Hello,

I just wanted to bring your attention to a SAP TechEd presentation done by Stefan Elfner and Rudi Hois.

TEC206: Architecture and Components of SAP S/4HANA – SAP TechEd Lecture of the Week

Kind Regards,

Frank

Inspired by SAP Mentor Owen Pettiford’s blog Beginners Guide to Transitioning to S/4HANA 1511 On Premise edition for Existing SAP ERP 6.0x users, I followed his recommendation on Business Logic to “Use the Simplification List to understand the changes and try to adopt as many as you can before the switch.”

This led me to the excellent blog Upcoming Tools for SAP #S4HANA Migration – the simplification database by Sven Denecken and subsequent SAP Note 2185390 - Custom Code Analyzer.

From there on, there are many options how to approach making the S/4HANA Custom Code Analyzer work for you. Based on my experience, for a low footprint analysis, if you do not have a SAP NetWeaver 7.50 ABAP system already available yet

Frank recommends:

1. Install a temporary sandbox SAP NetWeaver 7.50 system. An easy way to do this would be to create a respective instance in Amazon Web Services via the SAP Cloud Appliance Library as described in Mahesh Sardesai’s blog How to get around the issue of being on older Netweaver version for Simplification DB and complete in less than one hour.
2. Upgrade that system to the latest Support Packages. At the time of this blog these were:
   
3. Create a temporary sandbox system as an as recent as possible copy of the production system you plan to analyse.
4. Install the respective support packages as per SAP Note 2185390 - Custom Code Analyzer for the release of the sandbox system you just created system AFTER following the manual preparation instructions:
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
   |Manuelle Vorarbeit |
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
   |GÜLTIG FÜR |
   |Softwarekomponente   SAP_BASIS                      SAP Basis compo...|
   | Release 700          SAPKB70012 - SAPKB70032                         |
   | Release 701          SAPKB70109 - SAPKB70117                         |
   | Release 702          SAPKB70211 - SAPKB70217                         |
   | Release 731          SAPKB73109 - SAPKB73116                         |
   | Release 740          SAPKB74004 - SAPKB74012                         |
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
   - Open transaction SE80
   - Select package BASIS
   - Create subpackage SYCM_MAIN
   - Use 'Custom Code Management' as description
   - Use 'BC-DWB-CEX' as application component
   - Use 'No Translation' as translation relevance (if this option is visible on the screen s it is relevant in SAP Systems only)
   - Set the flag 'Package Encapsulated'
   - Set the transport layer to SAP if you create the package in a customer system
   - Select package SYCM_MAIN
   - Create subpackage SYCM_ANALYSIS
   - Use 'Custom Code Management: Analysis of custom code' as description
   - Use 'BC-DWB-CEX' as application component
   - Use 'Developer Tools' as translation relevance (if this option is visible on the screen as it is relevant in SAP Systems only)
   - Set the flag 'Package Encapsulated'
   - Set the transport layer to SAP if you create the package in a customer system
   
   
5. Prepare the sandbox system for the repository download by scheduling program SAPRSEUB – this might take a while to complete:
   
   
6. Create a variant of report SYCM_DOWNLOAD_REPOSITORY_INFO that reflects the customer namespace you would like to analyse. The namespace /0CUST/ represents customer development objects starting with Z* or Y*:
   
7. Execute the variant you just created as a background job. The execution should not take long at all:
   
8. Execute the same variant in SE38 to download the S4HMigrationRepositoryInfoSID.zip file:
   
   
9. Download the latest support package of the Simplification Database Content from the SAP Service Marketplace. At the time of this blog this was CCMSIDB00P_2-80001018.ZIP Simplification Database Content Patch 2:
   
10. Upload the Simplification Database Content into your NetWeaver 7.50 system with report SYCM_UPLOAD_SIMPLIFIC_INFO:
    
11. Upload your S4HMigrationRepositoryInfoSID.zip file with report SYCM_UPLOAD_REPOSITORY_INFO:
    
    
12. Finally run report SYCM_DISPLAY_SIMPLIFICATIONS to see the results:
    

Especially important are columns Simplification Category and SAP Note, that explains the details.

At TechEd last year, I welcomed you to the Future.

It was the day of Marty McFly’s time travel to the future of 2015. Today, it’s the Past already.

This week, it's time for another SAP TechEd Lecture of the Week.

So, welcome to 2016 and here it is: Transition Paths to SAP S/4HANA.

Why is this related?

2016 is the year of SAP's new Business Suite SAP S/4HANA which is now available, both in the cloud and on premise. This is here today, it’s the Present.

So while you’ve probably already given up on some of your New Year's resolutions, SAP has big plans with S/4HANA in 2016 and it’s still at the top of our list. To get there, we want to make your transformation as smooth as possible.

