Transition to SAP S/4HANA
Implementation road map for:
• System conversion
• New implementation
• Selective data transition
Please always retrieve the newest version of this implementation road map from the internet:
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Published in Q4 2021
PUBLIC
Contents
What is the implementation road map for SAP S/4HANA? ....................................................... 5
How to work with road maps .................................................................................................. 10
How SAP can help ................................................................................................................. 13
1.
2.
Discover.......................................................................................................................... 17
1.1.
Strategic Planning.................................................................................................... 19
1.2.
Application Value and Scoping ................................................................................ 36
1.3.
Trial System Provisioning ........................................................................................ 51
Prepare Phase ................................................................................................................ 53
2.1.
Project Team Enablement ....................................................................................... 54
2.2.
Prototype ................................................................................................................. 58
2.3.
Transition Planning .................................................................................................. 61
2.4.
Transition Preparation.............................................................................................. 94
2.5.
Project Initiation ..................................................................................................... 105
2.6.
Establish Project Governance ................................................................................ 109
2.7.
Plan Project ........................................................................................................... 110
2.8.
Project Kick-off and On-Boarding ........................................................................... 112
2.9.
Project Standards & Infrastructure ......................................................................... 114
2.10. Execution, Monitoring, and Controlling of Results .................................................. 119
2.11. Organizational Change Management Roadmap .................................................... 120
2.12. Phase Closure and Sign-Off Phase Deliverables ................................................... 122
3.
Explore Phase .............................................................................................................. 124
3.1.
Phase Initiation ...................................................................................................... 125
3.2.
Learning Design..................................................................................................... 126
3.3.
Activate Solution .................................................................................................... 127
3.4.
Fit-to-Standard Workshop Preparation ................................................................... 133
3.5.
Fit-to-Standard System Preparation ....................................................................... 137
3.6.
Fit-to-Standard Workshops and Documentation..................................................... 138
3.7.
Fit-to-Standard Workshop Validation ..................................................................... 142
3.8.
Design Workshops and Documentation ................................................................. 144
3.9.
Review and Customer Sign Off .............................................................................. 146
3.10. UX Activation and Design ...................................................................................... 148
3.11. Security Design...................................................................................................... 151
3.12. Data Volume Design .............................................................................................. 154
3.13. Data Migration Design ........................................................................................... 160
3.14. Custom Code Impact ............................................................................................. 166
3.15. Integration Design.................................................................................................. 167
3.16. Analytics Design .................................................................................................... 171
3.17. Test Planning ......................................................................................................... 172
3.18. Sandbox Setup / Conversion ................................................................................. 176
3.19. DEV Setup / Conversion ........................................................................................ 183
3.20. Sizing..................................................................................................................... 188
3.21. Technical Architecture and Infrastructure Definition ............................................... 190
3.22. Technical Design ................................................................................................... 196
3.23. Operations Impact Evaluation ................................................................................ 202
3.24. Execution / Monitoring / Controlling Results ........................................................... 205
3.25. Release and Sprint Plan ........................................................................................ 207
3.26. Change Impact Analysis ........................................................................................ 210
3.27. Phase Closure and Sign-Off phase Deliverables ................................................... 211
4.
Realize Phase............................................................................................................... 214
4.1.
Phase Initiation ...................................................................................................... 215
4.2.
Plan Realize Phase ............................................................................................... 216
4.3.
Learning Realization .............................................................................................. 216
4.4.
Sprint Initiation (Iterative) ....................................................................................... 219
4.5.
Execution Plan for Realize Phase .......................................................................... 220
4.6.
Configuration: Introduction ..................................................................................... 220
4.7.
Configuration: Handover ........................................................................................ 222
4.8.
Configuration: Main Configuration .......................................................................... 223
4.9.
Configuration: Unit Test ......................................................................................... 224
4.10. Configuration: String Test ...................................................................................... 225
4.11. Configuration: Solution Walk-Through ................................................................... 226
4.12. Configuration: Bug Fixing....................................................................................... 227
4.13. Configuration: Documentation ................................................................................ 227
4.14. Product Enhancements.......................................................................................... 228
4.15. Sprint Closing ........................................................................................................ 240
4.16. Security Implementation ........................................................................................ 241
4.17. Data Volume Management Configuration .............................................................. 242
4.18. Integration Validation ............................................................................................. 245
4.19. Data Migration & Verification.................................................................................. 249
4.20. Custom Code Quality ............................................................................................. 254
4.21. Integration Implementation .................................................................................... 254
4.22. Analytics Configuration .......................................................................................... 256
4.23. Test Preparation .................................................................................................... 258
4.24. Test Execution ....................................................................................................... 260
4.25. QAS Setup / Conversion ........................................................................................ 264
4.26. Sizing & Scalability Verification .............................................................................. 267
4.27. IT Infrastructure Setup ........................................................................................... 268
4.28. Operations Implementation .................................................................................... 270
4.29. Cutover Preparation ............................................................................................... 278
4.30. Execution, Monitoring and Controlling Results ....................................................... 283
4.31. Organizational Alignment ....................................................................................... 288
4.32. Phase Closure and Sign-Off Phase Deliverables ................................................... 290
5.
Deploy Phase ............................................................................................................... 293
5.1.
Phase Initiation ...................................................................................................... 294
5.2.
Learning Realization .............................................................................................. 295
5.3.
Integration Validation ............................................................................................. 296
5.4.
Operations Readiness ........................................................................................... 297
5.5.
Organizational Readiness ...................................................................................... 299
5.6.
Dress Rehearsal .................................................................................................... 299
5.7.
Execution, Monitoring and Controlling Results ....................................................... 301
5.8.
Release Closing..................................................................................................... 303
5.9.
Production Cutover ................................................................................................ 304
5.10. Hyper Care Support ............................................................................................... 306
5.11. Post Go-Live End User Training ............................................................................ 310
5.12. Handover to Support Organization ......................................................................... 311
5.13. Project Closure and Sign-Off Project Deliverables ................................................. 312
6.
Run Phase .................................................................................................................... 315
6.1.
Operate Solution .................................................................................................... 316
6.2.
Improve and Innovate Solution .............................................................................. 318
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:
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Manage risk proactively
Make implementation projects predictable
Create a viable foundation through transparency of all activities and tasks.
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.
There are three implementation scenarios for SAP S/4HANA (as depicted in the figure below):
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New implementation: Reengineering and process simplification based on latest innovations
o Implementing innovative business processes with preconfigured content on a new
platform
o Performing initial data load
o Retiring old landscape
o Transfer data from third-party systems to SAP S/4HANA
Selective data transition: Enabling the right balance between process redesign and reuse with
possibility of (selective) history migration
o You don’t want to fully redesign your ECC processes and also to fully reuse your ECC
processes but rather re-use some parts and redesign some other parts e.g. re-use
Logistics, redesign Finance
System conversion: Bringing your business processes to the new platform
o A complete technical in-place conversion of an existing ERP software system in SAP
Business Suite to SAP S/4HANA
o Adoption of new innovations at your speed
Figure: Transition Scenarios to SAP S/4HANA
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:
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ABAP repository of objects and development
Configuration (customizing) data
Master data
Transaction data (historical closed items and open items)
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.
Selective Data Transition supports the following customer needs:
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Organizational changes / restructuring or other transformation requirements
Reduction of necessary pre-projects by using the “on-the-fly solutions”
Necessary system split or system merge existing SAP ERP instances
Process adaption and reengineering
Select historical data e.g. not older than 2 years or only open items and balances
Reduce re-implementation effort by re-using elements of the solution whilst re-designing others
Go-Lives in waves (e.g. by country or business unit)
Realization of data migration in limited downtime window – Near Zero Downtime (NZDT)
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.
Figure: Explanation of the road map structure
The “Transition to SAP S/4HANA” implementation road map is structured into the following work streams
(groups of semantically related activities):
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Project management – The project management team performs common project and quality
management tasks, including project planning. The technical quality manager (TQM) from SAP is
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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. SAP offers to support
adjustments of existing developments but especially the development of new innovations by
dedicated teams. For smaller add-ons SAP provides support by SAP Intelligent Delivery Group
(IDG), and for larger critical business developments the SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
organization. SAP Innovation Services and Solutions is an SAP Organization, which specializes
on individual software solutions that address the unique needs of customers, and that fit
seamlessly with existing SAP software.
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):
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“Discover phase”: Discover the value of SAP S/4HANA
In this phase, you should create an overall strategy for digital transformation and an
implementation plan. SAP S/4HANA will play a key role within this strategy; therefore, it is
important to recognize its benefits and value. In this way, you can identify the high-level areas of
the existing solution landscape that can benefit from a move to SAP S/4HANA. A “cloud trial” may
help shed light on any potential problem areas with the implementation based on your current
system state and usage patterns. Next, SAP recommends creating a value-based and companyspecific implementation strategy. This includes deciding on the implementation scenario (for
example, the decision to either convert the existing system or to install a new one) and creating a
high-level road map that sequences the innovation steps related to SAP S/4HANA on a time line.
In addition, transition to SAP S/4HANA provides an excellent opportunity to increase competitive
advantage and to drive agile innovations based on custom or partner specific extensions using
SAP HANA and SAP Business Technology Platform. Lastly, you should evaluate the impact on
the technical architecture and IT infrastructure, which together with the implementation strategy
serves as the foundation of the business case.
“Prepare phase”: Plan, prepare and start the implementation project
Once the business case has been approved, the project is officially initiated in the “Prepare”
phase. A first version of an implementation plan includes the findings from the “Discover” phase
and sets the stage for the entire project. (Note: Some customers create an implementation plan at
an earlier point in time, as necessary input for the business case). Depending on the scenario,
there could be additional preparation activities (e.g. the “Customer Vendor Integration” in system
conversion) which are planned in detail, and ideally completed at an early point in time, to keep
the downtime during cutover short. Finally, general project preparation, such as staffing,
governance, and reporting requirements, is also carried out in this phase.
“Explore phase”: Define all details
The to-be design of the SAP S/4HANA solution is defined and documented in the “Explore”
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phase. Delta requirements are documented, prioritized and validated as well. Ideally the Fit-toStandard workshops are performed with the help of pre-configured sandbox systems which
represent SAP’s Best Practice solutions. In the case of a system conversion, existing custom
code needs to be analyzed with respect to SAP S/4HANA readiness, and of course with respect
to business needs and requirements.
On the technical layer, a technical design of the to-be solution needs to be designed and
documented. This is the pre-condition to a technical setup of sandbox and the development
environment. Both systems need to be integrated into the solution landscape based on functional
requirements.
By the end of the “Explore” phase, all technical and functional aspects of the implementation
project (for example, solution scoping and content activation) are fully planned, documented in
detail, and ready to be executed.
“Realize phase”: Implement technical and functional changes
In the “Realize” phase, you should prepare the technical architecture and infrastructure, and set
up for SAP S/4HANA. Supporting systems are either set up or converted according to Best
Practices and the implementation plan. Custom code is adjusted for SAP S/4HANA and SAP
Business Technology Platform. Application and analytics functions are implemented, configured,
integrated and tested. Integration validation supports this phase – for example, by solving
performance problems of key business processes. In parallel, IT can adjust operational tools and
procedures to prepare for SAP S/4HANA. Finally, end-user training, including project-specific
training material and team setup, is prepared as required. Key users are enabled to perform enduser training.
“Deploy phase”: Prepare to go live
The purpose of this phase is to finalize the readiness for SAP S/4HANA and business processes
for production go-live. This includes final testing, rehearsing the cut-over, and finalizing the IT
infrastructure and operations. End-user training sessions are delivered by the enabled key users
or by trainers from SAP. Finally, and depending on the scenario, the productive instance of SAP
S/4HANA is implemented or converted on the Go-Live weekend.
After going live, SAP S/4HANA is available for business users to log in and for productive use. IT
operations are further optimized (for example, bug fixing, system availability, and performance)
with the help of the project team and SAP. This phase is referred to as “hyper care” and occurs
before operational responsibility is fully transferred to the production support team.
“Run phase”: Optimize the operability of SAP S/4HANA
Operations is further stabilized and optimized in the Run phase. The new SAP system is
continuously updated making latest innovations from SAP available to the Business. Finally, the
innovation cycle starts again.
How to work with road maps
The road map is first a structured documentation for customers. An “always up-to-date” version of this
road map is available to all customers in the SAP road map viewer in the SAP Business Technology
Platform – see accelerator section for a link. The screen shot below shows the entrance of the SAP road
map viewer. Check out the “Learn More” section to become familiar with the handling of the SAP road
map viewer in general, and how to sign in. Click “Explore All Roadmaps” and select “On-Premise Specific
Methodologies”. Select the road map “SAP Activate Methodology for Transition to SAP S/4HANA” (please
note: By clicking the star icon close to the road map, you can select your favorite road map, which
appears directly on the entrance screen of the road map viewer in future.
Figure: Road map viewer in SAP Solution Manager – Entry screen
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. 20Q4. 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. 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.
SAP has explained the concept and the usage of transition road maps in detail in four webinars:
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Part 1: Introduction to the SAP S/4HANA Transition road maps
Part 2: Deep dive into the SAP S/4HANA Transition road maps
Part 3: Transition to SAP S/4HANA – SAP’s service offerings
Part 4: Transition road maps: Upgrade of embedded products to SAP S/4HANA
You can find the link to all webinars (recording and slides) in the accelerator section. In addition, you can
find there a “road map game” which should make you familiar with road map working procedures.
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:
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SAP Standard Support and PSLE
SAP Enterprise Support
Implementation Services: SAP Value Assurance and SAP Advanced Deployment
Premium Success Engagements: SAP Active Attention and SAP MaxAttention
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. Registered SAP Enterprise Support
customers should also check the central blog page in the SAP Enterprise Support JAM.
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:
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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:
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The scope can be easily extended as required
Further optional services can be added for a higher hands-on involvement of SAP
The technical quality manager will manage the extension together with you.
The following services have been designed to support customers in an SAP S/4HANA implementation:
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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 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” roadmap. 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 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 scenariospecific 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
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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 L1 Scenario Overview
o L2 Scenario - Strategy
o L2 Scenario - Brownfield
o L2 Scenario - Greenfield
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 Activate
o SAP Activate - General Information
o SAP Activate Community
o SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA 2021 - Customer scope presentation
Roadmaps
o SAP User Group Webinar Part 1: Introduction to the SAP S/4HANA Transition road maps
o SAP User Group Webinar Part 2: Deep dive into the SAP S/4HANA Transition road maps
o SAP User Group Webinar Part 3: Transition to SAP S/4HANA – SAP’s service offerings
o SAP User Group Webinar Part 4: Transition road maps: Upgrade of embedded products
to SAP S/4HANA
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
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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:
Figure: Activities in the Discover phase
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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.
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.
To prepare this phase, customers should take use of the valuable information sources on SAP S/4HANA
listed in the accelerators section:
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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.
SAP has bundled many knowledge assets and webinars in the SAP S/4HANA Movement
Program. The webinars are ideal to become familiar with topics around SAP S/4HANA (for
instance on strategy & licensing, planning tools & engagement models, or service offerings).
There are constantly new webinars available, therefore you should check the offerings from time
to time.
There is also good information available in the print media, for instance “Migrating to SAP
S/4HANA” by Frank Densborn.
Customers and partners, who want to build de-coupled extensions for SAP S/4HANA using the
SAP Business Technology Platform can find very helpful information at the SAP Blog
“Extensibility of SAP S/4HANA” (accelerator section).
Regarding SAP S/4HANA releases:
SAP plans to ship a new release of SAP S/4HANA on-premise once per 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 2021 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
(accelerator section).
Regarding working with this transition road map:
SAP has explained the concept and the usage of transition road maps in detail in four webinars:
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Part 1: Introduction to the SAP S/4HANA Transition road maps
Part 2: Deep dive into the SAP S/4HANA Transition road maps
Part 3: Transition to SAP S/4HANA – SAP’s service offerings
Part 4: Transition road maps: Upgrade of embedded products to SAP S/4HANA
You can find the link to all webinars (recording and slides) in the accelerator section. In addition, 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.
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 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:
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SAP Industry Value Maps
SAP Road Map Explorer
SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
SAP S/4HANA Community
SAP Press - Migrating to SAP S/4HANA
SAP S/4HANA Getting Started Guide
SAP Note 3015497 - SAP S/4HANA FOUNDATION 2021: Release Information Note
SAP Note 3079550 - SAP S/4HANA 2021: Restriction Note
SAP S/4HANA Product Road Map
SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP S/4HANA 2021 Product Release
SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA 2021 Product Release Highlights & Community Call
SAP Press – Migration nach SAP S/4HANA (German edition)
SAP S/4HANA Movement Webinar Series
SAP User Group Webinar Part 1: Introduction to the SAP S/4HANA Transition road
maps
SAP User Group Webinar Part 2: Deep dive into the SAP S/4HANA Transition road
maps
SAP User Group Webinar Part 3: Transition to SAP S/4HANA – SAP’s service
offerings
SAP User Group Webinar Part 4: Transition road maps: Upgrade of embedded
products to SAP S/4HANA
SAP Webinar: Take the tour and play the Road Map Game
Forrester Study: The Total Economic Impact (TEI) of SAP MaxAttention
Premium Engagement Business Scenario: Take the Journey to SAP S/4HANA
• L1 Scenario Overview
• L2 Scenario - Strategy
• L2 Scenario - Brownfield
• L2 Scenario - Greenfield
1.1. Strategic Planning
Description
Over the last 10 years, SAP has helped customers begin their own digital transformations with SAP HANA
software and an extensive portfolio of cloud applications for the enterprise. Now the „Intelligent Enterprise“
combines new technologies and allows for automating repetitive manual tasks and processes which
earlier consumed valuable employee time. Hence, the customer workforce can focus on higher-value
activities such as customer success, strategic planning, and innovation.
Intelligent enterprises use real time insight to drive their business, so they can make the continuous
adjustments needed to keep getting better. To get the full picture, that insight comes from two kinds of
data – operational data (O-data) and experience data (X-data).
Operational data looks at transactions from a business perspective – basically, what is happening in your
business. Experience data gives further insight on how people feel about your business, brand, products,
and services. With an Intelligent Enterprise strategy, data becomes the key driver behind the decisions
you make about your business. When you have a deep understanding of both what’s happening and the
experience you are delivering, you can take decisive action toward your desired business outcomes.
Find more details in the SAP White Paper “The Journey to the Intelligent Enterprise” (see accelerator
section).
Innovations and the intelligent enterprise with SAP S/4HANA 2021 are explained in the Blog „SAP Blog SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP S/4HANA 2021 Product Release “, mentioning new capabilities in
Procurement, Sales Distribution, Manufacturing and Finance. See also “SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA 2021
Product Release Highlights & Community Call” (accelerator section).
The aim of the task “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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is not scenario specific.
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.
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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.
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A jump start towards innovation is described in task “Accelerate Your Innovations with the help of
the Intelligent Technologies. This approach supports customers in executing a first innovation
cycle within a few months.
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.
Look at your business users, and how they work with the SAP system. With SAP S/4HANA and
Sap Fiori, user experience will significantly change. Develop a strategy for user experience / user
interface early in the 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 White Paper – The Journey to the Intelligent Enterprise
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP S/4HANA 2021 Product Release
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA 2021 Product Release Highlights & Community Call
• SAP Product Page - SAP Intelligent Enterprise
1.1.1. Create an Innovation Strategy and a High-Level Road Map
Objective
The objective of this task is to create a company specific innovation strategy, and to derive a highlevel multi-year road map from there.
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:
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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:
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System conversion, new implementation or selective data transition?
One-step conversion, or transformation via multiple steps?
Sequence of co-deployment?
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports the initial creation of a digital transformation road map with a set of newly created or
enhanced tools:
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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?”
Figure: Entry screen of the SAP Innovation and Optimization Pathfinder
SAP S/4HANA on-premise is one innovation option out of many which is analyzed by this
tool.
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The SAP Transformation Navigator is a self-service tool. Starting from your current
product map, and your current and planned business capabilities, the SAP
Transformation Navigator determines a high-level future product map which lists the
strategic SAP go-to products and solutions including details on the transformation
scenarios. The tool lists the value drivers influenced by the SAP products which can help
you with the business case. The results are compiled in three documents with a different
focus on business, IT, and transformation. The SAP Community WIKI for the SAP
Transformation Navigator contains many sample documents, structured by industry.
Figure: Entry screen of the SAP Transformation Navigator
The SAP Transformation Navigator should be the first preparatory step for the creation of
your digital transformation road map.
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Customers can use SAP Signavio and Process Insights to identify innovation and
optimization potential by analyzing their SAP ERP system. See task Use SAP Signavio
and SAP Process Insights later in this phase, and accelerator section for more details.
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All customers can use the SAP Innovation Guide to become familiar with innovations
you can realize with the help of SAP S/4HANA and Intelligent Technologies. You can filter
innovations per industry / Lines of Business as displayed in the figure.
Figure: SAP Innovation Guide
Each innovation is documented including business benefits, services (if available), and
links to additional information.
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For creating an overall transformation road map, it is key to know about SAP’s plan to
develop future innovations in SAP S/4HANA.
Figure: Road Map Explorer
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:
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Details on innovations delivered in the latest SAP S/4HANA release
Planned innovations in future releases
The product vision.
The list can be shared and downloaded for offline use.
Please see accelerator section on how to access the tools listed above.
SAP has evolved the current format of the SAP S/4HANA Adoption Starter into a more
streamlined engagement named “SAP S/4HANA Value Starter”, with less preparation work to
help customers assess the value of their SAP S/4HANA journey. As an outcome of this,
customers will be able to:
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build an initial benefit case for specific business scope
understand value drivers, SAP solution capabilities, and business impact of that scope
understand high-level project & transformation plan well enough to define initial cost
estimates needed for business case.
SAP also recommends checking the SAP S/4HANA Movement initiative web site, which
constantly creates information for planning your SAP S/4HANA centric transformation (accelerator
section).
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 “Innovation Strategy and Roadmap” service component, where SAP
can bring in the development road map, industry Best Practice and implementation experience. In
the case of digital transformation needs, which exceed solutions offered in the SAP Standard, you
can contact the “SAP Innovative Business Solution” to execute those.
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 Innovation Strategy and Roadmap 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:
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Get “Target Architecture Assessment” as part of an “Enterprise Architecture
Transformation”: The target architecture assessment analyzes the as-is solution and
develops options of the future strategy per landscape component. This needs to be
combined with core IT and business strategy questions such as cloud preference or the
business drive for shared services. This also includes a review of already existing
transformation plans. Target Architecture assessment focusses on the most important
elements of the target architecture: Infrastructure, platform and business applications.
Review the integration strategy: The “Integration Strategy” service component explains
today’s integration technologies and supports you with the creation of a tailored
integration strategy based on the Integration Solution Advisory Methodology (ISA-M).
Develop a custom tailored UX strategy: SAP offers an “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.
Get support in creating a technical strategy towards hybrid cloud scenarios where onpremise components work together with components running in the cloud. The “Hybrid
Cloud Strategy” service component reveals best practices in the area of technical
architecture for a target landscape across all desired types of clouds (private cloud, IAAS,
PAAS, SAAS) to develop a customer specific road map with the major steps and
sequence, to transition to a future hybrid cloud landscape from a technical perspective.
Discuss the strategy of the productive SAP instances to fulfill future business
requirements. For instance, in case of many existing productive ERP systems, the option
of a single global SAP S/4HANA instance (physical or virtual) can be evaluated in the
“Instance Strategy” service component.
Get the classic “IT Planning Workshop” (SAP MaxAttention customers only). IT Planning
has the following variants:
o Proactive Performance and Capacity Management
o Production System Strategy
o Software Change Management
All components listed here are described in the service information for architecture transformation
(accelerator section).
An efficient option to clarify on dedicated enterprise architecture questions is the “Architecture
Point of View” (APoV). The Architecture Point of View is about the evolution of the customer's
core SAP landscape. The goal is to elaborate what’s crucial to the customers transformation and
provide clarity on the available options. In a nutshell, it’s about three questions:
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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?
A list of all APoVs can be found in the accelerator section.
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, Expertguided-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 Transformation Navigator
• SAP Innovation Guide
• SAP Road Map Explorer
• SAP S/4HANA Value Starter Engagement
• SAP S/4HANA Movement Initiative
• SAP S/4HANA Movement - Mapping Your Journey to SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA Movement - Plan and Deliver with Confidence a Move to SAP S/4HANA
Using Intelligent Tools from SAP
• 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 Enterprise Support Value Maps
• SAP Blog - SAP Enterprise Support Learning Maps
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Discover
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
• SAP Advisory Services – Landing Page
• SAP Advisory Services – Solution Brief
• SAP Enterprise Support page for SAP S/4HANA
1.1.2. Explore SAP Business Technology Platform
Objective
SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) is the platform for the intelligent enterprise. It
brings together intelligent enterprise applications with database and data management, analytics,
integration and extension capabilities into one platform for both cloud and hybrid environments,
including hundreds of pre-built integrations for SAP and third-party applications.
Figure: Capabilities of the SAP Business Technology Platform
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, lowcode, 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 enterprisegrade 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:
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SAP BTP Strategy and Architecture
SAP BTP Governance and Account Model
Key Services in SAP BTP
Connectivity in SAP BTP
Application and Platform Security in SAP BTP
DevOps in SAP BTP.
The openSAP course “SAP Business Technology Platform in a Nutshell” gives an introduction
and a first overview on SAP BTP.
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 Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• openSAP - SAP Business Technology Platform in a Nutshell
1.1.3. Make yourself familiar with SAP Extension Suite
Objective
The SAP BTP Extension Suite provides a modern foundation to deliver innovations across the
entire business application portfolio, covering a wide range of development options: from no-code
via low-code/”citizen developer” to pro-code/professional developer. It offers a seamless and
consistent user experience, leveraging best run practices and guidelines, with a clear separation
of standard and custom functionalities – following the “keep the core clean” paradigm.
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.
How SAP can Support
SAP Extensibility Explorer
• Provides information on extensibility patterns
• Provides sample scenarios
• Links you to further extensibility tools
SAP Discovery Center
• Offers “missions” where you can test implement your use case on SAP BTP
• Lists SAP BTP services in a service catalog
• Contains featured content, customer stories etc.
SAP Premium Engagement customers can order:
• Extensibility Strategy Workshop: provides an overview on how to keep the digital core
clean. Extension concepts, best practices, frameworks, and tools will be shown, and
criteria discussed to be able to decide where to put a custom specific extension on.
• Landscape and lifecycle management setup guidance for SAP BTP: provides
customers with guidance about landscape and lifecycle management setup guidance for
SAP Business Technology Platform
• Innovation Proof of Concept: offers a prototyping for extension scenarios on a sandbox
tenant for non-productive use on SAP Business Technology Platform
• Security & Compliance Empowerment: analyzes the customer’s SAP solution and
procedures, identification of critical gaps and areas for optimization, joint creation of a
roadmap w/ respect to SAP BTP topics and deep dive packages.
Accelerators
• SAP Extensibility Explorer
• SAP Discovery Center
• SAP Business Technology Platform
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
1.1.4. Make yourself familiar with SAP Integration Suite (bomID 6638)
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-thebox 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
How SAP can Support
SAP provides service components for Integration Strategy, Integration Assessment and
Integration Design (see the tasks in the workstream Integration).
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 Business Technology Platform Integration Suite
• SAP Business Technology Platform
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
1.1.5. Accelerate Your Innovations with the Help of Intelligent Technologies
Description
Most likely your innovation strategy that was created before has identified the need to further
evaluate the value of advanced digital technology (e.g. the use of IoT (Internet of Things) in your
industry area). This task describes how the Intelligent Technologies and Innovation Services can
help you speeding up your innovation.
Requirements and Constraints
This task is optional. However, an SAP S/4HANA implementation project is an ideal point in time
to think about innovation in a broader context. You can do this fast, with the help of the Intelligent
Technologies.
How SAP Can Support
All customers can use the SAP Innovation Guide to become familiar with innovations you can
realize with the help of SAP S/4HANA and Intelligent Technologies. You can filter innovations per
industry / Lines of Business. Each innovation is documented including business benefits, services
(if available), and links to additional information.
All SAP customers can benefit from innovation services. A team of innovation experts from SAP
collaborate with you to rapidly advance your digital journey. Unleash the full value of your systems
and sensor data with tailored solutions powered by intelligent technologies, such as machine
learning, the Internet of Things, predictive analytics, block-chain, and virtual and augmented
reality.
SAP Value Assurance offers an “Explore the Intelligent Enterprise” service. This service
component is centered around an interactive workshop that assesses how to best leverage
intelligent capabilities coming with SAP S/4HANA, such as machine learning and robotic process
automation, and beyond the digital core for your unique situation. First of all, the existing SAP
ERP and SAP S/4HANA system(s) are analyzed with the data-driven Spotlight by SAP solution.
Using a value-based approach, the service component provides guidance on achieving quick wins
with prebuilt intelligent capabilities and expanding innovation footprint with industry best practices.
To come to a tailored innovation strategy, SAP MaxAttention customers can consume additional
innovation services. The offering is structured into three areas:
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•
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Innovation Advisory and Engineering: focuses on a single, guided innovation cycle
based on a defined business challenge, technology inspiration, or industry case with the
business value clearly defined for open innovation, extensibility, and any other type of
innovation use-case.
Innovation Portfolio Management and Empowerment: provides supports and advises
the customer as they expand their innovation maturity. It supports the customer in
establishing their own innovation management capabilities, including growing their
innovation use-case portfolio and establishing innovation governance.
Innovation Factory Advisory & Support: coaches the customer in establishing and
growing a sustainable innovation framework that supports and drives business and
technical transformation through innovation and supports in further developing innovation
maturity.
See accelerator section for more details.
Accelerators
• SAP Innovation Guide
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• Service Information for SAP MaxAttention customers – Service Components for Innovation
Advisory and Engineering
• Service Information for SAP MaxAttention customers – Service Components for Innovation
Portfolio Management and Empowerment
•
Service Information for SAP MaxAttention customers – Service Components for Innovation
Factory Advisory & Support
•
Innovation Services and Products
1.1.6. Create a 360-Degree View on Security
Description
The goal of this task is to make you familiar with all SAP Security & GRC relevant topics, and to
collect security relevant information, which serves as a foundation for a scoping on security. The
roles and authorizations will be affected by the new FIORI technology.
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.
How SAP Can Support
The questionnaire should be filled out after listening to the recording. It is required to determine
where your security issues are, and how SAP can assist you most efficiently. The answers can be
used to bring in additional SAP Value Assurance services, or services from SAP Professional
Services during project implementation. This brings you together with SAP to build a secure and
compliant SAP S/4HANA landscape that best meets your needs and requirements.
For the adjustment of the roles and authorizations, the “Security Design” service can help you in
later phases of you SAP S/4HANA project. It helps you to upgrade or adapt your authorizations
and roles to the new requirements .
In May 2016, the European Union (EU) adopted a newly harmonized data protection law called
the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The transition period ends on May 25, 2018,
from this day on GDPR is a directly applicable law in all member states within the EU and the
European Economic Area (EEA). All organizations that offer goods or services to, or monitor the
behavior of EU data subjects and those that process or hold the personal data of EU residents are
impacted.
The EU-GDPR has different aspects for a legal basis as the consent, legal obligation, protect of
vital interests, contract, legitimate interest and the public interest.
There are also different rights that the data subject gets through the EU-GDPR: The right of
information access, information to be provided, restriction of processing, notification, correction,
portability, erasure and automated decision.
The EU-GDPR is a legal requirement. SAP does not provide legal advice. SAP provides functions
/ products which support customers on the way to compliance.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
SAP strongly recommends taking the opportunity to adjust your company’s analytics strategy by
considering the analytics capabilities of SAP S/4HANA. Because strategy change may have
impact on multiple analytics components in your solution (and is not necessarily limited to
embedded analytics in SAP S/4HANA), you should execute this task early in the project (Discover
phase).
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:
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SAP S/4HANA and SAP BW/4HANA bring new analytics capabilities.
The business data structure significantly changes with SAP S/4HANA.
There are many new analytic products from SAP which perfectly integrate with SAP
S/4HANA.
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:
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Product options like:
• Embedded Analytics
• Stand-alone SAP BW and SAP BW/4HANA
• SAP Digital Boardroom
Front-end options like:
• SAP BusinessObjects BI Suite
• SAP Analytics Cloud
Data model and access method changes like:
• CDS (Core Data Services)
• Embedded Analytics
Options with respect to data persistence
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:
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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
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the “Analytics Strategy Workshop” service component to:
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Assess the as-is analytics infrastructure, including SAP and non-SAP solutions for
Enterprise Data Warehousing (e.g. SAP Business Warehouse) and Analytics (front-end
tools such as BI platform)
Understand the customer’s mid- and long-term EDW and analytics requirements and
strategy
Analyze the customer’s most important reporting business cases, data management
policies and relevant boundary conditions
Build a decision tree/matrix to support the customer’s roadmap based on technical and
customer requirement criteria
Define a target analytics solution based on the information gathered and SAP’s strategic
product roadmap, and especially considering new analytics options with SAP S/4HANA
Create a project plan for the implementation of the target architecture (which might
include implementation and migration activities).
See accelerator section for details.
In addition to that, SAP Enterprise Support customers can:
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Check the content of the “SAP Analytics Solutions Value Map – SAP Enterprise Support”
in the SAP Learning Hub (e.g. SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics)
Consume the information on 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
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
•
•
Road Map for Analytics Solutions from SAP
SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Discover
1.1.8. Define the UX / UI strategy
Description
With SAP S/4HANA comes a new user interface concept named “SAP Fiori”. The purpose of this
task is to create or update your UX / UI strategy to incorporate the SAP Fiori concept.
Requirements and Constraints
You already have knowledge of your business users UX / UI requirements. Ideally there is also an
understanding of future business processes (including UX / UI requirements) planned with SAP
S/4HANA.
Procedure
• Clarify on the SAP Fiori concept in general, if not already done. This includes the
technical architecture, data provisioning, role model or SAP Fiori Apps Library.
• Collect UX / UI requirements from your 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 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” for ordering details. In addition, you may get additional
inspiration by looking up the SAP Fiori lighthouse scenarios. You will find them on the entry page
of SAP Fiori Apps reference library.
Results
You have created / updated a UX / UI strategy in the context of the SAP S/4HANA
implementation.
How SAP Can Support
Regarding SAP Fiori, all customers should look at the SAP WIKI linked from the accelerator
section. A good starting point into the Fiori topic is also the SAP Blog “SAP Fiori for SAP
S/4HANA – Fundamentals”. Please also read the SAP Blog “Fiori for SAP S/4HANA – Top 10
Myths & Misconceptions to Avoid”.
Implementing SAP Fiori will have impact on your system landscape. Please look at the SAP White
Paper “SAP Fiori Deployment Options and System Landscape Recommendations”.
SAP 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.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find a lot of information and services on UX strategy and
SAP Fiori in the context of SAP S/4HANA in the “Become competent” section of the “Prepare” and
“Explore” learning journeys.
Accelerators
• SAP WIKI - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Blog - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA – Fundamentals
• SAP Blog - Fiori for S/4HANA – Top 10 Myths & Misconceptions to Avoid
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SAP Blog - SAP Activate – Introducing UX Value Goals for your UX adoption roadmap
SAP White Paper - SAP Fiori Deployment Options and System Landscape
Recommendations
SAP Blog - SAP Fiori Apps Recommendation Report – Easy discovery of relevant SAP
Fiori Apps
SAP Fiori App Reference Library
SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Explore
Service Information – Service Components for Architecture Transformation
SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
User Experience Strategy Template
Quick Guide to Evaluating SAP Fiori apps
UX Adoption: Envision the Future Workshop
1.2. Application Value and Scoping
Description
Once the general innovation strategy and high-level road map has been defined, you will need to
become familiar with SAP S/4HANA and as such, the value it brings for your company’s business.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios. There is an innovation strategy and a high-level road
map available, which lists the implementation of SAP S/4HANA as an upcoming major change event.
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):
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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 A “What’s New?” document focusing on new features coming with this release.
Alternatively, use the “What’s New Viewer” as an interactive tool.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers a “Discovery Workshop for SAP S/4HANA”.
The objective of the workshop is to:
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Provide an understanding of SAP S/4HANA – the new digital core
Identify the most beneficial scenarios of SAP S/4HANA for a customer
Evaluate the readiness of business and IT
Explain the migration paths and necessary IT landscape adjustments
Jointly define a high-level roadmap and next steps
The workshop gathers customer’s business situation with relevant system information in an upfront validation by automated assessment tools. An onsite workshop (different combinations of
scope / duration exist) provides a framework to understand the SAP S/4HANA scope tailored to
customer’s enterprise, in terms of size and complexity, and to discover beneficial business
scenarios enabled by SAP S/4HANA. Finally, a discussion yields a high-level heat map for the
relevant scope of SAP S/4HANA.
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
• Discover SAP S/4HANA
• SAP S/4HANA Community
• SAP S/4HANA 2021 – Feature Scope Description
• SAP User Experience (Fiori) Community
• Innovation Discovery Finder
• 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
• What’s New in SAP S/4HANA 2021
1.2.2. Use SAP Signavio and SAP Process Insights
Objective
Customers with existing SAP ERP can use SAP Signavio and SAP Process Insights to identify
innovation potential.
How SAP Can Support
SAP Signavio and SAP Process Insights provide end-to-end capabilities for strategic process
transformation and the reinvention of customer experiences. They help discovering the value of
moving to SAP S/4HANA , better understanding their current business process performance and
providing continuous monitoring, assessment and improvement of their business processes.
