Launchpad
• SAP Fiori Rapid Activation - Quick guide to activate SAP Fiori
• SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library
• SAP Note 3336823 - SAP FIORI FOR SAP S/4HANA 2023: Release Information Note
• Setup and Administration of SAP Fiori in the SAP Online Help Portal
3.20. Sizing
Description
Run a capacity estimation on the required hardware for application server and databases (CPU, RAM,
storage, network).
Timing:
There is an implementation plan available which provides first information about the target solution.
Procedure
• Perform / Check Sizing
Results
There is a documented estimate on the required hardware, which can be discussed with the hardware
vendor.
Procedure
• Make sure you have the required knowledge about sizing of your specific transition
scenario, by consuming the corresponding information from the central sizing landing
page at SAP.com. Look at:
o The introductory resources on sizing in general and per implementation scenario,
and the technical articles on SAP HANA sizing
o The hardware sizing decision tree
o The SAP Sizing Guidelines
o The document on “Expert Sizing”
• An initial sizing should have been provided either as part of the “Technical Architecture
Workshop”, or as part of the “Migration and Upgrade Planning Workshop” in the Prepare
phase.
• In case initial sizing has not been done so far or needs to be updated, you should follow
the sizing procedures documented in the SAP Note 1793345 “Sizing for SAP Suite on
HANA” (accelerator section).
• For new implementation, initial sizing is performed in the Quicksizer tool in SAP Service
Marketplace (see “General Information on Sizing” in the accelerator section).
• Run this activity for all related infrastructure components (e.g. including Front End
Server).
• In case of a system conversion, the sizing report should be executed periodically in the
productive system throughout the project to check on the growth of the source system.
Results
A sizing has been performed and is documented.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Platform Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Sizing – Central Landing Page
• Proactive Performance and Capacity Management - Best-Practice Document
Within the IT Infrastructure definition, customers need to create a detailed infrastructure design. This
includes the selection of hardware vendors for servers and storage, mapping of technical
components, network design and the definition of cloud integration options. It considers the functional
design, analytics design and integration design documented by another project work streams.
There is an implementation plan available which provides initial information about the target solution.
Procedure
• Discover Technical Boundary Conditions
• Create Technical Solution Map
• Decide on Integration with Cloud Applications
• Hardware Selection and Utilization
• Develop Virtualization Strategy
• Design Network
• Test Preparation
Results
As a result, there is a documented technical solution map and an IT infrastructure definition available.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Platform Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP White Paper - SAP Fiori Deployment Options and System Landscape Recommendations
Procedure
The Technical Boundary Conditions in scope are:
• Collect the amount, size and purpose of the planned non-production systems per SAP
system. Align the plan with the implemented software change management strategy.
• The information can be derived from the existing software change management model.
Alternatively, design a new software change management model according to SAP Best
Practices.
• Timing: Explore phase or early Realize phase.
DC Strategy
DC Strategy - Example
The figure below shows as an example four options for a DC strategy. They distinguish in
setup, which leads to differences in risk mitigation, operational complexity, and IT costs.
Figure: Different options for the data center setup (example only)
Availability Requirements
The following figure shows exemplarily different definitions of “Mission Critical”, “Business
Critical”, and “Less Critical” applications.
Results
The technical boundary conditions are documented.
How SAP Can Support
As an introductory document, look up the SAP Blog “SAP S/4HANA On-Premise Global
Deployment Options” from the SAP RIG team.
With respect to service support from SAP, see Technical Platform Definition service
components in the activity description.
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Installation, Administration
and Conversion guides for all releases here)
• SAP Note 2974130 - SAP S/4HANA 2020: Process Integration with SAP on-premise
Solutions
• 2251604 - Version Interoperability between SAP S/4HANA On Premise Edition and SAP
NetWeaver Systems
• Setup and Administration of SAP Fiori in the SAP Online Help Portal
• SAP Blog - SAP Web Dispatcher for Fiori explained. Why and how?
• SAP Blog - Understanding Frontend Server (Gateway) Interoperability in the context of
S/4HANA
• SAP Note 2919182 - SAP Fiori front-end server 2020 for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA On-Premise Global Deployment Options
Prerequisites
The technical boundary conditions have been documented.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
Results
There is a technical solution map of the target architecture available.
Moreover, the selection and proper configuration of the technical platform is the foundation to
achieve a flexible and scalable execution environment for SAP the new system. The “Technical
Platform Definition” service component also supports in the selection of the right IT infrastructure
which is the basis for the vendor-selection process and provides Best Practices for mapping the
SAP software components on it.
Accelerators
• Technical Solution Map Template
Procedure
In case cloud applications are in scope as well as for the implementation project, backend
integration with these must be discussed. For instance, available bandwidth, peak times,
availability requirements and recovery procedures might be a limiting factor here. SAP Best
Practices provide predefined integration scenarios with the SAP cloud applications. For example,
purchase-to-pay integration with SAP Ariba appears as scope item J82 under the Sourcing and
Procurement Line of Business in the S/4HANA Best Practices. Integration between S/4HANA and
SAP SuccessFactors has its own separate integration Best Practice package.
Cloud applications could also be FIORI UIs running in the SAP Business Technology Platform,
which are connected to the SAP backend landscape via the SAP Cloud Connector.
Results
As a result, a technical architecture for the integration of on-premise and cloud-solutions must be
created
Prerequisites
As a prerequisite, the sizing results including the software change management landscape must
be mapped to possible hardware and/ or virtual container sizes.
Procedure
An assessment of different hardware vendors and products is recommended. For instance,
different server models might be extendable or not which could be an important factor depending
on the capacity growth requirements.
The hardware requirements must be mapped to project phases afterwards and planned together
with the hardware vendor.
Results
As a result, there is a documented deployment plan which includes the definition of the hardware.
3.21.5. Develop Virtualization Strategy
Objective
The objective of this task is to develop a virtualization strategy.
Procedure
Especially for the SAP application layer, virtualization is an interesting option to enhance agility
and adaptability and to provide a “cloud-like” behavior. For instance, virtual instances of additional
application servers can be created on the fly to overcome temporary load peaks, system images
can be moved to a more powerful hardware dynamically, and so on.
To fulfill this task, an overview about available virtualization products and the respective
capabilities is required. Boundary conditions, limitations, typical use cases and similar should be
collected to check if these are matching the requirements. In addition, tools like the SAP
Landscape Virtualization Management (LVM) should be evaluated.
Results
As a result, a general technical architecture of the new systems in virtualized environments must
be created/ adapted. In addition, general technical configuration rules for the SAP S/4 HANA must
be considered.
Procedure
The network design needs to include data center interconnectivity as well as network zones. For
instance, isolation of different network zones from a performance perspective is crucial to rely on
system replication for high availability. The figure below shows some examples of requirements
and network segments.
Sizing rules for LAN and WAN segments must be applied. In case of limited bandwidth or high
latency, WAN acceleration solutions must be considered.
Results
As a result, there is a network design document available.
3.21.7. Test Preparation
Objective
After the clarification of the target technical architecture including hardware and virtualization
platform, meaningful test cases must be created.
Prerequisites
The target technical architecture has been designed and documented.
Procedure
Prepare test cases for:
Results
As a result, a test plan including a timeline and test case description has been created.
The technical architecture, and the IT infrastructure has been designed and documented.
Procedure
The technical design is documented in a technical solution design document. It is usually developed in
a series of workshops and post-processing work, and covers the following aspects:
• Technical components
• Scalability and load balancing concept
• Backup concept
• HA/DR concept
• Technical architecture for non-production systems
• Production system deployment plan
• Expert sizing & scalability verification
• Technical architecture for production systems
• Technical infrastructure
• Deployment patterns and deployment plans
• DC integration
• 3rd party integration
The aspects have dependencies to each other, and to the boundary conditions. Some of them need to
be considered iteratively.
The Technical Architecture Workshop (see activity Technical Architecture in the Discover phase)
should have touched many of the aspects from above).
The technical solution design is created in this activity, and continuously updated in later phases of
the project (e.g. Sizing Verification in the Realize phase).
Results
A technical solution design document is available.
Procedure
Take the appropriate “Technical Solution Design Template” from the accelerator section, and
tailor it to your project requirements.
Technical components: Determination of required technical components for the SAP solution,
and their deployment options.
Procedure
Scalability and load balancing concept: Determine how applications in the SAP solution can
grow from workload & data footprint perspective.
Procedure
• Document how each technical component can scale (scale up and/or scale out via
multiple instances).
• Document data scalability solutions (for large systems).
• Document how to balance workload between multiple instances of the same technical
component.
• Timing: Realize phase (since typically required for production).
Backup concept: Definition of the backup infrastructure and backup execution strategy for
each persistency type.
The figure below shows an example for a backup concept of DB data files, log, files, and
configuration files.
Figure: Backup concept (example only)
Procedure
HA/DR concept: Definition of the technical architecture for high availability (SPOF protection) and
disaster recovery (data protection, recovery procedures).
The figure below shows the exemplary HA / DR setup with two DCs.
Figure: HA / DR concept for a “Two Data Center Setup” (example only)
Procedure
• For each “availability class” in the SLA, determine the required technical
architecture for each technical component.
• Describe related IT infrastructure requirements.
• Describe assumptions & boundary conditions.
• Timing: Realize phase.
See also the Best Practice “Building High Availability for SAP NetWeaver and SAP HANA on
Linux” for more information (accelerator section).
Procedure
Production system deployment plan: Determine the amount and, for global customers and
complex solutions, the regional distribution of systems.
Procedure
Procedure
The figure below shows an example of a technical infrastructure setup for SAP HANA for
both SAP Suite and Business Warehouse.
Figure: Technical architecture for a SAP HANA data base (example only)
Procedure
• Determine the selected technical server platform (server hardware, OS &
virtualization type).
• Determine the storage infrastructure and its scalability concept.
• Determine the (high-level) network architecture.
• Timing: Explore phase (non-prod), Realize phase (prod)
Procedure
DC integration: Specification of the integration of the SAP solution into data centers.
Procedure
3rd party integration: Specification of the technical integration of the SAP solution with non-SAP
/ legacy systems.
Procedure
Results
As a result, a technical solution design is documented.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Platform Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Best Practices - SAP Production System Strategy for Large Enterprises
• Technical Design Document – Template for Small Customer
• Technical Design Document – Template for Large Customer
• On-premise solution
IT is responsible for the entire solution and needs to learn about the technical and functional
specifications of the solution.
• Hosted solution
IT is responsible for monitoring application performance, troubleshooting, and all application
support activities.
• Cloud-based solution
IT is responsible for security and user administration, software logistics, development, and testing
of solution changes. The IT team therefore requires the necessary knowledge and skills to
complete these tasks. If the solution is the first to be implemented in the cloud, the current support
operations need to be reviewed to include, for example, communication with the provider of the
cloud-based services.
• Third-party support
When application support is handled by a third party, knowledge about the solution must be
transferred from the project team to the third party. Business process owners, business
relationship managers, and service desk agents within customer’s organization still need to learn
about the solution, and they should also consider changes in the incident or change management
support processes.
• Greenfield customers
All the topics mentioned in this activity are relevant for “Greenfield” customers. The effort to
prepare for the support of SAP S/4HANA will depend on many factors like the current support
model, the maturity of the organization, the future support strategy and deployment, like hosting
hardware, and cloud deployment. SAP provides optional support to “Greenfield” customers to help
them with every aspect of the implementation of the future support framework. The extent of this
optional support varies according to the support framework currently in place for running and
operating the legacy systems that are replaced by SAP S/4HANA.
The technical solution design document (see activity Technical Design in the Explore phase) provides
a list of technical components that need to be operated after the project go-live. Many other tasks
mentioned in this road map are an important source of information on how and what needs to be
supported by IT once the new solution is live. This includes the Technical Architecture, the Design and
Configuration, Product Enhancements.
The goal of this activity is to review the list of potentially affected IT operational activities and to
evaluate the exact changes required in the current customer IT support framework based on the
project scope.
Procedure
SAP provides information on the recommended IT Support framework to safely and efficiently operate
SAP S/4HANA after Go-Live. This includes:
• Identifying the target IT support framework for the future customer operations where the support
processes, people and tools will ensure efficient operations of the migrated and converted
solution.
• Recommending Best Practices for the support tools in the areas of monitoring, troubleshooting
and software logistics
• Defining the changes to the current support framework required to support the future solution, and
their respective severity/priority
• Adding Activities to the project plan to implement those changes
• Additional SAP IT operational support in the Realize Phase of the project to help ramp-up support
resources and improve their knowledge transfer, to prototype or implement required tools, and to
further adapt process and procedures.
• Executing technical checks for the support tools mentioned above and ensuring that the changes
to the support framework with high priorities have been implemented and tested.
See also task Clarify on Operational Readiness as part of activity Transition Planning (Prepare
phase).
Results
At the end of this activity the impact of SAP S/4HANA on the existing support organization has been
documented.
• Clarifying the impact of the SAP S/4HANA on IT Operations by reviewing the target support
framework for the operations of the new solution: this includes the target support processes,
support tools, and support teams.
• Identifying the required support skills/roles and knowledge on SAP S/4HANA for the support
resources.
• Defining what needs to change in the current support framework and the corresponding list of
operations implementations activities which need to be included into the overall project plan to
ensure the operational readiness of the support organization. The customer will be responsible for
managing those activities using SAP's recommendations, Best Practices, knowledge maps and
knowledge transfer plans.
• The Operations Impact Evaluation will specify further the SAP detailed involvement required to
support the customer if they themselves cannot implement the recommendations defined during
this activity (for lack of resources or lack of knowledge).
The review of the recommended target support framework drives the definition of project activities that
will fill the gaps between the current IT support framework and the target support framework created
by the introduction of SAP S/4HANA.
Finally look up the Operations Guide in the SAP Online Help Portal.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for the Transition to Operations
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Operations guide for all releases
here)
Procedure
During the Operations Impact Evaluation activity, the SAP S/4HANA project scope is analyzed to
evaluate potential operational risks and areas in the support framework that need to be looked at
and modified/implemented prior to the go-live. The aim is to define the list of operational activities
which:
All the relevant support areas need to be analyzed in a comprehensive manner that is analyzing
all the roles and skills required for the support of the SAP S/4HANA solution, the
processes/procedures, the operations documentation and the enabling support tools.
SAP can support you in all these activities with a systematic approach to operational activities will
ensure you analyze all the changes in IT operational activities caused by the new solution.
Once the affected support areas are analyzed in a systematic way, a road map is defined that
includes the key activities for IT to fill the gaps and prepare the future IT support framework. The
key activities required are many and include:
• Defining the sourcing strategy for a new role: project resource moving to operations, ramp up
of a current resource to support the new solution, hiring or handover of activity to partner
• Setting up and configuring tools and where SAP will be engaged to support
• Documenting operating procedures by project resources or by operational resources
• Organizing for knowledge transfer to ensure the future operational resources have the
required knowledge and skills – this includes formal education of current operational
resources, training, hands on and shadowing on new solution. It also includes training of all
the IT support resources involved in the support of the new solution like the service desk
• Operations cut-over activities (e.g. team access, roll over of open defects…)
• Retirement of some part of the current support framework
An SAP engagement model should be created to support you where your knowledge is minimum
or where your resources are busy on operational topics. Based on the road map, you will then be
able to define the detailed activities to be added to the project plan and align it with the SAP
Engagement Model specific to your needs together with the SAP TQM.
Results
There is a plan on how to adjust IT operations to be ready to safely and efficiently operate SAP
S/4HANA as of Go-Live.
Tasks
• Update Project Management Plan
• Direct and Manage Project Execution
• Conduct SCRUM Meetings
• Monitor and Control Project Activities
• Manage Issues, Risks and Changes
• Communicate Status and Progress to Project Stakeholders
Accelerators
• Backlog including Delta Requirements.xlsx
3.24.3. Conduct SCRUM Meetings
Objective
The purpose of this task is to plan, setup and conduct various SCRUM meetings to keep the
project teams aligned around common vision, share information amongst the SCRUM teams and
align individuals within each team. The purpose of these standard meetings is to inform others
about the work that individual team members do on a given day and surface any blockers that
team members need help addressing. In agile implementation project, the teams conduct the
following meetings:
3. Sprint Demo
the purpose of this meeting is to demonstrate the results of the sprint to the customer and obtain
acceptance to release the features developed during the sprint. The meeting is attended by the
Product Owner team, End users and SCRUM team. It is conducted at the end of sprint.
