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Hello,

This blog is a follow-on to Frank Wagner’s S/4 SCN Blog (“System Conversion – Technical – Semantical”: https://archive.sap.com/documents/docs/DOC-68976), which was not available some weeks (now the archived version is accessible again). As it is not possible to make updates or comments to the old blog any longer, please use this Blog for your reference.

Like the initial blog – this blog gives a short overview about the SAP S/4HANA transition scenario “System Conversion”. At the end there are related Information which are recommended to be read.

At the moment this blog refers to S/4HANA releases 1511 FSP02, 1610 initial shipment, 1610 FSP01, 1610 FSP02 and 1709.

Kind regards,
Roland

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SAP S/4HANA System Conversion

The SAP S/4HANA is one of the transition scenarios to move to SAP S/4HANA. The following figures displays the three transition scenarios:

 

• System Conversion: It is a complete technical in-place conversion of an existing SAP Business Suite ERP system to SAP S/4HANA. This is the preferred option for Customers which want to bring their business processes to the new platform and want to adopt new innovations at their speed, then.
• New Implementation: New installation of SAP S/4HANA e.g. for customers migrating a legacy system or a highly customized SAP System. This is the preferred option for customers which want to put their focus on reengineering and process simplification based on latest innovations. They can implement innovative business processes with best-practice content on a new platform, perform an initial data load from their old system and then retire their old landscape
• Landscape Transformation: It is a value driven data migration to the new platform, e.g. consolidation of current SAP Business Suite landscape into one global SAP S/4HANA system or selective data migration based on legal entities.

The SAP S/4HANA System Conversion is the scenario to be chosen if a customer wants to change their current SAP ERP system into a SAP S/4HANA system. Based on the offered tooling technical the SAP S/4HANA software is installed, the database is migrated to SAP HANA database (if not already done) and transfers data from old data structure into new S/4HANA data structure (e.g. migrate data into the new MATDOC table) in one-step.

Things are different in SAP S/4HANA

Even if a technical approach to convert an existing system to SAP S/4HANA the customer need to be aware that things are different compared to SAP ERP. As part of the application innovation data structure has been adapted to leverage the capabilities of the SAP HANA database. In SAP S/4HANA we are following the principle of one more consequently.

To enable our customers to better plan and estimate their path to SAP S/4HANA, we have provide different tools and we created the “Simplification List for SAP S/4HANA”. In this Simplification List we describe in detail, on a functional level, what happens to individual transactions and solution capabilities in SAP S/4HANA.

The following figure displays the system conversion sequence at a glance:

The sequence and the related tooling is described in the SAP S/4HNA Conversion Guide

For more information see Conversion Guide for SAP S/4HANA within the SAP Help.

Current Links:

• SAP Help S/4HANA: LINK
• Current Version of the SAP S/4HANA Conversion Guide: PDF

 

System Requirements – the System Conversion Paths

The following figure display at a glance how a customer can move to SAP S/4HANA within the “System Conversion” Transition Scenario in a so called “One-step-Procedure”.

System Conversion paths basically:

• From SAP Business Suite (ERP6.0, EHP xx, AnyDB or SAP HANA DB)  to SAP S/4HANA
• From SAP Business Suite (ERP6.0, EHP xx, AnyDB or SAP HANA DB)  to SAP S/4HANA Finance
• From SAP S/4HANA Finance to SAP S/4HANA

One Step-procedure to SAP S/4HANA On-Premise Edition product family supported for SAP ERP 6.0 EHPxx systems (Unicode Only and AS ABAP-only system [no AS ABAP / AS Java dual-stack system])

Note: The figure (at the point where the figure was created) contains as well SAP S/4HANA releases which are planned to be available in future. This cannot be considered as binding information, it displays more the logic of the transition paths.

Some Remarks (some questions which often come up in customer meetings):

• The transition to SAP S/4HANA does not require the source system to be already on SAP HANA DB
• SAP S/4HANA Finance was the first offering under the SAP S/4HANA product family. The decision to go for SAP S/4HANA Finance should be based on the business benefits, but is not a mandatory prerequisite for any system conversion. A customer can move from SAP ERP6.0 (any EHP) to SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Management directly in one-step.
• For older SAP Business Suite releases or systems on Non-Unicode an additional step to SAP ERP 6.0 EHPxx is required.

Simplification List for SAP S/4HANA

To allow our customers a better planning and estimation of their way to SAP S/4HANA, we have created the “Simplification List for SAP S/4HANA”. In this list we are describing in detail on a functional level what happens in S/4HANA to individual transactions and solution capabilities. In some cases, we have merged certain functionality with other elements or reflected it within a new solution / architecture compared to the SAP Business Suite products.

For more information see Simplification List for SAP S/4HANA within the SAP Help.

Current Links:

• SAP Help S/4HANA: LINK
• Current Version of the SAP S/4HANA Simplification List: PDF

Maintenance Planner

The Maintenance Planner is a sSolution hosted in SAP Support Portal at: http://apps.support.sap.com/sap/support/mp

It simplifies landscape maintenance process to update, upgrade and install systems with ease and efficiency by checking the system with regards to business functions, industry solutions, and add-ons. If there is no valid path for the conversion (for example, the add-on is not released yet), the Maintenance Planner prevents the conversion. The Maintenance Planner is a pre-requisite for the system conversion to SAP S/4HANA. The Maintenance Optimizer (MOPZ) is not used.