There are several options for customers:
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The Process Discovery Summary (formerly known as SAP Business Scenario
Recommendations for SAP S/4HANA) can help answering typical questions like:
o Why should I move to SAP S/4HANA?
o Which new functionalities are most relevant for each line of business based on
today’s use of SAP ERP?
o How does SAP S/4HANA support my business goals?
Based on today’s business usage, Process Discovery Summary provides details on
business process performance indicators (e.g. Average lead time of production order
release to confirmation). You will then get tailored innovation recommendations you can
implement with SAP S/4HANA as shown in the figure, thus supporting the creation of the
business case.
Figure: Information shown in the Business Scenario Recommendation report
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).
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Process Discovery Solution (formerly known as Spotlight by SAP) is an interactive
and alternative approach to identify innovation opportunities. The cloud solution
specializes in identifying and highlighting processes and activities where significant
manual effort is applied and that are worthwhile to automate. Getting started is extremely
easy. It takes less than 15 minutes to extract the required statistics data from your SAP
ERP, no installation and no implementation needed.
Both Process Discovery Solution and Process Discovery Summary are provided together
in one request process.
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A third option is SAP Process Insights. SAP 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.
To start with SAP Process Insights, proceed as follows:
1. Verify the availability of SAP Process Insights. Please note that the usage of SAP
Process Insights is not free of charge.
2. Learn about administration and configuration tasks and follow the onboarding guide
by reviewing the Help - SAP Process Insights - Administration Guide for SAP
Process Insights accelerator.
3. Understand what features are provided within the solution by reviewing the Help SAP Process Insights - Feature Scope Description for SAP Process Insights
accelerator.
4. Get help understanding how to use the features of the solution by reviewing the SAP
Process Insights - Application Help accelerator.
5. Get detailed information relating to specific performance indicators by reviewing the
SAP Process Insights - Reference Guide for Performance Indicators accelerator.
6. Read the Blog - Implement Intelligent SAP BOTS and RPA in SAP S/4HANA
Cloud Projects using the SAP Activate Methodology accelerator to understand
how to find the business processes containing the various ready-to-use Process
Automation bots and how to use the SAP Activate Methodology for guidance.
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 BPI solutions can support the transformation planning of an SAP
implementation project or process improvement project.
The Business Process Assessment service component (service SAP Business
Process Insights and Improvement) supports customers who want to know, from a
system perspective, if there is room to improve current business processes and if new
innovations are available to further automate and improve. The service component
provides an as-is analysis, prioritization of the findings, an overview of innovations, and a
road map to SAP Signavio and SAP Process Insights.
The service component Business Process Insights Starter Pack assists customers to
get the SAP 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 customer's
workforce to enable the use of SAP Process Insights.
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Finally, SAP offers the SAP Signavio solutions. They complement SAP 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.
To start with SAP Signavio:
1. Verify the availability of SAP Signavio. Please note that the usage of SAP
Signavio is not free of charge.
2. Review the SAP Signavio White Papers collection accelerator
3. Learn about the solution by reviewing the 'SAP Signavio Process Manager'
section and 'SAP Signavio Process Collaboration Hub' section in the SAP
Signavio Documention accelerator.
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 Intelligence
• SAP Blog - NEW: Process Discovery for SAP S/4HANA Transformation (evolution of SAP
Business Scenario Recommendations)
• Help - SAP 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 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
1.2.3. Identify the impact of SAP S/4HANA on existing business processes
Objective
The implementation of SAP S/4HANA may have a significant impact on existing business
processes. This is obvious for new implementation scenarios and depends on the application
design. However especially for system conversion and selective data transition scenarios, the
functional impact needs to be analyzed, because SAP has simplified functionality, and partly
removed redundant functionality in SAP S/4HANA (“Principle of One”). To properly plan the
implementation strategy, at least the major impact items should be known as early as possible.
Prerequisites
This task is particularly important for system conversion and selective data transition scenarios.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
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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. Support can be provided by the dedicated SAP Innovation Services and Solutions team.
Results
There is a document available which documents the major impact items for SAP S/4HANA.
How SAP Can Support
The impact of SAP S/4HANA is analyzed in the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA (see
activity Implementation Strategy later in this phase).
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 Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Enterprise Support page for SAP S/4HANA
1.2.4. Check the Conversion Readiness of SAP ERP
Objective
There could be show-stoppers (e.g. incompatible Add-On’s installed in the existing SAP ERP
system) or requirements (e.g. version dependency issues with SAP NetWeaver hub system) that
could have an impact on your conversion project. The objective of this task is to identify all items
that could have a major project impact as early as possible, so as to be able to adapt the overall
project plan accordingly.
Prerequisites
This task is particularly important for system conversion and selective data transition (in case they
start with a system conversion) scenarios.
Procedure
SAP recommends checking the following areas, and to document the results:
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Is today’s functional scope in SAP ERP supported in SAP S/4HANA (e.g. Industry
Solutions, Enterprise Extensions, third-party add-ons, etc…)?
Are there incompatible add-ons from third-party software vendors? In this case please
contact the software vendor early asking for advice. Potentially there is a newer add-on
version which is compatible with SAP S/4HANA.
For SAP Standard add-ons, or add-ons delivered by SAP Innovation Services and
Solutions, please see SAP Note 2214409 - SAP S/4HANA: Compatible Add-ons.
Is there functionality used today that will need to be replaced with the conversion to SAP
S/4HANA (e.g. Cash Management)?
You will need to compare the functionality in use in the current SAP ERP with the
Simplification List from SAP:
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o
o
o
o
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Are all technical system requirements fulfilled (e.g. software levels, single stack
system, Unicode, etc…)? Otherwise they will need to be planned as part of the
conversion.
Are all dependent SAP NetWeaver hub systems on the required release?
How many custom objects are impacted by the DB migration to SAP HANA? How
many custom objects are impacted by the simplification of the financial data model?
How many custom objects are impacted by the change in SAP software?
Which business critical reports and transactions are in use today, which will be
replaced / removed in SAP S/4HANA?
Which configuration needs to be adjusted?
What is the estimated SAP S/4HANA system size? Are there options to reduce the
size before the conversion?
Results
The results document of this task describes the implications of SAP S/4HANA; which need to be
addressed either before starting the transition project, or as part of the transition project. You
should decide whether the simplification items are mandatory, conditional or optional and whether
the work should be done in the current ERP system or in the new SAP S/4HANA system.
How SAP Can Support
To provide customers a better view on the implications of a transition to SAP S/4HANA for their
specific system constellation, SAP has created an SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA
self-service. It is basically a filter on the “Simplification List for SAP S/4HANA” based on usage of
the individual system. I.e. the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA performs a remote
analysis of the settings, configuration, transactional data and transactions/reports used in the
production system (or recent copy of production), derives the functional usage of the system and
then lists all simplification items relevant for this system.
The SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA focuses on:
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Functional showstoppers, restrictions and application requirements
Simplification items, ordered by mandatory, conditional or optional / before, during, after
conversion
Simplification items for compatibility packages – overview of relevant compatibility
packages, which offer limited usage rights to run certain classic SAP ERP solutions on
SAP S/4HANA
Customer Vendor Integration – implementation effort and synchronization status of
Business Partner conversion
Integration – affected interfaces
Add-on Compatibility – add-ons from SAP and third-party vendors installed in your system
and their compatibility with SAP S/4HANA
Active business functions – compatibility of active business functions in your system with
SAP S/4HANA
Business Process Discovery - inefficiencies in current business process execution
Quality of business data in Finance
System and landscape requirements
Custom code implications and SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
Innovation potential
Once you have prepared the source SAP ERP system (see SAP Note 27581462913617 SAP
Readiness Check 2.0 & Next Generation SAP Business Scenario Recommendations for SAP
S/4HANA for details), you can execute the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA yourself.
Once the data has been analyzed by SAP, you can access the results conveniently in a
dashboard running in a web browser. Based on the results you can initiate the recommended
activities yourself, or with the help of SAP.
The following figure shows the results dashboard of SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA,
with dedicated sections for custom code analysis, add-on compatibility, active business functions,
and so on. There are now new and improved analysis procedures included to prepare an
upcoming project even better.
Figure: SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA results dashboard
Please see the accelerator section for the landing page of the SAP Readiness Check for SAP
S/4HANA, which contains all important information on preparation, execution, and analysis. See
also the SAP Enterprise Support session listed there on this topic.
In case you need further interpretation of the SAP Readiness Check results, SAP offers a
“Readiness Check Explained” service component, which explains the check results in general
and puts them into perspective with respect to conversion feasibility and complexity. See
accelerator section for more details.
In case you would like to check on the relevance of simplification items only, or check on the
system consistency before conversion, SAP has introduced a Simplification Item Check (SICheck) with SAP S/4HANA 1709. The SI-Check performs the same checks the Software Update
Manager SUM will process in front of the real system conversion. The SI-Check can be executed
in addition to the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA for target release SAP S/4HANA 1709
or higher.
The SI-Check is delivered with SAP Notes 2399707 and 2502552. SAP Note 2399707 includes
the new check report /SDF/RC_START_CHECK; SAP Note 2502552 delivers the check classes
via the advanced transport-based correction instructions (TCI). The check report calls the check
classes. Check both SAP Notes for more information.
Also, look up the SAP Blog “SAP S/4HANA Simplification Item Check – How to do it right” which
gives a good overview about pre-checks in general, and a list with SAP Notes containing detailed
information.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can benefit from multiple services around the SAP Readiness
Check for SAP S/4HANA, covering the executing of the self-service, the main areas of the
dashboard, and a results discussion of a single report. See the Prepare phase of the SAP
S/4HANA Learning Journey for more information.
Accelerators
• Simplification Item Catalog
• SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA – Landing Page
• SAP Blog - SAP Readiness Check – How to Update Your Implementation of SAP
Readiness Check to Support SAP S/4HANA 2021
• SAP Blog - Extended Integration Analysis in SAP Readiness Check Is Now Live
• SAP Blog - New Customer Vendor Integration Analysis (CVIA) Check in SAP Readiness
Check is Now Live
• SAP Note 2758146 - SAP Readiness Check 2.0 & Next Generation SAP Business
Scenario Recommendations
• SAP Note 2399707 - SAP Readiness Check - Simplification Item Check
• SAP Note 2502552 - S4TC - S4/HANA Conversion & Upgrade new Simplification Item
Checks
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Simplification Item Check – How to do it right
• SAP Blog - List of certified ABAP Add-Ons for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 2214409 - SAP S/4HANA: Compatible Add-ons
• SAP Note 3094994 - SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 2021: Compatible partner
products
• SAP Note 2788939 - Compatible versions of SAP Solution extensions for SAP S/4HANA
On-Premise
• 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
1.2.5. Perform a Business Scenario & Solution Mapping
Objective
Business Scenario & Solution Mapping establishes the business process scope and relevant
adjustments for the SAP S/4HANA system conversion and selective data transition, with a focus
on SAP S/4HANA.
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 which has been uploaded into SAP Solution Manager,
the simplification list, and the Process Discovery Summary.
o Quantify and describe the value in case of relevance.
•
Upload all documents to the SAP Solution Manager 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.
How SAP Can Support
The Value and Implementation Strategy (VIS) service component provides a comprehensive
SAP S/4HANA migration analysis down to proposed implementation strategy and supporting
value case as depicted in the figure below. Starting from business priorities, it identifies key
innovations and mandatory changes applicable to the specific customer situation, along with the
impact on the overall target architecture, thereby highlighting the customer specific value chain
built on SAP S/4HANA.
Figure: Structure of the “Value and Implementation Strategy” service component
The following inputs are used
• SAP S/4 HANA Discovery Workshop (optional);
• SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA results
•
SAP Fiori App Recommendations results (for System Conversion only)
• Customer high level pain points and challenges with today’s implementation
• Overview of current and planned initiatives, projects, extensions, and rollouts
• Comprehensive documentation of SAP S/4HANA EM simplifications provided by the
service delivery team
The service component follows a multi-step approach with scope options to define the adoption
strategy and program plan:
1. Business scenario & value mapping on selected solution capabilities
2. SAP S/4HANA architecture adjustments and implementation strategy
3. Program plan and business case
Delivery approach: Remote preparation combined with onsite workshops and final results
presentation
What the workshop delivers:
• Identified benefits for selected scenarios and solution capabilities incl. defined
implementation scope (e.g. SAP Fiori front-end usage, relevant dependencies/prerequisites)
•
•
•
•
Information on major functional delta requirements (if existing)
Adjusted target architecture, implementation strategy and high-level program plan for
adopting SAP S/4HANA
Minimized risks and uncertainties related to the business transformation
Value case
Accelerators
• Business Process Intelligence
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP S/4HANA 2021 Product Release
• SAP Note 3079550 - SAP S/4HANA 2021: Restriction Note
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
1.2.6. Define the Implementation Strategy
Objective
The objective of this task is to define an implementation strategy, based on the “to-be state” of the
business architecture.
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.
The definition of the implementation strategy should cover aspects like:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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 three deployment options is documented in the next
figure. Please note that there can be significant differences in functionality between the
deployment options
Figure: Differences between SAP S/4HANA deployments
The questions from above can be addressed jointly with SAP, by using a structured Best Practice
approach:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Limit the options according to boundary conditions
Define the right set of decision criteria, and rank the options according to these criteria
The strategy in general should be driven by business needs.
The more business critical a system is, the more serious it is to consider the IT
constraints.
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. Upload all documents to the SAP Solution Manager so information can be
shared across the project team.
Results
There is a document available which documents and explains the customer specific
implementation strategy.
How SAP Can Support
Aspects to consider when using Best Practice content from SAP Activate are discussed there as
well. The “Best Practices Reference Guide” describes how SAP Activate and SAP Solution
Manager 7.2 are used together to implement SAP S/4HANA. See accelerator section for links.
The Value and Implementation Strategy (VIS) service component can address the following
aspects of the implementation strategy:
•
•
•
•
Identification of the functional impact and opportunities
Landscape and application platform considerations (e.g. cloud versus on-premise)
Technology impact
Scenario decision and transition path.
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.
See accelerator section for more details.
Accelerators
• 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 with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA 2021 - Customer scope presentation
• 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
1.2.7. Create a Strategic Road Map & Value Case
Objective
The objective of this task is to derive the road map for implementing SAP S/4 HANA considering
the findings from previous tasks.
Prerequisites
The definition of the road map is based on:
•
•
•
Key findings from previous tasks
Identified architecture impact
Consideration of parallel initiatives and projects
Procedure
In case this task is executed as part of the Value and Implementation Strategy service
component, the recommended step sequence is as follows.
1. Develop the building blocks (such as functional, organizational or technical steps)
required to reach the defined target architecture
2. Perform a transformation maturity assessment to identify the ability of the customer to
execute the transformation e.g. related to organizational change, budget, technical
capabilities and project experiences
3. Determine the risks of transformation
4. Agree on business transformation initiatives, and map the value contribution to the
segmented areas
5. Compose a consolidated road map of building blocks to implement the target solution
landscape. The road map starts with preparatory initiatives, details the application scope
to be implemented with wave 1, and continues (at least at a high level) with innovations
which must be implemented until 2025 (“Compatibility Scope” – see SAP Note “2269324 Compatibility Scope Matrix for SAP S/4HANA on-premise” for more details).
6. Agree on requirements & conditions for the business case calculation
7. Define KPIs, and link them to the identified value drivers
8. Determine the value driver
9. Determine the cost driver
The value case is based on identified business benefits leveraging SAP S/4HANA.
Upload all documents to the SAP Solution Manager so information can be shared across the
project team.
Results
There is a documented implementation road map available.
How SAP Can Support
The Value and Implementation Strategy service component described in the tasks before
supports you in the creation of an application implementation road map. This component focuses
on the core business processes and applications in SAP S/4HANA on premise.
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
1.3. Trial System Provisioning
Description
To support the value identification, and the impact evaluation in the Discover phase, it could be
beneficial to have access to a trial system. At this point in time in the project, there is no hardware
available to run a new SAP system on-premise, therefore installing a pre-configured appliance (“BluRay, see activity Define Cutover Approach in the Prepare phase) is not possible. A cloud trial system
is the preferred option in most cases.
Requirements and Constraints
User account at cloud provide required (e.g. Amazon Web Services (AWS)).
Procedure
• Provide a Trial System
Results
As a result, project members have access to the trial system for demoing, value identification, and
impact evaluation.
How SAP Can Support
SAP provides the cloud image of a pre-configured SAP system, which runs at the cloud provider. See
the landing page for a Quick Start and Demo Guide.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance
• SAP S/4HANA Trial – Landing Page at SAP.COM
• SAP S/4HANA 2020 – Fully-Activated Appliance in SAP Cloud Appliance Library
1.3.1. Provide a Trial System
Objective
Request an SAP Trial system in the cloud and provide it to your project team.
Prerequisites
User account at cloud provide required (e.g. Amazon Web Services (AWS)).
Procedure
You can access the SAP cloud appliance via the SAP Cloud Appliance Library (SAP CAL,
https://cal.sap.com). It is a pay-per-use model hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), MS
Azure or Google Cloud Platform. When using the SAP CAL option, you can choose between a 30day trial, or a longer-lasting engagement. With the trial, only cloud provider hosting fees
need to be paid by the customer. This is in the range of a few US$ per uptime hour plus a small
storage fee. If you opt to go beyond the 30-day limit, an SAP CAL subscription license and a
regular SAP license is required. Besides the SAP backend, you also receive access to a MS
Windows Terminal Server (WTS) with the pre-configured Fiori Launchpad URL (if appropriate),
SAP GUI logon, and other useful frontend software.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Go to the SAP Trial landing page at SAP.COM
Inform yourself about the Cloud Appliance Library, and the different options you have
Click “Start your trial now”
Accept terms and conditions
Select the right trial image (e.g. “SAP S/4HANA, 2020 Fully Activated Appliance”)
Click “Try now”
Accept terms and conditions
Maintain cloud provider account information
Click “Create Instance”
Results
Once the trial image has been started by the cloud provider (the instance is up and running within
15 - 60 minutes depending on the complexity of the solution), you have access to the trial system.
How SAP Can Support
SAP provides the cloud image of a pre-configured SAP system, which runs at the cloud provider.
Accelerators
• SAP S/4HANA Trial – Landing Page at SAP.COM
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance
• SAP S/4HANA 2020 – Fully-Activated Appliance 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.
Figure: Activities in the Prepare phase
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”. See Accelerator’s section for more
details.
Yet, some tasks are still relevant for SAP, like the availability of the SAP Solution Manager as the project
delivery platform, or a continuous project reporting (e.g. during Quality Gates) to the SAP Mission Control
Center. SAP experts can help more quickly in case of problems.
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.
Some activities could start early:
•
•
For conversion projects:
o The cleanup of custom code which is not in use, and which could be decommissioned
before the conversion starts.
o Cleanup and archive of business data, to reduce the size of your productive system. This
will reduce hardware requirements of your new SAP HANA database and reduce
business downtime during conversion.
The installation and configuration of SAP Solution Manager, to support the build, and later the
productive use of SAP S/4HANA.
The Prepare phase ends with a first Quality Gate to ensure proper project preparation.
2.1. Project Team Enablement
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to ensure that the project team is informed about the way of working
during the Explore phase including usage of Solution Manager for Solution Documentation.
Organize self-learning possibilities for IT professionals to understand the new solution with digital
learning environments (e.g. Learning Hub). This may include:
•
Grant project team member access to the SAP Support Portal
Ensure that all team members can access the Best Practices documentation (see accelerator
section) at the SAP Support Portal. The SAP Support Portal can be accessed via the URL:
https://support.sap.com. First time users must register. The customer or installation number is
required and can be provided by the customer's IT Contact or SAP account team. The SAP
Support Portal allows access to various SAP content and resources used during and after an
implementation project.
•
Ensure project team member access to the SAP Learning Hub
Ensure that all project team members can access the SAP Learning Hub. The SAP Learning
Hub is a central location which allows access to different SAP Learning Rooms. SAP Learning
Rooms are interactive social learning environments. Available online 24/7, they facilitate
informal learning and knowledge sharing as well as expert-hosted live sessions, videos,
quizzes, and postings on a wide range of SAP topics. To access the SAP Learning Hub, read
the blog in the accelerator section.
•
Review training material on SAP Solution Manager
Ensure the project team is properly trained on the usage of SAP Solution Manager. SAP
Solution Manager provides a central point of access for a variety of essential project support
functions. The reference materials provide more details about available Solution Manager
trainings, Focused Build for SAP Solution Manager, and a video describing how SAP
Solution Manager is perfect for SAP implementation. SAP provides customers with an SAP
Solution Manager tool set that supports customers in implementation of the project standards
for the purposes of the project or operations. It is highly recommended to use the SAP
Solution Manager Focused Build service solution. Additional details can be found in the
accelerator section.
•
Tasks
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Review training material on SAP Activate
SAP Enterprise Support Customers can find information and sessions on SAP
Activate and SAP Solution Manager in the “Prepare” learning journey.
Conduct Agile Training for the Project Team
Conduct SAP Solution Manager Training
Perform Mobilization Training for the Project Team
Conduct Project Team Enablement prior to Fit-to-Standard analysis
Conduct Key User Training
Accelerators
• SAP Activate
o SAP Activate - General Information
o SAP Activate Community
o SAP Best Practices Explorer
o SAP Learning Hub
• Self-Enablement Materials
o openSAP - Building Tomorrow’s ERP with SAP S/4HANA
o openSAP - System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Solution Manager Materials
o Classroom training: Implementation Projects with SAP Solution Manager
o Focused Build for SAP Solution Manager
o SAP Activate and Focused Build
o SAP Solution Manager Landing Page in the SAP Support Portal
• Agile Implementation
o Agile Management Introduction
o Agile Project Team Roles and Responsibilities
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
• Service Information – Service Components for Planning
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
2.1.1. Conduct Agile Training for the Project Team
Objective
The purpose of this task is to educate project team on Agile implementation approach, principles
and techniques.
Accelerators
• Agile Project Team Roles and Responsibilities (Customer)
2.1.2. Conduct SAP Solution Manager Training
Objective
The purpose of this task is to help the team understand the concept of SAP Solution Manager with
the focus on supporting implementation (and upgrade) projects based on SAP Best Practices.
SAP Training platform provides Virtual Live Classroom "Implementation Projects with SAP
Solution Manager". The goal of the training is to:
•
•
Explore tools, services, and methods in detail to successfully and efficiently implement
complete software solutions
Learn how to create a structured, comprehensive and standardized project during the
entire lifecycle of the implementation and the solution
Accelerators
• Classroom training: Implementation Projects with SAP Solution Manager
2.1.3. Self-Enable on SAP Process Insights and SAP Signavio
Objective
The purpose of this task is to learn about SAP Process Insights and SAP Signavio.
Requirements and Constraints
SAP Process Insights and / or SAP Signavio will be used to support the implementation project.
Procedure
The purpose of this task is to learn about SAP Signavio. SAP Signavio solutions complement SAP
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 viewing various section.
Accelerators
• Help - SAP Process Insights - Administration Guide for SAP Process Insights
• SAP Signavio Documentation (Public)
2.1.4. Perform Mobilization Training for the Project Team
Objective
The purpose of this task is to educate the project team on Agile implementation approach,
principles and techniques. The training will focus on Agile Project Delivery to enable the project
manager and team leads to effectively embed and execute Agile Project Delivery approach via
SAP Activate Implementation Methodology.
Project Management will provide additional project learning enablement and approach where
appropriate.
Accelerators
• Agile Project Team Roles and Responsibilities (Customer)
2.1.5. Conduct Project Team Enablement prior to Fit-to-Standard Analysis
Objective
The purpose of this task is to clarify deliverables and expectations, methodology, and tools.
Typically, two to three days should be reserved for this enablement. Once the team members or
at minimum the team leads are identified, they will be brought on board with this enablement
session before the phase kickoff meeting.
The enablement deliverable:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sets project team expectations and design deliverables
Provides guidance for design workshops and relevant enabling tools
Introduces quality assurance and its acceptance criteria
Prepares for essential skills, such as workshop facilitation, requirements gathering, and
process modeling
Fosters teamwork within project teams
Elementary understanding of the main functional and technical steps within the project
Accelerators
• 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)
• Project Kick-off Template (Customer)
2.1.6. Self-Enable on SAP S/4HANA Data Migration
Objective
The purpose of this task is to learn about data migration and the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit.
The SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit is a template-based migration solution built into SAP
S/4HANA.
Procedure:
Review the test scripts included in the SAP Best Practices scope item Data Migration to SAP
S/4HANA from Staging (2Q2).
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”.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog Search – Migration Cockpit in the SAP Community
• SAP Online Help Portal: SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit for SAP S/4HANA 2021
• SAP Note 2481235 – SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit (on-premise) – restrictions and
extensibility of pre-delivered migration objects
• SAP Note 2537549 - Collective SAP Note and FAQ for SAP S/4HANA Migration cockpit
- File/Staging (on premise / S4CORE)
• 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
2.1.7. Conduct Key User Training
Objective
The purpose of this task is to train the key users for the solution in scope (pre-defined content).
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):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Run a scoping workshop for prototyping
Set up the prototyping system (either new installation, or system conversion)
Conduct a data migration (in case of a new implementation)
Activate the solution in scope
Run Fit-to-Standard workshops, and finalize the setup of the prototype
Validate the prototype
Run a final results workshop
Figure: Structure of the “Plan & Prototype” approach
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).
2.2.1. Run Prototyping
Objective
The goal of this task is to run a prototype.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP’ “SAP Value Assurance Plan and Success Advisory” service package provides the “Plan
& Prototype (PLPT)” option. 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. The “Plan & Prototype” option can be used for both system
conversion and new implementation projects. The included components are as follows:
•
•
•
The “SAP Readiness Check” summarizes the most important aspects of the conversion
project in an easily consumable way.
After the initial planning has been finished, a “Scoping Workshop for Prototyping” (service
component) defines the boundaries of the prototype.
Parts from the “Platform Execution” professional service are used to technically set up the
prototype system.
•
•
•
•
•
•
In the case of a system conversion, the “Custom Code Impact Analysis” service component
helps to analyze and offer transparency on the existing custom code situation, including a
customer’s own objects and modifications.
The purpose of the service component “Mandatory Preparations for System Conversion”
is to support all activities required to meet the functional prerequisites of the prototype
(system conversion only).
During the service component “Activate Solution”, SAP assists in the activation of
preconfigured content, best practices, and test-activated processes associated with the SAP
Activate innovation adoption framework in the prototyping system landscape for the defined
functional scope.
The service component “UX Activation and Design” supports the PLPT project in terms of
activation of Fiori that have been defined in the scope for the project.
The objective of the service component “Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design” is to support
customers in designing, building, and evaluating customer-specific processes, applications, or
functions in the prototyping project.
During the service component “Result Workshop for Prototyping”, SAP guides the
customer to leverage the learning and documentation from the prototyping project to realize
the value during project implementation for production use.
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.
Figure: Service structure of the “Plan & Prototype” option
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
2.3. Transition Planning
Description
The planning of the transition project helps to properly define the scope and execution plan for the
upcoming SAP S/4HANA transition project. The result is a first version of an action plan, which can
serve as the basis for a project plan. The project plan will be constantly refined throughout the project
(during the Prepare and the Explore phase) as part of the project management work stream.
Requirements and Constraints
Proper transition planning is required for all scenarios. However, the conversion readiness only needs
to be checked in case of a system conversion or selective data transition.
Procedure
1. Check the conversion readiness of the current SAP ERP (system conversion scenarios only)
2. Define the scope and the objectives of the transition
3. Determine Business Process Performance Baseline
4. Model As-Is Business Processes
5. Define the cutover approach (high-level)
6. Clarify the adaption of existing custom code, and the development of new custom code (if
required)
7. Clarify operational readiness
8. Define the technical architecture (if not already done in the Discover phase)
9. Define the data migration architecture (important for new implementation and selective data
transition)
10. Plan your data volume management (important for system conversion and selective data
transition)
11. Clarify the impact on your authorization concept
12. Prepare interface register
13. Run a legacy impact analysis on interface inventory and data integration
14. Run a first assessment on Output Management
15. Run a first assessment on training requirements
16. 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.
How SAP Can Support
The conversion readiness can be checked with the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA. See
activity Implementation Strategy task Check the Conversion Readiness of SAP ERP for details.
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.
Figure: Structure of the “Migration and Upgrade Planning Workshop” (MPW)
Main objectives / deliverables of the workshop are (see figure above):
•
•
•
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
Delivery approach and scope are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mandatory application changes
Functional re-design assessment
Custom code management
Data migration
Operational readiness
Project planning
SPW provides a high-level assessment of technical and functional prerequisites as well as migration
requirements to move to the SAP S/4HANA target architecture.
Delivery Scope and Approach
•
•
•
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
Value and Benefits
•
•
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.
See accelerator section for more details.
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. Check the Conversion Readiness of SAP ERP
Objective
In case the conversion readiness has not been checked already in the Discover phase of the
project (see activity Application Value and Scoping, task Check Conversion Readiness of Sap
ERP):
There could be show stoppers (e.g. incompatible Add-On’s installed in the existing SAP ERP
system) or requirements (e.g. version dependency issues with SAP NetWeaver hub system) that
could have impact on your conversion project. The objective of this task is to identify all items that
could have a major project impact as early as possible, so as to be able to adapt the overall
project plan accordingly.
Prerequisites
This task is in particularly important for system conversion and selective data transition (in case
they start with a system conversion) scenarios.
Procedure
SAP recommends checking the following areas, and to document the results:
•
•
•
Is today’s functional scope in SAP ERP supported in SAP S/4HANA (e.g. Industry
Solutions, Enterprise Extensions, third-party add-ons, etc…)?
Are there incompatible add-ons from third-party software vendors? In this case please
contact the software vendor early and ask for advice. Potentially there is a newer add-on
version which is compatible to SAP S/4HANA.
For SAP Standard add-ons, or add-ons delivered by SAP Innovation Services and
Solutions, please see SAP Note 2214409 - SAP S/4HANA: Compatible Add-ons.
Is there functionality used today that will need to be replaced with the conversion to SAP
S/4HANA (e.g. Cash Management)? You will need to compare the functionality in use in
the current SAP ERP with the Simplification List from SAP:
o Are all technical system requirements fulfilled (e.g. software levels, single stack
system, Unicode, etc…)? Otherwise they will need to be planned as part of the
conversion.
o Are all dependent SAP NetWeaver hub systems on the required release?
o How many custom objects are impacted by the DB migration to SAP HANA? How
many custom objects are impacted by the simplification of the financial data model?
How many custom objects are impacted by the change in SAP software?
o Which business critical reports and transactions are in use today, which will be
replaced / removed in SAP S/4HANA?
o Which configuration needs to be adjusted?
o What is the estimated SAP S/4HANA system size? Are there options to reduce the
size before the conversion?
To do so, SAP recommends to:
•
•
Study the Simplification Item Catalog.
Run the Maintenance Planner tool. The Maintenance Planner:
o Checks the compatibility of existing add-on products.
o Checks the compatibility of active business functions.
o Checks the compatibility of industry solutions.
o Checks the compatibility of systems with dependencies.
o Allows to generate the required stack xml as well as packages. The stack xml is a
mandatory precondition for using the SAP conversion tools afterwards.
The Maintenance Planner is a tool that you can launch from the public web (S-user
credentials required), and which runs in a browser.
Figure: How customer landscape data is transferred to the Maintenance Planner
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.
•
A system conversion is executed by the Software Update Manager (SUM), in a so-called
“load procedure”. In the load procedure, the new repository is built up from a DVD
containing the repository of the new release. Here SUM needs to rescue all objects not
belonging to SAP by exporting them from the old repository and importing them to the
new one as part of the conversion process. In case the ownership of customer or partner
objects are wrongly marked as “SAP”, the objects are not rescued from the old
repository, and thus are getting lost during conversion.
Run report ZRSUPG_TADIR_COMPONENT_CHECK (SAP Note 2318321 - Differences
•
in SUM for the rescue of Non-SAP objects between load and delta procedure) at an early
point in time, to identify custom and partner objects where the ownership is potentially
wrong. Check results are explained in SAP Note 2408272 - Analyzing Results of Object
Directory Entry and Software Component Check. Correct the ownership before the
system conversion starts.
Check the collection note “SAP S/4HANA 2021 – application specific notes in system
conversion/upgrade preparation phase” (SAP Note 3079720).
Results
The results document of this task describes the implications of SAP S/4HANA; which need to be
addressed either before starting the transition project, or as part of the transition project.
How SAP Can Support
In case the conversion readiness has not been checked already in the Discover phase of the
project (see activity Application Value and Scoping, task Check Conversion Readiness of Sap
ERP), or the last check result is outdated:
To provide customers with a better view on the implications of a transition to SAP S/4HANA for
their specific system constellation, SAP has created an SAP Readiness Check for SAP
S/4HANA self-service. It is basically a filter on the “Simplification List for SAP S/4HANA” based
on usage of the individual system. I.e. the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA performs a
remote analysis of the settings, configuration, transactional data and transactions/reports used in
the production system (or recent copy of production), derives the functional usage of the system
and then lists all simplification items relevant for this system.
The SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA focuses on:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Functional showstoppers, restrictions and application requirements
Simplification items, ordered by mandatory, conditional or optional / before, during, after
conversion
Simplification items for compatibility packages – overview of relevant compatibility
packages, which offer limited usage rights to run certain classic SAP ERP solutions on
SAP S/4HANA
Customer Vendor Integration – implementation effort and synchronization status of
Business Partner conversion
Integration – affected interfaces
Add-on Compatibility – add-ons from SAP and third-party vendors installed in your system
and their compatibility with SAP S/4HANA
Active business functions – compatibility of active business functions in your system with
SAP S/4HANA
Business Process Discovery - inefficiencies in current business process execution
Quality of business data in Finance
System and landscape requirements
Custom code implications and SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
Innovation potential
Once you have prepared the source SAP ERP system (see SAP Note 27581462913617 SAP
Readiness Check 2.0 & Next Generation SAP Business Scenario Recommendations for SAP
S/4HANA for details), you can execute the SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA yourself.
Once the data has been analyzed by SAP, you can access the results conveniently in a
dashboard running in a web browser. Based on the results, you can initiate the recommended
activities yourself, or with the help of SAP.
The following figure shows the results dashboard of the new SAP Readiness Check for SAP
S/4HANA, with dedicated sections for custom code analysis, add-on compatibility, active business
functions, and so on. There are now new and improved analysis procedures included to prepare
an upcoming project even better.
Figure: SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA results dashboard
Please see the accelerator section for the landing page of the SAP Readiness Check for SAP
S/4HANA, which contains all important information on preparation, execution, and analysis. See
also the SAP Enterprise Support session listed there on this topic.
In case you need further interpretation of the SAP Readiness Check results, SAP offers a
“Readiness Check Explained” service component, which explains the check results in general
and puts them into perspective with respect to conversion feasibility and complexity. See
accelerator section for more details.
In case you would like to check on the relevance of simplification items only, or check on the
system consistency before conversion, SAP has introduced a Simplification Item Check (SICheck). The SI-Check performs the same checks the Software Update Manager SUM will process
in front of the real system conversion. The SI-Check can be executed in addition to the SAP
Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA.
The SI-Check is delivered with SAP Notes 2399707 and 2502552. SAP Note 2399707 includes
the new check report /SDF/RC_START_CHECK; SAP Note 2502552 delivers the check classes
via the advanced transport-based correction instructions (TCI). The check report calls the check
classes. Check both SAP Notes for more information.
Also, look up the SAP Blog “SAP S/4HANA Simplification Item Check – How to do it right” which
gives a good overview about pre-checks in general, and a list with SAP Notes containing detailed
information.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can benefit from multiple services around the SAP Readiness
Check for SAP S/4HANA, covering the executing of the self-service, the main areas of the
dashboard, and a results discussion of a single report. See the Prepare phase of the SAP
S/4HANA Learning Journey for more information.
Accelerators
• Simplification Item Catalog
• Maintenance Planner - Landing Page
• SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA – Landing Page
• SAP Blog - SAP Readiness Check – How to Update Your Implementation of SAP
Readiness Check to Support SAP S/4HANA 2021
• SAP Blog - Extended Integration Analysis in SAP Readiness Check Is Now Live
• SAP Blog - New Customer Vendor Integration Analysis (CVIA) Check in SAP Readiness
Check is Now Live
• SAP Note 2758146 - SAP Readiness Check 2.0 & Next Generation SAP Business
Scenario Recommendations
• SAP Note 2214409 - SAP S/4HANA: Compatible Add-ons
• SAP Blog - List of certified ABAP Add-Ons for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 3094994 - SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 2021: Compatible partner
products
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Simplification Item Check – How to do it right
• SAP Certified Solutions Directory
• 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 2399707 - SAP Readiness Check - Simplification Item Check
• SAP Note 2418800 - S4SIC - S4/HANA Conversion & Upgrade new Simplification Item
Checks
• SAP Note 3079720 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade preparation phase
• SAP Note 3079695 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade follow-on phase
• SAP Note 2351294 – SAP S/4HANA System Conversion/Upgrade: Measures to reduce
technical downtime
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
• 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
• 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)
2.3.2. Define Scope and Objectives
Description
To define and document the objectives of the transition project, you should create a scope
document. The scope documentation serves as a general guideline for the transition project. It
must describe the starting point of the project as well as the project objectives. This information is
necessary to develop the target solution landscape, define the transition approach and to finally
verify the success of the overall project.
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.