4. Sprint Retrospective
or process improvement meeting is conducted right after Sprint Demo meeting prior to closing the
sprint. The objective of this meeting is for the SCRUM team to conduct retrospective of the sprint,
identify potential improvements of the process, prioritize and select top improvements to
implement in the next sprint.
Accelerators
• Agile Scrum Meeting Guidelines (Customer)
Accelerators
• Change Request Log - template (Customer)
• Open Issues List Template.xls (Customer)
3.24.6. Communicate Status and Progress to Project Stakeholders
Objective
The purpose of this task is to ensure that each contract is closed by verifying that all work
specified in the contractual arrangement was completed, and that all defined deliverables were
accepted.
Accelerators
• Project status report for SAP Activate / S/4HANA
Tasks
• Update and Prioritize Backlog
Scale
the desirability of the feature to a broad base of users (business impact, acceptance);
Importance
the desirability of the requirement to a small number of important users or customers (influencing
key stakeholders, business value).
How to establish clear priorities: In agile projects, the Process Owner must prioritize and force
rank list of all requirements in project backlog. No two items can end up being ‘equal’ on the list
(e.g. have the same priority and ranking). The main reason for this is to prevent that everything is
rated as a “Must Have”. The MSCW prioritization (Must-Have, Should-Have, Could-Have, Would-
Have) is used for an initial grouping of requirements. The secondary step is to rank items within
the same priority group.
Accelerators
• Agile Definition of Ready and Done (Customer)
• Agile Release Planning (Customer)
• Backlog including Delta Requirements.xlsx
• Backlog Template
• Estimates are done by the experts in the team who are implementing the functionality and
have experience from similar projects
• More expert opinions lead to better the estimation results
• Everybody on the team participates in the estimation process
• Verbal communication is preferred over detailed written specs
• It is possible to use Planning Poker especially for estimates where experts disagree
widely (see next slide)
• Clear the assumptions of estimates prior to estimating - e.g. what is the definition of done
for sprint and for the release
• Avoid anchoring, it invalidates estimates – e.g. “I would say this is easy, so it should be X
ideal person days”
• Estimate in the same unit of measure for the entire project (e.g. Ideal Person Days / Story
Points)
• If consensus cannot be reached defer the estimate of requirement to a later time.
Accelerators
• Agile Sprint Burndown and Task Board (Customer)
• Backlog Template
The image below shows an example of the iterative agile approach to build functionality for one
release.
Figure: Structure of an agile approach
Release represents functionality that is deployed to the production system and rolled out to the
end users. Each release is built in sequence of time-boxed sprints in which the project team
develops the highest priority capabilities as determined by the business owners. One or multiple
sprints may be needed to finalize functionality for end-to-end scenario (or Epic as it is known in
agile projects)
During each sprint the project team conducts the following activities:
4. Sprint Demo
5. Sprint Retrospective
During the project the team will run two types of sprints:
1. Build sprints - the goal of these sprints is to build, and unit test the new capabilities
2. Firm-up sprints - the goal of these sprints is to conduct testing of strings of process
steps to continuously ensure integration. During this sprint the team also develops
solution documentation
Accelerators
• Agile Release Planning (Customer)
Procedure:
• Involve project team members and other experts (e.g. from communication or marketing
departments) essential for upcoming communication activities, as documented in the
existing Communication Plan accelerator.
• Create and revise communication material, and ensure that all operational requirements
for delivery are fulfilled (e.g. arranging meetings, reserving venues).
• Align communication activities and obtain approval by project management or project
sponsor.
Accelerators
• Communication Plan
Procedure:
• Execute communication activities according to the existing Communication Plan
accelerator.
• Collect feedback on communication activities from target groups.
• Document communication delivery, including lessons learned.
Accelerators
• Communication Plan
Procedure:
• Review collected feedback on conducted communication activities.
• Verify if changes in overall project situation have occurred (e.g. timeline, scope, affected
stakeholders).
• Finetune current activities and incorporate new activities into the existing Communication
Plan accelerator, as necessary.
Accelerators
• Communication Plan
• Ensure that all required deliverables from this phase and the project are complete and
accurate, and close any outstanding issues
• Identify lessons learned during the phase to prepare for formal phase closure
• Capture customer feedback and potential Customer References
Tasks
• Conduct Knowledge Management Gate
• Conduct Project Quality Gate
• Execute Baseline Retrospective
• Conduct Project Management Review Service
• Manage Fulfilled Contracts
• Obtain Customer Sign-Off for Phase Completion
3.27.1. Request Knowledge Assessment – CQC for Transformation Assessment
Objective
The purpose of this task is to conduct a second knowledge assessment by requesting the
continuous quality check (CQC) for transformation assessment service which is part of your
SAP Enterprise Support contract.
• to identify, at different stages of the project if some decisions you have taken, or missing
knowledge on key points can endanger/delay your project or have a negative impact on
the business value of the solution,
• to provide you with the individualized list of the learning assets or services comprised in
your contract, and which are relevant for your project
The assessment occurs offline through a questionnaire. After sending back the filled
questionnaire, you will receive an individualized report composed of an executive summary, an
action plan and detailed recommendations. This can be used to help create the enablement plan
for your project team and business owners based on what is already known, and what must be
known.
The topics covered within the CQC for transformation assessment include the following: project
timelines, SAP Activate, custom code and extensibility, downtime optimization, data migration,
finance, logistics, etc.
Procedure
In case a first knowledge assessment has been provided in the Prepare phase already (see
activity Project Initiation task Request Knowledge Assessment – CQC for Transformation
Assessment), this second assessment will be provided automatically to you.
Otherwise fill out the request for of the CQC for transformation assessment.
Accelerators
• Continuous Quality Check & Improvement Services
• SAP Blog - How can your SAP S/4HANA project team save precious time using the
continuous quality check (CQC) for transformation assessment offering
• CQC for transformation assessment for SAP S/4HANA
• CQC for Transformation Assessment - Request Form
Accelerators
• Lessons Learned Guide (Customer)
• Lessons Learned Template (Customer)
3.27.3. Conduct Project Quality Gate
Objective
The purpose of the Quality Gate is to ensure that both compliance and project management
standards are being upheld within projects. A Quality Gate is a checklist milestone at the end of a
project phase. Prior to moving into the next phase, each project manager demonstrates that they
have been compliant with the mandatory deliverables associated with a methodology while
ensuring best practice standards have been applied to ensure quality.
• Conduct regular quality checks at defined or critical stages of the project lifecycle to
assess the health of the project.
• Ensure that all key deliverables and actions of the gate have been completed in
compliance with recommended practices and to the customer’s satisfaction.
• Enable project management to continuously communicate the process and build quality
directly into the project.
Note: New additional key deliverables need to be added in the quality gate checklist by the project
manager to the different project types.
Accelerators
• QGateChecklist Concept SAP Activate
• Quality Built In New QGate Checklist
• Q-Gate Check List for SAP S/4HANA implementations
Accelerators
• Agile Sprint Retrospective Template (Customer)
Accelerators
• Phase Sign-Off Template (Customer)
4. Realize Phase
Once Quality Gate 2 (i.e. Q2) – Explore-to-Realize has been passed successfully, the functional and
technical implementation takes place in the Realize Phase. The activities of the Realize phase are
displayed in the following figure.
In the Solution Adoption work stream, the training for the end users is prepared. OCM alignment
activities are performed according to the OCM execution plan.
In the Application design and configuration work stream, the functional changes (general configuration,
master data, and core / delta), related UX adjustments and security changes are implemented as defined
in the design document. Additional applications, like Central Finance in a selective data transition scenario
are set up as planned. In the Extensions work stream, program enhancement like reports, or Fiori User
Interfaces, are developed accordingly. Existing custom code is adjusted to be ready for SAP S/4HANA.
SAP can safeguard the activities via the “Integration Validation” offering, which covers key aspects like
Business Data Consistency, Exception Management, Integration, and Performance and Scalability.
In the Integration work stream, all required interfaces are implemented as designed in the Explore phase.
Further integration setup is done for the quality assurance system, and for the production system (if
already available, and new implementation only).
In the Data Management work stream, data archiving is configured for business objects according to the
DVM strategy. Load and verification runs ensure that business data can be migrated with acceptable time
and quality.
The technical infrastructure is set up in the Technical Architecture and Infrastructure work stream,
according to the technical design document. The transition of the quality assurance system takes place
according to the detailed transition plan, and technical adjustments may be implemented as part of the
activity. In parallel, the sizing of the productive instance is verified.
According to the Operations Impact Evaluation, the operations implementation (people, processes tools)
takes place in the Operations & support work stream.
At the end of the Realize phase, the preparation for cutover starts. A cutover plan is created from
experience gained in former transition runs (potentially additional mock runs are required).
Please note: The order activities are explained in this document / road map viewer, are not necessarily
the order how they are later executed in the project! However, there can be dependencies between
activities. In case you are interested in time dependencies / relationships between activities, explore the
project file template of this road map.
Tasks
• Review Deliverables of Realize Phase
Tasks
• Plan Sprints and Solution Reviews
• Plan Testing
Procedure
1. Review Test entry and exit criteria with customer
The following preconditions are required before end user training material creation can start:
• End user training material, a training environment, logistics, and infrastructure is available.
• Skilled instructors are available based on the framework defined in the training strategy document
from activity.
Procedure
• Train your Key User
• Create Training Material for End User
Results
At the end of this activity, the training for the end user is ready to be delivered (including systems,
demo data etc.).
Please note: Key users should be trained in such a way that they can support the creation of
training material for end users, or the test of newly implemented functionality.
Results
Key users are trained.
Accelerators
• SAP Learning Services
Procedure
Based on the training concept, the usage of a recording and authoring tool for creating the end
user training material needs to be discussed and decided. SAP recommends the SAP Enable
Now (successor of the SAP Workforce Performance Builder (WPB)) as the tool for creating the
training material, supporting translations, developing e-learning with or/and without audio voice
description.
The SAP Enable Now can be used for SAP and Non-SAP applications and is therefore suitable
for a seamless recording and documentation process for the end user in one tool. The final
documents can be exported in standard formats as PDF, MS Word, and PowerPoint.
Furthermore, SAP Enable Now can also support the test phase with documentation of test cases
and results. You can find all important documents on SAP Enable Now in the SAP Online Help
Portal (e.g. “What’s New in SAP Enable Now”, “Master Guide”, or “Creating Documents for HP
Quality Center”) – see accelerator section.
SAP is following the approach to enable the customer key users to develop the end user training
material mainly themselves. SAP can coach the key users in developing the right structure and in
reviewing the documents. The goal is to transfer the knowledge as much as possible to the key
users to enable them for the end user training. As a prerequisite the key users should already be
trained didactically, methodically, and for using the tool appropriately during the Explore phase
and the key user training work package.
The following list describes possible end user training documents required to be developed for
every training:
• Course Concept
For each training event (classroom training), a course concept is created together with the
customer. The course concept defines the required content to be communicated. The course
concept is converted it into an appropriate structure and recorded in a template for training
delivery.
• Training Manual
The training manual contains instructions, notes, and references to important points during
the training. They explain the processes, and provide the trainer with the structure, times, and
procedures for the courses (up to max. one page per content day).
• Simulations
Simulations help to visualize operating steps in the SAP system. They enable end users to
practice in an environment that is separate from a genuine SAP system and thus allow them
to acquire the necessary experience. Simulations can only be created once a suitable
authoring tool is available (e.g. SAP Enable Now).
• E-Learning
E-Learning helps to reduce the effort for classroom training. As a self-learning offering, e-
learning is also available after the project has ended. This enables new employees to become
acquainted with topics independently. Trained employees can "refer back to" various topics or
"take a look at" the system simulations as required. Creating customer-specific e-learning
content requires a stable and fully developed / customized SAP system.
SAP assumes that e-learning will merely comprise of less complex and overview content such
as process overview per stream, main functional features, and highlight key changes and
benefits. SAP develops e-learning content comprising approximately 56 hours of net learning
time. Net learning time describes the amount of time that an average learner requires to work
through the program without any interruptions.
• Web Based Training (WBT)
Web based training is a reasonable addition to e-learning and has the advantage that a course
can be attended location-independent by one or more persons. Communication with the trainer
via phone or chat is feasible, during which all open questions resulting from previous self-
learning experience can be answered by an expert.
If possible, the course material and the exercises and solutions could be derived from the
corresponding classroom training courses. If not, a course concept, training manual, conceptual
design slides, work instructions for transaction steps, and exercises (including data and
simulations) should be developed
Based on the end user training, the customer training system need to be set up by the customer
key users. SAP can support this activity. The technical set up is finalized by the IT team.
In addition to the development of the end-user training material and the training system set up, the
customer key users should have a final workshop with SAP experts to finally prepare the end user
trainings, and to define the tandem approach for the first end user trainings. The tandem approach
means that the customer key user will be accompanied during the first training sessions by an
experienced SAP trainer to get confidence and safety in performing the trainings.
SAP expects DEV and QAS (or a dedicated training system) to be completely available during the
training development period. SAP recommends a systematic buildup of the training client in the
QAS test system during the Realize phase. The training client should be available when training
material creation starts (e.g. processes, master and booking data).
Results
The training is ready to be delivered to end users.
In addition, SAP offers deployment services for SAP Enable Now to ensure the successful
implementation and sustainable use.
Accelerators
• SAP Learning Services
• SAP Enable Now at SAP Online Help Portal
• SAP Enable Now Info Center
Tasks
1. Manage Sprints
Procedure
This road map describes the execution of configuration work in an agile implementation model.
However, customers who prefer the classic water fall implementation model can follow the same
approach, by assuming the number of sprints equals “1”. SAP water fall projects often adopt 4 delivery
cycles which can be represented as 4 sprints.
The purpose of the configuration activities is to use a series of iterations to incrementally build and
test an integrated business and system environment that is based on the business scenarios and
process requirements identified in the previous phase.
Accordingly, configuration steps will be executed in different iterations (sprints) starting from general
settings per Line of Business up to detailed configuration for each area.
For each cycle the following steps will apply (example for configuration in six business priorities is
shown in the figure below):
Sprints are time boxed two-week cycles. Each sprint will consider system configuration,
documentation and unit testing based on the delta backlog identified during Explore phase.
Sprint 1 considers the finalization of the core configuration. For example, during design only one legal
entity was activated – however, according to the design, in total 5 legal entities might be activated. For
System Conversion scenarios, mandatory changes must be finalized according to the prioritized
backlog. All general settings and organizational structures need to be configured. Master data settings
are prepared, and core processes are configured.
Sprint 2 considers the realization of delta requirements maintained in the backlog. Further sprints may
follow based on customer requirements.
In case of a newly implemented business process, configuration data will be taken from Best
Practices content from SAP Activate (if available, and if appropriate).
In case of a system conversion, existing customizing will be taken over during technical conversion,
but of course it will need to be adjusted per newly introduced or changed functionality. Much of the old
configuration will continue to work unchanged. The purpose of this activity is to change the existing
configuration according to the design defined and agreed during the Explore phase. Some of this work
will be driven by the S/4HANA Simplification Items. Document the configuration settings and changes
and collect related customizing transports. Mandatory configuration activities are well documented in
the SAP Reference Implementation Guide (SAP IMG in transaction SPRO). Unless stated otherwise,
the corresponding actions should be initiated from there.
SAP Solution Manager 'Configuration Library' can hold links to the configuration tasks and documents
to capture a living record of setting changes made (including the reason for each decision). A
configuration object can also be linked to the relevant process structure.
Accelerators
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA 2023 – Feature Scope Description
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
You and all involved project members should make themselves familiar with the used
implementation methodology during configuration (waterfall, agile), the sequence of configuration
activities and how they relate to project activities in other work streams (e.g. in data migration or
integration).
Results
The project team is prepared for Configuration.
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
Prerequisite
The solution design is properly documented and approved.
