Technical Articles
LSMW Remains Valuable in S/4HANA
It’s no small thing that our old and reliable friend remains relevant in S/4HANA.
Legacy System Migration Workbench is standard. It’s essential for SAP Retail. It remains useful for functional SAP Master Data tasks in general. And you’re only three short videos away from being an expert.
For confirmation of necessity, check SAP Note 2538170 – Migration of Retail Objects to SAP S/4HANA on-premise
There is no standard replacement in some scenarios, and LSMW is standard.
I’ve personally used LSMW on every S/4HANA implementation project!
While LSMW is certainly no longer the primary or preferred tool for SAP Data Migration, this doesn’t detract from:
- its necessity in some scenarios (e.g. Retail Article Master).
- its simplicity (possibility for execution by screen recording).
- its accessibility by functional resources.
For the above reasons, S/4HANA architects and master data practitioners alike should reacquaint themselves with the context and concepts. Functional resources should once again dive into the details of LSMW, especially for necessary and simple use cases.
LSMW isn’t the hot new thing; it’s the favorite old thing that remains purposeful.
Context and Concepts
- How does LSMW fit in S/4HANA Data Migration?
LSMW Screen Recording
- LSMW screen recording is simple, relevant in SAP S/4HANA, and easily accessible by functional resources.
LSMW Master Class
- In about 40 minutes, you’re going to be an LSMW expert!
- End-to-end example for functional resources.
- Concepts explained in detail, plus Tips and Tricks!
SAP really needs to come up with a good ad-hoc solution for repetitive changes, data loading, etc. that is Excel based so that LSMW can be fully retired. We all know that the reason why LSMW became so popular was because 1) it allowed us to load data without a custom ABAP report, and 2) it is good for time sensitive ad-hoc requirements. But it's been way over used in the market and it's time for something new. LTMC is a good step for #1 but we need something for #2.
For what it's worth, I never use a screen recording. Once I used a BAPI I had a far greater appreciation for the structure, consistency, reliability and error correction that it provides. I tell customers all the time... if you're working in a BDC, you've got a bad solution.
Hi Nathan:
Thanks for the comment.
I find that screen recording is good for something quick and dirty. It has a place. But not, of course, for a serious process, such as one that requires repeatability over time.
I share your appreciation for BAPI and IDoc objects, which are robust.
- Paul
Hi.
Sometime recording is only possible option. For example to create billing plan for sales order. There is no any FM for that. So I admit LSMW remains valuable.
Br,
Alexey.