•
•
Provision of new functionality in Finance and Logistics
Reduction of costs or complexity
•
Performance improvements for specific business functions
• Improvement of User Experience
• Landscape adaptations to comply with changing market and business requirements
Ideally, the objectives are defined in a way that they can serve as success criteria for the
transition project. Further success criteria can be derived from boundary conditions, e.g. business
downtime requirements for the transition project.
Requirements and Constraints
There is an implementation strategy and road map already available as input for the scope
document.
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 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:
•
OS upgrades and/or, -patches
•
SAP support package updates, enhancement package upgrades, release upgrades,
patches
•
Unicode conversions
•
Virtualization solution changes
•
HA/DR solution changes
•
Server hardware changes
•
Storage infrastructure changes
•
Backup tool or hardware changes
Document further infrastructure changes or limitations, which can affect the transition project
timeframe, e.g. data center moves or data center limitations.
Document planned landscape changes, e.g. system splits, consolidations or moves.
Document maintenance windows that could be utilized by the transition project.
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.
Additionally, components depending on the changed database or other changed components in
the SAP solution (e.g. the embedded Frontend Server for SAP Fiori) must be detected to later
verify how they integrate with the future SAP solution.
Components in focus of the inventory are:
•
SAP systems, both production and non-production
•
Frontend infrastructure for Fiori (server side)
•
Operating systems
•
Virtualization environments
•
Server hardware
•
File systems
•
Storage infrastructures
•
Software components directly interfacing with the source databases:
o
o
o
o
High availability and disaster recovery solutions
Backup solutions
Monitoring solutions
Software components accessing data within the target environment by direct
access APIs (libraries, ODBC, JDBC …), e.g. reporting, analytics or replication
software.
Document the following findings:
•
Components to be newly introduced
•
Components that are planned to be changed
•
Components that interface with the components to be changed
For SAP systems and their databases document the following:
•
Software compatibility statements / version requirements of the target environment
database as documented in the SAP Product Availability Matrix
•
Current hardware, OS and virtualization platform versions
•
Unicode enablement status of SAP systems
Verify and sign-off the scoping document. Upload all documents to the SAP Solution Manager so
information can be shared across the project team.
Results
As a result, there is a scope document available in SAP Solution Manager.
How SAP Can Support
For system conversion scenarios, see the description of the Migration and Upgrade Planning
Workshop in the activity Transition Planning.
Similarly, for new implementations, see the Transition Planning for New Implementation in the
activity Transition Planning.
Accelerators
• SAP Product Availability Matrix
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
2.3.3. Determine Business Process Performance Baseline
Objective
The purpose of this task is to determine the business process performance baseline. This analysis
will help to determine the areas of process improvement that should be prioritized during
implementation. The results from this baseline will later be used in the Realize phase to compare
the results from the simulated models to track the actual improvements of the process
performance indicators. Performance comparison can also be done after Go-Live.
Requirements and Constraints
This task is not relevant for net new SAP customers. SAP Signavio will be used to support the
implementation project.
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.
Analyze the process performance of the identified areas.
Identify process variants, and their performance, to determine the business best practices, and to
detect process harmonization potential.
Document the results in SAP Signavio.
Results
The business process performance has been documented for the old SAP ERP system.
2.3.4. 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.
Requirements and Constraints
SAP Signavio will be used to support the implementation project. All process model data in SAP
Signavio has been cleaned up based on recommended actions.
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)
2.3.5. Define Cutover Approach
Description
A good starting point to become familiar with system cutover is the “Administration Guide for the
Implementation of SAP S/4HANA” which covers both the new installation of a system, and the
system conversion. As always administration, implementation and conversion guides are release
and feature pack specific. You can find all guides for all releases and feature packs in the SAP
Online help portal for SAP S/4HANA.
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.
Figure: System-level transition road map for system conversion (Example)
1) References the creation of the sandbox from a copy from production.
2) References the conversion of the development system D01 while keeping DT1 as a
temporary production support system.
3) References the conversion of the quality assurance system Q01 while keeping QT1
as a temporary production support system.
4) References cutover preparation and dress rehearsal runs
5) References the final cutover of the production system P01. Once converted
successfully, DT1 and QT1 can be decommissioned.
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:
•
Update SAP software
•
Migrate from AnyDB to SAP HANA
•
Convert data to the new data model of SAP S/4HANA.
For the conversion to SAP S/4HANA, you have two options depending on the source
database:
•
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:
•
•
The level of effort
Amount of resident data within the system
•
•
Amount of business (finance) data to be converted
Permitted business downtime
•
•
Number of required interim productive states
Additional changes in scope
• Quality of the original system
One boundary condition that may heavily influence the overall approach is the downtime
allowed by the business. At this phase of the project it is critical to understand the
business continuity requirements for each of the systems considered in the scope of the
project. Certain considerations may need to be made to the approach to minimize the
downtime. For example, there may be the need to separate the conversion activities into
multiple events to prevent SAN or network bottlenecks from extending the business
downtime. In other cases, the requirements of the business may drive the need for
alternative cutover procedures, such as the Near Zero Downtime (NZDT) approach.
NZDT is a cutover methodology where the maintenance event is conducted on a clone of
the production system, while in parallel transactional activity in the production system is
recorded for later replay. Such an approach requires detailed planning and early
integration into the overall project. NZDT is only available for certain SAP products, and
the feasibility of integrating the methodology into the project requires a planning workshop
conducted by SAP Global Services and Support. See also SAP Note 693168 “Minimized
Downtime Service (MDS)”.
Please note:
o
o
o
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.
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.
The number of required test conversion runs can be estimated after the first
sandbox conversion.
Please see the lessons-learned document on finance in the accelerator section
for more details.
New Implementation:
Please Note: This task assumes a new implementation of SAP S/4HANA on-premise. In
case you would like to use a cloud edition of SAP S/4HANA, please look at the cloud road
maps for SAP S/4HANA.
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
Fully-Activated Appliance
In the case of a new implementation of SAP S/4HANA on-premise, you should consider
using a pre-configured “Blu-ray” or appliance installation for setting up the sandbox. See
the accelerator section on how to get a “Blu-ray” installation. The current version is based
on version 2020. The appliance contains pre-configured demo scenarios including demo
data for many LoBs. See the links to the demo guides in the accelerator section for more
details.
Using Best Practices content as part of SAP Activate can speed up your implementation
project significantly.
The “Blu-ray” consists of a pre-installed technical landscape. Perform the technical
deployment using the SAP Software Provisioning Manager (SPM). See the SL Toolset
landing page in the accelerator section for details. The SL Toolset landing page shows
the latest available SUM version, and links to the respective guides, notes, download
links, and blogs.
Alternatively, in case you don’t want to start with a pre-configured system you can also
follow the instructions given in the standard “Installation Guide for SAP S/4HANA” (see
accelerator section).
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.
How SAP Can Support
For system conversion scenarios, see the description of the Migration and Upgrade Planning
Workshop in the activity Transition Planning.
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 Note 2041140 - Order an SAP pre-assembled Best Practices software
appliance (as partner or customer)
o SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance
o SAP S/4HANA Trial – Landing Page at SAP.COM
o SAP S/4HANA 2020 – Fully-Activated Appliance in SAP Cloud Appliance Library
o SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance: Demo Guides
o SL Toolset Landing Page
o Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best
Practices
o SAP Note 2573352 - SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on premise)
Activation in a client with SAP_ALL copy
o SAP Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the
accelerator section
2.3.6. Clarify Custom Code Adaption
Description
Custom code must be adapted to work properly with SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA.
Requirements and Constraints
This task is relevant:
•
•
Always in the case of a system conversion.
In case of a new implementation or selective data transition, where custom code should
be taken over from an old SAP ERP system.
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:
Figure: Custom Code analysis and adaption sequence
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
2021”
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.
Figure: Custom code migration process
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.
If possible, you have made a first analysis of your custom code.
How SAP Can Support
As an entry into this topic, SAP Value Assurance offers the “Custom Code Management
Architecture” service component to facilitate efficient and effective Custom Code Management. It
is necessary to formalize the strategy for management of Custom Code across their whole
lifecycle from requirement to retirement. This strategy should be defined based on the customer’s
situation, customer’s needs, goals and requirements. This service is enhanced to the classical
architecture service with a specific focus on the S/4HANA transition. The purpose of the
architecture workshop is the analysis of the existing Custom Code Management strategy and
identification of the potential for its improvement and how existing custom code tools can support
and analyze the impact on the way to SAP S/4HANA. Based on the service component findings,
SAP together with the customer defines a proposal for a customer-tailored plan which will help the
customer to improve the existing CCM processes and facilitates a smooth transition to SAP
S/4HANA.
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 - 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 2021
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
2.3.7. 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).
How SAP Can Support
See Primary CCOE Certification program in the accelerators 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
• SAP Support Standards
• MANAGING HYBRID SOLUTIONS: Application Lifecycle Management best practices
2.3.8. Define Technical Architecture
Description
With the introduction of the first productive SAP component running on SAP HANA, the IT
architecture will change (e.g. new HW, new OS, new HA/DR setup options…).
Requirements and Constraints
There is an implementation road map (high level) available describing the “to-be” business
architecture of SAP S/4HANA.
Invite your hardware provider to join this task.
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-byside extensions of SAP S/4HANA)
Backup solution
Clarify and document the following topics:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is the “to-be” SAP Landscape?
What is the anticipated SAP architecture (main technical components)?
What is the sizing relevant information (SAPS, memory, disk space) of all SAP
components?
What technical options are in scope (e.g. Tailored Data Center Integration (TDI))?
What frontend components are required for FIORI?
What is the required HA / DR strategy, based on availability requirements, business
downtime SLAs and the existing data center strategy?
What is the ideal backup strategy?
What is the strategy for the non-production landscape based on change management
requirements?
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.
How SAP Can Support
The “Technical Architecture and Infrastructure” service component supports customers in the
creation of a technical architecture. As depicted in the figure below, it starts with an estimation of
the required hardware capacity and goes on to the mapping of the various technical components
of the hardware, including influencing factors, such as data-center strategies, high availability and
disaster recovery requirements, preferred deployment models and similar. Compared to an SAP
Suite on HANA scenario, an additional focus is on SAP Fiori and its technical requirements.
Figure: Structure of the “Technical Architecture and Infrastructure” workshop
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
2.3.9. 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:
•
•
The level of effort
Amount of business data to be transferred and converted
•
•
Permitted business downtime
Data changes in scope during migration
•
Type of data in scope for migration
• Business data quality of the source system
There are dedicated tools and services available from SAP and SAP partners, to support the
migration of data to SAP S/4HANA, for instance:
•
•
•
•
SAP Data Services
Tools and technology from SAP Data Management & Landscape Transformation (DMLT)
SAP Advanced Data Migration by Syniti
…
For the migration of legacy data to SAP S/4HANA, 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. For a list of
available migration objects that are supported with SAP S/4HANA, see SAP Online Help
Portal. Customers can adjust configuration via migration object modeler to integrate their own
data (transaction LTMOM). A central landing page for data migration directs you to further
information such as Application Help, SAP Best Practices, videos, training and other material
(accelerator section).
A combination of SAP Advanced Data Migration by Syniti, cloud edition, 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 SelfEnable 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 object 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 migration tests
• Load test data
• Plan test landscape
• Implement test landscape
• Create a test plan for data migration
• Test complete data migration
Data validation
• Define validation rules
• Validate data
Data cleansing
• Analyze data cleansing demand
• Perform data cleansing
Productive load and support
• Create cut-over data migration plan
• Perform productive data migration
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.
How SAP Can Support
A first list of migration objects is created in the service components Transition Planning for New
Implementation (for new implementations) and Selective Data Transition Planning Workshop
(for selective data transitions). See also activity Transition Planning for 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 – Migration nach SAP S/4HANA (German edition)
• 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
2.3.10. Perform Data Volume Planning
Objective
Data Volume Management should be considered prior to a system conversion to reduce the
amount of data to be converted (this has implications on duration / downtime of the cutover) as
well as to reduce the amount of data in memory (has implications of hardware costs). It is also
recommended in an up and running SAP HANA environment to develop a common DVM Strategy
including several systems, common retention management and storage requirements. Data
Volume Planning is the first step in the Data Volume Management lifecycle.
Analyze the current database and determine how much data can be archived or deleted upfront of
an SAP S/4HANA implementation.
Requirements and Constraints
Data Volume Management Planning should be considered specifically in the following cases:
•
•
•
•
•
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 and technology (i.e. data aging)
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.
How SAP Can Support
To become familiar with data volume management in the context of a system conversion or
selective data transition scenario, please look at SAP Note 2818267 – Data Volume Management
during migration 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.
Data Volume Planning Outcome:
•
•
•
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 Value Assurance – Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey – Explore
2.3.11. Clarify the impact on your authorization concept
Description
The objective of this task is to identify the impact on your future authorization concept and plan
the necessary tasks.
Procedure
Evaluate the quality and actuality of your authorization concept and compare this to the
requirements in your future S/4HANA system.
•
•
•
•
Green field implementation?
Consolidation of more than one old SAP System into one S/4HANA system? Which
authorization concept is in the lead in the future system?
Adaption or upgrade of the existing authorization concept or re-design and improvement
for the new system?
Use the synergies in the business blueprint to improve the quality of your processes and
your authorization concept
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers a “Security Design” service component that delivers an authorization concept for your
future SAP S/4HANA System. The service component contains an “SoD-conflict-free Best
Practice Role Catalog” on a modular basis, and with a clear structure.
In a brownfield project, the service component starts with a usage analysis that can merge data
from different systems and matches the required scope against the roles of the catalog. It
automatically transfers the transactions of the usage date from the old systems to FIORI
recommendations in the roles in the new system. It follows the minimal authorization principles
and brings the highest flexibility via derivation to an organizational level.
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• SAP Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
2.3.12. Prepare Interface Register
Description
The purpose of the interface register task is to preliminarily identify the external systems,
applications, and business objects or transactions that must be integrated with the SAP S/4HANA
system to realize the objectives of the project.
Requirements and Constraints
The interface register contains all interfaces and therefore allows to scope and plan the
implementation project. The customer must have a clear vision of the to-be system & solution
architecture with interfaces.
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
2. Process and Data Integration in Hybrid Landscapes
• Refined Guidance for Process, B2B and Data Integration
• Integration Solution Advisory Methodology (ISA-M)
• SAP API Strategy
• Integration Automation
• SAP S/4HANA Transition 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.
See accelerator section for links.
Accelerators
• CIO Guide: SAP’s Hybrid Integration Platform for the Intelligent Enterprise
• CIO Guide: Process and Data Integration in Hybrid Landscapes
• 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
2.3.13. 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.
How SAP Can Support
Please make yourself familiar with integration by reading the SAP whitepaper and CIO guides
listed in the accelerator section.
The “Integration Assessment (INA)” service component explains the interface register concept
in SAP Solution Manager 7.2 to customers. It supports the setup process and helps analyze 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
• SAP Integration Suite
• SAP Whitepaper - Integration for Intelligent Enterprises: Unlocking Adaptability and
Efficiency
• CIO Guide: SAP’s Hybrid Integration Platform for the Intelligent Enterprise
• CIO Guide: Process and Data Integration in Hybrid Landscapes
• Interface Register Template
• SAP API discovery
2.3.14. Run a first Assessment on Output Management
Description
SAP S/4HANA introduces a new style of output management (OM).
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 PostProcessing). 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.
Requirements and Constraints
This task is of particular interest for system conversion scenarios, and for selective data
transitions which start with a system conversion.
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
2.3.15. Run a first Assessment on Training Requirements
Description
The objective of this task is to identify the enablement scope for end user training.
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
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers “Training and Adoption Services” to support customers in implementation projects. For
instance, SAP offers services for a custom-fit training strategy for the project team and for end
users, based on a “Training Needs Analysis”.
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• SAP Training and Adoption Services
2.3.16. Optional: 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.
Requirements and Constraints
This task is of particular interest for system conversion. However, customers who would like to
replace an existing SAP ERP with a new implementation of SAP S/4HANA should be aware of
significant security changes (technical and functional).
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP can support this activity by either running a Security Assessment as part of SAP Premium
Success Engagement, or by setting up and executing a holistic Security Engagement that can be
tailored to your business and IT requirements.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information and services on security in the context of
SAP S/4HANA in the “Become competent” section of the “Explore” learning journey.
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
2.4. Transition Preparation
Description
This activity covers all preparation work which happens before the project starts. The intention to
exclude the preparation work in an extra activity is also to keep the business downtime small during
cutover weekend. However, each significant preparation item should have been discussed upfront in
the appropriate planning workshops in the Transition Planning activity.
The list below shows typical areas which need preparation because of common functionality changes
with SAP S/4HANA, and recommended readings. Each item is documented by one or multiple
simplification items you will find in the simplification item catalog.
In addition, the Regional Implementation Group has created many knowledge assets around transition
to SAP S/4HANA based on their project experience. A good overview is provided in the SAP Blog
“SAP S/4HANA 1909 System Conversion Steps & Details – How to be prepared”. You will find this
one, and a link for getting a fresh list of blogs tagged with “S/4HANA RIG” in the accelerator section.
You should scan this list from time to time for updates.
For system conversion:
•
The migration of customers and vendors to Business Partner (“Customer/Vendor Integration”)
o See the “SAP Blog “Business Partner – Customer-Vendor Integration S/4HANA”
from the Regional Implementation Group (RIG) on this topic
o For details, look at the “SAP S/4HANA Cookbook on Customer / Vendor
Integration”
o As the Business Partner is a leading object within SAP S/4HANA, a business partner
must be assigned to each employee. Please refer to SAP Notes 2340095 – S4TWL –
Conversion of Employees to Business Partners and 2265093 – S4TWL - Business
Partner Approach. The employee to business partner integration is influencing the
synchronization between Customer / Vendor and Business Partner and vice versa.
The “SAP S/4HANA Cookbook - Employee Business Partner Integration” is
intended as guidance on the topic of employee to business partner synchronization.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
MRP
o
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)
o See SAP Note 2223144 - S/4 HANA - Foreign Trade in SD/MM
o Also look up 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/4 HANA- 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
o 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
o See SAP Note 2225170 - S/4 HANA SD-Revenue Recognition
Material number field extension
The impact of SAP S/4HANA on BW extractors
Data consistency analysis of transactional data and totals. This is of particular interest in the
finance area and should be addressed at the latest in the first sandbox conversion.
The cleanup of custom code
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.
Business data cleanup and archiving in front of a system conversion, to reduce DB system
size and expected business downtime during conversion.
The upgrade of existing SAP application server: Please look at SAP Note 2620910 - SAP
S/4HANA 1511, 1610, 1709 and SAP BW/4HANA 1.0: Recommended Application Server
Platforms and check if your current SAP application server in use are still supported with your
SAP S/4HANA target release.
The upgrade of an existing central Fiori Frontend Server.
Upgrade of depending 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 1909 System Conversion Steps & Details – How to be prepared”, or into the
chapter “List of Application-Specific Preparations” in the Conversion guide.
For new implementation:
•
•
Cleanup of source data
Upgrade of depending hub systems
A detailed description of new implementation projects including preparation work can be retrieved
from the SAP Best Practices Explorer (see accelerator section). Look up:
•
SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition for new implementation
Requirements and Constraints
The activity is recommended for all scenarios. It relies on findings from the Transition Planning
activity.
Procedure
• Execute on Follow-Ups from Transition Planning
• Clean up or Archive Data
• Custom Code Cleanup & Improve
• Decommission Unused Code
• Prepare Tools for Project Support and import SAP Best Practices
Accelerators
• Simplification Item Catalog
• SAP Best Practices Explorer
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Conversion guide for all releases
here)
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA 2020 System Conversion Steps & Details – How to be prepared
• SAP Blog List tagged with “S/4HANA RIG”
• SAP Blog - Business Partner – Customer-Vendor Integration S/4 HANA
• SAP Blog - Conversion to SAP S/4HANA- Insights into Finance Data Migration
• 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 2714344 - Financial data migration to SAP S/4HANA: Most frequent Error
Messages – Information and Recommendations
• SAP S/4HANA Cookbook - Customer/Vendor Integration
• SAP Note 2340095 - S4TWL - Conversion of Employees to Business Partners
• SAP Note 2265093 - S4TWL - Business Partner Approach
• SAP S/4HANA Cookbook - Employee Business Partner Integration
• 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 Community Blog - New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 1
SAP Note 2620910 - SAP S/4HANA 1511, 1610, 1709 and SAP BW/4HANA 1.0:
Recommended Application Server Platforms
Business Process Improvement
Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital Transformation
SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
2.4.1. Execute on Follow-Ups from Transition Planning
Objective
The goal of this task is to plan and execute all preparation activities which should happen before
the transition project starts.
Prerequisites
There is a high-level transition planning document stored in SAP Solution Manager. This
preparation activity is of particular relevance in case of a system conversion.
Procedure
• Properly analyze all preparation items which have been identified in the Transition Planning
activity. This could be for instance the Customer/Vendor Integration (CVI), or the use of SAP
GTS instead of Foreign Trade, or the replacement of a partner add-on, which is not released
for SAP S/4HANA.
• Regarding CVI, please see:
SAP constantly optimizes die CVI cockpit (transaction CVI_COCKPIT). It takes you through all
phases of the pre-project to convert to Business Partner.
•
•
•
• SAP S/4HANA Cookbook on Customer / Vendor Integration
• SAP S/4HANA Cookbook - Employee Business Partner Integration
• SAP Note 2265093 – S4TWL - Business Partner Approach
• All additional notes and blogs linked in the accelerator section.
Please note that SAP has enhanced CVI related check information in the SAP Readiness
Check for SAP S/4HANA. The new check reports on synchronization status, indicates the
implementation effort for the customer vendor integration, and provides information about the
integration of master data to and from other SAP systems (such as SAP CRM or SAP Master
Data Governance). See SAP Blog “New Customer Vendor Integration Analysis (CVIA)
Check in SAP Readiness Check is Now Live” for more information.
Check the quality of your financial business data early either in your productive SAP ERP, or
in a copy of production as part of the sandbox setup (see task Finalize mandatory system
preparation activities (System conversion only) for more details). SAP provides a check report
to identify the most critical data inconsistencies which must be corrected upfront of a
conversion to SAP S/4HANA. See SAP Note 2755360 - Reconciliation prior to S/4HANA
Conversion – for details.
Plan in detail the execution of these items. This could result in own projects depending on the
scope of the item. It is in the responsibility of the Project Management work stream to take
care of proper project planning.
Execute the item according to the plan.
How SAP Can Support
SAP provides additional information for typical preparation activities in case of a system
conversion, for instance:
•
•
•
•
The Conversion Guide
The SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA 1909 System Conversion Steps & Details – How to be
prepared
A Best Practice Guide on the Business Partner Approach (Customer Vendor Integration)
– see attachments of SAP Note 2265093
SAP expert blogs from the Regional Implementation Group (RIG)
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.
For more information on both service components, see accelerator section.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA 2020 System Conversion Steps & Details – How to be
prepared
• Simplification Item Catalog
• SAP S/4HANA Cookbook - Employee Business Partner Integration
• SAP Note 2265093 - S4TWL - Business Partner Approach
• SAP Blog - List of certified ABAP Add-Ons for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 2214409 - SAP S/4HANA: Compatible Add-ons
• SAP Note 3094994 - SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 2021: Compatible partner
products
• SAP Certified Solutions Directory
• SAP Note 2755360 - Reconciliation prior to S/4HANA Conversion
• SAP Best Practices Explorer
• 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 Blog - S/4HANA- New Asset Accounting – Considering Key Aspects
• SAP S/4HANA Cookbook - Customer/Vendor Integration
• SAP Note 2832085 - New Central Cockpit for Customer Vendor Integration (CVI) to
Business Partner
• SAP Note 2743494 - Prevalidation: Master Data Consistency Check
• SAP Blog - New CVI Cockpit – Enabling Movement to SAP S/4HANA through seamless
BP Synchronization
2.4.2. Clean up of Archive Data
Objective
In this task you clean up or archive data in the productive SAP system (before it gets converted).
See the accelerator section for a procedure description.
Requirements and Constraints
This task is of particular interest in case of a system conversion scenario.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP can support this task with the "Cleanup / Archive" scope option, which is 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.
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
2.4.3. Decommission Unused Code (Optional Task)
Objective
The objective of this task is to decommission custom code which is not in use upfront of a system
conversion. Although this task is optional, it is highly recommended to avoid adjustment efforts for
coding which is not required.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
•
Set up the Decommissioning Cockpit in SAP Solution Manager. Decommission unused
custom code as documented in the accelerator section.
•
•
•
Compare the list of used code (identified via UPL or business process documentation), with
the custom code inventory list. This helps you to identify code that is not in use.
You can also remove unused custom code from your system using SUM tool when it is
converted. This scenario does not require SAP Solution Manager, but the Fiori App “Custom
Code Migration”. For details please see the SAP Blog “Custom code analysis for SAP
S/4HANA with SAP Fiori App Custom Code Migration”.
Please note: Custom code may become redundant in case you can use SAP standard
functionality instead. The Custom Code Migration app offers a dashboard showing your
custom code in combination with the frequency of changes (transports). Complex custom
objects which are changed frequently are “expensive” for your company thus potentially good
candidates for a “Back-to-Standard” analysis.
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.
How SAP Can Support
Please see the documentation on custom code migration recommended in task “Clarify on
Custom Code”.
If not already done, SAP can help you setting up the required tools for custom code management
and making you familiar with these. This service component is called “Custom Code
Management Tools Enablement”:
The Custom Code Management Tools Enablement service component 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.
Per default the project scope includes the implementation of Custom Code Lifecycle
Management and activation of Usage and Procedure Logging tool. Depending on the
customer’s requirements, the project scope can be extended to facilitate the configuration
of other tools as well, e.g. ABAP Test Cockpit, Clone Finder or Decommissioning Cockpit.
The empowering part of the project includes the knowledge transfer about the tools which
are included in the scope.
In a next step, SAP can help you creating a tailored retirement strategy. This service component
is called “Custom Code Retirement”:
The Custom Code Retirement service component offers a customer-tailored strategy for
identification and decommissioning of unused custom code. Custom code retirement is
one of the important innovation readiness aspects, which allows the customers to reduce
maintenance cost and free up resources for innovative new projects. The purpose of proof
of the concept for a custom code retirement project is to set up a continuously running
project for identification of custom code objects which according to statistics collected in
the production system are not being used. It helps the customer to define the customertailored approach for the analysis of the objects - candidates for retirement, their
monitoring and decommissioning from the system(s) of the customer’s landscape.
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• Custom Code Migration Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2021
• Service Information – Service Components for Custom Code Management
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
•
Decommissioning with CCLM in Solution Manager SP12
2.4.4. Improve Custom Code Quality Measures (Optional Task)
Objective
The objective of this task is to improve the software quality of your custom code upfront of a
system conversion. It also seeks for quality improvement within the development process in
general (thus relevant for all scenarios).
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:
•
•
•
•
Set up an efficient custom code quality management process and project
Implement the corresponding Software Quality check tools, like SAP ABAP Test cockpit or
SAP Code Inspector
Incorporate them in the development process
Test your newly implemented quality measures by running a code quality improvement
project.
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.
How SAP Can Support
In a first step and if not already done, SAP can help you setting up the required tools for custom
code management and making you familiar with these. This service component is called “Custom
Code Management Tools Enablement”:
The Custom Code Management Tools Enablement service component is to perform the
CCM tools initialization and configuration in the customer’s SAP environment and to
facilitate the knowledge transfer about the tools operation to the customer’s organization.
Per default the project scope includes the implementation of Custom Code Lifecycle
Management and activation of Usage and Procedure Logging tool. Depending on the
customer’s requirements, the project scope can be extended to facilitate the configuration
of other tools as well, e.g. ABAP Test Cockpit, Clone Finder or Decommissioning Cockpit.
The empowering part of the project includes the knowledge transfer about the tools which
are included in the scope.
In a next step, SAP can review your strategy on custom code quality, and help you with a code
quality improvement project. This service component is called Custom Code Quality
Improvement”:
The Custom Code Management Quality Improvement service component offers a
customer-tailored approach for an efficient custom code quality management. The
purpose of a custom code quality optimization project is to describe the overall quality
management approach, the related tools and necessary steps required to be performed in
order to continuously monitor and improve the quality of custom code objects in
customer’s solution. In the project, current customer’s quality improvement project is
reviewed. An efficient customer tailored quality management for identification of custom
code objects with potential for code quality improvement is set up.
SAP also offers to check the security of your custom code. It can be done within the “Custom
Code Quality Management” service. This service helps to analyze and offer transparency on the
security situation of the existing custom code, including customer own objects and modifications.
It identifies security vulnerabilities in customer own ABAP code and provides the up-to-date knowhow and best practices of code security enabled by the SAP NetWeaver Application Server addon for Code Vulnerability Analysis (CVA). With the results of the analysis, the adjustments on
custom code and security vulnerabilities can be reviewed and mitigated in an early stage. This
helps customer reduce efforts for change adoptions and facilitates a smooth completion of the
identified adjustments and vulnerabilities.
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.
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Custom Code Management
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
• Custom Code Quality Management - Security Check Service
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
2.4.5. Prepare Tools for Project Support
Objective
There should be at least an SAP Solution Manager 7.2 already set up and configured on-premise.
See Accelerator’s section for more details how to set up SAP Solution Manager.
Requirements and Constraints
SAP Solution Manager is required for all scenarios. SAP Solution Manager does both support
project execution (e.g. scoping business processes together with SAP Activate), as well as
support operations of the new SAP S/4HANA system after Go-Live (e.g. via system monitoring
and root cause analysis). This road map considers SAP Solution Manager 7.2 as available. In
case this release level is not available on-premise, SAP offers SAP Solution Manager also via
Cloud Appliance Library (CAL).
Procedure
• In case there is an SAP Solution Manager 7.2 available on-premise, update to the latest
support pack.
• In case this release level is not available on-premise, SAP also offers SAP Solution Manager
via SAP Cloud Appliance Library (SAP CAL), and use this SAP Solution Manager for project
support.
• The general sequence for the implementation of an SAP Solution Manager system is as
follows:
o You plan the implementation (such as scope, hardware and software requirements,
and release restrictions).
o You plan the system landscape for your use cases.
o You install the components of your SAP Solution Manager system.
o You configure your system.
o You set up the connection to the managed systems.
• Once SAP Solution Manager is set up, the following areas are key for project support:
o Solution Implementation – the identification, adaptation, and implementation of new
and enhanced business scenarios.
Solution Documentation – centralized documentation repository ensuring the
relationship of business process definitions with technical configuration decisions.
o Change Control Management – synchronized deployment of application
configuration with integrated project control and quality management.
SAP provides customers with an SAP Solution Manager toolset that supports customers in
implementation of the project standards for the purposes of the project or operations. It is
highly recommended for new implementation scenarios to use the SAP Solution Manager
Focused Build solution. Additional details can be found in the accelerator section. It also
contains a link to an overview presentation which documents how Focused Build and SAP
Activate nicely fit together.
In case SAP Signavio is foreseen to support the functional design, a document repository for
the project team needs to be created. In this case, use SAP Signavio as the central repository
for all the process related content. 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.
Review SAP Signavio Documentation accelerator for more information.
o
•
•
Results
You have set up SAP Solution Manager and configured for project support. Alternatively, SAP
Signavio has been configured as a central repository for process related content.
How SAP Can Support
All customers are invited to join the OpenSAP training on SAP Solution Manager for SAP
S/4HANA Implementation in a Nutshell”.
SAP 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.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information on the basic configuration of SAP
Solution Manager in the “Become competent” section of the “Prepare” learning journey.
Accelerators
• Setup WIKI for SAP Solution Manager
• SAP Solution Manager WIKI - Solution Documentation and Implementation
• SAP CAL Community
• Focused Build for SAP Solution Manager
• SAP Activate and Focused Build
• SAP Signavio Documentation (Public)
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Prepare
• Service Information - Value Assurance Foundation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
2.4.6. Import the Best Practices Content
Objective
The purpose of this task is to import the SAP Activate Best Practices content either in SAP
Signavio or into SAP Solution Manager depending on which tool will support the functional design
activities.
Prerequisites
SAP Signavio or SAP Solution Manager 7.2 is available for project support.
Procedure
In case SAP Solution Manager shall be used:
The following screen shot shows a Best Practices business process diagram in SAP Solution
Manager.
Figure: Process diagram in SAP Solution Manager 7.2
Follow the detailed instructions given in chapter “Identify, select and load SAP Best Practices
content into SAP Solution Manager 7.2” in the Best Practice Reference Guide, to import SAP
Activate Best Practice content into SAP Solution Manager 7.2.
After import, the Best Practice process diagrams including documentation and test scripts are
available in SAP Solution Manager and can be used and tailored in the subsequent Fit-toStandard workshops with the business process champions.
In case SAP Signavio shall be used:
Identify the relevant best practices content in the SAP Best Practices Explorer. Request SAP Best
Practices import to SAP Signavio by contacting SAP Signavio support (support@signavio.com).
Results
The newest Best Practices content is available for the project team either in SAP Solution
Manager or in SAP Signavio.
How SAP Can Support
See service component “Agile Methodology and Tool Coach”, which consists of a single point
of contact, who is responsible for all activities around the implementation and operation of focused
build. The focused build coach is your contact to discuss all topics related to implementation
methodology. He or she makes sure all issues are resolved and that you receive the included
configuration services and trainings at the right point in time with the right skills from SAP.
Accelerators
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Service Information - Value Assurance Foundation
• Focused Build for SAP Solution Manager
• SAP Activate and Focused Build
• SAP Best Practices Explorer
• SAP Signavio Documentation (Public)
2.5. Project Initiation
Description
An important part of the Prepare Phase of a project is the formal setup of the project. This needs to be
aligned between SAP and the customer.
The assumptions with respect to Project Management are as follows:
•
The customer has bought one of the four SAP Value Assurance service packages.
•
The SAP Technical Quality Manager (TQM) and the access to SAP’s Mission Control
Center and Premium Mission Critical Support is part of each and every Value Assurance
package. The SAP TQM is your contact partner to discuss all topics related to your transition
project. The TQM makes sure that all issues are resolved, and you receive the services and
support activities at the right point in time with the right skills from SAP.
•
SAP TQM tasks and deliverables:
•
•
Setup of the governance structure for your project
•
•
Leadership for scope definition and execution of all tasks done by SAP
Definition and review of quality gates
SAP Mission Control Center:
• Access to the whole SAP back office organization including SAP Development
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•
•
•
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Verification of engagement plans
Access to premium mission critical support
• Support for delta requirement clarifications
There is a project manager from the customer and/or implementation partner, and the
SAP TQM who supports to run this project. The roles and responsibilities in the project,
especially those that are leading the project (customer or partner) are defined.
The customer is managing the project by either using a 3rd party software (e.g. Microsoft MS
Project), or SAP IT Portfolio & Project Management. SAP provides project templates for
download as a starting point, which need to be adapted to the customer project
specifics.
The Quality Gates are managed in SAP Solution Manager by the SAP TQM. All important
documents and Quality Gate check lists are stored there. There are several applications in
SAP Solution Manager to service this aim:
• IT Portfolio & Project Management (ITPPM; formerly known as cProjects)
• Project road map (transaction RMMAIN)
• Project Management (transactions SOLAR*)
As of SAP Solution Manager 7.2, ITPPM should be used for managing Quality Gates.
•
Documents that need to be shared across the project team (e.g. Risk-Response-Log),
are stored in SAP Solution Manager, e.g. by attaching them to the corresponding activity
and/or task in SAP ITPPM. Alternatively, in case of SAP Value Assurance, SAP JAM could be
used for sharing documents across the project teams.
• Quality Gate check lists can be sent to SAP for reporting and safeguarding reasons.
Project management in the context of an SAP implementation has been documented in detail in SAP
Activate road maps (e.g. “SAP Activate methodology for Business Suite and On-Premise –
Agile”). See accelerator section for a link.
All general project management activities, tasks, and accelerators can be taken from there, by filtering
on the Project Management work stream. This road map focuses on additional project tasks which are
owned by the SAP Technical Quality Manager (TQM).
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP Value Assurance supports this task with multiple service components, and offers the following
benefits:
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•
•
•
•
•
An established service plan with governance model
A defined scope and approach for the digital journey
Established quality gates for measurable on-time results
Access to deep, expert knowledge on a global level
Alignment to SAP Best Practices and gap verification to reduce overall complexity
Timely scorecard-based measurement for success
SAP Value Assurance always includes the Focus TQM described above. See accelerator section for a
service component description.
Accelerators
• Service Information - Value Assurance Foundation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Activate road map “SAP Activate methodology for Business Suite and On-Premise –
Agile”
• Project Plan Templates
• Project status report for SAP Activate / S/4HANA
2.5.1. Conduct Handover Meeting(s) from Opportunity Phase
Objective
The purpose of this task is to efficiently transition the project from the opportunity team to the
delivery team. During this task the project manager schedules and conducts internal meetings to
transfer key information from the opportunity phase into the project.
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
2.5.2. Review Order Form with Customer
Objective
The purpose of this task is to clarify any questions regarding to the Signed SAP Contract (SOW),
Order Form, confirm scope, RACI and resolve any issues. This includes review of the delivery
model.
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
2.5.3. Identify Stakeholders, Stakeholders’ Requirements and Expectations and
Project/Deliverable Acceptance Criteria
Objective
The stakeholder identification process is a critical process of initiating the project and aligning the
project objectives with the expectations and requirements of the stakeholders. It is critical for the
success of the project to identify and involve stakeholders and keep them engaged throughout the
project.