Procedure
Run a hand-over workshop to pass all important design documents for a business priority /
business area from the design team to the configuration team. Required information includes:
• Design from the Explore phase
• Role mapping to security
• Important customizing
• Master data design
• Organizational structure specification
• Functional specification per WRICEF object
• Configuration and documentation standards
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this task with the “Configuration” scope option as part of the Build Execution
service. Please see “SAP Advanced Deployment” link below and ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP
Client Partner) for more information.
Accelerators
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
Prerequisite
Design documents have been handed over to the configuration team.
Procedure
The main configuration is structured into:
Accelerators
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
Prerequisite
Functionality has been implemented and configured in the Development system.
Procedure
• Run unit tests on the newly implemented configuration and functionality in the
Development system.
• Document test execution properly.
• Issues should be corrected either directly (same day), or in case this is not possible
logged in the project issue list.
See SAP Signavio Process Navigator for test script examples.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this task with the “Configuration” scope option as part of the Build Execution
service. Please see “SAP Advanced Deployment” link below and ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP
Client Partner) for more information.
Accelerators
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
•
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
Prerequisite
Unit tests have been completed.
Procedure
Run an initial test on solution integration within the business priorities / business areas in scope.
Since the full integration test is executed later in this phase, the recommendation is to only test
with manually created test data, and to focus on SAP functionality only (no testing of customer
specific WRICEF objects). This may include standard integration between SAP solutions e.g.
integration between SAP S/4HANA and SAP Cloud solutions such as SAP Ariba and SAP
SuccessFactors.
Accelerators
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• Business Process Unit and String Test Results Template
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
Prerequisite
String tests have been completed.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Run a session per Line of Business / business area and present the new functionality from an
application perspective.
• Explain the required configuration from an IT perspective.
• Log issues in the project issue list, which have been identified during solution walk-through.
• Some suggested changes may need to go through a formal change control process.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this task with the “Configuration” scope option as part of the Build Execution
service. Please see “SAP Advanced Deployment” link below and ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP
Client Partner) for more information.
Accelerators
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
4.12. Configuration: Bug Fixing
Description
The purpose of this activity is to resolve issues identified during the unit and string test or solution
walk-through.
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
Prerequisite
Solution walk-through has been completed.
Procedure
• Resolve issues which have been identified in the unit / string test and solution walk-
through, and which have been documented in the project issue list.
• Properly record corrections in transport requests.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this task with the “Configuration” scope option as part of the Build Execution
service. Please see “SAP Advanced Deployment” link below and ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP
Client Partner) for more information.
Accelerators
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
Prerequisite
Bug fixing has been completed.
Procedure
Extend the design documents, by properly documenting the configuration settings. Add further
information on detailing’s and agreed changes.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this task with the “Configuration” scope option as part of the Build Execution
service. Please see “SAP Advanced Deployment” link below and ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP
Client Partner) for more information.
Accelerators
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
• Phase Sign-Off Template (Customer)
It further covers the adjustment of already existing custom code identified in the activity Custom code
impact.
Procedure
• Adjust affected existing custom code
• Development of WRICEF objects
• Custom Developments
Please note:
• Please note, that the implementation / adjustment of the user interface is covered by a
dedicated activity named UX Implementation.
• Extensibility in times of SAP S/4HANA has changed significantly. There are new extension
concepts “In-App” and “Side-by-Side” extensibility available, which help you keeping the SAP
S/4HANA system as your digital core clean. For details see the SAP White Paper “Custom
Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations”. Also, in case you develop extensions on the
Business Technology Platform, make yourself familiar with the “Software Logistics for SAP
Business Technology Platform” (accelerator section).
However, SAP recommends to explore the options for the agile creation of customer innovations
using the extensibility capabilites of SAP S/4HANA and SAP Business Technology Platform. This is of
particular interest for:
• SAP Fiori and the mobile journey in the SAP Business Technology Platform (decoupling custom
user interface development from the stable SAP S/4HANA core, when developing mobile apps for
B2B, B2C, C2B)
• Agile data mart: Running SAP BI and Predictive Self-Services in an SAP Business Technology
Platform sidecar
The usage of the SAP Business Technology Platform has two additional benefits:
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Best Practices for ABAP Development on SAP Netweaver 7.5x
• SAP Blog - ABAP Platform for SAP S/4HANA 2022
• Evolution of the ABAP Programming Model
• SAP Online Help Portal - Section for Custom Development
• SAP White Paper - Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations
• Software Logistics for SAP Business Technology Platform
• SAP S/4HANA Extensibility: A Learning Journey
• SAP Business Technology Platform - Landing Page in the SAP Online Help Portal
Procedure
To adjust custom code that is affected by the conversion to SAP S/4HANA project, proceed as
follows:
• Make sure your developers have the required skill set to adjust your custom code for SAP
S/4HANA. There are multiple options for developer training (e-learnings, classroom). Please
see accelerator section for more information.
• Make sure you have the prioritized list of custom objects requiring adjustment (see activity
Custom Code Impact for details).
• Wait until your DEV system has been converted to SAP S/4HANA.
• Adjust custom code objects in the converted DEV system according to the prioritized custom
object list. See details on locally running SAP S/4HANA checks and adapting your custom
code with the ABAP Development Tools (ADT) in the Custom Code Migration Guide. For
certain findings SAP is providing “Quick Fixes”. These Quick Fixes provide functions that
enable you to resolve errors and warnings without adapting your source code manually. All
changes are logged in transport requests. See accelerator section for more information. See
also SAP Note 2866977 - Quick Fixes for SAP S/4HANA custom code checks.
• Test your custom code in DEV. Transport your changes to QAS, once it has been converted
to SAP S/4HANA. Test your changes in QAS. In case corrections are required, perform the
corrections in DEV and transport to QAS again.
• All transport requests should then be populated in the PRD buffer, ready for import during the
Go-Live.
Please note: In case of a system conversion, the old DEV system will stay for production support
of PRD as long as PRD is not converted. Take care to properly retrofit changes performed in the
production support landscape to the new DEV system to ensure the latest business requirements
are accounted for within the project landscape.
Results
All custom code is adjusted to function properly with SAP S/4HANA.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Custom Code Management
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Custom Code Quality Management - Security Check Service
• Custom Code Migration Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2023
• SAP Note 2866977 - Quick Fixes for SAP S/4HANA custom code checks
• OpenSAP Training for Developers
• SAP Blog - Semi-automatic custom code adaptation after SAP S/4HANA system
conversion
• SAP White Paper - Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations
• Software Logistics for SAP Business Technology Platform
Procedure
Custom code might be impacted when converting to SAP S/4HANA. The impact may arise from
changing the DB to SAP HANA, or by functional changes between SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA
(documented in simplification items).
After having identified the impacted custom code objects you can make them SAP S/4HANA
compliant by following the documentation provided in the business impact notes of the
simplification items.
To identify the impacted custom code objects, run the analysis upfront of the system conversion:
• Follow the procedures documented in the Custom Code Migration Guide
Adapt the impacted custom code after converting DEV system:
• Follow the procedure documented in the Custom Code Migration Guide
• Many code adjustments can be done in a semi-automated way using Quick Fixes
• W = workflow
• R = reports
• I = interfaces
• C = conversions
• E = enhancements
• F = forms
Using new technologies shows several advantages compared to the traditional WRICEF
development:
The following services are available to support with re-platforming to SAP Business Technology
Platform:
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Custom Code Management
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Custom Code Migration Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2023
• SAP BTP Developer Guide
• OpenSAP Training for Developers
• SAP White Paper - Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations
Procedure
SAP provides general rules and recommendations for extensibility with the aim to keep the core of
your system clean.
Code Avoidance
• Fit to Standard
o Use pre-configured solutions with predefined processes in combination with SAP Fiori:
▪ SAP Best Practices
▪ SAP Enterprise Management Layer
▪ SAP Standard Content Activation
o Foster cloud mindset by adhering to Fit-to-Standard and Agile Deployment detailed in
SAP Activate: Leverage SAP standard processes where possible
• Design Governance
• Extensions must not impact future upgrades, and extensions are not impacted by future
upgrades.
• Decouple your extensions from SAP Code
o Zero modifications
o No classic extensions which use unreleased SAP coding (function modules, includes etc.
o Avoid Lift & Shift from old SAP systems
o API based access to SAP functionality
o API based access to business data
o Use SAP API Business Hub for integrations, extensions, and innovations
Cloud Readiness
• Build your extensions in such a way that they could run in a cloud system in future
• Restricted ABAP
o When using In-App, use Key User Extensibility or Developer Extension (which uses
Restricted ABAP automatically)
o You can also use ATC to check readiness of existing ABAP code for cloud (variant
S4HANA_READINESS)
o When using ABAP in a Side-by-Side extension, Restricted ABAP is used automatically
o Avoid lift and shift of old ABAP code from SAP ECC
o Properly document all deviations
• Zero modifications
o Modifying SAP code leads to extensions which are not cloud ready
The ABAP Extensibility Guide “Extend SAP S/4HANA in the cloud and on premise with ABAP
based extensions” provides an overview on the extensibility options for ABAP-based extensions
on SAP S/4HANA, explaining the ABAP Cloud Development Model and the ABAP RESTful
application programming model (RAP). This document also describes the available extensibility
options and how to choose the best option for your use case.
Based on the functional requirements described in the design document, the purpose of this task
is to specify the custom code object from a technical perspective. A detailed technical
specification will be provided. This comprises of ABAP developments development details like
entry point in the system, enhancement logic, process flow diagram, data model, integration and
required authorizations.
For each enhancement, the appropriate test case(s) will be defined and documented.
The developer is in charge to realize the requirement, which includes the development itself but
for sure also documentation and unit testing.
The purpose of this task is to perform a unit test of the developments. The objective is to resolve
any issues identified during the custom object(s) test. It is crucial that the issues are solved and
re-tested by users that reported them (or designated re-testers) and that they are confirmed.
Additionally, during this task, a final code review of the development objects will be performed and
readiness for transport has to be confirmed.
SAP supports this activity with the “WRICEF Developments” service as part of SAP Professional
Services.
SAP also offers to check the security of your custom code (service Custom Code Quality
Management). Please see task Improve Custom Code Quality Measures from the Explore phase
for more details.
For extensions incorporating SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP offers the following
services to Premium Engagement customers:
Accelerators
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Custom Code Quality Management - Security Check Service
• SAP Blog - Modernization with the ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model (RAP)
• SAP Blog - Getting Started with the ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model
(RAP)
• Extend SAP S/4HANA in the cloud and on premise with ABAP based extensions
• SAP White Paper - Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations
• Software Logistics for SAP Business Technology Platform
o New_Design_Approaches_Extensibility_Options_S4HANA
o Fit to Standard – Functional Design Templates
• SAP BTP Developer Guide
• SAP Blog - Restricted ABAP and SAP S/4HANA On-Premise
• SAP Blog - Restricted ABAP for SAP BTP ABAP Environment
• SAP Blog - The Key User Extensibility Tools of S/4 HANA
• Statements of ABAP for Key Users
• ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model
• SAP Blog - Embedded Steampunk – Some more details for ABAP developers
• SAP Blog – How to user Embedded Steampunk in SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition
and in on-premise – the new ABAP Extensibility Guide
• SAP Blog – ABAP Cloud – SAP S/4HANA Extensibility – May 2023 update
• Video - SAP S/4HANA Cloud ABAP Environment – Embedded Steampunk
• Video – Embedded Steampunk
• SAP Community – SAP S/4HANA Cloud ABAP Environment
Procedure
Custom development follows in general the same procedure as described in the task
Development of WRICEF objects:
• Technical Design
• Development
• Unit Test
Accelerators
• SAP White Paper - Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations
• Software Logistics for SAP Business Technology Platform
4.15. UX Implementation
Description
The activity UX Implementation covers the new implementation of SAP UIs, or the adjustment of
existing ones as defined in the UX Activation and Design activity in the Explore phase. Focus is on the
implementation of SAP Fiori.
Procedure
• Enhancement and development of user interfaces
Procedure
Configuration and development of customer-specific user interfaces. Configuration of the Fiori
user interface is done with UI adaptation at runtime. It is possible to move, rename and remove
sections, groups and fields. You can combine fields or add standard fields or custom fields.
“Classic” non-Fiori apps (SAP GUI for HTML and Web Dynpro for ABAP) can be configured using
Screen Personas.
To enhance the user interface within the defined project scope and specified from a functional
perspective during the Explore phase, proceed as follows:
1. Configure and develop customer-specific user interfaces, such as SAP Fiori UX or Screen
Personas.
2. Review the SAP Blog “SAP S/4HANA – How to Create and Generate Back-end
Security Authorizations for SAP Fiori 2.0” which provides a step-by-step instruction on
how to create and generate SAP Back-end authorizations for a SAP S/4HANA system
based on SAP Fiori 2.0 Front-end Server Catalog information.
3. Specify technical design: Based on the functional requirements described in the delta
design document, the purpose of this task is to specify the WRICEF object from a
technical perspective. A detailed technical specification will be provided. This comprises
in case of ABAP developments development details like entry point in the system,
enhancement logic, process flow diagram, data model and required authorizations.
WRICEF objects are new objects or objects to be adjusted, identified during the explore
phase, e.g. a requirement for a new workflow or form identified. All information will be
documented in a technical specification document (see Accelerator’s section for details).
For each enhancement, the appropriate test case(s) will be defined and documented.
4. Develop WRICEF objects: The developer is in charge to realize the requirement, which
includes the development itself but for sure also documentation and unit testing.
5. Unit test all developed objects. The purpose of this task is to perform a unit test of the
developments. The objective is to resolve any issues identified during the WRICEF
object(s) test. It is crucial that the issues are solved and re-tested by users that reported
them (or designated re-testers) and that they are confirmed. Additionally, during this task,
a final code review of the development objects will be performed and readiness for
transport into QAS has to be confirmed.
To create custom business roles that contain only the apps and UIs agreed in the task Fit-to-
Standard workshops, you use the SAP standard content (business roles and catalogs) as a
starting point. You can remove any apps or UIs you do not want to use. You can add any custom
launchpad content you have created. For each custom business role, you refine the launchpad
content and assign a default launchpad layout. The launchpad layout realizes the prototypes
agreed in task UX Design. For detailed steps refer to accelerator Blog - SAP Fiori for SAP
S/4HANA – Creating your custom business roles – the end-to-end video playlist. Proceed as
follows:
1. Create a custom business role. You can copy SAP Business Roles as a starting point.
2. Create custom business catalogs to collect the launchpad content (apps and UIs) to be
assigned to your custom business role. You can copy SAP standard business catalogs as
a starting point.
3. Assign business catalogs to your custom business role
4. Activate the content in your custom business role
5. Review and refine the generated authorizations for your custom business role
6. Create a custom launchpad layout
7. Assign your custom layout to your business role
8. Create a test user for your business role
9. Verify your role by logging in as the test user, checking the layout and that the assigned
launchpad content is launched as expected
SAP Value Assurance offers the “Technical Performance Optimization” service component:
This service component can also deal with the performance of your Fiori applications, with the
following focus points: Interfaces & Integration (ODATA Services) and Code Check & Best
Practices (SAPUI5 / Fiori Frontend). Typically, the service starts with baseline measurements,
followed by an iterative optimization & tuning phase. See activity “Integration Validation” in this
phase for more details.
Accelerators
o SAP S/4HANA Fiori Apps Deployment
o SAP S/4HANA Fiori Launchpad Operation
o SAP S/4HANA Fiori Basic Network and Security Configuration
o SAP S/4HANA Other App Types Deployment
o How to create the perfect Fiori incident
o SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA – How to Create and Generate Backend Security
Authorizations for SAP Fiori 2.0
o SAP Blog - Setting User Defaults in SAP S/4HANA
o SAP Blog - Activating User Defaults in SAP S/4HANA
o SAP Blog - Applying User Defaults in SAP S/4HANA
o SAP Blog - Leading S/4HANA UX – Solving No Data Available for Smart Business Apps
• SAP White Paper - Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations
• Software Logistics for SAP Business Technology Platform
• SAP UI5 - Landing Page
• Blog - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA – Creating your custom business roles – the end-to-
end process and video playlist (Public)
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA – How to Create and Generate Backend Security
Authorizations for SAP Fiori 2.0 (Public)
Tasks
• Conduct Sprint Review Meeting
Accelerators
• Agile Sprint Burndown and Task Board (Customer)
Accelerators
• Agile Release Planning (Customer)
• Agile Sprint Retrospective Template (Customer)
Procedure
• Implement security
Results
As the result of security implementation, all the planned and defined Security Activities are
initiated and in realization. They will continue across the Deploy phase.