There are 3 different transition scenarios, depending on where you are coming from (SAP vs. non-SAP ERP), the reason for your move (getting latest features vs. starting with new business processes) and where you’re going to (cloud vs. on-premise deployment).

The 3 scenarios are:

• New Implementation:
  New implementation of SAP S/4HANA– e.g. customer migrating from a non-SAP legacy system or an SAP legacy system and implementing a net-new system that requires initial data load (aka green field approach)
• System Conversion:
  Complete conversion of an existing SAP Business Suite system to SAP S/4HANA– e.g. customers who want to change their current SAP system to SAP S/4 HANA (aka lift & shift)
• Landscape Transformation:
  Consolidation of current regional SAP systems into one global SAP S/4HANA system – e.g. customers who want to consolidate their landscape or carve out selected entities (like a company code) or processes into a single SAP S/4HANA system (aka System Landscape Transformation)

When customers are moving to SAP S/4HANA, whether their existing system is SAP ERP or they're considering implementing new SAP software, choosing the right transition path is important to mitigate the risk and reduce implementation costs. The strategy for this move and also some of your unanswered question are all addressed in this virtual session.

It’s just a click away.

What’s next?

Stay in touch with us by following my blog:

A better way to migrate your SAP data with Rapi... | SCN

Register for the in-depth sessions about each and every of the 3 scenarios:

• New Implementation (Wednesday, January 20th, 2016) - including SAP Activate!
• System Conversion (Tuesday, January 26th, 2016)
• Landscape Transformation(Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016)

Watch The Data Migration Guys:

Introducing the Data Migration Guys | SCN

Data Migration Community Space:

Data Migration | SCN

More information about Data Migration:

SAP Service Marketplace - Home

Follow us on Twitter: @SAPServices

Last week I got the chance to lay my hands on a S4 HANA 1511 OnPremise Edition system for the first time.

While waiting for our system to be available, I have read the Simplification List (I’m using version 1.5 for references) in detail, so I had some expectations what I will see (and maybe even more Important what I will no longer see). Here are some examples comparing the list and the system experience.

I’m accessing the system via the classical SapGui-functions (using Business Client 6.0), and see if I get my processes running that way. (Exploring the new Fiori UI is left to a later stage).

System – Status says:

• Product-Version: SAP S/4HANA ON-PREMISE 1511
• SAP_BASIS         750         0000      -              SAP Basis Component
• S4CORE               100         0000      -              S4CORE
• (there’s no SAP_APPL!)

2.1.1.1 Business Partner Approach - BP replacing vendor master and customer master

Calling VD01 leads me directly to BP, with the message “Redirection to transaction BP, as transaction VD01 is obsolete”. Same is true for XK01, MK01…

VD02 and VD03 let me select the customer before redirecting me to BP.

So this is what was announced in 2.1.1.1 Business Partner Approach -> all is done via BP.

I didn’t expect getting redirected if you try to use some of the old transactions (e.g. VK01) but consider it a nice service for people transitioning from ECC.

Interesting: KNA1 and LFA1 are still filled, when creating the corresponding BusinessPartner.

2.1.2.1 SD Simplified Data Models:

From 2.1.2.1 SD Simplified Data Models:

“Field length extension of SD document category: Data element VBTYP (Char1) has been replaced by data element VBTYPL (Char4)”

-> true, VBAK-VBTYP now has Data-Element VBTYPL, an it is 4 characters long.

“Elimination of Status Tables VBUK, VBUP: “

• Well: VBUK, VBUP: they seem to still be there, but are not filled!

“Status fields have been moved to the corresponding header and item tables - VBAK and VBAP for sales documents, LIKP, and LIPS for deliveries, VBRK for billing documents”

• true: VBAK now has the status fields (.INCLUDE              VBAK_STATUS), same for VBAP (.INCLUDE VBAP_STATUS)

“Elimination of redundancies – Document Index Tables VAKPA , VAPMA, VLKPA, VLPMA, VRKPA, VRPMA”

• well: they seem to still be there, and they are filled!

2.1.9.1 Data model in inventory management (MM-IM)

There now is a table MATDOC, and it’s filled.

MSEG and MKPF seem to still be there, and seem to be filled. They appear as Transparent Tables.

2.1.9.2 Availability of Transactions in MM-IM

“The following transactions for entering and displaying goods movements (material documents) - called "MB transactions" (below) are not available with SAP S/4HANA. […]MB01, MB02, MB03, MB04, MB05, MB0A, MB11, MB1A, MB1B, MB1C, MB31, MBNL, MBRL, MBSF,MBSL, MBST and MBSU”

• True! MB03 redirects to MIGO, MB01, MB31, MBSF  gives a message that it cannot be used: “Transaction MB01 is obsolete (see note 2210569 )”. -> ok.