2.5.4. Set Stakeholder Expectations for Agile Project
Objective
The purpose of this task is to build agile awareness of key stakeholders and secure commitment
to adopt standard SAP functionality where possible. It is recommended to conduct informal and
formal meetings to set the expectations and confirm the project approach with key project
stakeholders.
2.5.5. Create Project Charter
Objective
The Project Charter formally documents the business needs and benefits of the project to confirm
alignment with customer key stakeholders. It authorizes the project and is based on the Order
Form(s) and Business Case. This document outlines the purpose, high level approach and key
characteristics that define the project. The key benefit of creating the Project Charter is a well-
defined project start and boundaries, and a direct way for senior management to accept and
commit to the project.
Project Charter Contents:
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•
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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.
Procedures
• 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
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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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)
2.6. Establish Project Governance
Description
Project Governance is an oversight function that is critical to the success of the project. It provides the
project manager(s) with a framework for consistently managing and controlling the project which
includes tools for decision making, role definition, responsibilities, accountability and the alignment of
stakeholders around the purpose of the project.
Tasks
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•
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Define Roles and Responsibilities
Define Project Organization
Review Project Management Plan
2.6.1. Define Roles and Responsibilities
Objective
The purpose of this task is to determine the structure and composition of the team and to ensure
that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. The assignment of people to roles should also
take into account their qualifications and availability for the entire project time frame.
The following roles are important for your SAP S/4HANA project:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
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)
2.6.2. Define Project Organization
Objective
The purpose of this task is to define the organizational structure of the project team.
2.6.3. Review Project Management Plan
Objective
The purpose of this deliverable is to review the project management plan and the subsidiary plans
on the basis of the project scope defined in the project charter.
2.7. Plan Project
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to properly plan the project to guide both project execution and
project control.
Procedure
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Create Scope Statement
Create WBS
Create Project Schedule
Create Budget
Plan Quality
Plan Communications
Plan Risks
Plan Procurement
Plan Stakeholders Management
2.7.1. Create Scope Statement
Objective
The purpose of this task is to prepare the scope document with the pre-defined content according
to the Statement of Work (SOW) and solution documentation. The project scope statement
evolves through the initiation and planning of the project and clearly and explicitly defines the
deliverables of the proposed project. This information and supporting documents align key
stakeholders around what the project is going to deliver.
2.7.2. Create WBS
Objective
The purpose of this task is to create the work breakdown structure (WBS) for the project, which is
a deliverable-oriented, hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed to complete the
project by the project team. It is the basis for the organization and coordination of the project. A
WBS consists of WBS elements that describe project tasks and subtasks to perform within a
defined time period.
•
•
•
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
2.7.3. Create Project Schedule
Objective
The purpose of this task is to create a project schedule. The detailed project schedule defines the
work to be performed, the resources and associated time commitments required for the project,
and the individual phases of the project. The work breakdown structure (WBS) serves as the
foundation for the project schedule and deliverables to be produced as part of the project.
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)
2.7.5. Plan Quality
Objective
The purpose of this task is to identify the standards of the project and how the quality will be
managed and validated throughout the implementation of the project.
Accelerators
• QGateChecklist Concept SAP Activate
• QGateChecklist Template Introduction
•
Quality Built In New QGateChecklist
2.7.6. Plan Communications
Objective
The purpose of this task is to plan the communication management and define the communication
requirements for the project.
Accelerators
• Communication Plan Overview Template (Customer)
2.7.7. Plan Risks
Objective
The purpose of this task is to plan and define the project risks.
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.
2.7.9. Plan Stakeholders Management
Objective
The purpose of this task is to plan the appropriate management strategies to identify and engage
stakeholders.
Accelerators
• OCM Stakeholder Identification Guide (Customer)
• OCM Stakeholder Identification Template (Customer)
2.8. Project Kick-off and On-Boarding
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to kick-off the project and ensure that all required information is
shared with the project team resources, key stakeholders, and anybody involved in the project. The
goal of the kickoff meeting is to ensure that everybody involved in the project understands the goals
and objectives of the project, as well as the schedule that the project team will follow, which is one of
the key ingredients for a successful project execution.
Tasks
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Prepare for Kick-off Meeting
Conduct Kick-off Meeting
Prepare Team Onboarding Document
On-board Project Team
2.8.1. Prepare for Kick-off Meeting
Objective
The purpose of this task is to prepare the kick-off meeting which will help ensure the involvement
of the team and other key resources and their commitment to the project schedule.
Accelerators
• Project Kick-off Template (Customer)
2.8.2. Conduct Kick-off Meeting
Objective
The purpose of this task is to schedule and prepare the project kick-off meeting. The kick-off
meeting includes discussion of project objectives, organizational structure, roles and
responsibilities, project governance, schedule, scope, communication standards, change request
process, and decision-making process. The kick-off meeting is attended by the project team, key
stakeholders, project sponsor and company executives. Some resources may attend the kick-off
meeting remotely. In such cases it is important to ensure good audio and video infrastructure, so
the remote participants can take full part in the kickoff meeting session. Use the attached
accelerator as a template to prepare kick-off meeting materials specific to your project.
2.8.3. Prepare Team On-boarding Document
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to prepare the onboarding package for external consultants from
SAP and partner companies.
Accelerators
• Project Guideline Template (Customer)
2.8.4. On-board Project Team
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to prepare the on-boarding package for external consultants and
new project team members from SAP and partner companies coming to the project. The onboarding package contains the essential information that each new team member needs to
understand, which is the purpose of the project, goals, operating procedures, and other key
information.
The on-boarding package typically contains the following information:
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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
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Overview of the existing SAP landscape
Outline of regular project meetings
Travel policies, dress code, project location, and other project guidelines as needed.
2.9. Project Standards & Infrastructure
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to provide consistent means of executing and governing project
work in an efficient and effective manner. The key objective of Project Standards is to identify, define,
approve, and communicate standards related to project execution. Where and when applicable, the
current customer processes and procedures, related to the project standards should be taken into
account when defining the most suitable standards for the project. Project team needs to setup tools
like SAP Solution Manager to enable execution of specific project standards. The SAP Solution
Manager application management solution is included in customer’s SAP maintenance agreement,
and provides all integrated content, processes, tools, and methodologies you need to efficiently
implement, operate, monitor, and support all your SAP and non-SAP applications. SAP Solution
Manager is also the hub for collaboration within the SAP ecosystem, to ensure delivery of high-quality
services and support for your mission-critical business processes. This enables better operations and
faster implementation at lower costs.
Procedure:
1. Install and Setup SAP Solution Manager
2. Setup Project Team Logistics and Infrastructure
3. Setup and Test Remote Support
2.9.1. Define Project Standards
Objective
The purpose of this task is to identify, define, approve, and communicate standards related to
project execution. Project standards provide a consistent means of executing and governing
project work in an efficient and effective manner.
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
•
Business Process Modeling Solution
•
Configuration and Documentation
•
Custom Code / Development
•
Authorizations / Security
•
Test Planning and Execution
•
Change and Release Management
•
Post-implementation Support and Operations
2.9.2. Determine Operational Standards
Objective
The purpose of the Operational Standards task is to provide consistent means of executing and
governing project work in an efficient and effective manner. The key objective of Project
Standards is to identify, define, approve, and communicate standards related to project execution.
Where and when applicable, the current customer processes and procedures that are related to
the project standards should be taken into account when defining the most suitable standards for
the project.
Determine Solution Documentation Procedure
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.
Determine Solution Implementation Procedure
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.
Determine Template Management Procedure
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.
Determine Test Management Procedure
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.
Determine Application Incident Management Procedure
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
Determine Technical Operations
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.
Determine Business Process Operations
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.
Determine Maintenance Management
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).
Determine Upgrade Management
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
• Best practices for Implementing CTS+
• SAP Support Standards
2.9.3. Define and Set Up Agile Project Standards and ALM Tools
Objective
The purpose of this task is to define and set up SCRUM standards and tools, such as SCRUM
board, burn-down chart, product backlog template and retrospective template. Organization of
daily stand-up meetings, scrum-of-scrum-, release/sprint planning and retrospective meetings. At
this time the project also needs to prepare definition of Ready and definition of Done for each
critical step in the iteration. At minimum the team needs to prepare and agree on definition of
Ready and Done for the following:
•
Ready for Build (e.g. backlog item has a proper size, it is clearly defined and understood,
test procedure is defined, etc.)
•
Ready for Demo (e.g. backlog item is fully developed, and unit tested)
•
Ready for Integration Test (e.g. backlog item integration test is defined (automated), test
data is ready)
•
Ready for Release (e.g. backlog item user level documentation is complete, ALM Solution
Documentation is ready, Feature passed Integration Test)
Note that definition of Ready for one step in the implementation process == definition of Done
from the previous step. Using clear definition of Ready and Done is critical for SCRUM based
implementations.
Accelerators
• Agile Definition of Ready and Done (Customer)
•
Agile Sprint Burndown and Task Board (Customer)
2.9.4. Check Availability of SAP Solution Manager
Objective
SAP Solution Manager supports heterogeneous system environments. Its functions cover all
aspects of implementation, deployment, operation, and continuous improvement of solutions. As a
centralized, robust solution, SAP Solution Manager combines tools, content, and direct access to
SAP, to increase the reliability of solutions and lower total cost of ownership. SAP Solution
Manager is the pivotal hub for collaboration in the ecosystem, as it empowers communication
between all the stakeholders in a solution, including project teams, SAP partners, consulting and
SAP Active Global Support. SAP recommends customers to utilize the pre-configured
environment for SAP Solution Manager Focused Build that will provide ready-to-run SAP Solution
Manager environment. Alternatively, the customer may decide to install and setup the SAP
Solution Manager following the installation guide, that provides step-by-step process for
installation and setup of SAP Solution Manager. The general sequence for the implementation of
an SAP Solution Manager system is as follows: You plan the implementation (such as scope,
hardware and software requirements, release restrictions). You plan the system landscape for
your use cases. You install the components of your SAP Solution Manager system. You configure
your system. You set up the connection to the managed systems.
The objective of this task is to check availability of SAP Solution Manager environment for the
project team. This should be validated early in the project, if not before the project starts.
If there are no setup activity needed to be planned to install Solution Manager, ensure that the
technical team has completed the general Solution Manager set-up and then has covered the
process specific configuration in the following areas:
•
Process Documentation
•
ITSM
•
Project Management and Requirements
and activities scheduled to include the setup of:
•
Test Management
•
Change Control Management
•
Application Operations
Please ensure the following has been completed by the technical team:
•
customer specific access roles have been created
•
access roles created to provide digital signature approvals to documents
•
users created in the system (with appropriate access roles) and Business Partners
created and connected to users for all project team members
•
users can all access SAP Solution Manager and there is an appropriate schedule of
project team training for each project phase / key activity using SAP Solution Manager.
•
the procedure for requesting access to SAP Solution Manager and other systems and
tools is agreed, setup and communicated.
2.9.5. Set up Project Team Logistics and Infrastructure
Objective
The objective of this task is to setup a physical project team environment and ensure that the
project team members have appropriate level of access to the customer facility, project room and
the project systems. This activity also involves the setup of project team work stations/computers
and/or mobile devices (as necessary for the project support). The project manager together with
the technical team works on setup of the following (the questions in each area are geared to help
provide guidance):
Project Equipment
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Is there a requirement for hardware (e.g. servers, laptops, etc.)?
Are there any additional software licenses required?
Are the software licenses purchased?
Was the software installed for the project team members?
Is there an area planned for the project equipment?
Is there project equipment located in different geographical sites?
Is there any computer lab required for the project?
Physical Project Environment
•
•
•
•
•
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?
IT Infrastructure and Access
•
•
•
•
Is the LAN access available to the Project Team?
Has the LAN access been tested?
Do the Project Team Members have the necessary printer drivers installed?
Has IT access been granted for the following:
- E-mail servers
- Internet access, Intranet access
- Team collaboration space like SAP Jam
- MS-Office
- Project team specific applications like modeling tool, test management tools, etc.
Customer Policies
•
•
Is there a specific project policy applicable (communication, confidentiality, back-up, etc.)?
Has the project policy been communicated?
Physical Security
•
•
Has all necessary access been granted in different project sites?
Have all sites policies been communicated (e.g.security, safety, emergency exits, etc.)?
Telephone/Voice Mail
•
•
•
Is there a telephone number issued to project team members?
Has the Project Team Member been told how to set-up the voice mail?
Is there a central phone book for the project team members?
Project Team Member Equipment
•
•
•
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)
2.9.6. 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
2.10.
Execution, Monitoring, and Controlling of Results
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to execute the project management plan and control and monitor
the work defined in the project scope statement. Management plans developed during the project
preparation phase (see deliverable "Project Management Plan") guide the approach to management,
execution, and control of project activities. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that the
management plans are applied at the appropriate level of control.
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
2.10.1. Direct and Manage Project Execution
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to ensure that the project is executed according to what was agreed
to in the project charter, scope statement and project management plan.
Accelerators
• Backlog including Delta Requirements.xlsx
2.10.2. Monitor and Control Project Activities
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to ensure that resources are assigned to all scheduled project
activities (and tasks) and that work is progressing, and deliverables are produced as expected.
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)
2.10.4. Communicate Status and Progress to Project Stakeholders
Objective
The purpose of this activity to make sure that project stakeholders are aware of the status and
progress of the project including potential disturbances due to existing risks and issues.
Accelerators
• Project status report for SAP Activate / SAP S/4HANA
• Steering Committee Presentation Template (Customer)
• Team Status Report Template (Customer)
2.11.
Organizational Change Management Roadmap
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to present an overview of all planned change management
activities. It guarantees that all activities are related to each other as well as to the overall project plan
and ensures the "checkability" of OCM activities.
Tasks
• Prepare Organizational Change Management Roadmap
• Conduct OCM Workshop with project manager and all Project Workstreams Owners.
How SAP Can Support
Organizational change management and user adoption are key to every digital transformation project.
Activities should start right from the Prepare phase. SAP can support these critical elements by
providing expert assistance in:
•
•
•
•
•
Identifying and engaging stakeholder groups
Creating a change impact analysis
Facilitating role-mapping activities to document the changes in your organization and specific
job roles
Creating an OCM road map
Defining, managing, and executing change management deliverables, such as an OCM
charter and governance infrastructure, OCM risk mitigation strategy, OCM readiness
assessment, and OCM performance management practices
•
Establishing a communication plan and related activities to promote awareness and
acceptance of SAP software changes.
See accelerator section for more details on SAP Training and Adoption Services.
Project implementations—especially large-scale, multi-year transformations like SAP S/4HANA—are
huge resource investments for IT and the business. Yet many transformation projects fail. Putting the
voice of employees - internal and external project teams, project stakeholders, UAT testers, and
employee end-users - at the center of an implementation, is more important than ever before.
Gathering continuous, actionable employee insights at key phases and milestones ensures teams
have a shared understanding of project scope, trust working together and remain resilient through
setbacks, and have confidence in the project’s overall success - ultimately helping keep the
implementation on track, minimize team burnout, meet the intended purpose and expected adoption,
and maximize business impact on employee enablement, productivity and revenue.
Transformation projects may fail, because feedback from involved employees has not been collected
and considered sufficiently. Consider safeguarding your upcoming transformation to SAP S/4HANA
with the “Deep Transformation Insights” service component as part of “Planning the Digital
Transformation”, which supports SAP implementation projects from initialization to “go-live” and
beyond. The service component uses pre-configured surveys in SAP Qualtrics to capture and
combine real-time user sentiments (X-data) with operational project data (O-data), and provides
support in interpreting the collected data. The service component can be used for all phases of a
transformation, and individual starting points are possible. However, it is recommended starting as
early as possible in the project.
See accelerator section for more information.
Accelerators
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Training and Adoption Services
• Deep Transformation Insights
• Organizational Change Management Guide (Customer)
2.11.1. Prepare Organizational Change Management Roadmap
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to collect all required input for the OCM roadmap and document it in
a format suitable for communication and inclusion into the project management plan.
Accelerators
• OCM Roadmap Presentation Sample (Customer)
2.11.2. Conduct OCM Workshop with Project Manager and all Project Workstream
Owners
Objective
The purpose of this workshop is to align with the entire project management team regarding OCM
activities to be conducted. The OCM roadmap, along with the stakeholder analysis on hand at this
stage should be shared. An initial communication strategy should be drafted as part of this
workshop.
2.12.
Phase Closure and Sign-Off Phase Deliverables
Description
The purpose of the phase closure and sign-off deliverable is to:
•
•
•
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
2.12.1. 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)
2.12.2. 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:
•
Specifically checking deliverables been completed with recommended practices
•
Assuring project planning
•
Validating open risks and issues, and measuring customer satisfaction
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
• QGateChecklist Template Introduction
• Quality Built In New QGate Checklist
• Q-Gate Check List for SAP S/4HANA implementations
2.12.3. Conduct Project Management Review Service
Objective
The purpose of this task is to execute a Project Management Review that provides a proactive
quality assurance review, with an impartial analysis of all aspects of the project - across all project
management disciplines, enabling early detection of project issues with actionable
recommendations.
2.12.4. Obtain Customer Sign-Off for Phase Completion
Objective
Purpose of this task is to obtain customer approval (sign-off).
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.
Figure: Activities in the Explore phase
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, or the setup of an SAP Digital Boardroom, 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-toStandard 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.
3.1. Phase Initiation
Description
The purpose of the phase initiation deliverable is to formally recognize that a new project phase starts.
Tasks
• Review Deliverables of Explore Phase
• Review Acceptance Criteria
• Review RACI Chart for Explore Phase
3.1.1.
Review Deliverables of Explore Phase
Objective
The purpose of this task is to review all Deliverables of the Explore Phase with the Customer.
3.1.2.
Review Acceptance Criteria
Objective
The purpose of this task is to review the acceptance criteria with the Customer.
3.1.3.
Review RACI Chart for Explore Phase
Objective
The purpose of this task is to review the RACI Chart for the Explore Phase with the Customer.
3.2. Learning Design
Description
In this activity, the training requirements for key user and end users are analyzed and documented.
Based on the analysis, a training plan will be designed, and executed in the following project phases.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all activities. It is based on an initial assessment processed in the Prepare
phase of the project (see activity Transition Planning).
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.
3.2.1. Develop a Training Concept
Objective
The objective of this task is to develop a training concept for key users and end users based on
planned applications, existing skills levels, knowledge gaps, and locations of training
requirements.
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
o
o
o
Further re-evaluate the business processes (including user interfaces) in scope for
implementation and analyze the required skills.
Evaluate SAP individual standard training from SAP Education courses (Classroom and
Web-based Trainings)
Develop and document a training concept including obligatory and recommended training
per user role, mentoring, coaching, and in alignment with the project plan
Per future role, assign users to trainings.
Please keep in mind:
•
•
Skill levels, knowledge gaps, and training requirements could depend on the location of
end users.
Special care needs to be taken for key users:
o Key users are often involved in various implementation activities throughout the
project (e.g. testing the newly implemented functionality). Therefore, they need to
be trained early.
o Key users could potentially support and run in end-user trainings.
o After Go-Live, key users play an important role in customer’s incident
management process. In case of issues or questions, end users can contact their
local key users first, before filing an incident.
SAP recommends establishing a network of well-trained key users as part of the transition
project.
Results
A training concept has been developed and documented.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers “Training and Adoption Services” to support customers in implementation projects. For
instance, SAP offers services for a custom-fit training strategy for the project team and for end
users, based on a “Training Needs Analysis”.
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• SAP Training and Adoption Services
3.3. Activate Solution
Description
The purpose of this activity is to ensure, that a functional system is available to be used for demonstration
and visualization purposes during Fit-to-Standard workshops. This is an essential part of the overall
implementation strategy as this is the foundation to start with a pre-configured solution already during the
explore phase.
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-toStandard workshops per solution capability to determine relevant deltas so that the solution matches the
business needs.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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.
If not already done in the Project Delivery Platform Setup activity (Explore phase), SAP recommends to
install or update SAP Solution Manager to the latest version. This includes:
•
•
The technical installation of SAP Solution Manager on one client
The implementation of the technical baseline of SAP Solution Manager to use basic functions:
▪
Connection of SAP Solution Manager using the Managed Systems Configuration Wizard to
the three-system landscape
▪
Connection of the three-system landscape to the Monitoring and Alerting Infrastructure (MAI)
Setup of basic functions like Early watch Alert, Diagnostics and the collaboration platform with SAP.
Procedure
The procedure differs depending on your scenario:
•
•
•
In case of a system conversion, mandatory system preparation needs to be finalized.
In case of a new implementation, the activation scope should be reconfirmed. Content activation
should happen accordingly.
Either way, make sure that SAP Fiori is properly configured in the sandbox.
•
For all scenarios you may set up integration with additional test systems (SAP / Non-SAP).
How SAP Can Support
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find information on SAP Fiori configuration for SAP S/4HANA in
the “Become competent” section of the “Explore” learning journey.
See accelerator section for more details.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA Fully-Activated Appliance
• SAP S/4HANA Trial Version
• Focused Build for SAP Solution Manager
• SAP Activate and Focused Build
• SAP Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the accelerator section
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Explore
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• 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
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Note 2573352 - SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) Activation in a client with
SAP_ALL copy
3.3.1. Finalize mandatory system preparation activities (System conversion only)
Objective
In case of a system conversion, the sandbox should be set up at that start of the Explore phase to
support the Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design. A system conversion is done on a copy of the
production system. Refer to the deliverable “Sandbox Setup / Conversion”. This activity covers
post-conversion activities that may be required e.g. in the finance area.
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;
•
•
•
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). 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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “Mandatory Preparation for System Conversion” service
component– see the description of services and service components in the accelerator section.
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
3.3.2. Reconfirmation of Scope for Activation (New Implementation only)
Objective
In this task the business process scope of the sandbox system is reconfirmed, to avoid a
mismatch in process configuration.
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 Best Practices Explorer. Alternatively, study the best practices content of
SAP Activate in SAP Solution Manager 7.2 after successful import.
Accelerators
• SAP Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the accelerator section
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 onpremise), 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 the SAP Best Practice Explorer does no longer offer
configuration guides. Instead, 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 Best Practices Explorer
• SAP Note 3053781 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 collective note for content activation
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA 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
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
3.3.4. Set up Integration with other Test Systems
Objective
To be able to design cross-system business processes later in Fit-to-Standard workshops it might
be required to integrate your newly created sandbox with other test systems (SAP / Non-SAP).
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This task is recommended for all scenarios.
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:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Setup B2B Integration
Setup A2A Integration (On-Premise & Cloud)
Setup Solution Manager Integration
Setup Output Management
Setup User Interface (UI) Integration
Setup Internet of Things (IoT) Integration
Results
Your sandbox is properly integrated with test bordering systems, and ready to support Fit-toStandard Analysis / Design.
How SAP Can Support
To assess the existing integration setup, the “Integration Assessment (INA)” service component
explains the central 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.
Regarding B2B integration, SAP recommends using the “B2B Integration Cockpit” for
monitoring and administration.
For A2A integration, you should look up integration best practices which can be found in the SAP
Best Practices Explorer. 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.
SAP supports the integration setup of SAP Solution Manager with the “Implementation of SAP
Solution Manager for IT Operations” service. Please ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client
Partner) for more information. 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.
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
• Configuring B2B Processes
• Defining Configuration Objects.
• B2B Integration Cockpit with NetWeaver
• SAP Best Practices Content for Integration
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Solution Manager – Landing Page in the SAP Support Portal
• SAP Solution Manager Community Page
• SAP Solution Manager Setup WIKI
•
•
•
•
•
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
Innovation Services and Products
SAP IoT Application Enablement - Landing Page in the SAP Online Help Portal
3.4. Fit-to-Standard Workshop Preparation
Description
The purpose of Fit-to-Standard analysis and design is to validate the predefined business processes,
identify delta requirements and deliver an approved design. This is done based on the standard
solution in the sandbox which reflects the implementation scope (see activity Activate Solution). Delta
requirements are where the predefined solution does not meet the customer’s business requirements.
Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design replaces the previous terminology of Fit-Gap / Delta Design.
There are six steps that form the deliverables of the Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design activity:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Fit-to-Standard Workshop Preparation
Fit-to-Standard System Preparation
Fit-to-Standard Workshops and Documentation
Fit-to-Standard Workshop Validation
Design Workshops and Documentation
Review and Customer Sign-Off
The following figure shows the Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design activities.
Figure: Individual activities of Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
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 “mustdo’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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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.
If you have identified critical business processes which are not covered by SAP standard solutions,
you can leverage SAP Innovation Services and Solutions to develop a customer specific solution.
Master data architecture is a cross topic in functional design. Customers who need support with the
Customer Vendor Integration, or the Business Partner concept, can make use of the “Data
Management Design” service component.
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• SAP service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP S/4HANA 2021 – Feature Scope Description
• SAP Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the accelerator section
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
3.4.1. Make yourself familiar with Fit-to-Standard
Objective
The objective of this task is to prepare for the upcoming Fit-to-Standard workshops and the
subsequent design activities.
Requirements and Constraints
There is a sandbox system available.
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.
Fit-to-Standard Workshop Preparation
•
•
•
•
Planning the Fit-to-Standard workshops (content, presenter, participants, time, location
etc.)
Testing the relevant processes in the preconfigured system
Define tools and templates
Solution training / self-enablement for workshop participants
Fit-to-Standard System Preparation
•
•
•
•
Pre-configured system in new implementation is based on SAP Best Practices
In system conversion, the sandbox is a converted copy of the production system
Adding additional sample data if needed
Extending system by selected customer-specific processes
Fit-to-Standard Workshops and Documentation
•
•
Process review, system demo and discussion of delta requirements
Workshop documentation and follow-up activities done after the workshops
Fit-to-Standard Workshop Validation
•
•
•
•
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 Documentation
•
•
Design workshops and solution design documentation required for configuration and
WRICEF objects
Design documents and functional specification to be written after workshops
Review and Customer Sign-Off
•
•
•
Updating backlog with information from design workshops
Review of functional design documents and specifications
Acceptance procedure with customer sign-off
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
3.4.2. Prepare and Schedule Workshops
Objective
The aim of this task is to plan, schedule and prepare the Fit-to-Standard workshops and ensure
the relevant processes are ready in the sandbox.
Requirements and Constraints
There is a sandbox system available.
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:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Financial Planning and Analysis
Accounting and Financial Close
Financial Operations
Cost Management and Profitability Analysis
Treasury Management
Enterprise, Risk and Compliance
Cybersecurity and Data Protection
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 Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on-premise) – scroll down to the accelerator section
3.4.3. Workshop Participant Enablement
Objective
In new implementations, workshop participants understand the predefined SAP processes before
the workshops.
Requirements and Constraints
There is a sandbox system 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. This could be done earlier in the Prepare phase.
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.
3.5. Fit-to-Standard System Preparation
Description
In this activity, the sandbox system setup is finalized building on the pre-defined solutions that come
with SAP Best Practices. The project team and key business users determine which user stories will
be implemented in the sandbox and which ones will be shown without a system. The result of this
activity is a working system with functionality that will be used for the Fit-to-Standard workshops that
follow.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for new implementation. System conversion projects may not require the
preparation of new sample data.
Procedure
• Prepare sample data
• Enhance system with additional configuration and test
3.5.1. Prepare sample data
Objective
In a new implementation, project specific sample master data is created based on the sandbox
processes. This will be used during the Fit-to-Standard workshops to use project specific data for
each relevant line of business (e.g. material master data and business partner master data).
Procedure
Prepare the sample data in the sandbox system as required for the subsequent Fit-to-Standard
workshops.
Please note: The accelerator section of the SAP Best Practices Explorer contains many
accelerators that may help:
•
Master data scripts listed under Create your own master data
•
•
•
•
•
•
List of master data objects, e.g. for CO and FI
Organizational data overview
Account determination settings
User roles delivered with SAP S/4HANA
SAP Best Practice content library: a summary of all the scope item accelerators
The prerequisites matrix: a list of scope items and their related building blocks
You need to register to get access to these accelerators (S-User required). See the accelerator
section below for a direct link to the SAP S/4HANA Best Practices within the SAP Best Practices
Explorer. You will need to scroll down within the tool to the accelerator section. Please note that
the accelerators are independent of the chosen localization.
Accelerators
• SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the accelerator
section
3.5.2. Enhance system with additional configuration and test
Objective
Especially in a new implementation scenario, some processes may not fully fit the required
business scope. For example, the solution may not provide the preferred approach to certain
country localization requirements. One of the key aspects of a successful Explore phase is to take
a system-based approach and to run the Fit-to-Standard workshops using a pre-configured
sandbox system.
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 Best Practices Explorer
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Note 2573352 - SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) Activation in a client
with SAP_ALL copy
3.6. Fit-to-Standard Workshops and Documentation
Description
In a new implementation, the aim of this activity is to demonstrate and discuss the pre-configured
processes and design elements, and to identify delta requirements. In system conversion, the focus is
on existing processes, SAP S/4HANA Simplification Items, review of innovations and whether existing
WRICEF may be eliminated by adopting standard features. Fit-to-Standard is executed via on-site
workshops involving the participants from the business areas. After the workshops, extensive followup activities clarify open questions leading to clear documentation.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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:
•
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Defined organizational units which will lead to organization configuration requirements
Defined configuration requirements based on business drivers
Defined master data objects, including e.g. chart of account
Technical delta requirements leading to WRICEF: Workflows, Reports, Interfaces (those not
provided by the standard SAP solution), Conversions (data migration), Enhancements, and
Forms (changes to the standard predefined forms other than company logo and address data)
UX requirements leading to changes to the user interface
Business roles assigned to transactions and requirements for authorizations
Relevant KPIs for data volume management and system monitoring
Organizational or process changes
A critical review of the identified backlog follows in the validation activity.
Accelerators
• SAP Best Practices Explorer
• 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)
• SAP Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the accelerator section
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. A complete list of scope items per business area can
be found in the “SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA 2021 - Customer scope presentation”
(accelerator section).
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:
•
•
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•
•
General description of the scope item and key process steps
Process diagram
Test script
A list of the scope items and their process steps with business roles and related
transactional apps
A list of the forms that are used.
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.
Accelerators
•
SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA 2021 - Customer scope presentation
• SAP Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the accelerator section
• Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
3.6.2. Fit-to-Standard Workshop Documentation
Objective
The goal of this task is to have an initial classified backlog available as input for the next step.
Delta requirements identified during the Fit-to-Standard workshops need to be documented and
require an initial classification with important criteria. Requirements delivered by the preconfigured
solution do not need to be documented. Documentation can be maintained in SAP Solution
Manager either with or without SAP Focused Build. For more details see activity Prepare SAP
Solution Manager for Project Support in the Prepare phase.
Requirements and Constraints
Delta requirements discussion and definition took place during the fit-to-standard workshops.
Procedure
The following aspects should be classified and documented for each delta requirement:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Short and long description
Delta requirement type
Reason i.e. what would happen if this is not realized
Numbering logic
Priority, e.g. by MoSCoW
• Must have (e.g. mandatory changes from simplification list)
• Should have (e.g. for the first month end closure)
• Could have: important but not mandatory
• Would be nice to have
Ownership
Assignment to respective SAP Best Practice scope item or solution capability
Judgement of initial complexity
Documentation can be maintained:
•
•
In SAP Signavio
In SAP Solution Manager either with or without SAP Focused Build.
For more details see activity Prepare Tools for Project Support in the Prepare phase.
In case SAP Signavio is in use for process documentation, proceed as follows:
Review and validate all adjusted pre-configured business process flows have been adjusted in
SAP Signavio according to the fit-to-standard results.
Also make sure requirements have been documented as backlog items.
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:Document the following types of delta requirement:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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. SAP recommend leveraging specific teams like SAP Innovation
Services and Solutions to execute these, especially when critical business processes or
real innovations beyond the SAP standard capabilities are required.
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.
It may be possible to re-classify some WRICEF as configuration requirements if a standard
solution can be found. The initial classification and documentation will be performed by the
responsible lead for the respective area. Some delta requirements may be eliminated by adapting
the business process to the standard solution. For example, an organizational change
management issue identified in core Finance could be resolved by the business key user for Core
Finance.
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
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
3.7. Fit-to-Standard Workshop Validation
Description
Before moving ahead with specifying the solution with design documents, it is important to sort out,
which delta requirements are relevant to fulfill the project objectives, and to perform a dedicated
quality review.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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.
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
3.7.2. Gap Validation
Objective
For customers with an SAP Premium Engagement agreement, SAP can quality review and
validate the delta requirements that cannot be delivered through configuration (gaps).
Procedure
Gap validation aims to keep to the SAP standard as closely as possible:
•
•
•
Manage all deviations from SAP standard
Keep the number of modifications and custom code to a minimum
Communicate with experts at SAP to identify the best possible functionality in SAP standard
software for the project and to suggest best practices and architectural guidance for custom
enhancements. This task can be supported by SAP Innovation Services and Solutions.
How SAP Can Support
Customers with SAP Premium Engagement (e.g. SAP MaxAttention or SAP Value Assurance)
can ask SAP to review delta requirements with the “Gap Validation” service component. SAP
experts, both on site and at SAP, work together to show how solutions to delta requirements
(functional gaps) can be implemented.
Accelerators
• Backlog Template
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
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. 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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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
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:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Short description of the process (project and SAP S/4HANA specific)
High-level business requirements
Process flow diagrams: the baseline is always the SAP Best Practices process flow chart.
Only the adjustments should be documented.
Summary of configuration
User roles
Requirements for the authorization concept
Necessary IT systems, e.g. systems interfaced to SAP S/4HANA
Delta requirements and solutions
Developments
Organizational aspects
Process quantification (data volume)
In system conversion projects, the existing design documentation may be updated or re-worked.
In new implementation projects, there may be documentation from a previous SAP
implementation that can be partially re-used.
The structure of the design documents depends on the business area. For example, the structure
for Core Finance may look like this:
•
Business area: Accounting and Financial Close
•
o General Ledger
o Asset Accounting
o Inventory Accounting
o ….
o Financial Reporting
Business area: Cost Management and Profitability Analysis
o Cost Management
o ….
The detailed configuration activities and configuration design are documented outside the design
document as configuration requirements. Each one should relate to a scope item(s) in the design
document. In system conversion, the focus is on what configuration must change.
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.
A master data design document is produced, or in system conversion projects, it is updated. In
new implementations, this is used later in the data migration design activity.
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.
Delta requirements for critical business processes or innovations beyond the SAP Standard
capabilities can be addressed using SAP Innovation Services and Solutions.
Accelerators
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• Master Data Design Template
• Design Document
• WRICEF Inventory Template
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
• Functional specification 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.
Requirements and Constraints
All To-Be business processes have been documented during, or after, the fit-to-standard
workshops. SAP Signavio is used for business process documentation.
Procedure
• Handover all business process models, and delta requirements captured from the fit-tostandard 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
o
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).
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.
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
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “Design Evaluation” service component. See accelerator section
for details.
Accelerators
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
3.9.1. Perform design review
Objective
This task performs a quality review of the finalized design documentation including design
documents, configuration requirements and functional specifications. A project independent
review can be delivered by SAP.
Procedure
The design review should include criteria like:
•
•
•
•
Completeness of design documents
Sufficient quality to start configuration
Management of solution integration
Leverage the SAP standard as closely as possible:
o Manage all deviations from SAP standard
o Keep the number of modifications and custom code to a minimum
o Communicate with experts at SAP to identify the best possible functionality in
SAP standard software for the project and to suggest best practices and
architectural guidance for custom enhancements
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “Design Evaluation” service component. In system conversion
projects, SAP can double check that every opportunity to adopt the latest standard solution has
been identified.
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 gaps 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.
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• Backlog Template
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
3.9.2. Perform validation and approval
Objective
The goal of this task is to obtain formal approval for all the documents created during the Fit-toStandard Analysis / Design.
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
3.10.
UX Activation and Design
Description
The objective of this activity is to determine the difference between the SAP standard configuration for
Fiori and customer specific requirements.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
• Transition planning and phase preparation is done
• UX Readiness analysis is done
• Relevant scope of Fiori is available from the planning service upfront
• UX responsible from the customer is determined
• Sandbox with SAP S/4HANA is available
• SAP Solution Manager 7.2
Results
• Fiori’s within scope are activated in the sandbox according to the SAP standard
• Delta requirements are described and confirmed
• Topics per delta requirement are determined: Theming / branding, personalization,
adaptation, UI extensibility, new app (HTML5, Screen Personas)
• Mock-up of the solution(s) is drafted
• Prioritization is established
How SAP Can Support
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:
•
•
•
The “All Things SAP Fiori” landing page
The SAP Fiori Community with rich and featured content
The SAP Fiori Blogs which have been created by the Regional Implementation Group (RIG).
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.
See accelerator section for links.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Functional Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP WIKI - SAP Fiori for SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 3067553 - SAP FIORI FOR SAP S/4HANA 2021: Release Information Note
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
• 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 2020, 1909, 1809 & 1709 – Part 1 – Overview
SAP Blog - SAP Fiori for S/4HANA – Rapid Activation Task List Updates and Quick Guide
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:
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•
•
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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 highlevel 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 highlevel 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.
Accelerators
•
•
•
•
•
3.11.
Build tool
SAP User Experience (Fiori) Community
SAP UI5 - Landing Page
Backlog Template
Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
Security Design
Description
In the security design phase, you will create a specific road map for the security topics that have to be
covered during the transition to SAP S/4HANA, according to the customer requirements.