Accelerators
• SAP Security Optimization Services
• The DVM strategy has been adapted in agreement with the business, to include the options
SAP S/4HANA offers for data archiving
• The development system is already converted to SAP S/4HANA.
Procedure
• Clean up or archive business data upfront of a system conversion (if not already done)
• Configure data archiving (Design Time)
• Test execution of data archiving (Runtime)
Results
Data Volume Management has been configured and tested successfully. The settings can be taken
over into the productive system once transferred to SAP S/4HANA.
There is a documented strategy on DVM, which defines the residence time definition of business
data.
Data volume planning (as part of Transition Planning activity) has indicated the need for data
cleanup and archiving.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Archive business data as defined in the DVM strategy. Set up the write and delete jobs as
described in the DVM Best Practice Guide (accelerator section).
• Run housekeeping jobs e.g. on the SAP Spool environment as described in the DVM Best
Practice Guide (accelerator section).
Results
The SAP system has been cleaned from data which can be either removed or archived. The used
space in the database has been reduced.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information and services on data volume
management in the context of SAP S/4HANA in the “Become competent” section of the “Explore”
learning journey.
Accelerators
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Explore
Procedure
Configure data archiving as described in the SAP Help Portal (see accelerator section).
Results
Data archiving has been configured for the business objects in scope.
Accelerators
• Data Archiving in the SAP Online Help Portal
Prerequisites
Configuration of data archiving has finished.
Procedure
Test your data archiving settings as described in the SAP Help Portal (see accelerator section).
Results
Data archiving has been configured and tested successfully for the business objects in scope.
Accelerators
• Data Archiving in the SAP Online Help Portal
Procedure
1. Identify the IV Scope
2. Initiate the Corresponding IV Support Activities
3. Initiate SAP Going-Live Check
Results
As a result of this activity, integration validation activities have been planned, documented and
initiated. They will continue across the Deploy phase.
Procedure
Validating the integration of a complex solution is a challenging and extensive task. To improve
the efficiency and effectiveness of the task, a collaborative approach should be employed. This
makes knowledge transfer an integral part of Integration Validation, enabling all parties involved –
the customer, the system integrator, and SAP experts – to work together to validate the solution.
The final cross-check is led by SAP, with support from the customer and system integrator. The
check results provide the basis for this cross-check. To jointly determine the scope of Integration
Validation and to develop a detailed plan of how to validate the solution, product and operations
standards, the following information is required:
• The critical core business processes, including all relevant interfaces and the underlying
software landscape
• Volumes of data to be processed for the critical business process, including peak volume
• Performance KPIs (transactional, batch, and batch window)
In close cooperation with the customer and partner, SAP drives the validation of the customer’s
Solution Landscape based on the scope defined. Throughout the process of validation, SAP
provides knowledge transfer on an on-going basis and supports the customer and partner as they
validate all related core business process steps and interfaces.
For complex scenarios, Integration Validation can be very detailed, and possibly structured as a
project on its own.
Results
The scope of Integration Validation in the context of the transition project has been documented.
Prerequisites
The scope of IV has been defined.
Procedure
Initiate appropriate IV activities for your implementation project. In case SAP supports the
implementation via SAP Value Assurance service components are provided like those listed under
“How SAP can Support”.
Performance optimization is often an IV topic. Customers should study the collective SAP Note
2689405 - FAQ: S/4HANA Performance Best Practices for known SAP S/4HANA problem areas
and resolution proposals. Regarding SAP HANA, SAP Note 2000000 - FAQ: SAP HANA
Performance Optimization is recommended.
• Feasibility Check service component (TFC): Assess the technical feasibility of the
transition project with focus on compatibility, business continuity, performance and
consistency.
• Integration Check service component (TIC): The TIC is an assessment service and
aims to verify that the built solution supports the integration test with focus on
consistency, performance and stability across systems. Interfaces integration, Data
Volume and Business Process Management are assessed.
• Integration Validation service component: This service component provides technical
validation of core business processes with respect to non-functional requirements,
identification and addressing of technical risks prior to Go-Live and during the production
cutover including hyper-care phase. A comprehensive status of technical Go-Live
readiness for core business processes (Integration Validation matrix) is part of the
service component.
• Technical Performance Optimization service component: The technical performance
optimization service component improves your SAP solution by helping you to configure
your SAP S/4HANA system in an optimal way. The identification and elimination of costly
performance bottlenecks optimizes the response times and throughput of your SAP
solution.
• Interface Management service component: The SAP Interface Management service
component helps analyze and optimize the performance and stability of critical interfaces
as part of business process steps.
• Volume Test Optimization service component: The SAP Volume Test Optimization
service component ensures that the results of volume testing for implementation or
conversion projects are reliable. With reliable test results, you can determine with
confidence whether your hardware resources are sufficient, and the system configuration
is suitable for a Go-Live.
SAP Enterprise Support Customers can order the CQC for Technical Performance Optimization
(TPO). All details and further information on troubleshooting and performance monitoring can be
found in the in the “Become competent” section of the “Run” learning journey.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital Transformation
• SAP Note 2689405 - FAQ: S/4HANA Performance Best Practices - Collective Note
• SAP Note 2000000 - FAQ: SAP HANA Performance Optimization
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Run
• CQC for Technical Performance Optimization (TPO)
4.19.3. Initiate SAP GoingLive Check
Objective
The SAP GoingLive Check safeguards your SAP solution to a smooth start of production, which is
the final milestone of a successful implementation project. The goal of this task is to request the
right SAP GoingLive Check.
Prerequisites
The SAP GoingLive Check is recommended for all scenarios.
Procedure
There are three different SAP GoingLive Checks available:
All services are delivered remotely. An analysis session should be performed 6 weeks in front of
the Go-Live date, to have sufficient time to fix identified issues. The verification session runs some
weeks after Go-Live, to check the system in its productive use.
See the “Realize” and “Deploy” learning journeys for more information. Schedule the appropriate
service for the SAP system, and additionally for the SAP Gateway in case it runs as a separate
instance.
Results
You have successfully requested the correct SAP GoingLive Check.
Accelerators
• SAP OS/DB Migration Check
• SAP Going-Live Functional Upgrade Check
• SAP Going-Live Check for Implementation
• CQC OS/DB Migration Check
• CQC for Upgrade
• CQC for Implementation
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Realize
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Deploy
4.20. Data Migration & Verification
Description
For new implementations, the purpose of this activity is to develop, test, and execute the data
migration programs and processes defined in the Explore phase. This consists of iterative data
migration and testing cycles focused on the analysis of data, refinement of business rules, and
processes designed to move, cleanse, transform, and enrich legacy data required to support the
various test cycles and ultimately the production cutover. The test cycles enable the migration team to
improve data quality, develop a detailed cutover sequencing plan, exercise data reconciliation and
validation required to support the production cutover.
In case of system conversions, silent data migration should be tested. In case of using minimized
downtime technologies, advanced data replication procedures need to be tested.
In case of selective data transition, the tasks within this activity largely depends on the scenario. In
case of client transfer, system merge, company code transfer harmonization and adjustment tasks
(e.g. for customizing and repository objects) need to be performed before data can be successfully
transferred. Test runs ensure that the target state is consistent.
Procedure
The tasks of this activity depend on your implementation scenario:
• Execute data migration using staging tables or directly from an existing SAP System (New
Implementation via SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit)
or
or
This involves populating the data migration templates, uploading the data using staging tables or
direct transfer, validating the data, simulating the load, executing the data migration and conduct
final data quality assessment.
Procedure
In case you use migration cockpit for data migration, start in DEV.
Document the process and sequence for each object in the cutover plan.
Additional click-through demonstrations, videos and other documentation are available in the
accelerator Help - Training Material – SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit.
This task is relevant for implementations using the migration scenario Migrate Data Directly
from SAP system. Follow the procedure in the Help - Transferring Data Directly from SAP
System accelerator. Below is a summary of the steps.
Update or verify that the processes and sequences for each object are documented in the
cutover plan.
Additional click-through demonstrations, videos and other documentation are available in the
accelerator Help - Training Material – SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit.
The purpose of this task is to assess the quality of the data. Once all tests and queries have
been conducted, the data migration team compiles the results and requests a preliminary
review by the data owners and subject matter experts (SMEs).
The assessment includes data to be loaded manually and by using automated tool.
Transport functionality is available in Staging tables approach since SAP S/4HANA 2021. In
the previous releases, Export/Import functionality was used. Please see the accelerator
Transport Concept – Migrate Data Using Staging Tables (Public).
Transport functionality for the Direct Transfer approach is available since SAP S/4HANA
2020, please see the accelerator Transport Concept – Migrate Data Using Staging Tables
(Public).
Continue in QAS.
Execute items a), b) and c) as described before. Finally, transport the data migration project to
PRD once available, and as described in d).
Accelerators
• Data Migration Landing Page for SAP S/4HANA
• Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA from Staging (2Q2)
• Help - Training Material – SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit (Public)
• Help - Transferring Data Directly from an SAP System (Public)
• Transport Concept – Migrate Data Using Staging Tables (Public)
• Transport Concept – Migrate Data Directly from SAP System (Public)
Prerequisites
This task required in case of system conversions.
Procedure
Conversion check runs are recommended to make sure the conversion process – and the system
downtime – stays within the allowed business downtime windows.
The technical and procedure options to lower conversion downtime have been already introduced
in task Downtime Optimization Preparation of activity Sandbox Setup / Conversion in the Explore
phase. Examples are Silent Data Migration (SDIM), of the Minimized Downtime Service (MDS).
To finally validate business data is business data is converted correctly, SAP has introduced the
Data Transition Validation tool (DTV). DTV triggers check reports shortly before entering
downtime, and once after conversion is finished on the target release. Then you use DTV to
compare the extracted data, and the result will be shown in the tool.
DTV comes with a set of delivered SAP reports to validate your data. The set will potentially be
extended over the time. See SAP blog “Data transition validation the tool to validate business data
after conversion” and SAP note 3117879 - Data Transition Validation DTV Tool - Central Note for
more details.
Document all necessary procedures and expected results and incorporate them into the cutover
plan.
Results
As a result the production cut-over is executed according to the well described and practiced
procedure.
Accelerators
• SAP Note 2907976 Silent Data Migration (SDMI) - FAQ
• SAP Note 2351294 – SAP S/4HANA System Conversion/Upgrade: Measures to reduce
technical downtime
• SAP Note 693168 - Minimized Downtime Service
• SAP Blog - Data transition validation the tool to validate business data after conversion
• SAP Note 3117879 - Data Transition Validation DTV Tool - Central Note
A thorough evaluation of the customer’s requirements and the customer’s individual situation is
needed for a Selective Data Transition.
Three examples for possible Selective Data Transition scenarios beyond others:
• Client Transfer
• You need to migrate complete data/client to SAP S/4HANA (from SAP ERP systems)
• You want to move all the organizations within a system to S/4HANA at once (“Big-bang”)
• You want to realize the migration in limited downtime window
• System Merge
• You want to centralize, consolidate, and unify the SAP system landscape
• You want to merge SAP systems within a distributed landscape
• You need to harmonize and unify data
• You need to align structures and processes at the system level after corporate
restructuring
• Company Code Transfer
• You need to migrate company code(s) and related organizational structure data to SAP
S/4HANA (from SAP ERP systems)
• You want to integrate company code(s) from acquired systems to SAP S/4HANA
• You need to realize data migration in limited downtime window
In Data Migration Execution service, SAP experts (DMLT) carry out the implementation of New
Implementation and Selective Data Transition scenarios by covering your data migration and/or
technical transformation to the SAP S/4HANA or SAP BW/4HANA environment. Data Migration
Execution covers a variety of predefined migration use cases which are described in the related
service components.
Business needs
• You want to implement your data migration to SAP S/4HANA or BW/4HANA based on the
results of the preceding Data Migration Design (DMD) service.
• You want to combine consolidations of ERP systems or migrate selected data with the
transition to SAP S/4HANA in one project.
• You need expertise to move data from legacy systems to SAP S/4HANA tailored to your
specific situation.
• Reduced time to benefits, reduced risk and cost of migration by fully leveraging SAP’s
proven landscape transformation and data migration technique, methodology and
portfolio.
• Rely on SAP’s multi-year transformation expertise instead of creating custom solutions to
secure the success of the migration and/or transformation project.
Please ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) or contact directly DMLT for more
information.
Accelerators
• SAP Data Management and Landscape Transformation (DMLT) Homepage
Procedure
• Establish / Adjust Custom Code Quality
• Create / enrich / update your development guidelines for SAP S/4HANA, SAP HANA and
SAP Cloud, considering the Clean Core concept.
• Empower and train your development teams according to your development guidelines.
• Ensure the new / changed rules and regulations are checked in your development
process (e.g. via peer quality reviews, periodic use of the ATC)
• Enable custom development quality measures in your software development process
(e.g. to limit the number of SAP modifications) and code reviews
• Support the future readiness of your code, e.g. by using cloud extensions, or white-listed
API’s
• Constantly rethink and question your custom code concept to enable a modern and
innovative custom development environment.
See also development information per development area listed in the SAP Blogs and in the SAP
Online Help Portal.
Finally, SAP offers dedicated trainings for developers via openSAP platform, or via the SAP
training department (both via classroom and virtual classroom training) One example is the
S4D400 - Introduction to ABAP Programming for SAP S/4HANA.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Best Practices for ABAP Development on SAP Netweaver 7.5x
• SAP Blog - ABAP Platform for SAP S/4HANA 2022
• Evolution of the ABAP Programming Model
• SAP Online Help Portal - Section for Custom Development
Procedure
This activity should be executed in close cooperation with the Configuration and Product
Enhancement activities of the Application design and configuration work stream.
Accelerators
• New_Design_Approaches_Extensibility_Options_S4HANA
• Fit to Standard – Functional Design Templates
Prerequisites
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
The integration activities have been fully defined and documented (i.e. write technical
design/WRICEF). See activity Integration Design in the Explore phase. All required activities have
been included in the project schedule.
Procedure
1. Realize the integration activities as planned
2. Unit testing of implemented integration activities
3. Document the results of the integration activities implementation
Results
As a result of the integration implementation all the planned and defined integration activities are
initiated and in realization.
Accelerators
• New_Design_Approaches_Extensibility_Options_S4HANA
• Fit to Standard – Functional Design Templates
This topic is already handled in detail in this road map in the activity Integration Validation.
Prerequisites
See activity Integration Validation in the Realize and Deploy phase.
Procedure
See activity Integration Validation in the Realize and Deploy phase.
Results
As a result of this activity, integration validation activities have been planned, documented and
initiated. They will continue across the Deploy phase.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
• Technical Setup and Enablement for SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
• Integration with SAP Analytics Cloud
• End User Enablement for SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
Prerequisites
The SAP S/4HANA Fiori foundation configuration is completed, including:
Procedure
Follow the steps described in the guide attached to the SAP Best Practices for embedded
Analytics with SAP S/4HANA: “Technical Setup and Enablement for SAP S/4HANA embedded
analytics”.
Accelerators
• SAP Signavio Process Navigator
• SAP Help Portal SAP S/4HANA embedded Analytics
• Technical Setup and Enablement for SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
Procedure
Set up Cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) between your SAP S/4HANA on-premise system
and SAP Analytics Cloud to establish a direct live connection.
Setting up a live connection requires working with the SAP Analytics Cloud system owner and
different IT and application stakeholders within your organization. Most configuration steps are
done on your SAP NetWeaver ABAP Application Server (AS) before creating the connection in
your SAP Analytics Cloud tenant. Follow the procedure described in the SAP Analytics Cloud
Help Portal -> Data Connections -> Live Data Connections to SAP S/4HANA (see accelerator
section).
Results
The live data connection from SAP S/4HANA to SAP Analytics Cloud is established.
For SAP Enterprise Support customers, several learning journeys for SAP Analytics Solutions are
available. The implementation of data connections to SAP Analytics Cloud is described in the
learning journey for SAP Analytics Cloud – Administration (see accelerator section).