2.1.4.11 Classic MM-PUR GUI Transactions replacement

OK, here’s the first time, that the Simplification List clearly seems to be lying:

“Transaction not available in SAP S/4HANA on-premise edition 1511:”

ME21

ME22

ME23

ME24

ME25

ME26

ME27

ME28

[and some more]

Well, I can use ME21 just fine, I successfully created a PO with it! I also used ME22 and ME23.

1.6 Elimination of tables - general

Using a SapGui point of view (SE11, SE16, SE16n) the tables that should have been eliminated seem to still be there. I cannot tell a difference between VBUK (should have been eliminated) and VBAK (should still be there).

I see two possible explanations for that:

• The compatibility views (aka equally named views) are abstracting so well that I cannot tell them apart from “real” transparent tables.
• Despite the simplification list saying so, they have NOT been eliminated.

[Edit: the first explanation now seems more likely to me, as I have tried writing into one of those Tables (MKPF) and it didn't work (update set is giving an RC = 4). ] 

Another thing to note: some of the tables are still filled while executing business processes (like MKPF), others are not (like VBUK).

1.7      Elimination of Transactions / dead code

Some transaction (ME21) have not been eliminated at all. The others are either re-directing to a new Transaction (VK01 -> BP; MB03 -> MIGO), or giving error messages, that they can no longer be used (MB01).

But: The codebase is still there, it has not been eliminated. (I checked it on the example of MBSF -> SAPMM07M). So I have unused (dead) code in my system, which does not seem to be a good idea in regards to maintenance.

1.8      Outlook

Maybe you can give me some tips, to help evaluate my experiences?

E.g.

- what would be a good way to really look at tables (probably down on HANA DB-level?) an tell if the really have been eliminated or not.

- has maybe the 1511 cloud edition been more consequent in really elimination stuff, like promised (or threatened?) in the Simplification List? E.g. what happens, when you try ME21 in Cloud Edition?

- (how) will we get rid of the obsolete codebase in future releases?

I hope you enjoyed my blog, which in fact is my first one ever, so your feedback is very welcome!

There are lots of things to be aware of when you are thinking about moving to the new SAP S/4 HANA. You should be aware that it’s not an upgrade, we are talking about a suite transformation.

One of the most important innovations in the new SAP Business Suite, is the simplified data model, which has particular impact on the financials area of your existing suite.

Don’t be daunted, but be aware that there are some “todos” before your SAP S/4H go-live

1. Universal Journal, this massive simplification completes the circle that started with the initial simple finance add-on.

The classic R/3 structure could be represented as one single link, at a header level between FI and CO. That constraint created more complexity for reconciliation purposes in the first instance and secondly for interrogation of the information. The result being the creation of summarization and index tables.

The Simple Finance add-on was merely an intermediate step, including POSNR (Position Number) and AWKEY field for reconciliation purposes between the different financial tables and analytical areas.

With the Universal Journal, the simplification has gone much further. We are now in front one of the major simplifications thanks to HANADB and its in-memory capabilities.

Major impacts of this innovation are, from my perspective, at a change management and data governance level. Because the data model is different, the approach to some of the classic problems should be different:

Secondary elements are now G/L accounts.

Accounting principles are now at a company code level.

If the fiscal year differs, you will need to use ledgers to represent parallel accountings.

2. Only customers with customer/vendor integration in place can move to SAP S/4HANA.

To ensure a successful conversion to the new SAP S/4HANA, all customers and vendors should be first converted into business partners. This is also true for the business partners that are already in use. When the customer/vendor transformation process is triggered, the system posts all required fields into the business partner.

SAP OSS Notes that will help you through the process:

2211312

2216176

1623677

Major impact on the master data governance area.

3. The account based CO-PA switch should be turned on.

Don’t be afraid, but be aware that SAP allows to have both switches on. Therefore, you will only need to activate the account to start using SAP S/4HANA.

• Costing- based: groups costs and revenues using value fields
• Account-based: it’s organised in general ledger accounts and is always reconciled with Finance.
• Combinations: Costing- Based + Account based

Custom fields (equivalent to CE1XXX old tables) are still allowed, they need to be handled in the new universal journal table ACDOCA, which will give you instant insights and easy extensibility. Derivation rules are still available.

“The don’ts”, no option to include calculated fields as per example freight insurances.

4. Material ledger is mandatory for classic material valuation.

I’m aware or at least my experience tells me that the use of material ledger is not massively extended to Europe. For the new SAP S/4HANA this will be mandatory. This feature will give you the ability to carry material prices in multiple currencies/valuations, and the actual costings to your organization.

How will this impact my organization, once we activate material ledger?

• New net customers can activate Material Ledger during migration/Go-Live.
• Existing customers without ML can activate Material Leger during migration/Go-Live as well. 

• For existing customers with active ML but not using transfer prices, migration program transfers data to the new S/4HANA tables. 