Requirements and Constraints
• Mandatory requirements:
o User management must be implemented (see chapter 4 of the SAP Security Guide,
and “Assigning business roles to a user” in the Administration Guides for details)
o Authorization management must be implemented (authorization management for
application users and database users). Look up the following information:
▪ “Creating basic settings for using SAP Fiori Launchpad” in the Administration
Guide
▪ “Creating back-end authorization roles” in the Administration Guide
▪ Chapter 4 of the SAP Security Guide
o Upgrade of the authorizations according to the SAP S/4HANA technology (see
“Configuring Roles with Launchpad Start Authorizations” in the SAP Online Help
Portal.
• Recommended:
o
o
o
o
o
Redesign of authorization management
Redesign of authorization concept
Mitigate risks in the current concept and implement proper Segregation of Duty (SoD)
rules (GRC) (see “The Segregation of Duties Concept” in the SAP Online Help Portal)
Definition of processes for SAP Auditing, Logging, and Monitoring (see “Auditing and
Logging” in the SAP Online Help Portal)
RFC-Security Service (see SAP Thought Leadership Paper on “Securing Remote
Function Calls” for details)
Procedure
Planning/Scoping of the activities as prioritized by the customer (mandatory/recommended/optional)
to create a detailed security road map within the overall transition project.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “Security Design” service component.
Security Design consists of two parts:
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•
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.
“SU25 Authorization Upgrade”
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•
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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
“S/4HANA Authorization Service”
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•
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 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
3.11.1. Define Security Infrastructure
Objective
Define all required security topics concerning infrastructure security, covering network security,
operation system and database security; and frontend security.
Requirements and Constraints
• Required:
o Define communication security
o Plan the implementation of SAP HANA Security following the SAP HANA Security
Guide
o Define authentication mechanisms
• Recommended:
o Adapt authorizations to user requirements and roles
o Plan the implementation of Single Sign-On
o Define processes for SAP Auditing, Logging, and Monitoring
o Plan security of IT Infrastructure
o RFC-Security Service;
o Gateway Security;
o Patching Services Sec Notes Advisory;
o Custom Code Security Service;
o Protection from Hacking
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.
3.12.
Data Volume Design
Description
The purpose of this activity is to agree on a data volume management strategy that defines which
data is stored in which storage location and for how long (i.e. defining the residence and retention
time). This considers and includes aspects of the data owners like:
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•
•
•
•
External reporting requirements (tax audits, product liability)
Internal reporting requirements, i.e. fraud detection
Business process requirements
Data Privacy
Dependencies between data archiving and document management
…but also defines more IT-organization related aspects such as:
•
•
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:
•
•
•
•
•
With SAP Simple Finance, SAP has introduced a new concept called Data Aging (see
Accelerators section for details) for finance data replacing the Data Archiving concept in this
space. Data Aging offers you the option of moving large amounts of data from working
memory to disk within SAP HANA to gain more working memory. You use the relevant SAP
application to move data from the current area to the historical area on disk. You control the
move by specifying a “data temperature” for the data. The move influences the visibility when
data is accessed.
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.
Data Aging is available as an additional option for work items, Idocs, change documents,
application logs as well as for material documents. Data Aging is also available for Sales
documents, Deliveries and Invoices, as well as for Purchase. Therefore, there may be a
benefit of integrating Data Aging into your existing DVM strategy. Please see SAP Note
2869647 - Guidance for use of Data Aging in SAP S/4HANA.
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.
For all customers: Understand the concept of Data Aging and adapt your DVM strategy
accordingly.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is of general interest for all scenarios.
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 Data Aging in your DVM Strategy (all scenarios)
Results
There is a documented strategy on Data Volume Management.
How SAP Can Support
Service offerings are described later in task level.
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
• SAP Note 2869647 - Guidance for use of Data Aging in SAP S/4HANA
3.12.1. Get Transparency on the HANA DVM Quick Wins
Objective
The objective of this task is to identify data, which could be easily reorganized or deleted because
they are temporary or basis table data.
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
3.12.2. Optional: Set Up a DVM Strategy for Business Documents
Objective
Setting up and executing a DVM strategy is often time-consuming. One reason is that data
residence time (i.e. time the data resides on the database before archiving) and the retention
time (i.e. total lifetime of the data before its destruction) need to be defined based on legal and
business requirements together with the Business Owners from the Lines of Businesses.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers holistic support to create and execute a DVM strategy. In particular, SAP offers the
“Data Volume Design” service component. Customers can either contact the SAP Technical
Quality Manager or Client Partner for ordering details. Alternatively, customers can use the
contact form to request an SAP Value Assurance service package offer.
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 selfservice) 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
3.12.3. Get Transparency on Open Business Documents
Objective
Open business documents cannot be archived from the SAP system. To reveal additional
reduction potential, you need to get insights into the current status of open business documents.
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 Process Insights or
Business Process Analytics in SAP Solution Manager can be used.
In case SAP Process Insights shall be used:
SAP 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 Process Insights
is not free of charge.
In case Business Process Analytics in SAP Solution Manager shall be used:
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers a Business Process Assessment service that provides a snapshot for business metrics
like:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
”Sales Orders overdue for delivery“
“Outbound Deliveries overdue for GI posting”
“Deliveries overdue for Billing”
“Open & Overdue items in Accounts Receivables”
“Open & overdue purchase requisitions”
“Open & overdue purchase order items”
“MM Invoices blocked for payment”
“Open & overdue items in Accounts Payable”
“Production/Process orders overdue for deletion flag”
“Inbound Deliveries overdue for GR posting”
All available metrics are documented in a KPI catalog. For details, see Accelerator’s section.
In case SAP Process Insights shall be used:
SAP offers a service component “Business Process Insights Starter Pack” to get started with SAP
Process Insights. With the immediate data-driven insights, processes are analyzed for selected
areas and follow-up actions to improve processes are derived.
In case Business Process Analytics in SAP Solution Manager shall be used:
As a much more comprehensive approach, SAP offers a “Business Process Improvement”
service component. The service component typically starts with a remote Business Process
Assessment to learn fact based on 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 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.
See Accelerator’s section for details on service all offerings.
Accelerators
• SAP Community Blog - New KPI Catalog available in the cloud - Part 1
• Business Process Improvement
• 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
3.12.4. Adapt your DVM Strategy
Objective
The objective of this task is to adjust your DVM strategy according to the new options and
requirements of SAP S/4HANA.
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. SAP Note 2416490 - FAQ: SAP HANA Data Aging in
SAP S/4HANA” gives you a lot of information on the Data Aging concept, and its impact
on DVM as such. There are already books available on this new topic (e.g. from SAP
Press, see accelerator section).
For all available Data Aging objects please look at the collective SAP Note 2315141 –
“Collective note for Data Aging Framework”. This SAP Note is regularly updated when
new information becomes available.
Together with your Data Volume Management head, and the Business Data Owners,
clarify which data should be archived before the system conversion, and if and how Data
Aging should be configured as part of the 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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports you with respect to Data Volume Management. In particular, SAP offers the
“Define Data Volume Design” service component.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital
Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP Online Documentation – Data Archiving
• SAP Note 2416490 - FAQ: SAP HANA Data Aging in SAP S/4HANA
• SAP Note 2315141 - Collective note for Data Aging Framework
• Data Management Guide
•
3.13.
SAP Online Help Portal – Data Aging
Data Migration Design
Description
In this activity, the transfer of business data from legacy systems to the newly implemented SAP
S/4HANA system is designed.
This activity covers both the simple scenario, where standard tools or best practices concepts are
sufficient, and the complex selective data transitions.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for new implementation and selective data transition scenarios in case data
needs to be transferred from legacy systems.
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:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Conduct a Data Migration Assessment
Run a data audit in the legacy source systems
Finalize the data migration approach and strategy document
Define specifications for data migration
Set up and configure date migration tools
Perform Data Cleansing Activities
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).
How SAP Can Support
The purpose of the “Data Migration Design” service is to build or review a proposed data migration
concept to SAP S/4HANA target for new implementation, selective data transition and additional
transition scenarios (“re-platforming”). As a result of data migration design, you will be provided with
an analysis and evaluation of data migration objects requirements, a detailed solution proposal and
technical approach serving as a valid basis to plan execution of your migration processes to SAP
S/4HANA. See the service information in the accelerator section 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
3.13.1. Conduct Data Migration Assessment
Objective
The purpose of this task is to clarify requirements by running a data migration assessment.
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.
Run a data migration assessment to clarify:
•
•
•
•
•
Is there already an existing data migration concept available?
Should there be a proof-of-concept data migration? Project Management needs to plan
for this in addition
What are the data migration requirements in detail coming from the functional design?
Review the content of the data migration register and functional design specifications.
What would be the most suitable tool approach for data migration?
What would a fist version of a data migration execution plan look like?
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
3.13.2. Run a Data Audit in the Source Systems
Objective
The purpose of the data audit is to identify the legacy systems that will supply data for the SAP
applications and to profile the quality of the legacy data. Data profiling is the process of analyzing
the legacy source data to detect anomalies and of validating the business rules.
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.
How SAP Can Support
The Rapid Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA package provides two tools to assist with data
profiling on some master data objects (e.g. customer, vendor, business partner, etc.):
1. Data Services - provides a basic profiling capability
2. Information Steward - provides different types of profiling Columns Address Dependency
Redundancy Uniqueness SAP Best Practice
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers a “Data Migration Assessment“, where major aspects of a data migration approach
and strategy document are discussed. The creation of the document is not part of the service, but
in the responsibility of the customer or implementation partner.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers a “Data Migration Assessment“ (service component from Data Migration Design
service), where major aspects of a data migration specification are discussed. The creation of the
document is not part of the service but is the responsibility of the customer or implementation
partner.
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
3.13.5. Set up and Configure Data Migration Tools
Objective
Depending on the scenario and transformation strategy, the relevant tools for data migration need
to be set up and configured.
Prerequisites
An aligned approach and strategy for data migration has been created.
Procedure
The procedure depends data migration tools.
Migration Cockpit:
Migration cockpit is already integrated in SAP S/4HANA. There is no need to install
additional software. However, configuration is required.
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 app “Migrate Your Data”.
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.
SAP Data Services:
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.
SAP Data Management and Landscape Transformation (DMLT)
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
3.13.6. Perform Data Cleansing Activities
Objective
The purpose of this task is to cleanse the legacy data. Inaccurate data or inconsistent formatting
should be corrected. Unnecessary data should be removed from the legacy data to reduce the
volume of data to load and keep the new system free from extraneous data.
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
3.14.
Custom Code Impact
Description
As part of the transition to SAP S/4HANA, customers need to identify code, that must be adjusted.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is relevant:
•
•
Always in the case of a system conversion.
In case of a new implementation, where custom code should be taken over from an old SAP
ERP system.
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
2021”
You will find links to all documents in the accelerator section.
The tools should be set up in the sandbox system.
Then, create a list on impacted custom code objects as documented.
Results
There is a list of custom objects which are subject for adjustment, stored centrally in SAP Solution
Manager.
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 2021
• Simplification Item Catalog
3.14.1. Create a List of Impacted Custom Code Objects
Objective
Create a list of custom objects which are candidates for adjustment.
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.
How SAP Can Support
Customers can order a “Custom Code Impact Analysis” service component which offers
transparency on the existing custom code situation including customer objects and modifications.
It helps to evaluate the impact of changes on custom code. With the results of the analysis, the
adjustments on custom code can be reviewed and mitigated at an early stage. It helps customers
to reduce efforts for change adoptions and facilitates a smooth completion of the identified
adjustments.
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 2021
• 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.
Important topics for the integration design are:
•
•
•
•
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).
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
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.
This activity is structured into two tasks:
•
•
Define Interface Architecture
Prepare Integration Design
Results
The result is a finalized and reviewed integration design.
How SAP Can Support
Before you as an enterprise architects start with the definition of the interface architecture for a hybrid
solution, make yourself familiar with the Integration Solution Advisory Methodology (ISA-M). The
holistic methodology comes with three steps:
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
• Design Document
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• WRICEF Inventory Template (Customer)
• Custom Application Development
• SAP Blog - Integration Solution Advisory Methodology (ISA-M): Define Integration
Guidelines for Your Organization
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
3.15.1. Define Interface Architecture
Objective
SAP and non-SAP systems use interfaces to communicate to other systems in the solution
landscape. The interface architecture displays the interfaces and indicates additional attributes i.e.
the used technology (i.e. middleware), protocol type, frequency- and direction of communication.
The objective of this task is to prepare a system & solution architecture with interfaces.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “SAP S/4HANA Transition for New Implementation (TNI)”
service component. The service components provide a system & solution architecture with
interfaces as one of its deliverables. Please note, that a filled interface register is key to have for
integration setup and design (see also tasks “Prepare Interface Register” and Run a Legacy
Impact Analysis on the Interface Inventory” from the Plan phase of the project).
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. Prepare Integration Design
Objective
The purpose of the integration design activity is to detail and document the different integration
aspects that were identified during the preparation of the to-be system & solution landscape with
interfaces and the interface architecture.
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.
How SAP Can Support
The Service Component “Integration Design Workshop” assists the customers in creation of the
technical design for integration between SAP and SAP / Non-SAP systems and services. A team
of SAP integration experts will introduce a framework of design best practices and SAP Business
Technology Platform Integration Advisor. In addition, SAP will support you in creating the
technical design for the interfaces in scope. Prototype creation for specific integration scenarios,
such as SAP Business Technology Platform Integration contents, can be scoped as well during
the Integration Design Workshop.
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
• Design Document
• Interface Functional Specification Template
• How to Approach Fit-to-Standard Analysis / Design
• WRICEF Inventory Template (Customer)
• Custom Application Development
• Service Information – Planning the Digital Transformation
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• SAP API Business Hub
• SAP Integration Suite
3.16.
Analytics Design
Description
Analytics design covers business intelligence, predictive analytics and planning requirements.
Customers can further enhance their analytics infrastructure with regards to new reporting options that
have been introduced with SAP S/4HANA. New operational reporting methods can be added to the
existing analytics solutions, and data from SAP S/4HANA can be provisioned to existing Enterprise
Data Warehouses for further analysis. All available SAP analytics solutions should be discussed for
strategic and business value. For example, SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics might replace existing
BW reports and BW aggregates may no longer be required.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is optional, but highly recommended. If you could not take the opportunity to review your
company’s analytics strategy in the discovery phase of the road map, you can start it here or
alternatively, evaluate and plan the identified options in more detail.
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:
•
•
•
•
SAP S/4HANA Embedded Analytics
SAP BW/4HANA and SAP BW
SAP Analytics Cloud and Digital Boardroom
SAP BusinessObjects BI Suite
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 (recommended) and designing an SAP Digital Boardroom (optional).
How SAP Can Support
SAP Enterprise Support and PSLE customers can learn about SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
and core data service views by watching the replays in the SAP Learning Hub. Please note that there
is an SAP Analytics Solutions Value Map available – the corresponding Learning Journey holds
additional knowledge assets on SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics.
Accelerators
• SAP Best Practices for Analytics with SAP S/4HANA
• Road Map for Analytics Solutions from SAP
• 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
3.16.1. Design the Analytics Architecture
Objective
The objective of this task is to fine-tune the analytics architecture.
How SAP Can Support
To support the analytics design activity, SAP offers an “Analytics Design Workshop”:
•
•
•
•
•
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 for SAP BW/Mixed/HANA modelling. It
identifies the ideal choice for data modeling in an SAP Enterprise Data Warehouse (BW /
HANA), which is either SAP BW-centric, mixed or SAP HANA centric. The decision is
based on the customer infrastructure (e.g. data sources, or ETL tools etc.), and business
requirements (e.g. with respect to real time).
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 S/4HANA (for both, SAP BW and
HANA native).
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Analytics Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
3.17.
Test Planning
Description
To minimize the number of issues during or after Go-Live, it is critical to manage the quality of the
solution. As a part of any scheduled maintenance event, it is necessary to consider and plan the
testing cycles required to mitigate production support issues. At this phase of a system conversion
project, it is necessary to evaluate the existing test and quality management processes and
procedures that could be leveraged to support the project.
The following key elements of the test planning must be documented in the test strategy:
•
Project Testing Objectives & Assumptions, e.g.:
▪ Unit Testing is complete before Integration Testing
▪ Unit Testing is only required for delta functionality
•
•
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 prerequisite for doing a string test or migration test results might lead into a pre-requisite for a
user acceptance testing
•
Testing Deliverables, e.g.
▪ Test processes per phase, test environment, test tools
•
•
Test Automation
Testing Tools
▪ Which tools will be used to perform different tests (e.g. SAP Solution Manager)
•
Defect Management
▪ Description of how defects will be documented (e.g. Test Workbench in SAP Solution
Manager)
•
Roles and Responsibilities
▪ Description of required test roles and responsibilities, e.g. Test Lead and responsibilities
of individual project team members related to testing
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
Procedure
1. Make yourself Familiar with the Tools in Test Management, and Set Up Test Management in
SAP Solution Manager
2. Test Scope Determination
3. Detailed Test Planning
How SAP Can Support
SAP's strategy for test management is guided by establishing SAP Solution Manager as the central
platform for E2E process testing. SAP Solution Manager delivers all major functions to handle all
aspects of test management for SAP-centric solutions:
• Tests for SAP and non-SAP: covers SAP Business Suite, SAP S/4HANA, SAP Concur, SAP
Ariba, SAP SuccessFactors, … and non-SAP solutions
• On-premise, Cloud, Hybrid: Supports functional tests for on premise, cloud and hybrid
solutions
• Integration: seamless integrates with project management, process management, change
and release management, defect and incident management, custom code management
• Requirements to Deploy: Supports waterfall and agile development approaches, including
Enterprise DevOps
• Manual Tests: Easy to use manual tests for business users
• Automated Tests: for all SAP and non-SAP processes – certified integration of marketleading partner test tools for test planning, execution and reporting
• Test Data: semi-automatically identify, validate and provide suitable test data for all tests
• Change Impact Analysis: reduce test scope based on software changes and smart
calculations
• Test Planning: automatically proposes test plan fitting the needs of the upcoming test cycle
• Analytics: automatically provides full transparency of test status and test progress for all
involved parties
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 7.2. 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.
See accelerator section for details.
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.pptx
3.17.1. Make yourself Familiar with the Tools in Test Management, and Set Up Test
Management in SAP Solution Manager
Objective
The goal of this task is to make you familiar with the test tools in SAP Solution Manager, and their
setup.
How SAP Can Support
SAP Enterprise Support customers can find a lot of information and services on the SAP Test
Suite in SAP Solution Manager, and how to create and execute test cases in the “Become
competent” section of the “Realize” learning journey.
Accelerators
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Realize
3.17.2. Test Scope Determination
Objective
The scope of testing for a project, regardless if the project is executed independently or as part of
a release, needs to be determined early in order to ensure the testing environments and materials
are available for execution. With such a variety of testing cycles (e.g. integration, regression,
performance, cutover, user acceptance, etc.) available, it is important to define the cycles that are
required to support the planned conversion event.
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, and store it centrally in SAP Solution
Manager
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.
3.17.3. Detailed Test Planning
Objective
Scoping and planning the tests required for the transition project is a requirement regardless if the
project is executed as a “pure” technical conversion, or as a combined conversion project with the
enablement of new functionality, or as a new implementation project.
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 highlevel 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
3.18.
Sandbox Setup / Conversion
Description
The purpose of this activity is to technically set up a sandbox environment. The sandbox is later
finalized by functional experts (see activity Activate Solution), to serve for Fit-to-Standard activities.
The procedure to create a sandbox depends on the scenario.
Procedure
• Set Up SANDBOX (System Conversion scenario only)
• Downtime Optimization Preparation (System Conversion scenario only)
or
•
Set Up SANDBOX (New Installation scenario only)
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
3.18.1. Set Up SANDBOX (System Conversion scenario only)
Objective
This task covers the provisioning of a sandbox environment in a conversion scenario.
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 highlevel 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.
Check SAP Notes 3079720 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade preparation phase and 3079695 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - 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 rampup 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 postprocessing’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:
•
•
Either via monitoring while the customer is executing the setup.
Or via shadowing with demo execution by SAP.
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).
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal: Administration Guide,
Conversion Guide and UI Technology Guide (accelerator section).
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 Administration, Conversion
and UI Technology Guide for all releases here)
• SL Toolset Landing Page
• SAP Community Blog: Migration of SAP Systems to SAP HANA
• SAP Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the accelerator
section
• SAP S/4HANA Conversion, Finance Part
• SAP Blog – SAP S/4HANA Square One
• SAP Note 3079720 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade preparation phase
• SAP Note 3079695 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade follow-on phase
3.18.2. Downtime Optimization Preparation (System Conversion scenario only)
Objective
Depending upon the downtime requirements of the business and the downtimes already achieved
during the test migrations, there may be the need to execute iterative testing cycles to optimize
the migration and conversion procedures. The time required for this task should be planned for as
a contingency when building the project plan, but in a best case never utilized. In that best-case
scenario, where the downtime meets the downtime requirements of the business, this time can be
reallocated to other aspects of the project.
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).
•
•
•
•
•
Data volume in conversion relevant tables
Data quality - specifically the data consistency and data diversity of the financial tables
BSEG and COEP
Memory capacity for data migration
Number of parallel jobs (option to split into smaller packages based on company code
and fiscal year)
Overall system performance (I/O, CPU, memory, tuning, etc…)
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” in pilot mode, 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.
A good general overview of the Downtime Optimization options can be retrieved from SAP blogs
(see Accelerator’s section). Their availability depends on various factors (e.g. do you start from
SAP ERP, or SAP Suite on HANA? Is SAP executing the conversion or not?). Ask your SAP TQM
for more information in case there are indications for additional downtime optimization.
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.
Results
As a result, you will get an optimized conversion process, to help meeting the downtime
requirements set by the business.
How SAP Can Support
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.
See accelerator section for service component information.
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 Blog: Silent Data Migration for S/4HANA 1909 Upgrade/Conversion
• SAP Blog: Monitoring Silent Data Migration (SDM_MON) – S/4HANA 1909
upgrade/conversion
• 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
3.18.3. Set Up SANDBOX (New Installation scenario only)
Objective
The purpose of this task is to set up the sandbox system – ideally with all the capabilities that are
delivered by Best Practices to start with a system which is already pre-configured. In case this is
not possible (e.g. because no best practice content is available for the functionality in scope), a
new (and empty) SAP S/4HANA system needs to be installed.
Once the Sandbox environment is set up, the project team will prepare it for the Fit-to-Standard
analysis workshops. This typically includes the adjustments to organizational structure, changes
to the master data and potential configuration of additional functionality that is critical to be
included in the Fit-to-Standard analysis.
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 longerlasting 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. Best practice content most likely does not fit to the functional scope
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 client by copying customizing
content from client 000. Customization takes place by using the SAP Reference
Implementation Guide (transaction SPRO).
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the installation of a sandbox as part of the Platform Execution service. This scope
option is called “System Installation for 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:
•
•
Either via monitoring while the customer is executing the setup.
Or via shadowing with demo execution by SAP.
This offering is part of SAP Value Assurance and is called “Platform Execution Enablement”
service component. See accelerator section for details.
Please note that SAP still offers the “SAP Model Company for Multinational Corporations”
service which is an SAP fully-activated appliance with further customizations.
In case you are interested in an industry-specific reference system, please ask your SAP contact
for the “SAP Standard Content Activation” service. This service extracts and activates the preconfigured content for industries and LoBs. It delivers a comprehensive business process content
that allows you to re-model and re-imagine your business operations based on best in class
industry Best Practices. Using the preconfigured prototype system, which supports the end-to-end
processes, you can minimize deployment efforts, risks and implementation costs. SAP Standard
Content Activation is only offered together with other PS or PE services. Ask your SAP contact for
more details.
It is highly recommended to study the SAP Blog series “SAP S/4HANA Square One” from the
Regional Implementation Group (RIG).
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal: Administration Guide,
Installation Guide and UI Technology Guide (accelerator section).
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 2020 – Fully-Activated Appliance in SAP Cloud Appliance Library
• 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
3.19.
DEV Setup / Conversion
Description
Before configuration and development work starts in the Realize phase, the development system
(DEV) needs to be set up. It depends on the scenario how this is done.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
There is a technical design document stored in SAP Solution Manager which includes the technical
deployment plan, and the software components which need to be installed / updated.
Procedure
• DEV Setup (New Implementation)
or
•
DEV Setup (System Conversion)
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the provisioning of the DEV 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. However, the configuration of the Fiori UIs is not included in this scope option. See
accelerator section for more information.
SAP also offers to coach the customer with respect to system setup tasks:
•
•
Either via monitoring while the customer is executing the setup.
Or via shadowing with demo execution by SAP.
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
3.19.1. DEV Setup (New Implementation)
Objective
The goal of this task is to provide a viable, correctly configured technical development
environment that is available for use by the project team to begin the Realize phase.
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
The figure below shows these three steps in a sequence.
Figure: The three steps required to activate best practices content
This activity is done by the functional project team members.
Results
Finally, the DEV environment is ready for configuration.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the installation of a sandbox as part of the Platform Execution service. Please ask
your SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information. This scope option is called
“System Installation for 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”).
However, the configuration of the Fiori UIs is not included in this scope option but is part of the
functional setup.
SAP also offers to coach the customer with respect to system setup tasks:
•
•
Either via monitoring while the customer is executing the setup.
Or via shadowing with demo execution by SAP.
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 “New Installation of S/4HANA” from
the Regional Implementation Group (RIG).
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal: Administration Guide,
Installation Guide and UI Technology Guide (accelerator section).
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 3053781 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 collective note for content activation
• SAP Blog – SAP S/4HANA Square One
3.19.2. DEV Setup (System Conversion)
Objective
The goal of this task is to provide a viable, correctly configured technical development
environment that is available for use by the project team to begin the Realize phase. DEV is not
installed newly – instead, the old DEV system is converted to SAP S/4HANA.
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 3079720 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade preparation phase and 3079695 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - 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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the DEV conversion as part of the “Platform Execution” service. Please ask your
SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information. 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”). However, the
configuration of the Fiori UIs is not included in this scope option but is part of the functional setup.
SAP also offers to coach the customer with respect to system setup tasks:
•
•
Either via monitoring while the customer is executing the setup.
Or via shadowing with demo execution by SAP.
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).
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal: Administration Guide,
Conversion Guide and UI Technology Guide (accelerator section).
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 3079720 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade preparation phase
• SAP Note 3079695 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade follow-on phase
3.19.3. Activate SAP Fiori in DEV
Objective
The purpose of this task is to activate and set up SAP Fiori Applications that you will be using
during the implementation project. SAP S/4HANA comes pre-configured with SAP Fiori but
additional setups are necessary to ensure it is running properly. The steps described in this task
and its respective accelerator refer only to the technical activation steps, additional functional
activation steps may be needed depending on the application scope. The required functional
steps are described in the Fiori Apps Library accelerator.
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 3067553 - SAP FIORI FOR SAP S/4HANA 2021: 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).
There are several levels for sizing:
•
•
•
Budget sizing for smaller companies, using very simple algorithms.
Advanced sizing for medium to large companies, using throughput estimates, questionnaires,
formulas. Advanced sizing uses standard tools (e.g. Quick Sizer) and focusses on core
business processes.
Expert sizing is based on a custom capacity model which for instance may also include
custom coding.
Timing:
•
Explore phase (non-production systems), Realize phase (production and production-like
systems)
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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.
3.20.1. Perform / Check Sizing
Objective
The objective of this task is to either perform a sizing, or in case a first estimate has been
provided, check the initial sizing.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP can perform this task with the “Advanced Sizing” service component which fits to all three
on-premise transition scenarios and can be also extended to capacity management requirements
of very large systems including aspects like data avoidance strategies, data tiering, or landscape
scalability.
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
• Sizing Approaches for SAP HANA (incl. SAP S/4HANA and Fiori) – Lessons Learned
Document
3.21.
Technical Architecture and Infrastructure Definition
Description
To be able to provide a detailed definition of the technical target architecture and infrastructure, you
will first need to clarify the technical boundary conditions. This is the basis for the creation of the
Technical Solution Blueprint.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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
in SAP Solution Manager.
How SAP Can Support
To minimize the effects of unplanned downtimes, a comprehensive High Availability and Disaster
Recovery architecture is essential, as well as reliable backup and recovery procedures,
considerations about tools available, and test procedures. The “Technical Platform Definition”
service component supports in these tasks.
Moreover, the selection and proper configuration of the technical platform is the foundation to achieve
a flexible and scalable execution environment for 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
• 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
3.21.1. Discover Technical Boundary Conditions
Objective
The technical boundary conditions are input into the technical design document, which is the basis
for the subsequent Data Center service setup. In many cases these conditions are already
defined by the customer.
Procedure
The Technical Boundary Conditions in scope are:
•
•
•
•
•
Technical solution map
Non-production system landscape
Sizing
DC strategy
Availability requirements
All information needs to be stored in the Project Management space of SAP Solution Manager for
central access.
Non-production System Landscape
•
•
•
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
•
•
•
Collect initial assumptions of the DC provider, topology, and DC roles.
The information can be derived from the existing DCs. Alternatively, run a design
workshop for a new DC strategy.
Timing: Explore phase (non-production systems), Realize phase (production and
production-like systems)
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
•
•
•
Collect availability information on:
o SLAs for unplanned downtimes (HA/DR).
o SLAs for planned downtimes (maintenance).
o Classification of systems according the SLA.
The information can often be derived by using existing SLAs in the context of the new
solution. Alternatively, run a workshop for a high-level SLA definition (as part of “Technical
Architecture” workshop and the “Technical Platform Definition” service component).
Timing: Realize phase.
Availability Requirements – Example
The following figure shows exemplarily different definitions of “Mission Critical”, “Business
Critical”, and “Less Critical” applications.
Figure: Different availability requirements (example only)
Results
The technical boundary conditions are documented and stored in SAP Solution Manager.
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)
• Best Practice Document - Change Management: Elements of a Software Change
Management Strategy
• White Paper - Storage Architecture in SAP HANA Tailored Datacenter Integration (TDI)
Landscapes
• Best Practice - Enterprise Storage Architecture
• Check List - Configuration and Maintenance of the Storage Infrastructure
• Best Practice - Business Continuity Management for SAP Landscapes
• 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
3.21.2. Create Technical Solution Map
Objective
The objective of this task is to create a technical solution map of the target architecture.
Prerequisites
The technical boundary conditions have been documented.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
•
•
•
•
Collect information on installable technical components, required integration technology
between them, and non-functional req. of the integration technology. Collect information
on the component deployment model (on-premise, cloud / SaaS).
The information is usually provided by architects of the application work stream.
The Technical Solution Map should also cover:
▪ Minimum release levels
▪ Dependencies between software releases / SAP Support Package Stacks
▪ Minimal Browser versions
▪ If required: the outline that a Dual Stack split needs to be included in the
conversion project
▪ If required: List dependent SAP NetWeaver Hub systems, and their minimal
release (See “Version Interoperability” at the Accelerators section)
Create a technical solution map (see accelerator section for a template) and store it
centrally in SAP Solution Manager.
Results
There is a technical solution map of the target architecture available in SAP Solution Manager.
How SAP Can Support
To minimize the effects of unplanned downtimes, a comprehensive High Availability and Disaster
Recovery architecture is essential, as well as reliable backup and recovery procedures,
considerations about tools available, and test procedures. The “Technical Platform Definition”
service component supports in these tasks.
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.
See Technical Platform Definition service components in the activity description.
Accelerators
• Technical Solution Map Template
3.21.3. Decide on Integration with Cloud Applications
Objective
The objective of this task is to decide on the integration with cloud applications.
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
Accelerators
• SAP Best Practices for SAP S/4HANA Integration
3.21.4. Hardware Selection and Utilization
Objective
Within this task, customers decide on server and storage hardware.
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.
3.21.6. Design Network
Objective
A network design for the new system must be created
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.
Figure: Bandwidth requirements per network type (example only)
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 stored in SAP Solution Manager.
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:
•
•
•
•
Landscape flexibility and workload management
Technical configuration verification
HA / DR
Backup and restore.
Results
As a result, a test plan including a timeline and test case description has been created.
3.22.
Technical Design
Description
This activity creates a technical design document.
Requirements and Constraints
This task is recommended for all implementation scenarios.
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 in SAP Solution Manager for central access.
3.22.1. Create a Technical Solution Design Document
Objective
The objective of this task is the creation of a technical solution blueprint.
Procedure
Take the appropriate “Technical Solution Design Template” from the accelerator section, and
tailor it to your project requirements.
Define & document the following areas:
Technical components: Determination of required technical components for the SAP solution,
and their deployment options.
Procedure
•
•
•
Based on the technical applications specified in the Technical Solution Map,
document which installable technical components are required.
Distinguish non-production and production systems, as well as required and optional
components.
Timing: Explore phase (non-prod), Realize phase (prod).
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.
Backup concept – Example
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
•
•
•
•
•
Clarify available backup methods per storage type.
Determine appropriate backup types (full, incremental, differential) for each
component type.
Determine retention times.
Design the technical architecture for the backups.
Timing: Discovery phase (non-prod), Realize phase (prod).
HA/DR concept: Definition of the technical architecture for high availability (SPOF protection) and
disaster recovery (data protection, recovery procedures).
HA/DR Concept – Example
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).
Technical architecture for non-production systems: Determination of technical deployment
and setup of non-production systems (DEV, QAS; Typically, simpler architecture than PRD).
Procedure
•
•
•
•
Determine the deployment type, e.g. central system.
Determine specific infrastructure requirements, e.g. HA test systems.
Determine the size, especially for the database.
Timing: Explore phase.
Production system deployment plan: Determine the amount and, for global customers and
complex solutions, the regional distribution of systems.
Procedure
•
•
•
Number of production systems (SIDs): Is more than one production system
required (per component)?
Options to co-deploy applications: Can/should certain applications be codeployed on one platform?
Timing: Realize phase.
Sizing and Scalability Verification will be covered in the Realize Phase.
Technical architecture for production systems: Determination of technical deployment and
setup of production and production-like systems.
Technical architecture – Example
The figure below shows one example of a production system setup.
Figure: Technical architecture for a productive system (example only)
Procedure
•
•
•
•
Determine the deployment types and required technical components.
Integrate the HA/DR concept.
Integrate the scalability and load balancing concept.
Timing: Realize phase.
Technical infrastructure: Description of hardware requirements and the selected hardware to
implement them.
Technical Infrastructure – Example
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)
Deployment patterns and deployment plans: Mapping of installable components to hardware.
Deployment plan – Example
The figure below shows an example of a technical deployment plan.
Figure: Technical deployment plan for an SAP landscape (example only)
Procedure
•
•
•
•
Definition of standardized entities for technical deployment.
Definition of technical co-deployments.
Definition of the physical location for installable components / technical
deployment entities.
Timing: Explore phase (non-prod), Realize phase (prod)
DC integration: Specification of the integration of the SAP solution into data centers.
Procedure
•
•
•
•
Clarification of the DC provider, topology, and DC roles.
Definition of required data center central services.
Calculation of DC facility requirements with HW partners.
Timing: Explore phase (non-prod), Realize phase (prod)
3rd party integration: Specification of the technical integration of the SAP solution with non-SAP
/ legacy systems.
Procedure
•
Description of the high-level technical integration architecture between the SAP
solution and non-SAP / legacy systems or components.
•
•
Description of non-functional requirements (performance, availability) of the
technical interfaces.
Timing: Realize phase
Results
As a result, a technical solution design is documented and stored in SAP Solution Manager for
central access.
How SAP Can Support
In case of SAP lead projects, SAP can optionally support the creation of the technical solution
design as part of the “Technical Platform Definition” service component.
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
• Best Practices - Building High Availability for SAP NetWeaver and SAP HANA on Linux
• Check List - High Availability and Disaster Recovery Implementation for SAP Systems
• Best Practices - SAP System Landscapes on Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructures
• Technical Design Document – Template for Small Customer
• Technical Design Document – Template for Large Customer
3.23.
Operations Impact Evaluation
Description
With the introduction of a new solution like SAP S/4HANA, the current IT support framework will
change. The impact of the new solution on the support framework varies based on customers current
support framework and on the way how customers plan to use the new solution. Example scenarios
include the following:
•
•
•
•
•
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
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.
Please see the accelerator section for more information.
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 and stored in SAP Solution Manager.
How SAP Can Support
SAP can support this task with the “Operations Impact Evaluation” service component. This service
component supports customers in:
•
•
•
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)
• Operating Fiori Apps in the SAP Online Help Portal
• Technical Operations for SAP NetWeaver
3.23.1. Operations Impact Evaluation
Objective
The objective of this task is to evaluate the impact on IT operations when implementing SAP
S/4HANA.
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:
•
•
•
Need to be newly set up.
For example, in case SAP Fiori Apps are newly introduced, the administration and operation
of the Frontend Server needs to be defined and set up, and resources need to be trained on
the systems involved and their configuration. In addition, support processes like incident
management need to be able to handle the new component.
Are existing, but must be modified.
For example, daily backup routines need to be adjusted to properly fit the new SAP S/4HANA
solution. Support tools like monitoring, troubleshooting or software logistics tools need to be in
place. Processes like Master Data management need to be revisited to define new policies
required by the major changes in the Master Data structure.
Can be retired.
For example, DB routines and scripts for AnyDB can be retired. AnyDB monitoring set up
should be retired as well.
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. The possible services include for
example:
•
•
•
•
SAP Solution Manager prototyping or implementation services
EGIs on how to use SAP Solution Manager
SAP trainings
…
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 documented and stored in SAP Solution Manager on how to adjust IT operations
to be ready to safely and efficiently operate SAP S/4HANA as of Go-Live.