Accelerators
• SAP Analytics Cloud SAP Help Portal
• Learning Journey - SAP Analytics Cloud - Administration
4.23.3. End User Enablement for SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
Objective
The objective of this task is to train end users on SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP S/4HANA
embedded analytics.
Procedure
Train the end users to use SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics capabilities to use analytical Fiori
applications, and the query browser, and to manage KPIs and reports.
For SAP Enterprise Support customers, several learning journeys for SAP Analytics Solutions are
available in the SAP Analytics Solutions Value Map.
Accelerators
• SAP Analytics Solutions Value Map
Procedure
• Prepare Tests
Please be aware of the new partnership of SAP and Tricentis, and the availability of Tricentis Test
Automation for SAP for SAP Enterprise Support customers.
Accelerators
• Tricentis Test Automation for SAP (TTA)
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
4.24.1. Prepare Tests
Objective
As determined in the evaluation of the existing test materials and documented within the testing
plan, additional assets may need to be developed to support the execution of the testing cycles.
Develop the missing test materials and test scripts in accordance with the detailed test plan.
Procedure
Within in each implemented solution scope, the following steps need to be executed:
The best-practice test scripts are part of the solution scope description and can be found in SAP
Signavio Process Navigator. See the screen shot figure for an example. Please note that test
scripts – together with a process flow diagram – are provided per scope item.
Figure: Process flow diagram and test script of a certain scope item
• Integration Test:
Integration Testing is performed to verify proper execution of the entire application including
interfaces to external applications. This ensures that the integrated components are
functioning properly according to the requirements and specifications. The objective is to
perform the end-to-end process integration between all SAP and non-SAP components of the
Solution Landscape to validate that all application systems are functioning properly.
Integration testing in combination with Regression Testing ensures that all business scenarios
have been tested prior to the User Acceptance Testing.
• Prepare Integration Test plan: Define and document integration test cases, end-to-end
customer business process scenarios, according to the test plan. Test plans and test case
documentation is stored in SAP Solution Manager or SAP Cloud ALM.
• Prepare and document Integration Test Case #1 – n: The purpose of this task is to
document the integration test cases outlined in the integration test plan. This activity
contains also aligned setup of relevant test data that will be commonly used.
• Regression Test:
The implementation of a new system may impact productive business processes following
even a successful cutover. During the Integration Test, fixes are applied that could break
processes that have already passed their tests. In order to mitigate the risks and issues to
those business processes, it is necessary to regression test them as a part of the project or
release.
• Prepare a detailed regression test plan with test cases and test scripts.
• Set up test management procedures to track the progress of the test execution. Set up
defect tracking to ensure all identified issues are addressed.
• User Acceptance (UA) Test:
• Prepare User Acceptance Test plan: Update the existing integration test cases, end-to-
end customer business process scenarios, based on the learning from previous test
phase. User Acceptance test plans and test case documentation is stored in SAP Solution
Manager or SAP Cloud ALM.
• Prepare and document User Acceptance Test Case #1 – n: The purpose of this task is to
document the User Acceptance test case outlined in the User Acceptance test plan. This
activity contains also aligned setup of relevant test data that will be commonly used.
Accelerators
• SAP Best Practices - Process Flow and Test Script (Example)
The unit test has been done as part of the development process in the DEV system already.
Procedure
1. Perform Integration, Regression, and User Acceptance testing.
2. Use Test Suite and analytics and reporting.
• Integration Validation
Given the complexity and heterogeneity of modern software solution, SAP recommends
performing integration validation, especially for important business processes. This involves
gathering and subsequently evaluating a substantial amount of data from the software
applications that are active while a given business process is being executed. This type of
validation also allows you to identify the hidden warnings and error messages that frequently
occur at the interfaces between applications.
Furthermore, the operations team should monitor the testing system as if it were production in
order to gain early visibility and hands-on experience to possible production issues.
• Load Testing
If large-scale changes are made or new software solutions are implemented, load tests
should be performed before these are used in production. These tests simulate a situation in
which the expected load (known number of users and background load in a load-peak
situation) is simulated. While doing so, system behavior in handling large data volumes can
be inspected. Throughout the entire test cycle, test coordinators monitor the test status and
progress, as well as the processing status of incidents that have been reported.
• Deployment
The quality of the test data and test scripts directly affect the stability of the productive system
following the go-live of the change event. Consider an array of representative variances when
preparing for the execution of the regression test cycle. It is important to execute realistic data
sets that represent production operations of critical business processes. See the SAP
Standard for Test Management accelerator for more information.
Please be aware of the new partnership of SAP and Tricentis, and the availability of Tricentis Test
Automation for SAP for SAP Enterprise Support customers.
When it comes to volume tests, the “Volume Test Optimization” service component may help as
well. The SAP Volume Test Optimization service component ensures that the results of volume testing
for implementation or conversion projects are reliable. With reliable test results, you can determine
with confidence whether your hardware resources are sufficient, and the system configuration is
suitable for a Go-Live. See activity “Integration Validation” in this phase for more information.
Accelerators
• Tricentis Test Automation for SAP (TTA)
• SAP Support Standard for Test Management
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
Perform testing for testing cycles and activities.
• Integration Test:
• Execute Integration Test Case #1 – n: Perform the Integration test according to previously
defined plan. During test execution all issues must be logged and documented in the
system for traceability purpose.
• Perform defect resolution for Integration Test: Resolve any issues identified during the
Integration Test. It is crucial that the issues are re-tested by the users that reported them
(or designated re-testers) and that they are confirmed.
• Obtain Integration Test Sign Off: Obtain customer approval (sign-off) of the integration
test.
• Regression Test:
• Execute the regression test scripts based on the test plan and test cases. Document any
anomalies or defects.
• Monitor the test system as if it were production, as this will provide an indication of end-
state operations. For example, errors in the system log, which may not be noticed by
testers, could cause instability in the production system. Therefore, it is important to
leverage the regression testing cycle to proactively address such issues.
• Resolve any defects, and retest to ensure all identified issues are closed.
Accelerators
• SAP Support Standard for Test Management
• SAP Solution Manager WIKI - Test Suite
• SAP Solution Manager Test Suite (SAP Customer)
• SAP Cloud ALM for Implementation – Expert Portal
Prerequisites
You have defined the aggregation rules to calculate the test case status, for test plans and test
packages, in the customizing for SAP Solution Manager, in Test Management-Test Suite for SAP
Solution Manager
Procedure:
1. On the launchpad, choose the Test Suite - Analytics App.
2. Select the report you want to execute from the following groups:
o Completeness and Gap Reports
o Test Execution Analytics
o Status and Analytics Reports (BW-Based)
3. A new window opens, where you can define your search criteria and get the
corresponding results
Example of report generated in the Test Suite:
See “Test Management” section in the SAP Cloud ALM for Implementation – Expert Portal
for details in case SAP Cloud ALM should be used instead.
Accelerators
• SAP Solution Manager Test Suite (SAP Customer)
• SAP Solution Manager 7.2 Test Suite Analytics
• SAP Cloud ALM for Implementation – Expert Portal
Please note: This road map documents the setup of a DEV and a QAS system. Of course, the design
of the production support landscape depends on customer requirements for change management.
Additional supporting systems may need to be set up (e.g. pre-production or training). In those cases,
the project plan template needs to be adjusted accordingly.
There is a technical design document which includes the technical deployment plan, and the software
components which need to be installed / updated.
Procedure
• QAS Setup (New Implementation)
or
Once the QAS system is available, please check the integration setup as documented in the
Integration design activity (see also activity Integration Implementation in this phase for more
information).
Please note: Before converting an SAP system, or installing a fresh one, you will need to download
SAP software from SAP Service Marketplace. The planning of such a change event is done in the
Maintenance Planner. After entering the required data, the Maintenance Planner fills your download
basket, and creates a control file (“stack-xml”), which is later required for the conversion and
installation tools. The Maintenance Planner has been described in the activity Transition Planning of
the Explore phase - Please make yourself familiar with the tool, enter the required information, and
download the corresponding software including stack-xml. See accelerator section for details.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the provisioning of the QAS environment for both scenarios as part of the “Platform
Execution” service. Please ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information. This
is a dedicated scope option (System Conversion for SAP S/4HANA and System Installation for
SAP S/4HAHA). The setup of the technical Fiori components is covered by scope option SAP Fiori
Platform Setup. See accelerator section for more information. However, the configuration of the Fiori
UIs is not included in this scope option but is part of the functional setup.
Accelerators
• Maintenance Planner - Landing Page
• openSAP - Upgrade of Systems Based on SAP NetWeaver – Advanced Topics
• openSAP - System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Execute the technical installation of the required SAP Products for QAS environment as
documented in the technical design document. See the “Installation Guide for SAP S/4HANA”
how to install the components.
• Run the technical system setup as documented in the “Administration Guide for the
Implementation of SAP S/4HANA”.
• Transport development and configuration changes from DEV to QAS. Consider also the
manual rework activities as described in the “Administration Guide for the Implementation of
SAP S/4HANA”.
• Transport the Fiori Rapid activation task list from the Development system to QAS. Follow the
step-by-step guidance in the SAP S/4HANA Fiori Rapid Activation Transport Move to
Production Strategy accelerator. The guide provides steps required to run the Fiori transport
after initial Fiori activation in DEV. An overview of the required steps is the following:
o Move customizing and Workbench transports request to your target system/client
o Run Rapid Activation task lists with selected tasks
o Assign roles to users and test Fiori Launchpad / Apps
Check to what degree the Fiori apps require additional configuration in QAS.
• Create proper test data in QAS. In case data is copied from productive environment, you
should take into consideration that certain data, particularly business-critical and personal
data, should be kept protected, before entering it in quality assurance systems.
Results
Finally, the QAS environment is ready for test.
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal (e.g. Administration Guide).
Accelerators
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Note 3330258 - SAP Best Practices for S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition 2023
collective note for content activation
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
Prerequisites
The prerequisite is that the migration approach has been validated in a sandbox environment (see
activity SANDBOX System Setup / Conversion in the Explore phase), a detailed migration plan is
in place, and the required hardware for hosting the SAP S/4HANA DEV system is already
available and set up.
Furthermore, the cleanup of the productive system is already underway or has been finished (see
tasks Clean up or Archive Data in the Prepare and Realize phases for details).
Procedure
Convert the QAS system according to the migration plan (which is based on the “Conversion
Guide for SAP S/4HANA”).
Check SAP Notes 3340515 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade preparation phase and SAP Note 3340526 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 -
application specific notes in system conversion / upgrade follow-on phase and check what needs
to be done on application level before and after conversion.
Depending on the transport landscape configuration, there may be a need to perform multiple
iterations of the conversion to solidify and finalize the cutover plan. Executing test migrations will
validate the end-state of the conversion, as well as provide the figures for expected system
downtime (see activity Downtime Optimization Preparation for details). Depending on the
approach and the transport landscape configuration, there may be a requirement to execute
additional sandbox conversions to optimize the cutover procedure.
Transport development and configuration changes from the new DEV to QAS.
Check to what degree the Fiori apps require additional configuration in QAS.
Results
Finally, the QAS environment has been converted to SAP S/4HANA. It is ready for further
configuration.
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal (e.g. Administration Guide).
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Conversion guide for all
releases here)
• SAP Note 3340515 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade preparation phase
• SAP Note 3340526 - SAP S/4HANA 2023 - application specific notes in system
conversion / release upgrade follow-on phase
Procedure
1. Optional: Perform Sizing Verification
2. Optional: Perform Scalability Verification
Accelerators
• General Information on Sizing
• Proactive Performance and Capacity Management - Best-Practice Document
Prerequisites
There is a documented sizing estimation from the Prepare / Explore phase.
Procedure
To validate the sizing projections, SAP proposes a two-fold approach:
The latter is based on technical resource consumption monitoring, the sizing report and
application workload analysis.
Results
The sizing estimation for the productive system has been validated.
Prerequisites
There is a test system available which has comparable hardware with the future productive
system.
Procedure
For the proper verification, a test conversion will be performed on comparable hardware
containing the representative data volume. The different scenarios for single and mass load
testing and verification are set up and processed.
Results
The performance gain has been properly measured and documented.
Procedure
1. Set Up IT Infrastructure
2. Test IT Infrastructure
Results
The technical infrastructure has been properly tested.
• The setup of the server hardware, OS and (optional) virtualization platform: In the event
SAP HANA is delivered as an appliance, only sizing, floor space, power, cooling, and
network need to be considered. Keep additional setup activities for the SAP application
server, or the storage layer in case of TDI (Tailored Datacenter Integration) in mind.
• The setup of the storage solution: The physical setup of the storage infrastructure –
storage systems, storage network, connecting host systems to the storage network –
requires comprehensive knowledge of the selected components, and is usually done by
system engineers of the storage supplier.
• Integration of the new components into the existing IT environment (e.g. integration into
the existing backup or monitoring solution, network).
• Setup of High Availability, Disaster Recovery, and Backup.
Prerequisites
The IT infrastructure components are available and ready for setup.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Install the IT infrastructure as designed in the technical design document and dictated by
the conversion method and related conversion guides.
• Document or enhance the installation process in a cookbook for use with future builds.
The IT infrastructure is often setup by the hardware partner.
Results
The IT infrastructure is set up.
Prerequisites
The IT infrastructure has been set up.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Execute the infrastructure tests based on the test cases and test plan. This should include
the following scenarios:
• Performance
• Flexibility procedures (e.g. by moving system load to other hosts (e.g. by using
virtualization technics), adding instances, changing instances)
• High Availability
• Disaster Recovery
• Backup and Restore
• Infrastructure Security
• Document any anomalies or defects.
• Monitor the test system as if it were production, as this will provide an indication of end-
state operations. It is important to leverage this testing cycle to proactively address
issues that could arise in production.
• Measure the performance against the defined key performance indicators to ensure the
infrastructure operates within the boundary conditions of the business (see activity
performance verification).
• If already available, test the productive hardware as well as at this point in time, in order
to validate the configuration. Otherwise, the productive hardware is tested in the Deploy
phase.
• Resolve any defects, and retest to ensure all identified issues are closed.
Results
The IT infrastructure has been tested properly.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Platform Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
The documented results of the Operations Impact Evaluation (Explore phase) available.
Procedure
1. Collect detailed Operations Requirements
2. Roles and Responsibilities
3. Support Processes and Procedures
4. Operations Support Tools
5. Operations Documentation
6. Knowledge Transfer
Results
IT support operations have been prepared to operate SAP S/4HANA as of Go-Live.
How SAP can Support
SAP can support this task with the service component “Operations Implementation”. Based on the
outcome of the Operations Impact Evaluation from the Explore phase, this activity will include all steps
required to fulfill the operational requirements of the target SAP solution in the areas:
Operations Implementation is a collection of operations services. The detailed content and the effort of
Operations Implementation depend on the results of the Operations Impact Evaluation. See
accelerator section for more details.
SAP has multiple offerings to SAP Enterprise Support customers with respect to operations
implementation:
You will find all offerings “Realize”, “Deploy” and “Run” learning journeys. Please check pages
periodically, because information and service content is continuously extended.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for the Transition to Operations
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Realize
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Deploy
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Run
In other words, it works like the software change management process and a list of change
requests to the IT support framework has been defined. Those have severities and priorities
based on the customer management decisions.
This activity takes place during the Explore phase with the primary goal to raise the awareness of
IT upper management on how the current IT support framework will be impacted. New project
activities will be defined to fill the gaps, and this will mean changes in the project plan, and
potential additional cost and resource conflicts, that will have to be addressed. Analyzing the
necessary changes to the IT support framework later in the project will make it more and more
difficult to manage these conflicts. Not planning the future support framework will increase the
risks of issues in operations after go-live and can be the cause of poor customer satisfaction and
increased project costs as often project resources end up with extensions in their involvement to
support the new solution. The downside of having the Operations Impact Evaluation take place
early in the project is that a lot of details are not yet known, and the specific requirements for the
changes to the support framework cannot be always gathered. This needs to happen later in the
project.
During the Operations Implementation, the project activities defined and prioritized during the
Operations Impact Evaluation need to be executed, in other words all the IT related change
requests need to be implemented. The first step will be to define the detailed information required
for their implementation, their detailed specifications like which interfaces need to be monitored,
key objects to be monitored to ensure data consistency or which access needs to be granted to
the future support team members. For this to happen, a coordination task needs to take place
where the detailed information is gathered from other project activities.