ŸEntry via the ‘Plan for SAP S/4HANA’ entry tile:

• Offered to ease transition to new product line
• Automatically integrates all building blocks (such as SAP Fiori)

The procedure to follow is:Ÿ

1. Define changes (based on your landscape data in customer profile)
2. ŸSelect files (like you did in Maintenance Optimizer)
3. ŸPush all required tools, archives and stack.xml to your download basket

For more information regarding Maintenance Planner see:

http://help.sap.com/maintenanceplanner

SCN BLOG: Maintenance Planner

SCN BLOG: Maintenance Planner – Release Highlights

 

Pre-Checks

Pre-checks are shipped as SAP Notes to customers that want to convert to SAP S/4HANA. Customers can use these pre-checks to find out what mandatory steps they have to carry out before converting to S/4HANA.

The Pre-checks are executed on the (SAP Business Suite) start system (preparation phase) to determine relevant Simplification Items. The results list the Simplification Items that need addressing before attempting the conversion process.

Pre-Checks are executed again as step in the Software Update Manager (SUM). In case dedicated Simplification Items require mandatory preparation steps the conversion procedure can stop to ensure a consistent system conversion. The conversion is stopped if errors persist.

Implement SAP Note 2182725, and all the related notes attached to it. Make sure to use latest version of this note and regularly check for updates of all attached notes. Implement and run these reports on every system in your system landscape (sandbox, development, quality assurance, productive) that you want to convert to S/4HANA

For more details see the following dedicated Pre-Check Blog: Link

 

With the S/4HANA release 1709 a new, improved pre-check framework is available:

 In order to run the Simplification Item ckeck for SAP S/4HANA release 1709 in an optimal way read the BLOG ‘SAP S/4HANA Simplification Item Check – How to do it right‘.

Custom Code Checks

These checks are based on the Simplification list concept. Before converting to SAP S/4HANA you need to check your custom code against the SAP S/4HANA simplifications. These simplifications are loaded into the Custom Code Analyzer tool (transaction SYCM), where you get the overview, search for simplifications related to certain objects/object types and navigate to the relevant SAP Notes.

The tool of choice for SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA checks is the ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC) with Remote Code Analysis. After you run the ATC, you obtain a list of findings where your custom code does not comply with the scope and data structure of SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition.

 

Motivation & Categories of Custom Code Adaption

More information in the blog series about the Remote code analysis with ABAP Test Cockpit and on SAP Help Portal Link

 

Software Update Manager

Software Update Manager (SUM) is the technical tool for system conversion to SAP S/4HANA.

Note:

• You must run the Maintenance Planner before the SUM.
• Ensure that the latest version of SUM 2.0 is used:
  see blog on SUM 2.0: https://blogs.sap.com/2017/08/10/sum-in-the-family-way/
• For all information about using the SUM, please see the document
  Conversion of SAP Systems to SAP S/4HANA using Software Update Manager
  available at: support.sap.com/sltoolset  in section System Maintenance

Basically spoken there are three steps which are executed within the Software Update Manager in one step:

• Software Update
  Update of your system with the S/4HANA software
• Database Migration
  If it is required to migrate the database to SAP HANA database –
  the so called Database Migration Option (DMO) of SUM.
• Data Conversion
  Conversion of data from the old data structure to new S/4HANA data structure

New SAP Readiness Check

The Readiness Check has been a part of the available SAP S/4HANA Value Assurance Service Packages helps you to analyses your system with regards to the SAP S/4HANA System Conversion. For more information regarding the corresponding SAP Service offering see http://sapsupport.info/support-offerings/s4hana-service-packages/

By end of may 2017 a new self-service SAP Readiness Check has been released, which customers can run themselves within their SAP Solution Manager infrastructure:

• ŸThis holistic system analysis can be used as the foundation for further planning steps toward a successful and smooth SAP S/4HANA system transition.
• ŸThe SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA summarizes the most important aspects of the conversion in an easily consumable way.

For more information about the SAP Readiness Check, see SAP Help Portal: Link

Here you will find the User Guide and the link to SAP Note 2290622, which describes the setup of the SAP Readiness Check for S/4HANA.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Find in the following SCN Blog questions which might come up to you related to the SAP S/4HANA System Conversion. Link
They are taken from the general S4 FAQ where you find the link here.

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Related Links

General Information

 

 

 

Information in Conversion Sequence Steps

Maintenance Planner

 

Pre-Check related information

 

Custom Code

Software Update Manager (SUM)

 

Follow-On Activities

 

 

SAP Learning Hub

A great way to learn more about the transition to SAP S/4HANA is the Accelerated Innovation Enablement Session “The road to SAP S/4HANA” which you can find at: AIE Session TEC-EAR-007 – ‘The road to S/4 HANA’

(Please note that your S-user needs to be registered at the SAP Learning Hub in order to access the link above.)