How SAP Can Support
See Operations Impact Evaluation in the activity description.
3.24.
Execution / Monitoring / Controlling Results
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to execute the project management plan and control and monitor
the work defined in the project scope statement. Management plans developed during the project
Prepare phase guide the approach to management, execution, and control of project activities. The
project manager is responsible for ensuring that the management plans are applied at the appropriate
level of control.
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
3.24.1. Update Project Management Plan
Objective
The purpose of this task is to update the project management plan and the subsidiary plans based
on the changes agreed during the projects change management process.
3.24.2. Direct and Manage Project Execution
Objective
The purpose of this task is to ensure that the project is executed according to what was agreed to
in project charter, scope statement and project management plan.
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:
1. Daily SCRUM meeting
short (about 15 minutes) session within each SCRUM team facing the SCRUM board team
members report to the team about what they are working on and whether they are encountering
any issues that they need help with. The objective of this session is to inform and align the team
work.
2. Regular SCRUM of SCRUMs meeting
session in which SCRUM Masters from individual SCRUM teams share information about what
each SCRUM team works on, surface any cross-team alignment topics and resolve any issues
that arise between the teams. The session is very similar to integration team meetings conducted
in traditional projects. Note: Cadence of these sessions needs to be calibrated, but they should be
done on at least a bi-weekly basis. The more often they are done the shorter they can be.
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)
3.24.4. Monitor and Control Project Activities
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to ensure that resources are assigned to all scheduled project
activities (and tasks) and that work is progressing, and deliverables are produced as expected.
3.24.5. Manage Issues, Risks and Changes
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to capture and manage project issues and risks and changes
related to those e.g. changes of project scope, timeline, costs etc.
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
3.25.
Release and Sprint Plan
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to refine the Initial Release Plan that was defined earlier. At this time
the team also defined sprint plan for the first few iterations. SAP provides customers with an SAP
Solution Manager tool set that supports customers in implementation of the project standards for the
purposes of the project or operations. It is highly recommended to use the SAP Solution Manager
Focused Build service solution. Additional details can be found in the SAP Solution Manager Focused
Build accelerator. The Focused Build material currently relates to SAP Solution Manager 7.1
functionality and the above training materials will be updated for SAP Solution Manager 7.2. In this
update step there will be an opportunity to create greater alignment with existing WBS. Project
managers may also want to consider more significant updates to the WBS to align with the project
approach of the Focused Build approach.
Tasks
• Update and Prioritize Backlog
•
Estimate Backlog Items Effort
•
Conduct Release and Sprint Planning Meeting
•
Validate Release and Sprint Plan Against SoW
3.25.1. Update and Prioritize Backlog
Objective
The purpose of this task is to update the backlog with delta requirements and to prioritize the
backlog items by business importance. The SAP Activate Methodology recommends using the
MSCW prioritization framework (e.g. the Must-Have, Should-Have, Could-Have, Would-Have) for
an initial grouping of the backlog requirements. The business process owner is responsible for
determining the relative priority of each requirement. Once the requirements are assigned to the
appropriate group, the business owner needs to determine a sequence of requirements in each of
those groups. This will help the project team to understand the relative priority of items in each
group and this will facilitate selection of the high priority items during the sprint planning in the
Realize phase. During prioritization the following dimensions need to be considered:
Dependencies and Integration
the project team will help business owner assess the impact of the requirement on other
requirements (technical risk, dependencies, integration points);
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, WouldHave) 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
3.25.2. Estimate Backlog Items Effort
Objective
The objective of this task is to estimate effort for the backlog items. This activity is done by the
project team that has the expertise to estimate the effort required to complete the backlog items
(requirements) from the backlog. For the project team it is critical to understand when we consider
the backlog item done. The definition of done must be clearly understood by everybody involved
in the project. See examples below for recommended definitions. The project team needs to
ensure that the estimates in the backlog include all activities required for completion of the item in
the sprint and for completion of the item in the release. Project team should follow these
guidelines during the estimation process:
•
•
•
•
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
3.25.3. Conduct Release and Sprint Planning Meeting
Objective
The objective of this task is to prepare a release and sprint plan that will guide the project team in
building the requirements in the backlog into a fully functional and integrated solution that
supports customer’s business. The starting point for the release and sprint planning is the
prioritized and estimated backlog (activities covered in the previous tasks).
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:
1. Sprint Planning Meeting
2. Sprint Execution Activities
3. Daily Stand-up Meeting
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)
3.25.4. Validate Release and Sprint Plan Against SoW
Objective
The purpose of this task is to review the release and sprint plans against the statement of work
(SoW). The objective of this task is to identify any new features that have been surfaced during
the baseline build that may not be part of the original scope and may require amendment of the
SoW or Change Request. It is important to ensure that the project manager validates that the
requirements and user stories in the backlog document are in alignment with the scope of the
project as it is reflected in the SoW and other contractual documents. The project manager (PM)
should also ensure the alignment of the release and sprint plan with the high-level plan covered in
the SoW. In case any discrepancies are discovered the PM needs to take appropriate corrective
action, like raising a change request according to the integrated change request management
plan defined in the Prepare phase.
3.26.
Change Impact Analysis
Description
The purpose of the Change impact analysis deliverable is to ensure that the organizational and
technical changes in business processes have been identified and documented by comparing the asis and the to-be business processes.
Tasks
• Validate Organizational Alignment Approach
• Establish Baseline of Current State
How SAP Can Support
Organizational change management and user adoption are key to every digital transformation project.
Activities should start right from the Prepare phase. SAP can support these critical elements by
providing expert assistance in:
•
•
•
Identifying and engaging stakeholder groups
Creating a change impact analysis
Facilitating role-mapping activities to document the changes in your organization and specific
job roles
•
•
•
Creating an OCM road map
Defining, managing, and executing change management deliverables, such as an OCM
charter and governance infrastructure, OCM risk mitigation strategy, OCM readiness
assessment, and OCM performance management practices
Establishing a communication plan and related activities to promote awareness and
acceptance of SAP software changes.
See accelerator section for more details on SAP Training and Adoption Services.
Accelerators
• SAP Training and Adoption Services
• OCM Change Impact Analysis Guide (Customer)
3.26.1. Validate Organizational Alignment Approach
Objective
The purpose of this task is to validate the chosen approach with key stakeholders for the
continued project execution.
3.26.2. Establish Baseline of Current State
Objective
The purpose of this task is to define the baseline for where organizational change management
starts and against which progress, and success of the OCM-activities are measured.
3.27.
Phase Closure and Sign-Off phase Deliverables
Description
The purpose of the phase closure and sign-off deliverable is to:
•
•
•
Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
•
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
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. 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)
3.27.2. 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.
A Quality Gate looks at the following topics in detail:
•
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 a 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
• QGateChecklist Template Introduction
• Quality Built In New QGate Checklist
• Q-Gate Check List for SAP S/4HANA implementations
3.27.3. Execute Baseline Retrospective
Objective
The purpose of this task is to conduct a retrospective meeting with the SCRUM team to identify
potential improvements of the SCRUM process. The objective of this task is to serve as a
continuous improvement mechanism for the team to adjust to a changing project environment and
needs. The team will select one or two key improvements to implement in the next iteration and
handles them as user stories that are added to the product backlog, prioritized and tracked along
with other user stories.
Accelerators
• Agile Sprint Retrospective Template (Customer)
3.27.4. Conduct Project Management Review Service
Objective
The purpose of this task is to execute a Project Management Review that provides a proactive
quality assurance review, with an impartial analysis of all aspects of the project - across all project
management disciplines, enabling early detection of project issues with actionable
recommendations.
3.27.5. Manage Fulfilled Contracts
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.
3.27.6. Obtain Customer Sign-Off for Phase Completion
Objective
The purpose of this task is to obtain customer approval (sign-off).
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.
Figure: Activities in the Realize phase
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) and security changes are implemented as defined in the design document.
Additional applications, like Central Finance in a selective data transition scenario, or the SAP Digital
Boardroom, 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.
Application changes are thoroughly tested in the Testing work stream.
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 aging and data archiving are 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.
4.1. Phase Initiation
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to formally recognize that a new project phase starts.
Tasks
• Review Deliverables of Realize Phase
•
Review Acceptance Criteria
•
Review RACI Chart for Realize Phase with Customer
4.1.1. Review Deliverables of Realize Phase
Objective
The purpose of this task is to review all deliverables of the Realize Phase with the customer.
4.1.2. Review Acceptance Criteria
Objective
The purpose of this task is to review the acceptance criteria with the customer.
4.1.3. Review RACI Chart for Realize Phase
Objective
The purpose of this task is to review the R.A.C.I Chart for the Explore Phase with the Customer.
It is important to clarify roles and responsibilities in completing tasks and deliverables during this
phase
4.2. Plan Realize Phase
Description
The purpose of this activity is to define plans for Sprints, Solution Reviews and prepare all businessprocess-related tests according to customer-specific configurations.
Tasks
• Plan Sprints and Solution Reviews
•
Plan Testing
4.2.1. Plan Sprint and Solution Reviews
Objective
The purpose of this task is to plan Sprints and prepare to evaluate the proposed solution.
4.2.2. Plan Testing
Objective
The purpose of this task is to plan the test sessions from a Project Management point of view.
Procedure
1. Review Test entry and exit criteria with customer
2. Schedule Test Sessions and Plan Resources
4.3. Learning Realization
Description
In this activity the training material for end user will be created.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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.).
4.3.1. Train your Key User
Objective
The goal of this task is to train the key user as planned in the activity Learning Design in the
Explore phase.
Procedure
Train your key user as planned in the Explore phase. Training could happen e.g. via class room
training, or on the sandbox system.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers “Training and Adoption Services” to support customers in implementation projects. For
instance, SAP offers services for a custom-fit training strategy and training programs for end
users, based on a “Training Needs Analysis”.
Accelerators
• SAP Training and Adoption Services
4.3.2. Create Training Material for End User
Objective
The goal of this task is to create the required training material according to the training concept
(see activity Learning Design in the Explore phase).
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).
•
Conceptual Design Slides
Conceptual design slides are created for the training events as a visual aid, and a guideline
during training. They provide not only a general overview of the course, but also the main
procedures as well as role-specific and process-specific information. The slides have a
modular structure and are discussed during training (up to max. five concept slides per
content day).
•
Work Instructions for Transaction Steps
The work instructions contain not only step-by-step explanations for the relevant transactions,
but also screenshots from the customers SAP system as well as explanations of screens and
input fields.
•
Exercises, Including Data
Exercises are an integral part of each training measure. Active processing phases within a
training event help participants to understand and learn about sub-processes and functions
relating to their new system. The exercises are carried out in a customer SAP system during
the training event to ensure that the training includes a large proportion of practical
applications. Up to four exercise scenarios are generally needed for each training day.
Training data needs to be available early, so that the key user can already try it out during
training material creation.
•
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, elearning 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 selflearning 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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers “Training and Adoption Services” to support customers in implementation projects. For
instance, SAP offers services for a custom-fit training strategy and training programs for end
users, based on a “Training Needs Analysis”.
In addition, SAP offers deployment services for SAP Enable Now to ensure the successful
implementation and sustainable use.
Accelerators
•
•
•
SAP Training and Adoption Services
SAP Enable Now at SAP Online Help Portal
SAP Enable Now Info Center
4.4. Sprint Initiation (Iterative)
Description
The purpose of this task is to initiate sprint in a formal Sprint Planning Meeting.
4.4.1. Conduct Sprint Planning Meeting (Iterative)
Objective
The purpose of this task is to initiate sprint by selecting the set of user stories that will be
implemented in the sprint (scope of the sprint). During the sprint planning meeting the SCRUM
team estimates the stories and clarifies with the product owner team any questions that may still
remain open. The team commits to deliver a set of the highest priority stories from the backlog.
This meeting formally sets the scope for the sprint. This meeting is conducted at the beginning of
each sprint.
Accelerators
• Agile Definition of Ready and Done (Customer)
4.5. Execution Plan for Realize Phase
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to execute the work defined in the Realize Phase and manage the
Sprints and Testing according to previously defined plans. During test execution all issues must be
logged and documented in the system for traceability purpose.
Tasks
1. Manage Sprints
2. Manage Unit/String Tests
3. Manage Integration Test
4. Manage Security Test
5. Manage User Acceptance Test
4.5.1. Manage Sprints
Objective
The purpose of this task is to ensure consistent execution and monitoring of sprint activities.
4.5.2. Manage Unit/String Tests
Objective
The purpose of this task is to properly manage the Unit/Spring Test. During the test, all issues
must be logged and documented in the system for traceability purpose.
4.5.3. Manage Integration Test
Objective
The purpose of this task is to properly manage the integration test. During the test all issues must
be logged and documented in the system for traceability purposes.
4.5.4. Manage Security Test
Objective
The purpose of this task is to properly manage the security test. During the test all issues must be
logged and documented in the system for traceability purposes.
4.5.5. Manage User Acceptance Test
Objective
The purpose of this task is to properly manage the User Acceptance test (UAT). During the test all
issues must be logged and documented in the system for traceability purposes.
4.6. Configuration: Introduction
Description
The purpose of this activity is to configure the mandatory settings, according to the design defined and
agreed during the Explore phase (see activity Fit-to-Standard for details). The design documents
contain changes related to both the implementation of new functionality, and the mandatory
configuration adjustments.
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):
Figure: Individual steps within each configuration cycle (sprint)
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity 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
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise)
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
•
SAP S/4HANA 2021 – Feature Scope Description
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
4.6.1. Make yourself familiar with Configuration
Objective
The objective of this task is to prepare for the upcoming configuration activities and tasks.
Requirements and Constraints
There are design documents available describing enhancement and configuration requirements.
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.
4.7. Configuration: Handover
Description
The purpose of this activity is a structured handover from the design team (in charge of the design
documents) to the configuration team.
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
•
Run Handover Session
4.7.1. Run Handover Session
Objective
The objective of this task is to properly hand over all required material from the design team to the
configuration team.
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
Solution Manager procedures or usage guideline (if appropriate)
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
4.8. Configuration: Main Configuration
Description
The purpose of this activity is to perform the necessary customizing in the Development system
according to the agreed business process scope.
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
•
Perform Main Configuration
4.8.1. Perform Main Configuration
Objective
The objective of this task is to perform the main configuration of the Line of Business / business
area. In case of an agile implementation, the first sprint usually focuses at the core configuration
whereas subsequent sprints provide the delta configuration.
Prerequisite
Design documents have been handed over to the configuration team.
Procedure
The main configuration is structured into:
•
•
•
Configuration of general settings and organizational structure
As an example, for Core Finance, typical entities are (besides others):
▪ Chart of Account
▪ VAT Numbers
▪ Company codes
▪ Controlling area
Configuration of master data
As an example, for Core Finance, this covers (besides others):
▪ Profit center
▪ Cost center
▪ Bank directory
▪ SAP Business Partner
Core / Delta configuration of each application
Typical configuration items for Core Finance are (besides others):
o
o
o
o
▪ Document types
▪ Localization settings (e.g. withholding tax)
▪ Correspondence
▪ Document splitting
▪ Statistical key figures
▪ Payments (ingoing / outgoing)
▪ Clearing
▪ Dunning
▪ Month end closure procedures (periodical processing)
Core / Delta configuration that spans across applications or Line of Business
Typical items include:
▪ Goods receipt into Warehouse Management
▪ Invoice to Accounts Receivable postings
▪ Credit management
▪ Pricing
▪ Availability to promise
Replicate and complete in different company codes and countries
Country specific localizations for statutory requirements or process variants
See the SAP Best Practice Explorer for configuration items structured by Line of Business /
business area. Please note that as of release 1909 the SAP Best Practice Explorer does no
longer offer configuration guides. Instead, 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.
Also, the Product Assistance section in the SAP Online Help Portal describes application specific
configuration in detail.
Properly record configuration changes 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
• SAP Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the accelerator section
•
Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
4.9. Configuration: Unit Test
Description
The purpose of this activity is to unit test the newly configured functions in the Development system.
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
•
Run Unit Test
4.9.1. Run Unit Test
Objective
The objective of this task is to properly unit test the newly implemented functions in the
Development system, and to properly log issues in the project issue list.
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 Best Practice Explorer 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 Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the accelerator section
4.10.
Configuration: String Test
Description
The purpose of this activity is to test an initial solution integration within the business priorities /
business areas in scope. This is not a fully loaded integration test (see activity Test Execution later in
this phase).
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
•
Run String Test
4.10.1. Run String Test
Objective
The objective of this task is to run a first test on solution integration within the business priorities /
business areas in scope.
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.
Test execution and results should be properly documented and stored in SAP Solution Manager.
Issues should be corrected either directly (same day), or in case this is not possible, logged in the
project issue list.
See SAP Best Practice Explorer 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 Best Practice for SAP S/4HANA (on premise) – scroll down to the accelerator section
• Business Process Unit and String Test Results Template
4.11.
Configuration: Solution Walk-Through
Description
The purpose of this activity is to have an early knowledge transfer from the configuration team.
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
•
Run Solution Walk-Through
4.11.1. Run Solution Walk-Through
Objective
The aim of this task is to present the new solution capability to the corresponding project team
members for early knowledge transfer.
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.
•
Resolve Identified Issues
4.12.1. Resolve Identified Issues
Objective
The aim of this task is to resolve and correct issues which have been identified during tests and
solution walk-through.
Prerequisite
Solution walk-through has been completed.
Procedure
• Resolve issues which have been identified in the unit / string test and solution walkthrough, 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
4.13.
Configuration: Documentation
Description
The purpose of this activity is to document the configured settings and upload the results in SAP
Solution Manager.
Procedure
This activity is executed per Line of Business / business area and sprint.
•
Document Configured Settings
4.13.1. Document Configured Settings
Objective
The objective of this task is to properly document the configuration settings.
Prerequisite
Bug fixing has been completed.
Procedure
• Extend the design documents, by properly documenting the configuration settings in SAP
Solution Manager. 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)
4.14.
Product Enhancements
Description
The activity Product Enhancements covers the development of custom code to close the delta
requirement identified in the Fit-to-Standard activities in the Explore phase.
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
• Development of user interfaces (e.g. FIORI)
• Custom Developments
Please note: 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).
How SAP Can Support
Before developing new code in SAP S/4HANA your developers should be aware of programming best
practices coming with new SAP NetWeaver releases. Look for instance at the SAP Blog “Best
Practices for ABAP Development on SAP NetWeaver 7.5x” from the SAP RIG team.
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:
•
•
You can run innovations in parallel to the S/4HANA conversion project
You can consume innovations without upgrading the stable SAP S/4HANA core (e.g. LoB Finance
innovations delivered via SAP Business Technology Platform applications).
You will find helpful information resources in SAP whitepaper and blogs (see “SAP S/4HANA
Extensibility – A Learning Journey” in the accelerator section). Look up also training courses on SAP
Business Technology Platform at openSAP.
See the accelerator section for more information.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Best Practices for ABAP Development on SAP Netweaver 7.5x
•
ABAP Platform for SAP S/4HANA 1909
•
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
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
• SAP Business Technology Platform - Landing Page in the SAP Online Help Portal
4.14.1. Adjust Affected Existing Custom Code
Objective
The goal of this task is to adjust custom code and make it ready for SAP S/4HANA. This task
explains on the classic adjustment of custom ABAP objects. See the following tasks for new
approaches.
Requirements and Constraints
The list of affected custom code objects has been created (see activity Custom Code Impact).
The development system has been converted to SAP S/4HANA.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP has several offerings to support this task:
•
•
In case your development is in charge to adjust the affected custom code, SAP offers a
“Custom Code Remediation Support” service component to organize and empower the
customer development team. It further helps to evaluate the impact of changes on custom
code development process. With the results of the “Custom Code Impact Analysis” from the
Explore phase, the adjustments on custom code will be discussed and integrated into the
development process to reduce the time to get your development team to the same efficiency
level as before. The transition to SAP S/4HANA includes new data models and new
processes for quality management that your development team must get familiar with.
In case you would like to involve SAP with the identification and the adjustment of your
custom code, SAP offers the “Custom Code Management Execution Support” scope option
(part of the “Build Execution” service). 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.
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 2021
• 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
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
4.14.2. Adjust Custom Code with Re-Design or Re-Platforming
Objective
Instead of “quick-fixing” custom code, and for important code extensions (e.g. complex code w/
high maintenance effort, or business critical / competition-differentiating processes) you may
consider a re-code / re-design within SAP S/4HANA (e.g. by using in-app extensibility), or you
may re-platform the extension to SAP BTP as a side-by-side extension.
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
Re-code and / or re-platform, and start making the core clean:
• Identify custom code which cannot / should not be simply adjusted to be executable on
SAP S/4HANA
• The identification of the first candidates to be re-platformed to SAP BTP might be
challenging – include experienced experts right from the beginning.
• Start re-coding in SAP S/4HANA, or re-platforming on SAP BTP using new extensibility
technologies. This helps you making future SAP S/4HANA upgrades a “non-event”,
because your code is decoupled from SAP code.
• Always use released APIs only
WRICEF is defined as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
W = workflow
R = reports
I = interfaces
C = conversions
E = enhancements
F = forms
Using new technologies shows several advantages compared to the traditional WRICEF
development:
Figure: Comparison of WRICEF development with New Technologies
How SAP can Support
The following services are available to support with re-platforming to SAP Business Technololgy
Platform:
• Extension overview for on-premise and SaaS solutions from SAP
• Empowerment service for SAP BTP
Understand why SAP BTP is a corner stone in your intelligent enterprise journey. Get
empowered to utilize SAP BTP capabilities. Digitalize your processes and build state of
the art business process extensions.
• Re-Platforming support from on-premise to SAP BTP
Make the core system clean (again) to reduce the TCO of your on premise systems and
to consume innovation delivered by SAP at a faster rate. Get guidance and support to
move away from long development cycles to a continuous delivery approach monitored
with DevOps.
See accelerator section for details.
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 2021
OpenSAP Training for Developers
SAP White Paper - Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations
4.14.3. Develop new Extensions following the Clean Core Strategy
Objective
The purpose of this task is to provide coded enhancements within the defined project scope and
specified from a functional perspective during the Explore phase. Where the former tasks of this
activity have focused on the adjustment of existing custom code, this task provide information on
how to handle the creation of new code in future in general.
Procedure
SAP provides general rules and recommendations for extensibility with the aim to keep the core of
your system clean.
Figure: General rules for Extensibility
Code Avoidance
Avoid the creation of own code as much as possible.
•
Fit to Standard
o
o
Use pre-configured solutions with predefined processes and utilize SAP Fiori UX
▪ SAP Best Practices
▪ SAP Enterprise Management Layer
▪ SAP Standard Content Activation
Foster cloud mindset by adhering to Fit-to-Standard and Agile Deployment detailed in
SAP Activate: Leverage SAP standard processes where possible
•
Design Governance
o
o
o
Adjust development and approval process
Apply a zero-modification policy from the project’s first day (modification overview in
transactions CCAPPS or SE95)
Before approving development requests, check:
▪ Did SAP or an experienced team of functional experts / design government board
validate the requirement (making sure that there are no configuration or
software alternatives available)?
▪ Did you check if software from SAP partners could help avoiding own coding
(in SAP S/4HANA, SAP Industry Cloud)?
Upgrade Stability
•
•
Extensions must not impact future upgrades, and extensions are not impacted by future
upgrades.
Decouple your extensions from SAP Code
o
o
o
o
•
Zero modifications
No classic extensions which use unreleased SAP coding (function modules, includes etc.)
è Avoid Lift & Shift from old SAP systems
API based access to SAP functionality
API based access to business data
Only released interfaces and objects
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
o
o
•
Classic extensibility exception only
o
o
•
When using In-App, use Key User Extensibility or Developer Extension (which uses
Restricted ABAP automatically)
You can also use ATC to check readiness of existing ABAP code for cloud (variant
S4HANA_READINESS)
When using ABAP in a Side-by-Side extension, Restricted ABAP is used automatically
Avoid lift and shift of old ABAP code from SAP ECC
Properly document all deviations
Zero modifications
o
Modifying SAP code leads to extensions which are not cloud ready
Extensibility Patterns
Five extensibility patterns exist in the context of SAP S/4HANA today. A decision matrix
gives guidance when to use which pattern.
•
Pattern 1: Cloud Application
Traits
o
o
o
o
o
o
Cloud development is automated with the DevOps pipeline.
Business logic is implemented on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) using
Java or Node.js (with SAP Cloud SDK and SAP Cloud Application Programming Model),
ABAP programming language (with the ABAP RESTful application programming model),
or workflow and business rules engines.
Application-specific data is stored on SAP BTP.
Integration to SAP solutions such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP
SuccessFactors solutions, and others is established through standard APIs or custom
APIs built with key user (in-app) extensibility.
Possibly, data is replicated into SAP BTP for consumption by custom application and/or
analytics with SAP Analytics Cloud.
Single identity provider allows for single sign-on and principal propagation. Separate
(cloud-only) identity provider allows external users to access the application.
Benefits
o
o
o
o
o
This pattern provides a common platform and extension mechanism for all cloud, onpremise, and hybrid solutions from SAP.
It enables true decoupling of custom extensions from SAP code supporting a “Clean
Core” strategy. The clear list of consumed APIs simplifies risk impact analysis and test
scoping during back-end upgrades.
The application’s release cycle is independent from the back-end release cycles. Daily or
even more frequent application deployments are possible.
The decoupled lifecycle and lean dependencies allow for quick proof of concept and
minimal viable product development.
Isolated development environments (separate “space” per development team) and API
access control allow for collaboration with external development teams without providing
access to back-end systems.
Restrictions
o
o
•
The absence of standard APIs and/or standard business objects to build a custom API
may require building custom APIs using embedded extensions or classic custom
development. The former is preferable since the latter introduces dependency on the
back end’s lifecycle.
This pattern supports eventual data inconsistency. Custom data stored in the cloud
cannot be changed together with core data in the back end.
Pattern 2: In App - Key User Extension
Traits
o
This pattern provides common managed enhancements and embedded analytical
capabilities for SAP S/4HANA and SAP S/4HANA Cloud.
Benefits
o
o
Most of the changes require no ABAP development and can be done by key users.
In App extensions are decoupled from SAP code supporting a “Clean Core” strategy.
Restrictions
o
o
•
UI adaptation works with SAP Fiori apps only. Applications based on the SAP GUI
interface for HTML (Web GUI) and the Web Dynpro development environment have
limited extensibility support.
ABAP for Key Users is restricted and does not offer the full set of ABAP commands.
Pattern 3: Hybrid Application - Side by Side with In App/Classic
Traits
o
o
o
Application logic is developed on the back end using classical development or the ABAP
RESTful application programming model. The data is exposed to the UI through custom
REST (OData) services.
Single identity provider allows for single sign-on and principal propagation.
Separate (cloud-only) identity provider allows external users to access the application.
Benefits
o
o
Allows you to provide mobile and external access with a modern UI to the existing custom
applications with some moderate effort
In case In App extensibility is being used extensions are decoupled from SAP code
supporting a “Clean Core” strategy.
Restrictions
o
o
•
Release cycle is dependent on the back-end release cycle.
Existing custom applications in the back end might not be optimized for the cloud-based
UI, leading to a high number of back-end calls and extensive data transfer. A redesign of
certain application logic on the back end might be required to optimize the performance.
Pattern 4: In App - Developer Extension (piloted)
Traits
o
o
o
o
o
Use of modern UI technologies (such as SAP Fiori apps)
Based on the ABAP RESTful application programming model
Custom extension running on the same ABAP platform stack and the same database as
SAP S/4HANA
Extension that is clearly separated from standard code by using optimized ABAP
programming language and released APIs
Utilization of SAP S/4HANA Cloud extension points, local APIs, public APIs, and SAP
Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) services
Benefits
o
o
o
o
o
o
Additional flexibility for extensions within SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Direct access to all released objects and APIs of the back end of SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Increased compatibility between extensions built on SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP
S/4HANA, and SAP BTP, ABAP environment
In case of SAP S/4HANA on premise: No move of business data into the cloud (there
could be legal restrictions on storing data in the cloud)
No additional integration middleware required
In App extensions are decoupled from SAP code supporting a “Clean Core” strategy.
Restrictions
o
o
•
Cloud-optimized ABAP language scope to help ensure cloud readiness and low effort for
applying SAP updates – does not offer full set of ABAP commands.
Enforced use of released APIs, core data services, and data elements and domains to
help ensure stable operations – additional custom coding required in case APIs are
missing
Pattern 5: Classical Extension
Traits
o
o
Use of the classical UI technologies (SAP GUI interface, Web Dynpro development
environment) or reuse of existing custom SAPUI5 or SAP Fiori® apps deployed on SAP
ERP
Tight coupling of custom code to standard SAP code
Benefits
o
o
Existing custom application can be reused in SAP S/4HANA; custom code adaptation will
still be required.
Classic enhancement technologies (user or customer exits, enhancement points or spots,
and more) as well as modifications provide flexible options for application tuning.
However, modifications and some enhancement types have a negative impact on the
lifecycle and are not recommended.
Restrictions
o
o
Release cycle is dependent on the back-end release cycle.
Additional and ongoing adjustment efforts may be required during future upgrade
Decision Matrix
This decision matrix helps to choose the best-fitting extensibility pattern:
Figure: Decision matrix showing pros of the individual extensibility pattern
Before extending on SAP Business Technology Platform, 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.
Once you have decided on the extensibility pattern, proceed as follows:
Step 1: Technical Design
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.
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. The final
documents will be stored in SAP Solution Manager for shared access.
Step 2: Development of custom objects
The developer is in charge to realize the requirement, which includes the development itself but
for sure also documentation and unit testing.
Step 3: Unit testing for 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 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.
How SAP Can Support
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:
•
•
Extension overview for on-premise and SaaS solutions from SAP
Provides an overview on how to keep the digital core clean. Extension concepts, best
practices, frameworks, and tools will be shown, and criteria discussed to be able to decide
where to put a custom specific extension on.
Proof of Concept
Offers a prototyping for extension scenarios on a sandbox tenant for non-productive use
on SAP Business Technology Platform
Accelerators
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
• Custom Code Quality Management - Security Check Service
• SAP White Paper - Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations
• Software Logistics for SAP Business Technology Platform
• WRICEF Inventory Template (Customer)
• Technical Specification - Enhancements Template
• Technical Specification – Applications and Transactions
• 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
4.14.4. Enhancement and development of user interfaces (e.g. FIORI)
Objective
The purpose of this task is to provide UI enhancements within the defined project scope and
specified from a functional perspective during the Explore phase.
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.
Development of user interfaces follows in general the procedure described in the task before:
•
•
•
Technical Design
Development
Unit Test
Examples:
•
•
•
•
•
Extend an existing SAP Fiori App
o Configuration, hide / add fields by use of configuration framework, UI
enhancements using backend configuration
o Enhancements through Fiori extension points
o UI changes & backend extensions; change of "look & feel" and backend
functionality of a standard application.
Full screen modifications
UI enhancements using functional customizations
Development of new Fiori Apps
Create new FIORI launch pads and catalogues.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “Fiori Enhancement Pack” service or with SAP Custom
Development. These services are not part of the SAP Value Assurance but are available as an
SAP Professional Service offering.
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.
Look up the SAP Blog “SAP S/4HANA – How to Create and Generate Backend Security
Authorizations for SAP Fiori 2.0” which provides a step-by-step instruction on how to create and
generate SAP Backend authorizations for an SAP S/4HANA system based on SAP Fiori 2.0
Frontend Server Catalog information. In the accelerator section, you will also find an SAP Blog
series from the SAP RIG team on how to deal with user default values in the context of SAP Fiori
apps, and how to troubleshoot SAP Fiori apps.
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
o
o
o
o
•
•
•
o
SAP Blog - SAP S/4HANA – How to Create and Generate Backend Security
Authorizations for SAP Fiori 2.0
SAP Blog - Setting User Defaults in SAP S/4HANA
SAP Blog - Activating User Defaults in SAP S/4HANA
SAP Blog - Applying User Defaults in SAP S/4HANA
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
Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
4.14.5. Custom Developments
Objective
For development requirements exceeding a certain threshold (which is project specific), or
considering those as too critical for the project, it is recommended to manage those as custom
developments with the help of SAP.
Procedure
Custom development follows in general the same procedure as described in the task
Development of WRICEF objects:
•
•
•
Technical Design
Development
Unit Test
How SAP Can Support
With SAP’s Innovation Services and Solutions, SAP is able to develop one-of-a-kind solutions
that help you thrive in the digital economy. Conceptualize, design, build, and maintain custom
applications that run on any device – and in on-premise, cloud, or hybrid environments – with help
from the SAP Innovation Services and Solutions team.
•
•
•
Speed mission-critical app development with agile development methods and by reusing
existing software
Develop on a variety of SAP platforms, including those from SAP companies Hybris,
Ariba, and SuccessFactors
Be a leader in your industry with individualized solutions that support innovation and the
continuous transformation of your business
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• SAP White Paper - Custom Extensions in SAP S/4HANA Implementations
• Software Logistics for SAP Business Technology Platform
• Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions
4.15.
Sprint Closing
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to formally close the sprint by conducting the Sprint Review Meeting
with key users, product owner group and key stakeholders; formally sign-off the results and conduct
sprint retrospective.
Tasks
• Conduct Sprint Review Meeting
•
Sign-off Sprint Results
•
Conduct Sprint Retrospective
4.15.1. Conduct Sprint Review Meeting
Objective
The purpose of this task is to demonstrate the results of the sprint to the product owner team, key
users and key project stakeholders. The results of the demo are either acceptance of the backlog
item or in case the feature is not accepted, the user story is amended by the product owner team,
prioritized, and remains in the product backlog ready for next sprint planning meeting. The demo
in sprint review meeting serves as an input to formal sign-off for the sprint.
Accelerators
• Agile Sprint Burndown and Task Board (Customer)
4.15.2. Sign-off Sprint Results
Objective
The purpose of this task is to obtain formal acceptance and sign-off of the sprint results following
the sprint review meeting. The product owner team is the party that provides the sign-off to the
project team. In case some features are not accepted they are brought back into the product
backlog as a requirement, properly prioritized and included in planning for the next sprint.
4.15.3. Conduct Sprint Retrospective
Objective
The purpose of this task is to conduct retrospective meeting with the SCRUM team to identify
potential improvements of the SCRUM process. The objective of this task is to serve as
continuous improvement mechanism for the team to adjust to changing project environment and
needs. The team will select one or two key improvements to implement in the next iteration and
handles them as user stories that are added to the product backlog, prioritized and tracked along
with other user stories.
Accelerators
• Agile Release Planning (Customer)
• Agile Sprint Retrospective Template (Customer)
4.16.
Security Implementation
Description
In the security implementation activity, the customer specific results from the Security Design phase
are implemented. All required and planned security tasks are now initiated.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
Procedure
•
Implement security
4.16.1. Implement Security
Objective
The objective of this task is to implement security as designed in the Explore phase. Please note
that this task is not limited to the SAP S/4HANA system but may also include the implementation
of security concepts around SAP S/4HANA (e.g. in SAP IDM or infrastructure).
Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define / fine-tune the security activities
Prepare / adjust the project plan per security service
Run the security services
Document the results of the security activities (e.g. S/4HANA authorization concept)
See “SAP Security Products” webinar for details.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers a lot of implementation services around security. Contact your SAP client partner for
details.
Accelerators
• SAP Security Optimization Services
• SAP Security Products Webinar
4.17.
Data Volume Management Configuration
Description
Based on the analysis conducted in the Explore phase of the project (see activity Data Volume
Design), Data Volume Management is configured in the Realize phase of the project.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios. Prerequisites are as follows:
•
•
•
•
The DVM strategy has been adapted in agreement with the business, to include the options
SAP S/4HANA offers for data archiving and data aging
The development system is already converted to SAP S/4HANA.
In case you would like to use data aging, you have switched on the data aging
(DAAG_DATA_AGING) business function. In addition, you have entered profile parameter
abap/data_aging.
You are familiar with data aging procedure, and the limitations around data aging.
The following table gives an overview on available data aging objects.
Aging Object
Availability
Application Logs
SAP NetWeaver 7.40 SPS 08
Intermediate Documents (IDocs)
SAP NetWeaver 7.40 SPS 08
Change Documents
SAP NetWeaver 7.40 SPS 12
Workflow
SAP NetWeaver 7.40 SPS 12
FI Documents
SAP Simple Finance add-on 1.0
Unified Journal Entry
SAP S/4HANA Finance 1503 SPS 03
SAP S/4HANA – 1511 update
Material Documents
SAP S/4HANA - 1511 update
Purchase Order
SAP S/4HANA – 1610
Sales Documents
SAP S/4HANA – 1610
Deliveries
SAP S/4HANA – 1610
SD Invoices
SAP S/4HANA – 1610
Procedure
• Clean up or archive business data upfront of a system conversion (if not already done)
• Configure data archiving and data aging (Design Time)
• Test execution of data archiving and data aging (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.
Accelerators
•
•
•
Configuration of Data Aging in the SAP Online Help Portal
SAP Note 2416490 - FAQ: SAP HANA Data Aging in SAP S/4HANA
SAP Note 2315141 - Collective note for Data Aging Framework
4.17.1. Cleanup or Archive Data
Objective
If not already started earlier in the project (see task Cleanup or archive data in the Prepare
phase): In this task you clean up or archive data in the productive SAP system (before it gets
converted). See the accelerator section for a procedure description.