Prerequisites
The Operations Impact Evaluation has taken place and the detailed activities necessary to ready
the future IT support framework for the operations of the SAP S/4HANA solution have been added
to the project plan.
Procedure
The detailed information required to prepare the future IT Support Framework is well known from
other project tracks, for example:
• The Business Process priorities are defined during the Application Design which includes
the critical processes, interfaces, and jobs. This will serve as a direct input to the
monitoring setup with information on the underlying systems and the solution
components.
• The new/modified roles and authorization objects will be defined during Application
Design, as well as during the Technical Architecture. This will bring input to finalizing the
new Access Management process with the differences in roles assignments, for business
users as well as for the support resources.
• The inventory of modifications to non-standard SAP code will be defined during
Development. This will be a critical input to Knowledge Transfer for the new technical
support resources.
During the Operations Impact Evaluation, activities related to gathering detailed information will be
defined for each area of the support framework that needs to be modified. The way to gather the
related information will depend on the project structure and responsibilities.
Note: Defining a transition manager to manage all the Operations Implementation activities will
make it more efficient than having each activity responsible go to the project resource having the
knowledge required for his activity. The transition manager can regroup the detailed information
required for the different activities and gather the corresponding details from the best project
resources at once.
When you implement SAP S/4HANA, there are changes in the roles and responsibilities of some
of these resources. These changes will highly depend on your current solution (if you already
have SAP implemented), on your support strategy (if you engage a Service Provider to support
your SAP S/4HANA solution), and on your deployment strategy (cloud vs on-premise).
Prerequisites
The documented results of the Operations Impact Evaluation (Explore phase) available.
Procedure
The following IT support processes are potentially affected with the implementation of SAP
S/4HANA:
• Event Management:
o Analyze process change in event management caused by new/modified/retired
monitors
o Retire obsolete monitors
o Retire obsolete manual monitoring procedures
• Incident Management:
o Update assignment groups, review incident triage (e.g. for Fiori support)
o Update support resources
o Update incident categorization
o Process flow and escalation management including partners and SAP
o Remove obsolete incident attributes
• Problem Management:
o Update problem management process to include new analysis tools
• Service Level Management:
o Update SLAs if required (due to changed business KPIs)
o Update SLA reporting
• Access Management:
o Access for new solution / tools granted to new support team members including
partner resources
o New/changed access management process for new/changed solution items (e.g.
SAP HANA database, Fiori)
• Change Management:
o Update support resources including requesters and new approvers
o Update categorization, if required
o Process flow including partners and escalation management
o Include project defects in incident database
o Remove obsolete change attributes
o Evaluate current change process to include Fiori and SAP HANA changes
• Test Management:
o Test library should include new test plans/scripts
• Job Management:
o Adapt job schedule caused by the new, modified and retired jobs (certain batch
jobs may no longer be required, as a result of some reports being able to execute
in dialog)
• Data Volume Management:
o Changed tools and activities due to new concepts in data volume management
(e.g. data archiving)
o Adapt process in those areas where classic data archiving is no longer available
• System Recovery:
o Adapt system recovery process to reflect the changed HA/DR architecture
IT support processes need to be tested, and access to the new support tools need to be
considered. Training on the IT support process changes needs to be in place (or communication
in case of small changes).
SAP has a lot of experience and additional recommendations on IT support process design that
are required for the efficient support of the new SAP S/4HANA. Please contact SAP for a tailored
offering in case you need support.
Please also remember the Primary CCOE Certification which need to be in place for Enterprise
Support customers.
Accelerators
• Customer Center of Expertise
• Getting Started with Primary CCOE
• Primary CCOE Check List
• Customer COE and CIO Guides
• SAP Support Standards
For “Greenfield” customers, the effort required to implement the tools will be much higher. This will
require additional effort for the support resources to learn how to use the SAP tools for operations
support.
Prerequisites
The documented results of the Operations Impact Evaluation (Explore phase) available.
Procedure
With the introduction of SAP S/4HANA, it may be required to adjust existing IT operational support
tools (e.g. adjust change management tools to be able to handle Fiori objects for the first time), or
to set up new tools (e.g. SAP HANA cockpit in case this is the first system on top of SAP HANA).
The following list gives you some common examples where adjustment activity may take place.
The main list should have been created in the Operations Impact Evaluation (see activity
Operations Impact Evaluation in the Explore phase for details). See the Accelerators section for
more information on how to execute the necessary adjustments. SAP has dedicated offerings to
support this task.
Plan to ramp down support tools (e.g. DB specific scripts your database administrators used in the
past), which are no longer required, and adjust IT support procedure descriptions accordingly.
Accelerators
• SAP Support Standards
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Operations guide for all
releases here)
• Applications Operations WIKI for SAP Solution Manager
• SAP HANA Administration Guide
• SAP HANA Master Guide
• SAP Blog - Fiori for S/4HANA – Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks in S/4HANA On-Premise
• Technical Operations for SAP NetWeaver
• SAP Cloud ALM for Operations Expert Portal
• SAP Solution Manager 7.2 Application Operations - Expert Portal
Prerequisites
The documented results of the Operations Impact Evaluation (Explore phase) available.
Procedure
Adapt all operational documentation changes with SAP S/4HANA. The content needs to be
provided by the project team, based on SAP standard documentation that is modified with respect
to customer solution specific information.
Store the updated operations handbook centrally, either in a company Content Management
System, or in SAP Solution Manager.
Based on activity Operations Impact Evaluation, and on activity Operations Support Tools, the
operational procedures are updated in the operations handbook.
The following areas are typically included in the operations handbook (besides others):
• System Description: Outlines new functions and capabilities, high level architecture,
integration details, number of users, expected volumes, use cases, priorities, etc.
• System Architecture: Architecture, sizing and technical setup information of operations
tools.
• Access, Roles and Profiles: Identifies user groups, roles and role approval list
• Restart and Recovery Procedures: Outlines how to restart or recover from process
failures and clearly describes error messages and conditions.
• Backup / Recovery: Documented process of the backup / recovery methodology;
includes standard and emergency backup scheduling and approval process.
• Batch Scheduling: Documents and presents the batch job schedule. Includes details on
the jobs (e.g. stop, restart, criticality, owner, failure procedure), and the batch scheduling
tools (if applicable).
• Run Books: A collection of routinely executed procedures either performed through
automated means or manual execution by system administrators (example: system stop
and start procedures).
• Storage Management: Provides technical information on the storage and when to add
storage; may also contain instructions on data volume management.
• Disaster Recovery: Documented process of the recovery steps in case of a disaster (and
the disaster declaration procedure itself).
• Maintenance Management Strategy: Documents the process to implement patches and
upgrades (in alignment with the change management strategy).
• Network Management: Maintenance instructions for the network, network settings and
parameters. If applicable, also contains vendor contact information.
• Non-Functional Requirements: The requirements that do not affect the solution but
affect the behavior of the system. It includes availability, maintainability, performance,
scalability, security, and system usability.
• Output Management: Defines the settings and management for all output mechanisms
such as printers, fax machines, emails, etc.
• OS & DB parameters: Defines the operating system and database parameters (and a
procedure description how change parameters according to the change management
process).
• Vendor Information: Vendor contact information for operations support, and the
minimum set of information which needs to be provided.
• IT Calendar: Identifies agreed maintenance windows, backups and additional
technology/infrastructure activities in calendar format.
Furthermore, the Administration Guide, the Technical Operations Guide and the Master Guide for
SAP HANA (Accelerators section) list the required periodic and ad-hoc administrational
procedures.
Accelerators
• SAP Support Standards
• SAP HANA Administration Guide
• SAP Blog - Fiori for S/4HANA – Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks in S/4HANA On-Premise
• Technical Operations for SAP NetWeaver
• SAP HANA Master Guide
• Define a repetitive process that can be applied for each release and to new hires
• Reduce or mitigate risk through ownership and accountability
• Develop metrics to capture and assess performance for knowledge transfer capabilities
Prerequisites
The documented results of the Operations Impact Evaluation (Explore phase) available.
Procedure
To define the Knowledge Transfer Approach for the new solution, you will need to take many
aspects into account including:
• The alignment of the knowledge transfer with the overall system conversion project plan
• The project scope and initial definition of all the knowledge transfer areas to be planned:
the functional areas are to be defined, and all technical areas (especially the new ones
like Fiori) as well as new support tools
• The project methodology and documentation
• The future support organization
• The availability of the project support resources now and in future (workload and time)
• The hyper care phase exit criteria as per contract
• The sponsorship for the knowledge transfer activities, both for the project and the future
IT support operations team
The following criteria could be considered to decide when knowledge transfer to the IT support
operations team is complete:
There is a technical design document which includes the technical deployment plan, and the software
components which need to be installed / updated.
Procedure
• Production System Setup
• Create Cutover Plan (New Implementation)
or
or
Accelerators
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
• Preliminary Cutover Strategy Presentation Template
• Cutover Strategy Template
4.30.1. Production System Setup
Objective
The goal of this task is to provide a viable, correctly configured production environment that is
available for use by the project team to execute final Go-Live simulations. This environment will be
used as the future production system (PRD) as of Go-Live.
Prerequisites
This task is required for those scenarios which set up a new production system.
The prerequisite is that the productive hardware is already available and set up.
Procedure
• Execute the technical installation of the required SAP Products for PRD environment as
documented in the technical design document. See the installation guide how to install the
components.
• Run the technical system setup as documented in the administration guide.
• Transport development and configuration changes from the new QAS to PRD. Consider also
the manual rework activities as described in the administration guide.
Results
Finally, the PRD environment is ready for final Go-Live simulations.
Procedure
Run a workshop to document cutover activities such as:
Results
After completing the simulations, the project team has a very good understanding of the potential
issues as well as timing and sequence of the final production system data load. The project team
can refine the cutover schedule and make sure that it realistically reflects the time and effort
required for all activities during cutover. The project is prepared for final dress rehearsal.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Cutover highlights for SAP S/4HANA New implementation
• How to Approach Remote Cutover
Procedure
The conversion of the production system requires a clearly defined cutover plan and will typically
be controlled by a cutover manager.
You can look up a sample cutover plan for system conversion in the accelerator section for getting
insight into the level of detail the cutover plan should have. A cutover plan documents the end-to-
end activities of the cutover; from the steps leading up to the event, through to the end of the
conversion. High-level tasks commonly found in cutover plans include:
The next figure sequences cutover activities for a multi-TB SAP ERP system on a time line
(example only, not complete, needs to be adjusted to the customer specific situation).
Figure: General sequence of activities for a multi-TB SAP ERP system during cut-over weekend
Please note: The SUM should start preparation days in front of the real system conversion.
Please make sure mandatory preparation activities like CVI (see activity Transition Preparation in
the Prepare phase for details) which are check via SI-Checks by SUM have been finished.
Otherwise SUM will stop. SAP’s recommendation is having those activities finished not later than
two weeks before cutover weekend.
The cutover plan does not detail the technical conversion to the level that is captured in the
cookbook. It is common to highlight specific tasks from the cookbook within the cutover plan to
ensure the process is on schedule.
Every task within the cutover plan should have an assigned owner, estimated duration, and
identified dependencies. Whenever possible, assign a name to the owner of the task, and not a
team or group of resources. The owner of each task should validate and approve the task to
ensure they understand their responsibilities. If there are any tasks required to specifically enable
the conversion activities, the cutover plan should include related tasks to reset the values to the
intended productive state.
The cutover plan should also include a contingency plan to revert the changes in the event there
is a No-Go decision. If the contingency plan does not exist within the actual cutover plan, the
cutover plan should have reference to the location of the fallback plan.
Equally important, is a contingency plan in the event there is an unforeseen issue that is unable to
be resolved within the planned business downtime.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Minimize your downtime of an update
• SAP Blog - Optimizing DMO Performance
• SAP Note 2907976 Silent Data Migration (SDMI) - FAQ
• SAP Blog: System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA: downtime-optimized Conversion
• Downtime-Optimized Conversion Approach of SUM
• SAP Note 2293733 - Prerequisites and Restrictions of downtime-optimized conversion
to SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 2881515 - Introduction to the Technical Downtime Optimization App
• SAP Blog - Downtime Optimization – Get insights using the new TDO app
• Cutover Plan - Example
• How to Approach Remote Cutover
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
Prerequisites
The activity is only relevant in case for selective data transition scenarios, where clients need to
be transferred across systems.
Procedure
It is important to plan the sequence and the dependencies of all technical steps to be taken for the
productive migration. This starts with the closure of the system for users, the stop of all batch-
programs and ends by releasing the new system.
The necessary technical steps vary depending on the project. Therefore, this document does not
cover every possible step, but focuses on these most important steps:
1. Closing the sender and S/4HANA receiver system and stopping interfaces. In addition, all
responsible persons from the impacted systems, might be part of the project or only
connected via interface to these systems, needs to be informed about the downtime window
for Go-Live beforehand!
2. Performing a backup of the receiver system (this creates a fallback solution in case the
project fails)
3. Preparing final test cases
4. Activating table count for the sender and receiver system
5. Executing the migration (details see the task Perform Technical Migration in the Productive
Cutover)
6. Executing post-processing programs
7. Executing the table counter for the sender and receiver systems again to verify completeness
of the migration
8. Testing
9. Obtaining final approval from the test team in order to release the system
10. Restarting the interfaces from the receiver system
11. Redirecting interfaces from the sender system
12. Releasing system to end users, and communicating the Go Live status
Results
Finally, the PRD environment is ready for final Go-Live simulations.
Accelerators
• SAP Data Management and Landscape Transformation (DMLT) Homepage
The Project Management Plan developed during the Prepare phase for each of the PM knowledge
areas guides the team's approach to management, execution, monitoring, and control of project
activities. This methodology provides steps to be considered when each activity is engaged and
supported by the team's monitoring/controlling plans. The project manager is responsible for ensuring
that the monitoring/controlling plans developed in the planning phase are applied at the appropriate
level of control.
Tasks
• Direct and Manage Project Execution
• Update Project Management Documents
• Manage Project Issues, Risks, and Changes
• Communicate Project Status and Progress
• Plan and Execute Agile Sprints
• Perform Scrum-of-Scrums Meeting (Iterative)
4.31.1. Direct and Manage Project Execution
Objective
The purpose of this task is for the project manager and the project team to execute the project
management plan and to accomplish the work defined in the project scope statement. In
executing the project work, the project team will perform the following types of activities:
The project management documents are together, a comprehensive body of project documents
that includes the project schedule, budget/cost information, monitoring/controlling plans for each
of the nine knowledge areas of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), and other
information as appropriate. The project management plan document developed for each of the
knowledge areas provides the foundation for the consistent application of project management
practices.
• Project WBS
• Project schedule
• Project budget
• Business case
• Scope document
In on-premise projects, this environment is the SAP Solution Manager or SAP Cloud ALM, and
depending on the type and status, it may be directly transferred over to SAP for resolution.
In cloud projects, teams are advised to use a dedicated issue tracking document based on the
Open Issue List Template in the SAP Activate methodology.
• During the issue creation, the person raising the issues assigns the priority and the
responsible person for resolution of the issue.
• The project manager follows up on issues on a regular basis in addition to the standard
issue management process defined for the project (part of the management plans)
• Critical issues will be reviewed as an input for each Quality Gate review meeting.
Open issues are reviewed and updated on a regular basis and communicated to the appropriate
stakeholder groups as part of the regular project reporting and communication.
From SAP's perspective, issue tracking allows for better visibility and transparency of open
issues, problems, action items, and associated action plans to the project management team.
A central issue tracking system (e.g. a support or an incident ticket system) allows stakeholders to
manage and maintain lists of issues that require action and resolution to ensure the success of
the project.
• Team member status update typically produced weekly and shared with the team lead.
It is recommended that this report is kept very lightweight and provided to the team lead
via e-mail or in a team meeting.
• Team status reports on regular cadence, typically weekly. The team status reports are
prepared by the team leads and are delivered to the project manager as an input for the
project status report. The team status report may be reviewed in regular team review with
the project manager or provided in a predefined format.
• Project status report, using the project status report template. The project status report
is created weekly, based on the input from individual teams and additional information like
issues list, risk list, etc.
Additionally, throughout the project as more is known, the project communication matrix should
be reviewed and updated. The communication matrix documents the project team’s approach to
communication (including status reporting). It captures the analysis completed as part of
communications planning and serves as a tool to guide the project team throughout the project.
During each sprint the project team conducts the following activities:
At the beginning of the sprint the project team runs a planning meeting during which the team
(jointly with the process owner) select the highest priority items from the backlog and conducts
detailed planning for the execution activities in the sprint. Each backlog item is further
decomposed to tasks that need to be completed during the sprint. These tasks may be
configuration, coding, unit testing, data preparation, documentation and others. These tasks are
then captured in the sprint backlog and estimated to validate the original estimates for each
backlog item. As a result of this planning, the team has clarity on what needs to be completed for
each backlog item included in the sprint and has confidence that the team has sufficient capacity
to complete the work.
During the sprint the team members execute the tasks that have been planned and the team
keeps track of the progress on the team board. The team board contains swim lanes showing the
status of each backlog item and each task. Teams are encouraged to use boards on the wall and
use the post-it notes to keep visual track of their progress.
The team also regularly updates the burn-down chart that is used to track the progress of
completing the individual tasks and backlog items. The team reviews the progress on a daily basis
in the daily stand-up meeting.
During the daily stand-up meeting, the team members review the (a) progress they have made
since last meeting; (b) plans for activities and tasks until the next meeting; and (c) any issues of
blockers that may prevent them from completing the tasks they are working on. The daily stand-up
meeting is not a project status meeting, but rather a session designed to help the team
communicate the progress with each other.
Sprint Demo
Towards the end of the sprint, the team conducts the sprint demo meeting during which the team
demonstrates to the business owners (product owner in agile projects) the completed
functionality. The project team seeks acceptance of the completed features. During this meeting
the business owner may request additional items to be added to the backlog (or items to be
removed from the backlog). It is recommended that the team previews the functionality with
process owners prior to this meeting. Many projects had great experience with having the
business process owners demo the completed functionality to the rest of the business users and
decisions makers (instead of the project team members).
Sprint Retrospective
SCRUM Master organizes and facilitates the retrospective meeting for the team. The meeting is
typically scheduled shortly after the sprint demo meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to
continuously improve the Scrum process using lessons learned from the sprint execution.
The team selects one or two improvement opportunities and puts it into the backlog for the next
sprint. This way the agile process gets improved in an incremental way and remains responsive to
the changing environment of the project.
Accelerators
• Agile Release Planning (Customer)
• Backlog Template
Accelerators
• Agile Scrum Meeting Guidelines (Customer)
Procedure:
• Compile a list of relevant SAP business processes and create assessment templates
using the Detailed Change Impact Analysis accelerator.
• Identify and assign workshop participants.
• Schedule change impact workshops
Accelerators
• Detailed Change Impact Analysis
Procedure:
• Introduce the workshop approach, using the Guiding Questions accelerator.
• Discuss and and assign ratings to change impacts for all relevant SAP business
processes, involving all stakeholder groups responsible for executing these processes
using the Detailed Change Impact Analysis accelerator.
• Document relevant insights and proposals for concrete activities.
Accelerators
• Detailed Change Impact Analysis
• Guiding Questions
4.32.3. Manage Change Impacts
Objective
The purpose of this task is to facilitate a seamless transition for all affected stakeholder groups to
the new SAP solution and the adoption of best practice processes. Representing the workshop
outcomes, especially the quantitative ratings visually (e.g., in the form of a heat map), enables the
swift identification of areas requiring attention. The initial ideas already collected during the
workshops should then be further developed and refined. Typically, some of these activities fall
within the scope of organizational change management. Others may concern training, cut-over
procedures, or measures to be implemented within the individual business units. Therefore, it is
the responsibility of the change manager to ensure that all activities are consolidated into an
action plan with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for execution.
Procedure:
• Consolidate and visually represent the outcomes of the workshops, utilizing the Result
Visualization accelerator.
• Collect additional suggestions for addressing identified areas requiring action.
• Define an action plan and assign distinct responsibilities for each activity using the Action
Plan accelerator.
Accelerators
• Action Plan
• Result Visualization
• Ensure that all required deliverables from this phase and the project are complete and
accurate, and close any outstanding issues
• Identify lessons learned during the phase to prepare for formal phase closure
• Capture customer feedback and potential Customer References
Tasks
• Conduct Knowledge Management Gate
• Conduct Project Quality Gate
• Conduct Project Management Review Service
• Manage Fulfilled Contracts
• Obtain Customer Sign-Off for Phase Completion
The assessment occurs offline through a questionnaire. After sending back the filled
questionnaire, you will receive an individualized report composed of an executive summary, an
action plan and detailed recommendations. This can be used to help create the enablement plan
for your project team and business owners based on what is already known, and what must be
known.
The topics covered within the CQC for transformation assessment include the following: project
timelines, SAP Activate, custom code and extensibility, downtime optimization, data migration,
finance, logistics, etc.
Procedure
In case a first knowledge assessment has been provided in the Prepare phase (see activity
Project Initiation task Request Knowledge Assessment – CQC for Transformation Assessment) or
Explore phase (see activity Phase Closure and Sign-Off phase Deliverables task Request
Knowledge Assessment – CQC for Transformation Assessment) already, this assessment will be
provided automatically to you.
Otherwise fill out the request for of the CQC for transformation assessment.
Accelerators
• Continuous Quality Check & Improvement Services
• SAP Blog - How can your SAP S/4HANA project team save precious time using the
continuous quality check (CQC) for transformation assessment offering
• CQC for transformation assessment for SAP S/4HANA
• CQC for Transformation Assessment - Request Form
Accelerators
• Lessons Learned Guide (Customer)
• Lessons Learned Template (Customer)
4.33.3. Conduct Project Quality Gate
Objective
The purpose of the Quality Gate is to ensure that both compliance and project management
standards are being upheld within projects. A Quality Gate is a checklist milestone at the end of a
project phase. Prior to moving into the next phase, each project manager demonstrates that they
have been compliant with the mandatory deliverables associated with a methodology while
ensuring best practice standards have been applied to ensure quality.
• Conduct regular quality checks at defined or critical stages of the project lifecycle to
assess the health of the project.
• Ensure that all key deliverables and actions of the gate have been completed in
compliance with recommended practices and to the customer’s satisfaction.
• Enable project management to continuously communicate the process and build quality
directly into the project.
Note: New additional key deliverables need to be added in the quality gate checklist by the project
manager to the different project types.
Accelerators
• QGateChecklist Concept SAP Activate
• Quality Built In New QGate Checklist
• Q-Gate Check List for SAP S/4HANA implementations
Accelerators
• Agile Sprint Retrospective Template (Customer)
Accelerators
• Phase Sign-Off Template (Customer)
5. Deploy Phase
Once Q3 – Realize-to-Deploy has been passed successfully, the final preparation for Go-Live starts in the
Deploy Phase. The activities of the Deploy phase are displayed in the following figure.
End users are trained for the new SAP S/4HANA solution in the Solution Adoption work stream. Change
effectiveness should be checked with pulse checks or a change readiness assessment.
In the Application design and configuration work stream, the implementation activities will come to an
end. Integration validation ensures the required performance.
Testing (in particular regression and user acceptance testing) may continue in the Testing work stream
although not explicitly displayed in the figure above. Integration validation may continue respectively, for
instance to fix performance or stability issues uncovered late in testing. However, custom code should
have been adapted and tested in the Realize phase already. Overall there is nothing to do in the
Extensibility work stream in the Deploy phase.
The final rehearsal of the cut-over procedure will take place. The implementation of the productive SAP
S/4HANA will be finalized (for new implementation and selective data transition).
Operations & support ensures the IT operations team is ready to operate the new SAP S/4HANA
environment safely and securely. Of course, the IT operations team will continue to gain real-life
operational experience in the hyper care phase after Go-Live.
Quality gate “Q4 Deploy-to-Run” will ensure that everything is ready for Go-Live. The final “Go” decision is
the start for the implementation of the productive SAP S/4HANA system with the production cutover at the
Go-Live weekend.
The weeks after Go-Live are called “Hyper Care”, where the new system is further stabilized and
optimized. When finished, the Deploy phase ends. The transition project comes to an end when finally,
operational responsibility has been handed over to the production support team.
Please note: The order activities are explained in this document / road map viewer, is not necessarily the
order how they are later executed in the project! However, there can be dependencies between activities.
In case you are interested in time dependencies / relationships between activities, look into the project file
template of this road map.
Tasks
• Allocate Resources and Update Project Schedule
• Perform Kick-off Meeting
Accelerators
• Project Setup Checklist Sample (Customer)
Accelerators
• Global Resource Management Portal page (SAP Employee)
Accelerators
• Project Kick-off Template (Customer)
5.2. Learning Realization
Description
This activity continues from the Realization phase. Based on the learning material which has been
created there, end user training takes place in this phase.
Procedure
1. Create Training Execution Plan
2. Execute End User Training
Results
The end users have been trained. They are enabled to use the new system.
Procedure
The training execution plan is based on the results as of the training concept, the Learning Needs
Analysis, and the end user assignment. The training execution plan should include:
Prerequisites
A training execution plan has been created before.
Procedure
The training will be performed either by the customer key user in a tandem approach with SAP
trainers, or by SAP trainers only. Assumptions and/or pre-requisites for the trainings are described
in the training concept prior to the end user trainings. Examples are:
Accelerators
• SAP Learning Services
• SAP Enable Now at SAP Online Help Portal
Procedure
Finalize the Integration Validation activities which have started in the Realize phase (see activity
Integration Validation).
Results
As the result of this activity, integration validation has been finished.
Prerequisites
Integration Validation has started in the Realize phase.
SAP Enterprise Support Customers can order the CQC for Technical Performance Optimization
(TPO). You will find information on this CQC and a performance optimization in general in the
“Run” learning journey.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Run
• CQC for Technical Performance Optimization (TPO)
Procedure
• Operational Readiness (System Conversion)
or
Results
The IT support organization is ready to operate SAP S/4HANA as of Go-Live.
Accelerators
o Service Information – Service Components for the Transition to Operations
o SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
For customers who know how to operate SAP ERP already: Check if all operational aspects have
been implemented as planned (see Operations Implementation activity in the Realize phase). This
covers:
• Check if all operational aspects have been implemented as planned (see Operations
Implementation activity in the Realize phase).
• Check if all IT Support Processes have been implemented / adjusted with respect to SAP
S/4HANA operations (see SAP Support Standards).
• Check if primary CCOE certification has been gained.
Accelerators
• Customer Center of Expertise
• Getting Started with Primary CCOE
• Primary CCOE Check List
• Customer COE and CIO Guides
• SAP Support Standards
From this point forward, changes to production should be restricted in order to mitigate risks to the
cutover procedures (system conversion only). If there is a need to make a change to production after
this point, it should be carefully evaluated, and the impact should be fully understood. In some cases,
there may be a requirement to postpone the Go-Live and re-execute the dress rehearsal in order to
accommodate intrusive changes.
The detailed cutover plan with owners, dependencies and durations fully documented.
The involvement of all task owners.
A test environment representative of the source and target platforms for production.
The technical cookbook, which details all the required technical migration steps.
Procedure
• Finalize IT Infrastructure
• Perform Cut-Over Rehearsal
The goal of this task is the completion of the IT infrastructure setup if not already done.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
• Complete the setup of the IT infrastructure hosting production (e.g. hardware setup, network
connections, etc…).
• Correct all critical open items which have been detected in the IT infrastructure test (see
activity IT Infrastructure Setup and Test in the Realize phase for details).
• Finalize IT infrastructure service definition and documentation as part of the IT service catalog
(properly explaining for instance what SLAs IT is offering to the Lines of Business for a
particular IT infrastructure service).
Results
As a result, the IT infrastructure is ready for hosting production.
Procedure
Execute the cutover plan in its entirety in a non-productive environment, which is representative of
the current state and end-state of production.
The dress rehearsal is intended to be used to confirm the ownership, sequence, and duration of
the cutover procedures. If significant changes to the process are required as a result of the dress
rehearsal, there may be a need to postpone the Go-Live.
It is also very critical to communicate the latest plan to related parties to ensure a smooth
Production Cutover for the last time.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Cutover highlights for SAP S/4HANA New implementation
• How to Approach Remote Cutover
Tasks
• Update Project Management Plan
• Direct and Manage Project Execution
• Monitor and Control Project Activities
• Manage Issues, Risks and Changes
• Conduct Project Quality Gate
• Communicate Status and Progress to Project Stakeholders
Accelerators
• Project status report for SAP Activate / S/4HANA
Accelerators
• Change Request Log - template (Customer)
• Open Issues List Template.xls (Customer)
• Conduct regular quality checks at defined or critical stages of the project lifecycle to
assess the health of the project.
• Ensure that all key deliverables and actions of the gate have been completed in
compliance with recommended practices and to the customer’s satisfaction.
• Enable project management to continuously communicate the process and build quality
directly into the project.
• Provide a tool to effectively manage project expectations and monitor customer
satisfaction. The deliverables assessed at each quality gate will be performed using the
quality gate checklist with defined expectations to the maturity of particular project
deliverables.
Note: New additional key deliverables need to be added in the quality gate checklist by the project
manager to the different project types.
Accelerators
• QGateChecklist Concept SAP Activate
• Quality Built In New QGate Checklist
• Q-Gate Check List for SAP S/4HANA implementations
Accelerators
• Project status report for SAP Activate / S/4HANA
Tasks
• Prepare Product Backlog for Next Release/Sprint
• Conduct Release Retrospective
• Update the Release and Sprint Plan
Accelerators
• Backlog including Delta Requirements.xlsx
Accelerators
• Agile Sprint Retrospective Template (Customer)
Accelerators
• Backlog including Delta Requirements.xlsx
This activity is mandatory for all scenarios. The steps being performed are of course scenario specific.
Procedure
• Convert Productive System (System Conversion)
or
or
Results
After completion of this activity, the productive SAP S/4HANA system is available for the end users.
Sudden slowly running applications in the new productive SAP S/4HANA system are addressed by a
Technical Performance Optimization service component (SAP Enterprise Support order the CQC
for Technical Performance Optimization (TPO) instead): The technical performance optimization
service component improves your SAP solution by helping you to configure your SAP S/4HANA
system in an optimal way. The identification and elimination of costly performance bottlenecks
optimizes the response times and throughput of your SAP solution.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can request a Continuous Quality Check (CQC) for “Going-Live
Support”.
See the “Deploy” and “Run” learning journeys for details on the CQCs, or ask your SAP Enterprise
Support Advisor for details.
Accelerators
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Service Information - Value Assurance Foundation
• How to Approach Remote Cutover
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Deploy
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Run
• CQC for Technical Performance Optimization (TPO)
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
Request Restore Point of Production System Prior to Final Cutover Activities
Execute the conversion of the production system following the tasks defined in the
cutover plan.
Document the actual duration of each step to support future projects.
Capture any variances to the plan along with the decision maker who approved the
change.
The cutover manager(s) should proactively notify task owners of upcoming tasks, to
ensure their availability.
Regularly communicate status to stakeholders.
After conversion has finished (including mandatory post-processing activities), the system
must be tested and validated
Obtain system sign-off
Results
The customer approval (sign-off) documents the agreement with the stakeholders that cutover
tasks have been executed, the go-live acceptance criteria have been met, and the cutover is
finished. It indicates formal approval to end the cutover activities. At this point, the solution is live
in production.
Procedure
The production cutover procedure depends on the selective data transition scenario, e.g.:
• Client Transfer
• System Merge
• Company Code Transfer
• Maybe including CVI and other objects on the fly
• Etc.
Accelerators
• SAP Data Management and Landscape Transformation (DMLT) Homepage
Workload analysis
With the analysis of the current hardware consumption, the load distribution across the different
applications and task types, as well as average response times, you should establish a kind of
benchmark to measure the success of the conversion. As response times are very sensitive KPIs it
makes sense to capture its data over a long period of time, ideally more than six months.
The scalability analysis contains system health checks (DB buffer, wait time, etc.) as well as the
identification of statements that cause bottleneck situations.
Sizing verification
Customers should monitor the technical KPIs in terms of CPU and memory consumption to assess
the actual usage vs. the deployed hardware.