Requirements and Constraints
This task is of particular interest in case of a system conversion scenario. Depending of a
selective data transition scenario a data cleansing (cleanup or archiving) could be of interest as
well to lower the amount of data for the transfer to 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.
Cleanup or archiving has not started yet.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP can support this task with the “Cleanup / Archive” scope option, which is 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.
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
4.17.2. Configure Data Archiving and Data Aging (Design Time)
Objective
The goal of this task is to configure data archiving and data aging as described in the SAP Help
Portal.
Procedure
Configure data archiving and data aging as described in the SAP Help Portal (see accelerator
section).
Results
Data archiving and data aging has been configured for the business objects in scope.
Accelerators
• Data Archiving in the SAP Online Help Portal
• Configuration of Data Aging in the SAP Online Help Portal
• Configuration of Data Aging in the SAP Online Help Portal (Design Time)
4.17.3. Test execution of Data Archiving and Data Aging (Runtime)
Objective
After you have configured data archiving and data aging, you can test your configuration as
described in the SAP Help Portal.
Prerequisites
Configuration of data archiving and data aging has finished.
Procedure
Test your data archiving settings.
Test data aging as described in the SAP Help Portal (see accelerator section).
Results
Data archiving and data aging have been configured and tested successfully for the business
objects in scope.
Accelerators
•
4.18.
Configuration of Data Aging in the SAP Online Help Portal (Runtime)
Integration Validation
Description
When implementing and running Solution Landscapes that drive mission-critical business processes,
the integration of solutions can be complex and challenging. The implementation work is typically
distributed across many teams and in most cases many stakeholders, including custom-built and
third-party software.
Integration Validation helps to introduce solutions into a production environment smoothly, while
maintaining ongoing operations with minimal disruption. This offering from SAP combines tried-andtested processes and tools, such as the SAP Solution Manager Application Management solution,
with a clear governance model and holistic, one-issue tracking methodology (“single source of the
truth”).
The organizational framework for each Integration Validation project is provided by the Innovation
Control Center (ICC), which is formed from the Customer Center of Expertise (CCOE) location. It
unites customer experts, partners, and SAP staff as one team in one room and works in principle like
a NASA control room. Every mission-critical application and technology component is represented as
well as every implementation and operation services provider.
Besides others, IV addresses the following aspects:
•
Data consistency:
All data integration is posted automatically, for example, from sales and distribution and
materials management to financials and controlling. In distributed solution landscapes, the
consistency of the data across software systems must be subject to checks and validations at
any time. Data passed via interfaces between software systems must be consistent. This
requires transactional security of the interface technology (end-to-end transactional
consistency). All integration queues and interfaces must be monitored.
•
Business process monitoring and exception management:
There must be 100% transparency of status and completion of business processes. The
continuous flow of documents throughout the business process must be monitored. This
includes backlogs of business processes and indicators for throughput, as well as alerts
indicating business exceptions, for example, out-of-stock situations. There must be 100%
transparency of exceptions and backlogs.
•
Performance and scalability:
Response time for defined critical transactions should be lower or equal to what was specified
in the business requirements. Batch runtime for defined critical batch jobs should be lower or
equal to what was specified in the business requirements. Batch processing for critical jobs
that are part of the core business process should fit in the given batch-processing window.
Volume growth and resource consumption must have a linear relationship. Adequate load
balancing must be in place to support throughput of performance-critical business processes.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
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.
4.18.1. Identify the IV Scope
Objective
The goal of this task is to identify the scope of Integration Validation in the context of the transition
project.
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 documented in SAP Solution Manager 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.
See accelerator section for more details.
For complex scenarios, Integration Validation can be very detailed, and possibly structured as a
project on its own. The concept needs to be tailored to the project scope. See the road map
“ESRV Integration Validation (V2.2)” in transaction RMMAIN in SAP Solution Manager for details.
However, in the context of an implementation project, Integration Validation is usually focusing on
performance related aspects of newly implemented core business functionality.
Results
The scope of Integration Validation in the context of the transition project has been documented
and stored in SAP Solution Manager.
4.18.2. Initiate the Corresponding IV Support Activities
Objective
Based on the IV scope which has been defined before, the goal of this task is to initiate the
corresponding support activities.
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.
How SAP Can Support
IV is usually executed with SAP participating. The SAP TQM will initiate the right IV support
activities from SAP:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Technical Feasibility Check service component (TFC): Assess the technical feasibility
of the transition project with focus on compatibility, business continuity, performance and
consistency.
Technical 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.
See accelerator section for details.
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
4.18.3. 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:
•
•
•
SAP OS/DB Migration Check
This check is for system conversion scenarios, where the start database is on any
database except SAP HANA.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can use the Continuous Quality Check (CQC) OS/DB
Migration Check instead.
SAP GoingLive Functional Upgrade Check
This check is for system conversion scenarios, where the start database is on SAP
HANA.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can use the Continuous Quality Check (CQC) for
Upgrade instead.
SAP GoingLive Check
This check is suitable for new installations.
SAP Enterprise Support customers can use the Continuous Quality Check (CQC) for
Implementation instead.
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.
How SAP Can Support
The SAP TQM will order the correct check for you. Customers without TQM can contact the SAP
CIC for ordering.
Accelerators
• SAP OS/DB Migration Check
• SAP Going-Live Functional Upgrade Check
• SAP Going-Live Check for Implementation
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Realize
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Deploy
4.19.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
Procedure
The tasks of this activity depend on your implementation scenario:
•
Legacy Data Migration (New Implementation)
or
•
Perform Load & Verification Runs (System Conversion)
or
•
Perform Selective Data Transition Scenarios
4.19.1. Legacy Data Migration (New Implementation)
Objective
The purpose of this task is to develop, implement, and test the data migration programs and
processes defined in the Explore phase. This task 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, and exercise data reconciliation and
validation processes required to support the production cutover.
Procedure
In case you use migration cockpit for data migration, proceed as follows:
1. In case you decided to fill the staging tables with the files, extract and populate data into
the migration templates. Additional information can be found on the “Field List” sheet inside
the template. Only mandatory sheets need to be filled in. As soon as one field has been filled
for a sheet, all the mandatory fields for this sheet must be completed. See the in-app help for
more information.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Always use the latest templates provided by the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit. Verify after
a release upgrade that the templates being used is compatible with the new release
templates. See task Download Templates for Data Loads for additional information on
downloading the templates.
Load Data in the SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit either by file upload, by filling staging
tables or by directly reading the data from the ERP system.:
a. File/Staging
Populate the staging tables with data by using the template files or by using your
preferred tools (for example SAP Data Services)
b. Direct Transfer
Select your migration objects from the list of migration objects delivered by SAP. Based
on these migration objects the data will be extracted from the SAP source system and
uploaded to the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit for further validation.
Validate the data against the SAP S/4HANA system configuration and resolve data
issues. After uploading you can start the transfer which will map the values against SAP
S/4HANA system internal values, for example country codes. A complete value mapping
according to the translation rules will be performed. To resolve data issues, such as
mandatory fields which are not filled or errors in the value mapping, the user can navigate
backwards and forwards in the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit and run the validation several
times.
Start the guided migration process with the first step “Validation.”
If an error occurs or value mapping is pending, perform a value mapping from source to target
values.
Resolve all other errors that are shown after the validation step.
Execute a simulation of the data migration and resolve all errors. The SAP S/4HANA
migration cockpit runs your data through the respective application interfaces without
committing it to the actual database tables. The process can identify missing configuration or
prerequisites related to the data. Errors can be resolved, and the data reloaded.
Run the simulation step.
Resolve all errors that are shown after the simulation step.
Load the cleansed and validated legacy data into the target system. This can be done
interactively or by a background process. By completing this step, the project team delivers
the master and transactional data required by the SAP S/4HANA application to run
transactions. The population of master and transactional data enables the project team to
complete the testing cycles and determine production readiness.
Assess the quality of the data prior to the load into the Production system. 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 final data quality report includes topics such as:
o Updated data mappings and business rules
o Summary of data quality metrics for all the business objects
o Data profiling results of selected data
o Any outstanding data quality issues that need to be resolved
The assessment includes data to be loaded manually or by using automated tool.
Conduct a final quality assessment with the data owners, document final data quality, and
report the final findings to key stakeholders.
Accelerators
• Data Migration Landing Page for SAP S/4HANA
• Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA from Staging (2Q2)
• SAP Online Help Portal - Release Comparison of Migration Object Templates
• Data Migration Test Results Template
4.19.2. Perform Load & Verification Runs (System Conversion)
Objective
The objective of this task is to verify the silent data migration.
Additional attention is required for large systems. The conversion using standard tools may
exceed the available downtime window. In this case 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 “How SAP Can Support” for more
details.
Prerequisites
This task required in case of system conversions.
Procedure
Silent Data Migration (SDMI) has been introduced already in the conversion of the sandbox. In the
last mock run before dress rehearsal, monitor SDMI again on productive data.
At the end of the SUM tool process, a number of background jobs will execute SDMI. The job
repository for SDMI can be observed using transaction SJOBREPO. Transaction SDM_MON is
used to monitor SDMI directly. Please follow up on errors displayed there.
Monitoring the silent data migration is very important since you cannot continue with the next
S/4HANA release upgrade until all SDMs are successfully completed. Hence, monitoring can help
to identify failed SDM’s and eventually allow administrators to identify root cause, fix, and resume
the failed migration. Please see SAP Blog: Monitoring Silent Data Migration (SDM_MON) –
S/4HANA 1909 upgrade/conversion for more details.
Document correction routines.
Please note that SDMI is client dependent since the application data is usually client dependent.
How SAP Can Support
In general, two Load & Verification Runs are performed within the “Minimized Downtime
Service”:
•
Run 1:
During this run, the correctness of the conversion procedure is verified based on the data
from the production system. Therefore, it is a very realistic simulation of the actual cut-over. It
includes:
•
•
•
•
•
efficient creation of the production clone
correct conversion of the system to SAP S/4HANA on the clone
appropriate recording of changes on the production system
correct and efficient synchronization of the recorded data
detailed verification of the final conversion result
This run offers an opportunity to create the detailed and realistic step description (runbook)
including actual system names and timings for the execution of the procedure in the
production cut-over.
•
Run 2:
This run is the second iteration of the Load & Verification Run. It belongs to the Best Practice
of the SAP Downtime Minimization Service. This task is always planned in projects using the
clone based Near-Zero Downtime method. This is the final end-to-end verification of the cutover procedure including the technical and human aspects. In this run, all parties planned for
the production cut-over are involved. The dress rehearsal is executed based on the runbook
finalized in the Load & Verification Run 1. Besides the confirmation of items verified in the first
run, it provides information about:
•
•
detailed timing of the individual steps
finalization of the required hand-over procedures
The findings of this run provide information for the fine tuning of the runbook.
Based on the both Load & Verification Runs the risks in the production cut-over can be
considerably reduced.
Results
As a result the production cut-over is executed according to the well described and practiced
procedure.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog: Silent Data Migration for S/4HANA 1909 Upgrade/Conversion
• SAP Blog: Monitoring Silent Data Migration (SDM_MON) – S/4HANA 1909
upgrade/conversion
• SAP Note 2351294 – SAP S/4HANA System Conversion/Upgrade: Measures to reduce
technical downtime
• SAP Note 693168 - Minimized Downtime Service
4.19.3. Selective Data Transition Scenarios
Description
As the Selective Data Transition caters for a broad variety of requirements, it will always be
delivered in an individualized customer project that goes beyond a standard New Implementation
or System Conversion.
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
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports the Selective Data Transition Scenarios with the Data Migration Execution (DME)
service.
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.
Delivery approach and scope
•
•
•
•
SAP-led execution of data migrations and landscape transformations including tailored
support for Go-Live and for a defined post-Go-Live period
Guided procedure for customer’s tasks in the data migration project
Data migration experts continuously collaborate throughout the project with IT and
business representatives to ensure quality and success of data migration
Additional support (optional), such as providing special expertise for performance
optimization for landscape transformation technology
Value and benefits
•
•
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
4.20.
Custom Code Quality
Description
This activity implements the required quality level for custom coding.
Procedure
• Establish / Adjust Custom Code Quality
4.20.1. Establish / Adjust Custom Code Quality
Objective
The objective of this task is to establish custom code quality as part of the SAP S/4HANA
implementation project and based on the SAP S/4HANA development guidelines.
Procedure
Before development starts (see activity Product Enhancements in this phase), SAP recommends
establishing the required quality as part of the software development process.
Aspects which should be considered:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Create / enrich / update your development guidelines for SAP S/4HANA, SAP HANA and
SAP Cloud.
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.
How SAP Can Support
There are many information sources available in the internet regarding development best
practices for SAP. See accelerator section for an example from the German SAP User Group.
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
• German SAP User Group – Best Practice Guidelines for Development
• SAP Blog - Best Practices for ABAP Development on SAP Netweaver 7.5x
•
ABAP Platform for SAP S/4HANA 1909
•
Evolution of the ABAP Programming Model
• SAP Online Help Portal - Section for Custom Development
4.21.
Integration Implementation
Description
In the activity integration implementation, the customer specific integration design from the Explore
phase is implemented.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
Procedure
This activity should be executed in close cooperation with the Configuration and Product
Enhancement activities of the Application design and configuration work stream.
The activity is structured into two tasks:
1. Implement the integration design
2. Validate integration implementation
Results
As a result of the integration implementation the integration design has been fully implemented and
validated.
Accelerators
• Technical Specification - Enhancements Template
• Getting started with ABAP Core Data Services
4.21.1. Implement Integration Design
Objective
The integration design documents the planned concept in order to realize the integration
architecture requested by the customer.
This may require the following types of activities:
•
•
•
Configure and customize SAP standard integration
Implement existing best practice scoping items for specific integration scenarios
Develop new or enhance existing development objects (i.e. interfaces) as defined in the
integration design
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “WRICEF Developments” service as part of SAP Professional
Services.
Accelerators
• Technical Specification - Enhancements Template
• Interface Functional Specification Template
• Getting started with ABAP Core Data Services
4.21.2. Validate Integration Implementation
Objective
The objective of integration validation is to ensure technical readiness of the entire solution for
Go‐Live. It includes analysis of critical business processes and interfaces validating scalability,
performance, data consistency and exception management. A comprehensive status (at least on
a monthly basis) of technical go-live readiness for core business processes (integration validation
matrix) is recommended.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “Integration Validation” service component.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Safeguarding the Digital Transformation
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
4.22.
Analytics Configuration
Description
This activity implements and configures the analytics architecture as part of the transition project. SAP
has plans to describe this activity in detail in the future. Furthermore, SAP has plans to support this
activity with an “Analytics Execution” service. Within this activity, this version of the road map
describes the implementation of the SAP Digital Boardroom.
Requirements and Constraints
The configuration of SAP Analytics Cloud SAP Digital Boardroom is based on SAP Best Practices
packages, and on results of other service components like “Content Orchestration for SAP Digital
Boardroom” in the Explore phase.
Procedure
• Configure Analytics & Digital Boardroom
4.22.1. Configure Analytics & Digital Boardroom
Objective
The objective of this task is to configure analytics and the SAP Digital Boardroom.
Procedure
Configure analytics functionality as designed in the Explore phase.
In case of the SAP Digital Boardroom, SAP recommends implementing this product together with
SAP (see section How SAP Can Support).
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers two “Quick-start services” from SAP Professional Services:
• Quick-start service for SAP Analytics Cloud: This service helps our customers to have a quick
implementation for using SAP Analytics Cloud.
• Quick-Start Service for SAP Digital Boardroom: This service helps customers to have a fast
start for using SAP Digital Boardroom based on SAP Analytics Cloud.
The “Implementation of Analytics with SAP S/4HANA” service is also from SAP Professional
Services. The service enables customers to get started with SAP S/4HANA embedded analytics
and integrate with best in class analytical platform and solutions from SAP (like SAP BI platform,
SAP HANA Cloud Platform, SAP BW and SAP Analytics Cloud). The service component:
•
•
•
•
•
Identifies any major prerequisites
Defines project phases to be used
Validates and demonstrates the solution in a workshop
Provides an implementation example
Provide knowledge transfer to key users for the SAP Best Practice processes.
In case customers are interested in setting up a digital boardroom, SAP recommends studying the
information on the SAP Digital Boardroom which is available in the Public Web as a first step. See
Accelerator’s section for details. In particular, and highly recommended, SAP has provided an
“Implementation Check List” for the SAP Digital Boardroom, which provides information on the
general concept, SAP Digital Boardroom content and the setup.
SAP offers a “Content Orchestration for SAP Digital Boardroom” service which is delivered by
SAP Professional Services. This service helps customers identify and harmonize the KPIs and
master data that are relevant for a successful implementation of SAP Digital Boardroom.
Customers can contact the Client Partner for ordering details.
Through it, SAP provides recommendations to customers to:
•
•
•
•
Run a real-time analytics scenario during board meetings to understand company-wide
business situations and make decisions based on facts.
Visualize the top KPIs, the details of the top KPIs, and the context of the top KPIs in one view
(deployed on three screens).
Start collaboration and planning scenarios immediately after the board meeting.
Provide guidance for an analytics competence center and analytics governance.
Mandatory scope options for Content Orchestration of SAP Digital Boardroom, including
foundational activities like:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Deliver scoping workshop to Identify Digital Boardroom scenarios, KPIs and Data Sources.
Conduct blueprint workshops to identify master data which will be used for digital boardroom
reporting.
Define data architecture & master data harmonization approach and best practice
recommendations to build C4A data foundation.
Deliver Customer specific reference architecture based on the SAP Analytics Cloud
Reference Architecture.
Create Digital Boardroom implementation road map & Project Plan.
Deliver Final Presentation and Sign-off.
To achieve this goal, SAP holds workshops to:
•
•
•
•
Derive and define KPIs that will be visualized with SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Digital
Boardroom.
Identify master data that will be used for reporting with SAP Digital Boardroom and prepare a
recommendation where harmonization is needed.
On-site workshops to get an overview of existing system landscape and the as-is architecture.
Remote activities to create the deliverables.
As a result of the workshops, customers will receive:
•
•
•
•
Business blueprint for all KPIs that should be visualized for SAP Digital Boardroom
Customer-specific solution architecture based on the reference architecture for SAP Analytics
Cloud
Recommendation for harmonizing master data
Creation of implementation road map and project plan
Accelerators
• Implementation Checklist for SAP Digital Boardroom
4.22.2. Knowledge Transfer
Objective
The objective of this task is to train business analysts and end users on the SAP Analytics Cloud
and SAP Digital Boardroom.
Prerequisites
The SAP Digital Boardroom has been set up and configured.
Procedure
The SAP Digital Boardroom is a new product. SAP recommends implementing this product
together with SAP (see section How SAP Can Support).
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the “Enablement service for SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Digital Boardroom”
service from the SAP Professional Services organization. The intent of this service is to:
•
Support project team members with the required knowledge of SAP Analytics Cloud and
SAP Digital Boardroom.
• Familiarize key users with SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Digital Boardroom
functionalities.
In sum this service component is a five-day engagement. 3 days thereof are being used to work
with the customer onsite on their SAP Analytics Cloud System. The remaining 2 days are being
delivered remotely to answer questions from customers related to the training exercises.
The onsite part is structured into:
• A hands-on training session for data loading and connecting to one SAP HANA database.
• A hands-on training session to create models, visualizations, and stories for SAP
Analytics Cloud.
• A hands-on training session to create agendas for SAP Digital Boardroom.
4.23.
Test Preparation
Description
The purpose of this activity is to prepare all business-process-related tests according to customerspecific configurations.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “Test Preparation” scope option as part of the Build Execution
service. This scope option component assists the preparation and planning of the Integration and
User Acceptance tests for all business areas based on the customer specific configurations. The test
framework, defined in the test planning service during the Build Design phase, determines the scope
for this service component. Please see “SAP Advanced Deployment” link below and ask your SAP
contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information.
Accelerators
• Tricentis Test Automation for SAP (TTA)
• SAP Advanced Deployment - Description of Services and Service Components
4.23.1. 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:
•
•
•
•
•
Extend best-practice test cases
Develop delta process test cases
Finalize integration and user-acceptance test cases and plan
Prepare approval procedure
Prepare tool adaption and delta user acceptance test training
The best-practice test scripts are part of the solution scope description and can be found in SAP
Best Practices Explorer. 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
See accelerator section for the link to the screen above.
Accelerators
• SAP Best Practices - Process Flow and Test Script (Example)
4.24.
Test Execution
Description
The purpose of this activity is to execute the integration test, regression test and user acceptance test.
Once the tests have been planned and test data made available on the test systems, testing can
begin.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
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. Perform test steps.
3. Use Test Suite and analytics and reporting.
There are further aspects to be considered:
•
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “Test Execution” scope option as part of the Build Execution
service. Various functional and business process tests are necessary to get the new system in a solid
condition. This scope option helps to manage the execution, tracking and documentation of the
different tests. Please see “SAP Advanced Deployment” link below and ask your SAP contact (e.g.
SAP Client Partner) for more information.
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
4.24.1. Perform Integration / Regression / User Acceptance Test
Objective
The goal of this task is to perform an integration test, regression test and user acceptance test.
Procedure
Perform testing for testing cycles and activities.
•
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.
1. 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 Solution Manager.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Obtain Integration Test Sign Off: Obtain customer approval (sign-off) of the integration
test.
•
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.
1. Prepare a detailed regression test plan with test cases and test scripts.
2. Set up test management procedures to track the progress of the test execution. Set up
defect tracking to ensure all identified issues are addressed.
3. Execute the regression test scripts based on the test plan and test cases. Document any
anomalies or defects.
4. Monitor the test system as if it were production, as this will provide an indication of endstate 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.
5. Resolve any defects, and retest to ensure all identified issues are closed.
•
User Acceptance (UA) Test:
1. Prepare User Acceptance Test plan: Update the existing integration test cases, end-toend customer business process scenarios, based on the learning from previous test
phase. User Acceptance test plans and test case documentation is stored in Solution
Manager.
2. 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.
3. Execute User Acceptance Test Case #1 – n: Perform the test according to previously
defined plan. During the test all issues must be logged and documented in the system for
traceability purpose.
4. Perform defect resolution for User Acceptance Test: Resolve any issues identified during
testing. It is crucial that the issues are re-tested by the users that reported them (or
designated re-testers) and that they are confirmed.
5. Obtain User Acceptance Test Sign Off: Obtain customer approval (sign-off) of the User
Acceptance test.
Accelerators
• SAP Support Standard for Test Management
• SAP Solution Manager WIKI - Test Suite
• SAP Solution Manager Test Suite (SAP Customer)
4.24.2. Perform Test Steps
Objective
The purpose of this task is to confirm that the test cases have been assigned to the right tester
and testing can begin. In SAP Solution Manager in the My Tasks - Tester Worklist App, the tester
sees a list of all test packages assigned. The tester can also access and process the assigned
work list directly via the link in the e-mail notification.
Procedure
1. Software developers perform unit tests in the Development systems. Depending on the
type and scope of the test cycle, various functional tests are performed.
2. Manual testers are provided with the tester handout document and receive details
regarding their test package by e-mail.
3. Automated tests are scheduled or started directly.
4. Every test that is executed is logged and documented with test notes and a test status is
set manually or automatically.
5. If the system responds in an unexpected way during manual testing, for example, if an
error message appears, the tester records the incident in the corresponding ITSM system,
attaching screenshots, log messages, and so on. Usually, this also has to be done
manually even for automated tests.
6. The incident is sent to the persons responsible for the analysis and categorization of
defects, who then correct the defect in the development system.
7. The correction is transported to the test system according to the existing arrangements
and timelines, where it is then retested.
See the SAP Standard for Test Management accelerator for additional information.
Accelerators
• SAP Support Standard for Test Management
4.24.3. Test Suite Analytics and Reporting
Objective
The purpose of this task is to monitor the status of the test cases and their executions. In the Test
Suite - Analytics App of the Test Suite in SAP Solution Manager, you can use reports to evaluate
information on testing. The defects and incidents reported during testing in SAP Solution Manager
can be managed using the integrated IT Service Management (ITSM) component. The test case
and incident message are linked to each other and can be called directly from status reporting for
further analysis. See the SAP Support Standard for Test Management accelerator for more
information.
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:
•
•
•
•
•
Test Case Analysis;
Test package analysis
Test case analysis
Defect overview
Create test report
Accelerators
• SAP Solution Manager Test Suite (SAP Customer)
• SAP Solution Manager 7.2 Test Suite Analytics
4.25.
QAS Setup / Conversion
Description
This activity sets up a quality assurance environment (QAS). It depends on the scenario how this is
done. It must be done early enough in the Realize phase to support the data migration activities and
integration tests.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
There is a technical design document stored in SAP Solution Manager which includes the technical
deployment plan, and the software components which need to be installed / updated.
The DEV environment has been set up successfully.
Procedure
• QAS Setup (New Implementation)
or
•
QAS Setup (System Conversion)
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
4.25.1. QAS Setup (New Implementation)
Objective
The goal of this task is to provide a viable, correctly configured technical quality assurance
environment that is available for use by the project team to test configuration and development in
a “production like” environment.
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”.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the installation of a QAS as part of the Platform Execution service. Please ask your
SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information. This scope option is called “System
Installation for 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”). However, the
configuration of the Fiori UIs is not included in this scope option but is part of the functional setup.
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal: Administration Guide,
Installation Guide and UI Technology Guide (accelerator section).
Accelerators
• Administration Guide to Implementation of SAP S/4HANA with SAP Best Practices
• SAP Note 3053781 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 collective note for content activation
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA
4.25.2. QAS Setup (System Conversion)
Objective
The goal of this task is to provide a viable, correctly configured quality assurance environment that
is available for use by the project team to test configuration and development in a “production like”
environment. QAS is not installed as new – instead, the old QAS system is converted to 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 3079720 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade preparation phase and 3079695 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - 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.
Check the SAP Note 3079695 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade follow-on phase.
Results
Finally, the QAS environment has been converted to SAP S/4HANA. It is ready for further
configuration.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the QAS conversion as part of the “Platform Execution” service. Please ask your
SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information. 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”). However, the
configuration of the Fiori UIs is not included in this scope option but instead is part of the
functional setup.
Finally look up the relevant guides in the SAP Online Help Portal: Administration Guide,
Conversion Guide and UI Technology Guide (accelerator section).
Accelerators
• SAP Online Help Portal for SAP S/4HANA (you will find the Conversion guide for all
releases here)
• SAP Note 3079720 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade preparation phase
• SAP Note 3079695 - SAP S/4HANA 2021 - application specific notes in system
conversion / upgrade follow-on phase
4.26.
Sizing & Scalability Verification
Description
In this activity, the sizing estimation performed in the Explore phase (see activity Sizing in the Explore
phase) is further detailed out and verified afterwards. The initial assumptions made are now
challenged with KPIs from reality.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is optional for all scenarios.
There is a documented sizing estimation from the Explore phase stored in SAP Solution Manager.
Procedure
1. Optional: Perform Sizing Verification
2. Optional: Perform Scalability Verification
Accelerators
• General Information on Sizing
• Proactive Performance and Capacity Management - Best-Practice Document
• Sizing Approaches for SAP HANA (incl. SAP S/4HANA and Fiori) – Lessons Learned
Document
4.26.1. Optional: Perform Sizing Verification
Objective
The goal of this task is to validate the sizing estimation from the Explore phase based on the
planned application design.
Prerequisites
There is a documented sizing estimation from the Explore phase stored in SAP Solution Manager.
There is a pre-production system already available.
Procedure
To validate the sizing projections, SAP proposes a two-fold approach:
1. Load testing of the pre-production system
2. Workload analyses across all systems on the critical path in production.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP can perform this task with the “Advanced Sizing” service component.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Platform Design
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
4.26.2. Optional: Perform Scalability Verification
Objective
To guarantee the success of the smooth processing of core business processes, these processes
need to be measured, tested and compared between the source and target systems. As a goal
the converted SAP system shall deliver the same or better performance indicators as compared to
before the conversion. Therefore, the results must be compared against the predefined
performance baseline.
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.
•
Define the success factor for the load tests
•
Perform mass load testing
•
Report and review process Optimization, Re-design and Re-test identified
components according to the predefined performance baseline
•
Communication of the results and possible changes in the production
environment
The results will be measured over the defined timeframe and compared to the baseline.
Results
The performance gain has been properly measured and documented in SAP Solution Manager.
How SAP Can Support
SAP can provide support for the test and optimization of the Volume Test, and/or provide specific
business case optimization where required. Please contact the embedded support team for more
details
4.27.
IT Infrastructure Setup
Description
In the Realize phase the technical infrastructure must be installed and configured as required for the
Go-Live. Prior to the Go-Live, a technical verification is proposed to ensure that SAP Best Practices
are followed. The technical infrastructure follows the technical design document created in activity
Technical Design.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
A technical design document has been created and stored in SAP Solution Manager.
Procedure
1. Set Up IT Infrastructure
2. Test IT Infrastructure
Results
The technical infrastructure has been properly tested.
4.27.1. Set Up IT Infrastructure
Objective
The goal of this task is to set up the IT infrastructure. It covers (besides others):
•
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.
4.27.2. Test IT Infrastructure
Objective
Once set up, the IT Infrastructure should be tested thoroughly.
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 endstate 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.
4.28.
Operations Implementation
Description
Based on the outcome of the Operations Impact Evaluation in the Explore phase, support operations
need to be implemented or adjusted. This may affect the IT support staff (their roles and
responsibilities; knowledge transfer), support processes and procedures (including proper
documentation), and the setup and configuration of support tools.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
The documented results of the Operations Impact Evaluation (Explore phase) are stored in SAP
Solution Manager.
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:
•
•
•
•
•
“Roles and Responsibilities”
“Support Processes and Procedures”
“Operations Support Tools”
“Operations Documentation”
“Knowledge Transfer”.
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:
•
•
•
SAP strongly recommends configuring SAP EarlyWatch Alert, which provides a
comprehensive monitoring report.
Join the Expert Guided Implementations on troubleshooting and administering the SAP HANA
databse.
There is information and service available on security, data volume management, and
performance optimization for SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA and Fiori.
•
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
4.28.1. Collect detailed Operations Requirements
Objective
The Operations Impact Evaluation main outcome is the definition of a list of relevant changes to
the current support framework with the corresponding project activities that will support the
implementation of those changes. This list is based on the future customer support strategy and
deployment model, as well as on the current support framework and the solution that is
implemented.
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.
How SAP Can Support
When SAP is engaged in a Premium Success Engagement including other services included in
this road map, the gathering of detailed information will be eased. For example, Integration
Validation will be a very valuable source of detailed information on the monitoring setup and the
critical areas to be supported. Custom Code will be a key source of information for the application
support knowledge transfer.
4.28.2. Roles and Responsibilities
Objective
Whatever the current IT support framework is: Operational activities are handled by support
personnel organized in roles. These personnel belong to different groups and even different
companies when a service provider is engaged, with responsibilities and skill levels that help them
in the execution of their activities.
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).
How SAP Can Support
SAP has a lot of experience and recommendations on the roles and responsibilities design
including all steps required to define in detail the roles and responsibilities of the different support
resources that are required for the efficient support of the new solution. Please contact SAP for a
tailored offering in case you need support.
4.28.3. Support Processes and Procedures
Objective
With the implementation of SAP S/4HANA, the IT support processes may need to be modified to
reflect new operational requirements. The changed IT support processes need to be documented
and tested.
Prerequisites
The documented results of the Operations Impact Evaluation (Explore phase) are stored in SAP
Solution Manager.
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, and monitor templates (in SAP Solution Manager)
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
•
•
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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 aging)
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).
How SAP Can Support
SAP has created Best Practice documents for IT support standards (see accelerator section).
These documents give first guidance how IT support processes should be set up.
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
• SAP Support Standards
4.28.4. Operations Support Tools
Objective
Based on the results of the Operations Impact Evaluation, requirements on IT operational support
tools need to be finalized to safely operate the new solution (this may also include surrounding
components like the Fiori Front End Server). The tools need to be adjusted or newly set up.
Deprecated IT operational tools need to be carved out, and IT operational procedures must be
adjusted accordingly.
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 tools, especially SAP
Solution Manager.
Prerequisites
The documented results of the Operations Impact Evaluation (Explore phase) are stored in SAP
Solution Manager.
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.
•
•
Adjust SAP Solution Manager configuration with respect to:
o General system management (“Managed System Setup”)
o Monitoring elements (e.g. critical interfaces, critical batch jobs, End-UserExperience, SAP HANA DB), and monitoring customizing (e.g. alert thresholds)
o Change Request Management and CTS+ (e.g. to be able to handle SAP HANA
and/or Fiori objects in a synchronized way)
Adjust SAP HANA tools:
o HANA Cockpit to manage the SAP HANA database
o SAP HANA Studio e.g. for HANA programming, or HANA dictionary
o SAP DB Control Center for central & aggregated DB monitoring
o DBA Cockpit e.g. for running DB administration activities
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
• Monitoring SAP Fiori Apps
• Troubleshooting SAP Fiori Apps
• SAP Blog - Fiori for S/4HANA – Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks in S/4HANA On-Premise
• Technical Operations for SAP NetWeaver
4.28.5. Operations Documentation
Objective
IT operations documentation should be stored centrally in an operations documentation
repository, which is then shared across all operational support teams.
Prerequisites
The documented results of the Operations Impact Evaluation (Explore phase) are stored in SAP
Solution Manager.
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):
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•
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 Solution
Manager and other 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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP has a lot of experience in creating a tailored operations handbook. Please contact SAP for a
tailored offering in case you need support.
Accelerators
• SAP Support Standards
• SAP HANA Administration Guide
• Monitoring SAP Fiori Apps
• Troubleshooting SAP Fiori Apps
• SAP Blog - Fiori for S/4HANA – Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks in S/4HANA On-Premise
• SAP Fiori Troubleshooting Guide
•
•
•
•
SAP Fiori UI Development Toolkit
Technical Operations for SAP NetWeaver
SAP HANA Master Guide
SAP HANA Academy
4.28.6. Knowledge Transfer
Objective
The primary goal of this activity is to analyze all the aspects of the knowledge required to sustain
the implementation of the SAP solution, and to ‘grow and groom’ the future SAP IT support
resources to effectively and efficiently support the solution.
Additional goals of the strategy are to:
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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
The objectives of the knowledge transfer are to:
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Identify roles and responsibilities involved in the knowledge transfer process
Transfer knowledge, skills and abilities required to provide solution life cycle support
Develop a formal process for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the
knowledge transfer process based on objectives and performance metrics
Prerequisites
The documented results of the Operations Impact Evaluation (Explore phase) are stored in SAP
Solution Manager.
Procedure
To define the Knowledge Transfer Approach for the new solution, you will need to take many
aspects into account including:
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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:
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All high-priority failures resolved
All high-priority gaps implemented
All deferred requirements fully documented and specified
All deferred requirements development planning completed
All deferred requirements testing planned
All deferred requirements release scheduling planned
Master Data is operational, and no critical issues exist
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Interfaces are running stable
All business-critical reports are available
Knowledge transfer is documented
Service Desk call level is manageable with the team in place, to conduct Level-1 support
immediately
There are different types of knowledge transfer activities:
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•
4.29.
Formal Training: Standard training as per the SAP Education Catalog
Formal Session: T2O/Project trainer provides initial KT session
Self-Study: KT Recipient reads documentation provided by T2O/Project team if no other
type of training is provided.
On the job training: T2O/Project trainer executes an activity with KT Recipient overseeing
the execution; KT Recipient participates to testing activities
Shadow support / activities: T2O/Project trainer assigns a specific task to a KT Recipient,
KT Recipient executes and documents execution.
Cutover Preparation
Description
The purpose of this activity is to perform the final preparation steps for cutover. The cutover plan will
be tested in the Dress Rehearsal activity in the Deploy phase.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all activities. However, preparation steps are scenario specific.
There is a technical design document stored in SAP Solution Manager 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
•
Create Cutover Plan (System Conversion)
or
•
Create Cutover Plan (Selective Data Transition)
How SAP Can Support
SAP can support the creation of a cut over plan 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
• Preliminary Cutover Strategy Presentation Template
• Cutover Strategy Template.pptx
4.29.1. 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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the installation of a PRD as part of the Platform Execution service. Please ask your
SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information. See accelerator section for more
information. The setup of the Fiori platform can be supported as well (scope option “SAP Fiori
Platform Setup”).
4.29.2. Create Cutover Plan (New Implementation)
Objective
The objective of this task is to create the cutover plan. The plan is based on the learnings from the
legacy data migration runs which have been performed so far.
Procedure
Run a workshop to document cutover activities such as:
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Setting up and initializing the production system
Setting up and verifying interface connections
Migration or creation of master data via manual, data migration tool, and/or interfaced
system
• Migration of transactional data objects (for example, purchase orders, sales orders)
• Manual migration of data not transferred automatically in the new system
• Testing of the complete data migration, at least once
• Validation of the migrated data
• User creation
• Notification of impacted 3rd parties
• Go/no go decision points
• Closing the legacy systems
• Completing all required documentation for regulatory purposes
It is important to start the development of the cutover list early in the project. The list should be
maintained by each workstream team throughout the Realize phase to avoid missing critical
details.
Create a strategy document including the areas impacted by the cutover.
Create a schedule for developing the cutover plan.
Consolidate input into one plan/schedule.
Simulate or test the plan. Multiple iterations may be beneficial.
Finalize plan and associated documentation.
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
4.29.3. Create Cutover Plan (System Conversion)
Objective
The objective of this task is to create the cutover plan. The plan is based on the learnings from the
load & verification runs which have been performed so far.