Precondition is that the Monitoring Infrastructure (SAP Solution Manager or SAP Cloud ALM) is
already set up.
Procedure
• Monitor Resource Consumption
• Analyze Workload
• Check System Scalability
• Run Going-Live Service (Verification Session)
• Delete Obsolete Data with the “Obsolete Data Handling Tool”
Security Activities
All the required Security Activities must be finalized. The Status Check is supported by:
• Go-Live Checks
• SAP Go-Live Support
The Security Procedures must be established to stay “Clean”. These procedures can be
achieved by:
• Security Monitoring
• Security Incident Management
To re-evaluate and to continue the process improvement activities you have started in the Explore
phase of the project (see activity Data Volume Design, task Get Transparency on Open Business
Documents), SAP offers services for Business Process Analytics on SAP Solution Manager and / or
Business Process Transformation solutions.
SAP offers a “Business Process Improvement” service component. The service component typically
starts with a remote Business Process Assessment to learn fact based about the current status quo,
and to have a baseline measurement from where to start the improvement activities. Selected out-of-
the-box key figures, which support the respective anticipated target, are activated in the customer
SAP Solution Manager and Business Process Analytics is used for root cause analysis. Several root
cause analysis and tool empowering sessions are conducted with the customer process experts from
business and IT. Management UIs (Dependency Diagrams, Progress Management Board, Business
Process Operations Dashboards) are configured in SAP Solution Manager based on Business
Process Analytics data to track the progress made.
SAP offers a “SAP Business Process Insights and Improvement” that supports continuous
improvement activities. In the case that Business Process Transformation solutions were configured
as recommended in section Use SAP Signavio and SAP Signavio Process Insights, SAP Signavio
Process Insights can be leveraged for continuously monitoring the readily available process
performance indicators. SAP Signavio Process Intelligence may also be leveraged to monitor process
performance through the setup of relevant KPIs and dashboards. Refer also to section Assess the
Value of the SAP S/4HANA Transformation for additional capabilities.
Accelerators
• SAP Signavio Process Insights
• SAP Cloud ALM for Operations Expert Portal
• SAP Solution Manager 7.2 Application Operations - Expert Portal
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital Transformation
• Service Information – Service Components for Business Process Insights and
Improvement
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
Procedure
The following KPIs are to be measured:
Physical CPU consumption over time (SAP application and DB server): [average per
month / week / day]
Workload profile (SAP application and DB server): [peaks, averages, load balancing]
Consider seasonal fluctuations: [e.g. period end closing]
Memory consumption (SAP application and DB server): [buffer settings and usage]
5.9.2. Analyze Workload
Objective
Workload analysis first has the goal to provide information which applications, transactions, jobs
and processes dominate the workload consumption. Then, in the second step, candidates for
performance optimization will get identified and prioritized.
Procedure
You measure the following KPIs
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
Sort the list of top consumers by the consumption of the resource that is the largest
bottleneck.
Check, starting with the largest resource consumer:
• Whether it is possible to reduce the resource consumption by optimizing the database or
the coding that is responsible for the resource consumption.
• Whether it is possible to avoid the bottleneck by optimizing load balancing and
scheduling of services.
• Whether the business value obtained from the service justifies the resource
consumption.
As a result, the load drivers on your system are thoroughly understood. The top resource
consumers are well optimized, and their business relevance is known. Optimal support for the
business can be provided, even for changing business requirements. Knowing the load drivers for
the top resource consumers allows to predict the effect of changing business beforehand.
5.9.4. Follow-up on GoingLive Check (Verification Session)
Objective
Depending on the project scope, you have either ordered the analysis session of an SAP OS/DB
Migration Check, or an SAP GoingLive Functional Upgrade Check, or an SAP GoingLive Check
for Implementation (see activity Integration Validation in the Realize phase for details).
Four to six weeks after Go-Live, the verification session of this service should take place. This
session analyzes the converted system and provides corrective measures to avoid potential
bottlenecks.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
Accelerators
• SAP OS/DB Migration Check
• CQC OS/DB Migration Check
• SAP Going-Live Functional Upgrade Check
• CQC for Upgrade
• SAP Going-Live Check for Implementation
• CQC for Implementation
5.9.5. Delete Obsolete Data with the “Obsolete Data Handling Tool”
Objective
Obsolete data originates from
• Data model simplifications in many application areas (MM, FIN, SD, EHS, Retail/Fashion,
CWM, Classification, PLM…)
• Omitted functionality in SAP S/4HANA (compared to SAP ERP)
• Temporary data stores that are created during SAP S/4HANA system conversion
Data is typically not deleted during SAP S/4HANA system conversion as it increases the business
downtime and prevents diagnostics of errors after the conversion. Thus, converting SAP ERP
systems to SAP S/4HANA results in likely 5-10% memory overhead from obsolete data.
With SAP S/4HANA release 1809 the “Obsolete Data Handling Tool” – report/TA code
ODH_Data_processing - is shipped initially in a reduced scope and is available on request. SAP
Note 2661837 explains how to use the tool.
Procedure
Execute the deletion rules that are delivered by SAP in your productive system, without any
business downtime, after completing following points:
Accelerators
• SAP Note 2661837 – How to enable and use the obsolete data handling tool in SAP
S/4HANA
Tasks
• Prepare End-User Training for Scope Option
• Deliver End-User Training for Scope Option
• Collect Training Evaluations Feedback
• Perform People Readiness Assessment
Accelerators
• SAP Learning Services
• SAP Enable Now at SAP Online Help Portal
Accelerators
• SAP Learning Services
• SAP Enable Now at SAP Online Help Portal
Procedure
1. Resolve and Close Open Issues
2. Handover Operations Responsibility
Evaluates process management knowledge transfer and IT support team capabilities for
future maintenance
The Handover to Support scope option builds on top of deliverables created in the functional design
and execution services.
Please ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information.
5.11.1. Resolve and Close Open Issues
Objective
The purpose of this task is to achieve a closure of all open project issues which is a prerequisite
for the final project closure.
Procedure
The purpose of this task is to achieve a closure of all open project issues.
In case this is not possible within an acceptable amount of time, prepare for an agreement with
the IT operations team to take responsibility to resolve and close the issue. Hand over the current
analysis and correction state to the IT operations team.
Prerequisites
• System documentation is complete and available.
• Operations procedures are fully documented in the operations handbook.
• The IT support operations team is set up and trained to safely and securely operate and
troubleshoot the new SAP system.
• The top issues and priority incidents identified during hyper care, are either solved, or
there is a documented work around and move-forward plan available.
Procedure
Hand over operations responsibility to the IT support operations team.
• Ensure that all required deliverables from this phase and the project are complete and
accurate, and close any outstanding issues
• Identify lessons learned during the phase to prepare for formal phase closure
• Capture customer feedback and potential Customer References
Tasks
• Conduct Knowledge Management Gate
• Conduct Project Quality Gate
• Manage Fulfilled Contracts
• Resolve and Close Open Issues
• Finalize Project Closeout Report
• Obtain Sign-off for Project Closure and Results Acceptance
5.12.1. Conduct Knowledge Management Gate
Objective
The purpose of this task is to collect knowledge assets and lessons learned at the end of each
phase of the project that can be reused later by other projects. Collecting documents,
experiences, project highlights and lessons learned throughout the duration of the project can help
to facilitate the project by providing quick access and insights into key deliverables from earlier
stages of the project.
Accelerators
• Lessons Learned Guide (Customer)
• Lessons Learned Template (Customer)
• Conduct regular quality checks at defined or critical stages of the project lifecycle to
assess the health of the project.
• Ensure that all key deliverables and actions of the gate have been completed in
compliance with recommended practices and to the customer’s satisfaction.
• Enable project management to continuously communicate the process and build quality
directly into the project.
• Note: New additional key deliverables need to be added in the quality gate checklist by
the project manager to the different project types.
Accelerators
• QGateChecklist Concept SAP Activate
• Quality Built In New QGate Checklist
• Q-Gate Check List for SAP S/4HANA implementations
Accelerators
• Phase Sign-Off Template (Customer)
• Project Closeout Report Presentation Template (Customer)
6. Run Phase
The transition project has ended with the Deploy phase. The activities of the Run phase are displayed in
the following figure.
In the Run phase the aim is to establish a safe and efficient operations of the newly created solution. This
includes the operations platform, core IT support processes, the setup / fine tune of new / additional
operations tools, and the enablement of the operational support team. Moreover, a continuous operations
improvement should be established to improve IT operations based on newly gained experience.
In addition, this is the right time to plan for further innovations which could be implemented according to
the overall implementation strategy, which has been created in the Discover phase of the project (or
separately, as part of a business transformation work stream). The implementation strategy can now be
reviewed and enriched based on system usage experience which has been gained in the first weeks after
Go-Live.
6.1. Operate Solution
Description
With project end, the customer support organization is responsible to operate the new solution. The
aim of this activity is to ensure efficient daily operations. This affects IT support people, IT support
processes, and tools. In addition, the customer support organization should seek for continuous
improvement.
Procedure
IT is in charge to ensure business continuity on the one hand. On the other hand, IT needs to enable
business change at the required speed and with no disruption. IT support should not be organized in a
way to only “keep the lights on” – instead, safe and efficient IT support guarantees business continuity
AND continuous improvement. Both aspects are covered in this activity.
Note that this activity deals with the organization of IT support and improvement. Business
improvement will be covered in the activity Improve and Innovate Solution.
In case customer wants to hand-over the complete system landscape operation to SAP, then Rise
with SAP would be the applicable offer. RISE with SAP can transition your current ERP data and
processes to the cloud with less risk and without compromise. The bundle of tailor-made ERP
software, transformation services, business analytics, and partner expertise guides you along a
personalized path to the cloud.
In case you want SAP to execute IT operational tasks, then SAP Cloud Application Services
can help you. SAP Cloud Application Services offerings help run and manage your private cloud
solutions from SAP, so you can focus on what you do best.
• Manage applications across SAP cloud solutions, including hyperscaler, hybrid, and multi-
cloud scenarios
• Boost the efficiency of IT operations by safeguarding and optimizing critical business
processes
• Run on simpler processes and innovate quickly by taking new ideas to market faster
Accelerators
• Rise with SAP
• SAP Cloud Application Services
• Operations Control Center (OCC)
• Customer Center of Expertise
• Getting Started with Primary CCOE
• Primary CCOE Check List
• Customer COE and CIO Guides
• SAP Support Standards
• SAP Support Processes supported by SAP Solution Manager (Information and Offline
Demos)
• Service Information for SAP MaxAttention customers – Service Components for End-to-
End Hybrid Operations
• SAP Cloud ALM for Operations Expert Portal
Accelerators
• SAP Cloud Application Services
• Customer Center of Expertise (Customer COE)
• Advanced Customer Center of Expertise (aCCOE)
• Customer COE and CIO Guides
• Service Information for SAP MaxAttention customers – Service Components for End-to-
End Hybrid Operations
Procedure
• Assess the value of the SAP S/4HANA Transformation
• Periodically update your SAP system
• Initiate a new innovation cycle
• The task Determine the Business Process Performance Baseline from the Prepare phase,
which documented the performance of the business processes in SAP ERP
• The task Define Business Process Target State from the Explore phase which documented
the expected value KPIs of the new business processes in SAP S/4HANA.
Requirements and Constraints
SAP Signavio Process Insights and SAP Signavio has been used throughout the implementation
project.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
The process conformance check of Signavio helps you to analyze and to ensure end-users
follow the new business processes as designed – see picture below. This is fundamental to
ensure that the envisioned value can be realized.
Procedure Steps:
The comparison of the process performance before and after the transformation is important
to assess the areas of improvement, and the magnitude of the improvement. SAP Signavio
Process Insights allows to generate standardized PPI analyses in SAP ERP and SAP
S/4HANA, thus enabling you to compare both worlds. Customers need to keep in mind that
there are differences in process executions between SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA that can
have an impact on the performance of a PPI.
To be able to run this analysis SAP Signavio Process Insights had been set up with project
start in Prepare, and performance baseline was configured in SAP ERP.
Procedure Steps:
• Measure business process performance after go-live
• Compare and analyze the performance with SAP S/4HANA.
Procedure steps:
Accelerators
• SAP Signavio Process Insights
• Service Information – Service Components for Business Process Insights and
Improvement
Prerequisites
1. Review the target business roles and prioritized value goals.
2. Review the UX/UI Strategy and UX Adoption Roadmap.
3. Prepare and send out survey(s) to gain feedback from business users.
4. Set up site visits or virtual sessions with business users to gain feedback.
5. Gather statistics on app usage, user behaviors and process execution.
6. Review process execution and identify areas of potential improvement.
7. Provide an evaluation of the captured metrics against the baseline UX metrics.
8. Collate and prepare insights on survey results from business users.
9. Review the accelerators Fiori launchpad best practice verification checklist and SAP
Help – Fiori launchpad to check your options to adjust the experience.
Procedure
1. Understand how the UX Adoption Roadmap is progressing including the perceptions and
opinions of the new user experience by the impacted business roles.
2. Discuss survey results, feedback from sites and any additional feedback to capture
lessons learned and areas for improvement as updates to your UX/UI Strategy.
3. Review statistics on app usage and user behaviors.
4. Propose and decide on adjustments needed for the business roles that are live. Proposed
adjustments may include:
• Launchpad settings
• Launchpad content
• Launchpad layout
• Device OS / Web Browser settings
• Network / bandwidth / patching and other performance related settings
5. Review and adjust the UX Adoption Roadmap for future business roles as required.
6. Evaluate the captured metrics against the baseline UX metrics to understand realized
value.
Accelerators
• Help - SAP Fiori Launchpad (Public)
• App Selection by UX Value Goal Template (Public)
• SAP Fiori Launchpad Best Practice Verification Checklist (Public)
• UX Adoption: Review realized UX Business Benefits (Public)
Procedure
Implement a maintenance management process for your SAP system, and implement feature and
support packs from SAP in a timely manner:
• For SAP S/4HANA on-premise edition, SAP is currently delivering 1 new key release per
year, and some successive Feature Pack Stacks (FPS). Then comes the next key
release, followed by several FPSs. An FPS may contain non-disruptive, non-mandatory
features.
• Support Pack Stacks (SPS) are shipped for a given release once the N+1 release is made
available, until the end of the mainstream maintenance.
Please note: The maintenance of SAP S/4HANA will be handled in a dedicated road map.
Accelerators
• SAP Release and Maintenance Strategy
• Upgrade Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2023
• SAP Blog - Landscape Management Process - the Big Picture
Procedure
Innovation is not a one-step-process, but a continuous journey. Your SAP system runs stable and
is updated with the latest innovations from SAP.
Now it is time to review the innovation and implementation strategy you have created at the
beginning of the project. Business requirements may have changed meanwhile, and your
company may have gained experience on what is possible with the new solutions from SAP.
Adjust your innovation strategy accordingly and start the next round by entering the Design phase
of the next innovation project.
• SAP offers “Business Advisory Services”, to create and update your transformation and
innovation journey. They can help align your people, processes, and technology to your
corporate goals using industry-specific best practices and expertise. Take advantage of
proven innovation management methodology and services, quickly deploy the latest
digital business technologies, and keep your company on the very cutting edge. Core
areas are business innovation, digital transformation, and value optimization.
• As already described at many places in this road map, Business Process
Transformation can help you identifying improvement and innovation potential. In case
you have used the related tools during implementation already, it should be easy for you
to initiate a new innovation cycle based on data Business Process Transformation
solutions collect from your new SAP S/4HANA system.
• As an alternative to Business Process Transformation solutions, Business Process
Analytics in SAP Solution Manager, a problem-oriented tool in SAP Solution Manager,
could be leveraged to provide fast root cause analysis capabilities. Using Business
Process Improvement as a methodology to identify weaknesses in existing business
processes to make them more efficient and effective, the tool also monitors how the
current solution is being used.
See accelerator section for details on all items listed above. You can also contact your SAP lead
(e.g. Client Partner, TQM) for more information.
Accelerators
• Business Process Transformation
• Service Information – Service Components for Business Process Insights and
Improvement
• SAP Advisory Services – Landing Page
• Business Process Analytics
• Business Process Improvement
• SAP Blog - Landscape Management Process - the Big Picture