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-toend 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:
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
Prerequisite steps for the production conversion
Ramp-down activities (e.g. batch jobs, interfaces, etc.)

Pre-conversion validation reports
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
End-user lockout
Technical migration and business data conversion
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Post conversion changes (e.g. transports, parameter changes, etc.)
Technical post conversion validation reports (e.g. checking for business data consistency)
 Business driven system validation and comparison of the pre and post conversion reports
 Go/No-Go decision
 Ramp-Up activities (e.g. batch jobs, interfaces, etc.)
 User unlock
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.
Based on the additional conversion runs, proceed as follows:
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

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Document key steps of the migration and conversion activities.
Assign owners to all tasks.
Review the tasks with the owners to confirm ownership and document the estimated
duration.
Conduct at least one full walk-through of the plan as an entire team.
Document the fallback or contingency plan to safely return production operations in the
event of a No-Go.
Work with the business process owners and the batch schedule owners to document the
steps required to safely and quickly ramp-down and ramp-up production operations.
Long running batch jobs should be identified so they can be rescheduled ahead of time.
In the event a batch job needs to be manually terminated at the time of the cutover, it is
important to have the termination procedures, or the owners, documented and readily
available.
Results
As a result, you will get a validated cutover plan, which documents all the steps leading up to and
through a successful Go-Live.
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.
How SAP Can Support
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.
See accelerator section for service component information.
Accelerators
• SAP Blog - Minimize your downtime of an update
• SAP Blog - Optimizing DMO Performance
• SAP Blog: Silent Data Migration for S/4HANA 1909 Upgrade/Conversion
• SAP Blog: Monitoring Silent Data Migration (SDM_MON) – S/4HANA 1909
upgrade/conversion
• 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
• SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
4.29.4.
Create Cutover Plan (Selective Data Transition)
Objective
The purpose of the “Productive Migration Plan” is to schedule the main steps for the productive
migration as well as to ensure the logistics and the communication for the productive migration. In
addition, a period of hyper care that follows the go live needs to be planned as well.
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 batchprograms and ends by releasing the new system.
It is also important to plan back-up and recovery strategies.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports the creation of a cutover plan as part of the Data Migration Execution service.
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
4.30.
Execution, Monitoring and Controlling Results
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is for the project team to carry out the planned and approved project
work and measures project performance to identify variances from the plan. Executing manages the
scope of the work to be done, while monitoring the execution, identifies variances from the plan,
monitors quality results, controls progress against the plan, controls changes throughout the project,
assesses and responds to risks, and communicates project status.
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
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•
•
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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)
4.30.1. 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:
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Perform project tasks to reach project objectives
Expend effort and funds to accomplish project objectives
Staff, train, and manage the project team members assigned to the project
Obtain, manage, and utilize resources
Implement and execute the planned methods and standards
Create, control, verify, and validate project deliverables
Manage the scope of the approved work
Manage risks and implement risk response activities
Manage issues to closure
Adapt approved changes into the scope, plans, and project environment
Establish and manage internal and external communications
Collect project data and report on progress and performance
In monitoring/controlling work results, the project team performs the following types of
activities:
Compare actual project performance to the project management plan
Assess performance to determine whether corrective or preventive actions are necessary
Monitor and control project risks
Provide metrics to support progress and performance reporting and forecasting
Monitor implementation of approved changes
Take corrective action as needed
Management plans developed during the Prepare phase guide the team's approach to
management, execution, and control of project activities. See “Prepare Project
Management Plan” task in the Prepare phase for details. The project manager is
responsible for ensuring that the management plans are applied at the appropriate level
of control.
4.30.2. Update Project Management Documents
Objective
The purpose of this task is to ensure that the project manager keeps the key project management
documents up-to-date. This task includes refinement of the project schedule, refinement of the
project budget, and appropriate updates to the management plans, scope document and business
case to reflect the detailed scope information created during the project.
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.
This task includes updates to:
•
Project management plan
•
Project WBS
•
Project schedule
•
Project budget
•
Business case
•
Scope document
•
Backlog document (created in Explore phase)
4.30.3. Manage Project Issues, Risks, and Changes
Objective
The purpose of the Manage Project Issues, Risks, and Changes task is to have a consistent,
comprehensive approach to managing project issues as a critical component of an effective
project management system. Effective issue management involves the appropriate level of
management making decisions on issues and tracking progress on issue resolution in accordance
with the project issue management procedure. Identified issues are maintained in one, central
environment.
In on-premise projects, this environment is the SAP Solution Manager, 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.
The Issue Management handling involves the following steps:
•
An issue is raised and properly classified as it is related to the system conversion,
solution implementation, or solution operations of an SAP solution or technology. It is
created in the issue tracking tool, either by SAP, a customer or a system integrator.
•
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.
4.30.4. Communicate Project Status and Progress
Objective
The purpose of this task is to communicate project status and progress. Throughout the project,
several project performance reports need to be produced for different purposes and audiences,
as defined in the project communication plan. The project manager and project team are
responsible for clearly communicating the progress of the key activities, completion of the
deliverables, and status against the schedule and budget.
The project teams typically prepare:
•
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.
•
Executive status report is typically prepared on monthly or quarterly cadence and is
provided to the project executive steering group. Generally, this report re-uses the key
information from the weekly project status report, expands on the value and benefits of
the program, and includes discussion of the decisions that are needed from the executive
steering group.
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.
4.30.5. Plan and Execute Agile Sprints
Objective
The purpose of this task is for the project team to plan and execute agile sprints. The project team
runs the Realize phase in a sequence of sprints in which the project team follows the process
outlined below. The goal of these sprints is to incrementally and iteratively build the solution
capabilities captured in the backlog, test them and review their completion with the customer
process owners (product owner in agile terminology).
Figure: Sprint execution
During each sprint the project team conducts the following activities:
Sprint Planning Meeting
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.
Sprint Execution Activities
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.
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.
Meeting participants answer the following questions:
1. What went well during the sprint?
2. What do we want to preserve?
3. What can be improved for the next sprint and how?
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
4.30.6. Perform Scrum-Of-Scrums Meeting (Iterative)
Objective
SCRUM of SCRUMs Meeting is conducted to coordinate the work between different project
SCRUM teams. SCRUM of SCRUMs meetings allows teams to discuss their work, focusing
especially on areas of overlap and integration. The meeting cadence is defined for the entire
project and follows the same structure. Some teams conduct daily SCRUM of SCRUMs meeting
while others consider weekly meetings sufficient. The main driver for the meeting cadence is the
level of collaboration between the individual SCRUM teams and level of dependencies between
the features built in each SCRUM team.
Accelerators
• Agile Scrum Meeting Guidelines (Customer)
4.31.
Organizational Alignment
Description
The purpose of Organizational Alignment is to ensure a smooth transition process towards the new
way of working. This includes the alignment of roles and responsibilities and activities to ensure that
all employees are fully aligned to the goals of the project and organization.
Procedure
• Execute Role Mapping and Transition Planning
•
Conduct Sounding Board and Pulse Checks
•
•
•
•
•
Communicate Sprint Scope and Plan (Iterative)
Communicate Sprint Result (Iterative)
Refine and Execute Communication Plan
OCM and Testing Alignment
OCM and Data Migration Alignment
How SAP Can Support
Organizational change management and user adoption are key to every digital transformation project.
Activities should start right from the Prepare phase. SAP can support these critical elements by
providing expert assistance in:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Identifying and engaging stakeholder groups
Creating a change impact analysis
Facilitating role-mapping activities to document the changes in your organization and specific
job roles
Creating an OCM road map
Defining, managing, and executing change management deliverables, such as an OCM
charter and governance infrastructure, OCM risk mitigation strategy, OCM readiness
assessment, and OCM performance management practices
Establishing a communication plan and related activities to promote awareness and
acceptance of SAP software changes.
See accelerator section for more details on SAP Training and Adoption Services.
Accelerators
• SAP Training and Adoption Services
4.31.1. Execute Role Mapping and Transition Planning
Objective
The purpose of this task is to use the results from previous change impact analysis and the role
mapping information (mapping of new business user roles to existing roles and organizational
structure) and determine an appropriate transition approach for the business.
Accelerators
• OCM Role Mapping Template (SAP Customer)
• OCM Role Mapping Workshop Guide (SAP Customer)
• User Role Document Template (SAP Customer)
4.31.2. Conduct Sounding Board and Pulse Checks
Objective
The purpose of this task is to get to get complex organizational feedback regarding the progress
and acceptance of the project from the customer's view.
Accelerators
• Pulse Checks Sounding Board Guide (SAP Customer)
4.31.3. Communicate Sprint Scope and Plan (Iterative)
Objective
The purpose of this task is to communicate the scope and plan for the sprint to the users outside
of the core project team. This may include end users, key stakeholders, people external to the
project that have interest in information about the project plans and progress.
4.31.4. Communicate Sprint Result (Iterative)
Objective
The purpose of this task is to communicate the sprint results to the users outside of the core
project team. This may include end users, key stakeholders, people external to the project that
have interest in information about the progress of the project and accomplishments of the project
team.
4.31.5. Refine and Execute Communication Plan
Objective
The purpose of this task is to update the communication plan and manage the tasks defined. The
communication plan is aligned to the overall OCM roadmap and addresses mainly external
communication to stakeholders, key users, end users, and suppliers.
4.31.6. OCM and Testing Alignment
Objective
The purpose of this task is to understand the testing strategy, validate its alignment with the
project charter, and to identify any potential roadblocks or risks associated with functionality not
working as expected. Any deviation from expectations should be communicated to project
management and project sponsors.
Procedure
• Perform Assessment of Testing Strategy and Execution
• Capture Feedback from Testing Team
4.31.7. OCM and Data Migration Alignment
Objective
The purpose of this task is to understand the data migration strategy, validate its alignment with
the project charter, and to identify any potential roadblocks or risks associated with data quality or
availability that are not as expected. Any deviation from expectations should be communicated to
project management and project sponsors.
Procedure
• Perform Assessment of Data Migration Strategy and Execution
• Capture Feedback of Data Migration Team
4.32.
Phase Closure and Sign-Off Phase Deliverables
Description
The purpose of the phase closure and sign-off deliverable is to:
•
•
•
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
•
•
•
•
•
Conduct Knowledge Management Gate
Conduct Project Quality Gate
Conduct Project Management Review Service
Manage Fulfilled Contracts
Obtain Customer Sign-Off for Phase Completion
Tasks
4.32.1. 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)
4.32.2. 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.
A Quality Gate looks at the following topics in detail:
•
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
• QGateChecklist Template Introduction
• Quality Built In New QGate Checklist
• Q-Gate Check List for SAP S/4HANA implementations
4.32.3. Execute Baseline Retrospective
Objective
The purpose of this task is to conduct retrospective meeting with the SCRUM team to identify
potential improvements of the SCRUM process. The objective of this task is to serve as
continuous improvement mechanism for the team to adjust to a changing project environment and
needs. The team will select one or two key improvements to implement in the next iteration and
handles them as user stories that are added to the product backlog, prioritized and tracked along
with other user stories.
Accelerators
• Agile Sprint Retrospective Template (Customer)
4.32.4. Conduct Project Management Review Service
Objective
The purpose of this task is to execute a Project Management Review that provides a proactive
quality assurance review, with an impartial analysis of all aspects of the project - across all project
management disciplines, enabling early detection of project issues with actionable
recommendations.
4.32.5. Manage Fulfilled Contracts
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.
4.32.6. Obtain Customer Sign-Off for Phase Completion
Objective
Purpose of this task is to obtain customer approval (sign-off).
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.
Figure: Activities in the Deploy phase
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.
5.1. Phase Initiation
Description
The purpose of the phase initiation deliverable is to formally recognize that a new project phase starts.
Tasks
• Allocate Resources and Update Project Schedule
• Perform Kick-off Meeting
Accelerators
• Project Setup Checklist Sample (Customer)
5.1.1. Allocate Resources and Update Project Schedule
Objective
The purpose of this task is to confirm resource availability for the particular phase.
Accelerators
• Global Resource Management Portal page (SAP Employee)
5.1.2. Perform Kick-off Meeting
Objective
The purpose of this task is to ensure the involvement of the team and other key resources and
their commitment to the project schedule. The meeting is also used to examine the approach for
the specific project phase.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
The development of learning material has finished.
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.
5.2.1. Create Training Execution Plan
Objective
Create a training execution plan.
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:
•
The scheduling of the trainings.
•
•
•
The training approach and method (as of the concept).
The assigned instructors (Co-instructor / Key Users)
Location, duration, date and time
•
•
Required training material (content)
Training system information (access information, exercises, etc.)
The training execution plan should include all planned trainings and courses across the project
phases, roles, functions and processes for a complete overview of all training course activities.
5.2.2. Execute End User Training
Objective
Based on the results of the Learning Needs Analysis and the training concept, the end user
training covers the training needs for all end users.
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:
•
Language of the trainings (i.e. English).
•
Maximum number of participants per training course (i.e. max. 12-15 participants).
•
Training location of the training course.
• Customer SAP training system
Results
As a result, end users are trained. SAP recommends issuing participation certifications and
collecting end user feedback.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers “Training and Adoption Services” to support customers in implementation projects. For
instance, SAP offers services for a custom-fit training program for end users.
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• SAP Training and Adoption Services
• SAP Enable Now at SAP Online Help Portal
5.3. Integration Validation
Description
The Integration Validation activities initiated in the Realize phase, are continued and finalized in this
activity.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
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.
5.3.1. Finalize Integration Validation
Objective
The goal of this task is to finish IV activities before Go-Live.
Prerequisites
Integration Validation has started in the Realize phase.
How SAP Can Support
IV is usually executed with SAP participating. The SAP TQM will initiate the right IV support
activities from SAP:
•
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.
Empowering service component: This service component supports you in case of
general empowering requirements.
See accelerator section for details.
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
5.4. Operations Readiness
Description
This activity checks the customer’s ability to operate SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA as of Go-Live.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
Procedure
• Operational Readiness (System Conversion)
or
•
Operational Readiness (New Implementation)
5.4.1. Operational Readiness (System Conversion)
Objective
In case of a system conversion where the customer operated a productive SAP ERP system over
a longer period of time and standard IT support processes (e.g. change management, event
management) have been designed and operated for SAP already. Therefore, the customer knows
already how to operate SAP and only the delta to safely operate SAP S/4HANA needs to be
checked.
Procedure
Check if all operational aspects have been implemented as planned (see Operations
Implementation activity in the Realize phase). This covers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Roles and Responsibilities
Support Processes and Procedures
Operations Support Tools
Operations Documentation
Knowledge Transfer
Results
The IT support organization is ready to operate SAP S/4HANA as of Go-Live.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers an “Operations Readiness” check. The scope covers tools for monitoring,
troubleshooting, and software logistics. It also includes a status review of the IT Operations
changes defined during the Operations Impact Evaluation. Ideally, the check is performed a
couple of weeks before Go-Live. See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
o Service Information – Service Components for the Transition to Operations
o SAP Value Assurance - Description of Services and Service Components
5.4.2. Operational Readiness (New Implementation)
Objective
In case the customer knows already how to operate SAP ERP, then again only the delta to safely
operate SAP S/4HANA needs to be checked in this task. However, in case of a new SAP
customer, all core IT support processes (as documented in the SAP Support standards) need to
be checked with respect to SAP S/4HANA.
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:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Roles and Responsibilities
Support Processes and Procedures
Operations Support Tools
Operations Documentation
Knowledge Transfer
For new SAP customers:
•
•
•
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers an “Operations Readiness” check. The scope covers tools for monitoring,
troubleshooting, and software logistics. It includes a status review of the IT Operations changes
defined during the Operations Impact Evaluation. Ideally, the check is performed a couple of
weeks before Go-Live. See accelerator section for details.
For new SAP customers, SAP offers additional expertise and help to check and ensure
operational readiness before Go-Live. See also the Organizational and Production Support
Readiness Check as part of OCM in this phase. Please contact SAP for a tailored offering in case
you need support.
Accelerators
• Customer Center of Expertise
• Getting Started with Primary CCOE
• Primary CCOE Check List
• SAP Support Standards
5.5. Organizational Readiness
Description
The purpose of this survey is to take the pulse of the organization, prior to go-live, to determine the
general comfort level with the upcoming changes. If that comfort level is not there, it is critical to
determine where additional OCM work needs to be focused.
Procedure
• Perform Business Validation and Transition Planning
How SAP Can Support
Organizational change management and user adoption are key to every digital transformation project.
Activities should start right from the Prepare phase. SAP can support these critical elements by
providing expert assistance in:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Identifying and engaging stakeholder groups
Creating a change impact analysis
Facilitating role-mapping activities to document the changes in your organization and specific
job roles
Creating an OCM road map
Defining, managing, and executing change management deliverables, such as an OCM
charter and governance infrastructure, OCM risk mitigation strategy, OCM readiness
assessment, and OCM performance management practices
Establishing a communication plan and related activities to promote awareness and
acceptance of SAP software changes.
See accelerator section for more details on SAP Training and Adoption Services.
Accelerators
• SAP Training and Adoption Services
5.5.1. Perform Business Validation and Transition Planning
Objective
The purpose of this task is to validate the outcome of the role mapping and change impact
analysis. This is done with the impacted business stakeholders in order to gain sponsors
approval.
Accelerators
• OCM Road show - Task list Template (SAP Customer)
5.6. Dress Rehearsal
Description
In preparation for the Go-Live of the transition project, it is imperative to execute an end-to-end dress
rehearsal of the cutover procedures. The rehearsal should be executed about two to four weeks prior
to the Go-Live. All changes intended to be included in the cutover should be available for the dress
rehearsal. This includes any changes that result from the testing cycles, as even a single transport
could greatly impact the duration of the process.
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is recommended for all scenarios.
Prerequisite for this activity is:

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
5.6.1. Finalize IT Infrastructure Services
Objective
Due to cost saving reasons the hardware for production is set up just in front of Go-Live (system
conversion case). In case of a new implementation, it might be required to have the hardware
ready by the end of the Realize phase (see activity Cutover Preparation). In this activity all
remaining items required to finalize the (productive and supporting) IT infrastructure need to be
completed.
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.
5.6.2. Perform Cut-Over Rehearsal
Objective
The goal of this task is to execute an end-to-end dress rehearsal of the cutover procedures.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the provisioning of a dress rehearsal as part of the “Platform Execution” service –
Please ask your SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information.
5.7. Execution, Monitoring and Controlling Results
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to execute the project management plan and control and monitor
the work defined in the project scope statement. Management plans developed during the project
preparation phase guide the approach to management, execution, and control of project activities.
The project manager is responsible for ensuring that the management plans are applied at the
appropriate level of control.
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
5.7.1. Update Project Management Plan
Objective
The purpose of this task is to update the project management plan and the subsidiary plans based
on the changes agreed during the projects change management process.
5.7.2. Direct and Manage Project Execution
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to ensure that the project is executed according to what was agreed
to in project charter, scope statement and project management plan.
5.7.3. Monitor and Control Project Activities
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to ensure that resources are assigned to all scheduled project
activities (and tasks) and that work is progress, and deliverables are produced as expected.
5.7.4. Manage Issues, Risks and Changes
Objective
The purpose of this task is to capture and manage project issues, risks and changes related to
those e.g. changes of project scope, timeline, costs etc.
Accelerators
• Change Request Log - template (Customer)
• Open Issues List Template.xls (Customer)
5.7.5. Conduct Project Quality Gate
Objective
This is the final Quality Gate in front of the cutover. The purpose of this Quality Gate is to ensure
that the project is ready for Go-Live (“Go / No-Go decision”). A Quality Gate is a checklist
milestone. Prior to Go-Live 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.
A Quality Gate looks at the following topics in detail:
•
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
• QGateChecklist Template Introduction
• Quality Built In New QGate Checklist
• Q-Gate Check List for SAP S/4HANA implementations
5.7.6. Communicate Status and Progress to Project Stakeholders
Objective
The purpose of this task is to make sure that project stakeholders are aware of status and
progress of the project including potential disturbances due to existing risks and issues.
Accelerators
• Project status report for SAP Activate / S/4HANA
5.8. Release Closing
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to formally close the release and prepare for next release and/or
sprint planning meeting.
Tasks
• Prepare Product Backlog for Next Release/Sprint
• Conduct Release Retrospective
• Update the Release and Sprint Plan
5.8.1. Prepare Product Backlog for Next Release/Sprint
Objective
The purpose of this task is to 'groom' the product backlog. Product Owner Team needs to detail
the user stories to ready them for next release/sprint planning meeting. The stories need to meet
definition of Ready for Build so they are understood by the SCRUM team and can be estimated
during the sprint planning meeting.
Accelerators
• Backlog including Delta Requirements.xlsx
5.8.2. Conduct Release Retrospective
Objective
The purpose of this task is to conduct retrospective meetings with the project team to identify
potential improvements of the SCRUM process. The objective of this task is to serve as a
continuous improvement mechanism for the team to adjust to a changing project environment and
needs. The team will select one or two key improvements to implement in the next iteration and
handles them as user stories that are added to the product backlog, prioritized and tracked along
with other user stories.
Accelerators
• Agile Sprint Retrospective Template (Customer)
5.8.3. Update the Release and Sprint Plan
Objective
The purpose of this task is to update the Release and Sprint Plan according to changed priorities
and focus of the team. It is the responsibility of a Product Owner to maintain the Release and
Sprint plan and keep it current during the project.
Accelerators
• Backlog including Delta Requirements.xlsx
5.9. Production Cutover
Description
The purpose of this deliverable is to perform the cutover to the production software and go live.
Requirements and Constraints
At this point, the organizational, business, functional, technical, and system aspects of the project are
ready to be used in production.
This activity is mandatory for all scenarios. The steps being performed are of course scenario specific.
Procedure
• Convert Productive System (System Conversion)
or
•
Production Cutover (New Implementation)
or
•
Production Cutover (Selective Data Transition)
Results
After completion of this activity, the productive SAP S/4HANA system is available for the end users.
How SAP Can Support
The “SAP Going Live Support” service component is based on a standardized method to support
critical situations during production cutover. SAP experts contribute their knowledge and expertise
remotely to minimize the risks for the Go-Live. Dedicated support during out-of-office hours can be
ordered via the “On Call Duty” service component.
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
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Deploy
• SAP S/4HANA On Premise Value Map Learning Journey - Run
5.9.1. Convert Productive System (System Conversion)
Objective
The goal of this task is to convert the productive system.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the PRD conversion as part of the “Platform Execution” service. Please ask your
SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information. The setup of the Fiori platform can be
supported as well (scope option “SAP Fiori Platform Setup”).
Accelerators
• SAP Blog: Silent Data Migration for S/4HANA 1909 Upgrade/Conversion
• SAP Blog: Monitoring Silent Data Migration (SDM_MON) – S/4HANA 1909
upgrade/conversion
5.9.2. Production Cutover (New Implementation)
Objective
The goal of this task is to cut over production.
Procedure

Execute the cutover following the tasks defined in the cutover plan. This includes the final
production data load.


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 the data is loaded, testing and data reconciliation must be completed.
 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
How SAP Can Support
SAP offers the PRD installation as part of the “Platform Execution” service. Please ask your
SAP contact (e.g. SAP Client Partner) for more information.
5.9.3. Production Cutover (Selective Data Transition)
Objective
In accordance with the productive cutover plan, the migration process begins.
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.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports the Production Cutover activities of all selective data transition scenarios as part of
the “Data Migration Execution” service. 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
5.10.
Hyper Care Support
Description
After the Go-Live it is important to verify how the new workload behaves as opposed to the old
system, and to use the Hyper Care phase to improve system performance.
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 (this can be
established by collecting monitoring data long term in SAP Solution Manager).
Health check and scalability analysis
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.
Requirements and Constraints
This activity is required for all scenarios.
Precondition is that the Monitoring Infrastructure (SAP Solution Manager preferred) 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
How SAP Can Support
SAP can join the hyper care phase by continuing the ”SAP Going Live Support” and the “Technical
Performance Optimization” service components. With the monitoring of the core business processes
and the system environment of the new SAP S/4HANA system, SAP experts contribute their
knowledge remotely to minimize the risk for instable operations and performance. SAP experts will
also work on open issues and can address them to the SAP development directly if necessary.
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 intelligence solutions.
In the case of Business Process Analytics on SAP Solution Manager:
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-ofthe-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.
In the case of business process intelligence solutions:
SAP offers a “SAP Business Process Insights and Improvement” that supports continuous
improvement activities. In the case that business process intelligence solutions were configured as
recommended in section Use SAP Signavio and SAP Process Insights, SAP 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.
1.
Check Process Conformance
2.
3.
Run Before / After Analysis
Set up Dashboarding / Monitoring
Accelerators
• 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
5.10.1. Monitor Resource Consumption
Objective
The objective of this task is to identify the resource consumption after Go-Live and to manage it
permanently to answer questions like:

What is the current workload profile?


Is the resource consumption at a reasonable ratio to the business logic and value?
Is the resource consumption stable or does it increase even though there is no additional
functional or business load in the system?
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]
5.10.2. 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




Resource consumption per task type: [#steps * (CPU time + DB time)]
Resource consumption per transaction / process: [#steps * (CPU time + DB time)]
Duration of background jobs: [seconds]
Response time per dialog transaction: [average time, time distribution]
 Most expensive SQL statements: [#executions, elapse time]
Create a list of the top consumers and the most important SQL statements. Decide which item
should be checked and further optimized.
How SAP Can Support
SAP can support both the code analysis and the optimization.
5.10.3. Check System Scalability
Objective
A system scalability check has the goal to understand the top resource consumers with respect to:
•
•
Adequacy and optimization potential on a technical level
Adequacy and optimization potential on a service level
• Adequacy and optimization potential on a business level
The scalability check focuses on identifying the resources that form the bottleneck for a further
increase of the load. It helps to guarantee that the system is not laid out for irrelevant tasks and to
identify the load drivers from the business.
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.
5.10.4. 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.
See accelerator section for details.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
•
•
SAP runs the GoingLive Check.
Follow up and solve all yellow and red issues identified in the service report.
How SAP Can Support
SAP delivers the SAP GoingLive Check (verification session) in this task.
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
5.10.5. 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:
•
•
•
Successful validation of system conversion
Testing the deletion rules in an appropriate test system (copy of production)
Backup of the database prior to executing the deletion rules in your system
The deletion is cross client, which means that irrespective of the client in which you execute the
report, the data is deleted across all clients. With this report, you can delete data in the following
ways depending on the S/4HANA data model change:
•
•
•
Rows that contain obsolete data
Columns that contain obsolete data
Entire table that contains obsolete data
Accelerators
• SAP Note 2661837 – How to enable and use the obsolete data handling tool in SAP
S/4HANA
5.11.
Post Go-Live End User Training
Description
The purpose of EU training is to ensure that end users have adopted the solution, knowledge
resources are maintained, and responses to the end-user acceptance survey are positive
Tasks
•
•
•
•
Prepare End-User Training for Scope Option
Deliver End-User Training for Scope Option
Collect Training Evaluations Feedback
Perform People Readiness Assessment
5.11.1. Prepare End-User Training for Scope Option
Objective
This purpose of this task is to adapt available training material and make it suitable for End User
training
5.11.2. Deliver End-User Training for Scope Option
Objective
This task executes the delivery of EU training as well as capturing feedback on both the training
session and the trainer.
5.11.3. Collect Training Evaluations Feedback
Objective
The purpose of this task is to capture feedback on both the training session and the trainer
delivering the material.
5.11.4. Perform People Readiness Assessment
Objective
This task checks how prepared the people in the organization are with regards to the identified
changes and received EU training.
5.12.
Handover to Support Organization
Description
Once the hyper care phase ends it is important to fully enable the regular support organization at the
customer site to safely and securely operate the new SAP system. This includes (but is not limited to):
•
•
•
The finalization of system documentation
The finalization of operational procedures as part of the operations handbook
The check of the customer support organization.
Procedure
1. Resolve and Close Open Issues
2. Handover Operations Responsibility
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports this activity with the “Handover to Support” scope option as part of the Build
Execution service. The Handover to Support scope option:

Evaluates process management framework quality like documentation, configuration,
testing validation, or authorization management

Evaluates process management knowledge transfer and IT support team capabilities for
future maintenance

Evaluates handover protocol procedures

Builds handover conditions, recommendations, and supports customer adoption activities
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.
5.12.1. 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.
5.12.2. Handover Operations Responsibility
Objective
In this task, operations responsibility is formally handed over from the team who operated the new
SAP system (usually a mix of resources from the project team and IT support) to the IT support
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.
5.13.
Project Closure and Sign-Off Project Deliverables
Description
The purpose of the phase closure and sign-off deliverable is to:
•
•
•
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
5.13.1. 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)
5.13.2. 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 our 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 must demonstrate
that they have complied with the mandatory deliverables associated with a methodology while
ensuring best practice standards have been applied to ensure quality.
A Quality Gate looks at the following topics in detail:
•
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
• QGateChecklist Template Introduction
• Quality Built In New QGate Checklist
• Q-Gate Check List for SAP S/4HANA implementations
5.13.3. Manage fulfilled Contracts
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.
5.13.4. 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.
5.13.5. Finalize Project Closeout Report
Objective
The purpose of this task is to document the results of the project, both regarding achieved
objectives, deliverables as well as adherence to schedule, costs and delivered value.
5.13.6. Obtain Sign-off for Project Closure and Results Acceptance
Objective
The purpose of this activity is to formally close the project by obtaining customer signatures on
dedicated deliverables/documents e.g. Project Quality Gate, Project Closeout Report.
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.
Figure: Activities in the Run phase
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.
Requirements and Constraints
Go-Live and hyper care has finished successfully. The customer support organization is responsible
for operating the new solution.
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.
•
•
Safely and Efficiently Operate the new Solution
Continuously Optimize IT Operations
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.
6.1.1. Safely and Efficiently Operate the new Solution
Objective
The purpose of this task is to safely and efficiently ensure business continuity and the operability
of the solution. Operability is the ability to maintain IT systems in a functioning and operating
condition, guaranteeing systems availability and required performance levels to support the
execution of the enterprise’s business operations.
Procedure
Operating an SAP solution can easily fill an own road map. Therefore, this task can only list the
most important aspects to consider:
•
•
•
•
Install and configure the solution operation platform if not already done. In case you have
used a cloud image for your implementation project, now it is time to set up and configure
SAP Solution Manager 7.2 on-premise to support most of your core IT support processes.
Although there are many partner products in the market, SAP recommends using SAP
Solution Manager
If not yet done configure core IT support processes like:
o Incident and Problem Management
o Change Management
SAP has documented IT support standards which describe these support processes in
the SAP context. See accelerator section for details. In addition, in case of SAP
Enterprise Support, you COE needs to be “Primary Certified”.
Configure efficient system management - SAP has developed a concept called “Run SAP
like a Factory”. Core elements are:
o Application Operations
o Business Process Operations
See SAP Support Portal (accelerator section) for getting an overview about all capabilities
including offline demos.
Operations Control Center (OCC)
One approach to efficiently operate IT operations is to implement an OCC, which collects
all critical alerts centrally, and pro-actively reacts before issues turn into problems. The
OCC is tightly integrated with the Mission Control Center (MCC) at SAP.
Based on the alert information, the OCC can establish a continuous improvement process
to avoid critical alerts in future. This could feed into the next task Continuously Optimize
IT Operations.
How SAP Can Support
SAP has a large set of offerings to SAP MaxAttention customers with respect to safe and
efficient operations. For example, SAP can configure Application Operations in your environment,
and trains your IT support experts in using the tools. See the information on End-to-End Hybrid
Operations in the accelerator section or ask your TQM for more details.
In case you want SAP to execute IT operational tasks, then SAP Application Management
Services can help you. SAP Application Management Services act as your extended team, run
your SAP solutions, provide an end-to-end application management to you for all their specific
SAP solutions.
SAP Applications Management offers services in 3 value generating layers. The first layer is the
basis for application support, monitoring and change management, which is provided through:
• Incident Management & Request Fulfillment
• Change Management,
• Problem Management and
• Reactive Event Management based on monitoring alerting mechanisms
• Security Operations
which are all under guaranteed SLA’s and with 24/7 support available in multiple languages. In
effect of these, customers will see an increased solution stability and reduced number of
incidents. At the same time customers do have a permanent service available to address required
changes and execution of service requests.
In case customer wants to hand-over the complete system landscape operation to SAP, then SAP
HANA Enterprise Cloud would be the applicable offer. SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud is a fully
scalable and secure private cloud offering available only from SAP. It gives you the full power of
SAP solutions in a private, managed cloud environment that is supported by the most
knowledgeable resources in the industry – from infrastructure to applications.
See accelerator section for details.
Accelerators
• SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud
• SAP Application Management Services
• Operations Control Center (OCC)
• Customer Center of Expertise
• Getting Started with Primary CCOE
• Primary CCOE Check List
• 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-toEnd Hybrid Operations
6.1.2. Continuously Optimize IT Operations
Objective
The purpose of this task is to continuously improve IT operations (e.g. via automation or switching
from a re-active to a pro-active operations approach).
Procedure
This task can only name some out of the many improvement options:
•
Advanced Customer Center of Expertise (aCCOE)
An alternative approach to improve IT operations is to set up an aCCOE. The advanced
certification for Customer COEs covers the full spectrum of SAP solution operations.
Based on the SAP standards for solution operations and the Run SAP methodology, a
team with advanced certification has integrated quality management in place, bringing
transparency to the challenges and issues faced by the organization as a whole. This is
paramount for mission critical operations. Visibility, alignment, and a common
understanding of those top issues are enabled through the center's ability to maintain a
single source of truth - one central area where everything is tracked and from which all
information flows. See accelerator section for details.
•
Regular assessments of IT operations
Run regular assessments and review on IT operations efficiency.
How SAP Can Support
SAP supports a tailored creation of an OCC for SAP Premium Success Engagement customers,
and the advanced certification for customer COE’s. See service component information on Endto-End Hybrid Operations in the accelerator section or contact your TQM for details.
The regular assessment and review of IT operations efficiency is offered by SAP Application
Management Services to all customers. Moreover, SAP offers to run the Operations Control
Center for you (Managed OCC).
Accelerators
• SAP Application Management Services
• Customer Center of Expertise (Customer COE)
• Advanced Customer Center of Expertise (aCCOE)
• Service Information for SAP MaxAttention customers – Service Components for End-toEnd Hybrid Operations
6.2. Improve and Innovate Solution
Description
The aim of this activity is to further improve and simplify your new solution to realize maximum benefit.
On the one hand, this requires the periodic update, by implementing feature and support packs, to
bring the latest innovations from SAP into your solution. On the other hand, a new planning cycle
needs to be initiated together with your peers from the business units, to identify innovations which
are mostly required. For all solutions realized by SAP Innovation Services and Solutions, the SAP
Innovation Services and Solutions Support protects and runs these solutions through ongoing support
and through continuous improvement services.
Procedure
• Assess the value of the SAP S/4HANA Transformation
• Periodically update your SAP system
• Initiate a new innovation cycle
6.2.1. Assess the Value of the SAP S/4HANA Transformation
Objective
The goal of this task is to assess the value of the SAP S/4HANA transformation. This task relates
to:
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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 Process Insights and SAP Signavio has been used throughout the implementation project.
Procedure
Proceed as follows:
1. Check Process Conformance
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:
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Use designed To-Be process models from the Explore phase
Setup process mining for processes of interest for process conformance checks
Map process model activities with process mining events
Analyze process conformance and identify regions or organizations that do not follow
the designed process. This information can be used to identify enablement needs or
to revisit the designed process
Figure: Process Conformance Check in SAP Signavio
2. Run Before / After Analysis
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 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 Process Insights had been set up with project start in
Prepare, and performance baseline was configured in SAP ERP.
Procedure Steps:
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Measure business process performance after go-live
Compare and analyze the performance with SAP S/4HANA.
3. Set up Dashboarding / Monitoring
Creating a proper dashboard to monitor the business process performance is important to
turn the transformation project into continuous improvement. It helps to faster identify critical
performance changes and is the foundation to identify further improvement potential.
Procedure steps:
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The “Company / Insights on a Page” is a basic and standardized functionality in SAP
Process Insights and can be incorporated into the Signavio Collaboration Hub.
Customers can also create individualized dashboards with SAP Signavio Process
Intelligence.
Accelerators
• Service Information – Service Components for Business Process Insights and
Improvement
6.2.2. Periodically Update your SAP System
Objective
The goal of this task is to keep the SAP system current, by implementing innovations and
corrections from SAP in a timely manner. This is handled by an efficient maintenance
management process.
Procedure
Implement a maintenance management process for your SAP system, and implement feature and
support packs from SAP in a timely manner:
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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.
How SAP Can Support
Please make yourself familiar with the SAP Release and Maintenance Strategy (accelerator
section)
Accelerators
• SAP Release and Maintenance Strategy
• Upgrade Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2021
• SAP Blog - Landscape Management Process - the Big Picture
6.2.3. Initiate a new Innovation Cycle
Objective
The goal of this task is to close the loop but initiate a new innovation cycle.
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.
How SAP Can Support
There are multiple options on how SAP can support your innovation and improvement journey, for
instance:
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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 Intelligence
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 intelligence solutions collect from your
new SAP S/4HANA system.
As an alternative to business process intelligence 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 Intelligence
• Service Information – Service Components for Business Process Insights and
Improvement
• Business Advisory Services
• Business Process Analytics
• Business Process Improvement
• SAP Blog - Landscape Management Process - the Big Picture
•
Building Innovations - SAP Innovation Services and Solutions