Do I need to change material valuation strategy approach?

This is clearly a don’t. SAP still recommends the classic approach.

Another don’t: transfer prices are not yet supported in SAP S/4HANA.

(S- price) Standard price still recommended for manufactured goods. The major innovation is that parallel updates are supported and application logs removed.

(V- price) Moving average price will be used for purchased materials and services. Application locks are still in place to ensure continuous consistency.

(PU-price) Actual costing based on Material ledger

• Balances per material and inventory account in up to 3 FI currency types: company code, Group, a third FI currency type.
• All balances are updated in the new ACDOCA table.
• Currencies defined for the leading ledger in Financial Accounting will be used.
• No separate currency customizing in Material Ledger 


Material Price Analysis will work as expected. However, displayed data from aggregated data sets (MLCD) and then drilled down to the document level (MLIT, MLPP) will be now read from the universal journal (ACDOCA).

5. Revenue recognition with SAP Revenue accounting

The existing SD-RR solution cannot be used for new IFRS15 accounting standards. This new solution includes enhancement in account determination to be compliant with IFRS15/ ASVC606.

SAP OSS notes

• 2225170 - S/4 HANA SD-Revenue Recognition

• 2227824 - S4/HANA Pre-check for SD-Revenue Recognition

Custom code will no longer work in S/4HANA

Revenue Accounting determines the G/L accounts to be posted for order items using an extended account determination (OKB9)

Below is a useful link to review all the pre-checks necessary for your next step to digitalization.

https://uacp.hana.ondemand.com/http.svc/rc/PRODUCTION/pdfe68bfa55e988410ee10000000a441470/1511%20000/en-US/CONV_OP1511.pdf

Thanks for rating!

Stay tuned for more, xherce (@xherce) | Twitter

Why understanding the “END-RELEASE” is important!!

•     Name SAP S/4HANA is associated (loosely used) with both release SAP S/4HANA 1511 & SAP S/4HANA 1503

•     Optimizations in Finance Area can be realized  using any of TWO ways  :

o     Simple Finance – S/4HANA 1503  aka sFIN 2.0  ( Suite on HANA + sFIN)

o     Finance in S/4HANA 1511 RELEASE  (S/4HANA 1511)

•     Finance related optimizations are available in both releases. Hence, it is important to understand what is the difference in Finance as well as other areas in both these versions.

•     with release of 1511, for work-in-Progress RFPs, Proposals & Projects in preparation phase – it is worth to REVISIT the “Proposed Solution” If the  solutioning was done with base as SoH+sFIN 2.0 (aka 1503), then it’s suggested to revisit the decision – with respect to “End-Release” (i.e. 1503 or 1511…), project plan, efforts, functionalities and so on….

Comparing SAP S/4HANA 1503 vs SAP S/4HANA 1511 !!

Frankly speaking, actually comparing these two release is like comparing a horse to an Elephant …  (I like both animals btw  so no offence)… however since the name SAP S/4HANA continues to be associated with both releases – 1503 & 1511, it becomes a necessity to compare these two versions – especially in the interest of clients & Projects

•     Planning to adopt / migrate to SAP S/4HANA

•     In-Flight Projects who are in Project-Preparation phase

•     Want to know the functionality and technical difference between the two.

Who may prefer to OPT for 1511 (or future release) over 1503 !!

•     Business where Sales, Manufacturing, Procurement processes are critical and important  - e.g. Manufacturing Companies

•     Business wanting benefits from Simplification and innovations in Logistics Area

•     S&MB looking for adopting SAP S/4HANA and DIMP Processes

Who may prefer to OPT for 1503 over 1511 !!

•     Business where Finance is a critical area and company looking for innovations and optimizations ONLY in Finance area!!

•     Financial Reporting is a Key pain area and companies looking for a “Consolidated and Central” Financial reporting!!

Parameters to consider ??

So, What are the KEY Differences!!

(A)   Finance Innovations in SAP S/4HANA 1511 (Over 1503)

(B)   Other Difference between SAP S/4HANA 1503 & SAP S/4HANA 1511

http://scn.sap.com/community/s4hana/blog/2015/12/10/sap-s4hana-1511-key-principles-implementation-impact-solution-landscapehttp://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-68846

& now some feedback / questions which I would like to receive :

(a) Have you come across such a situation / query ?

(b) Should I have incorporated any other dimension ?

(c) Is the information for comparison element at required level or should I have compared it differently ?

I would be glad to know your views and suggestions....

Maybe you have read the Simplification List about lots of tables(like MSEK, MKPF, VBUK, VAPMA …) being eliminated in S/4 HANA 1511 on premise edition. When looking at an actual system, have you been wondering (I sure have, see my previous blog ), why they still seem to be there?

-> You see them in SE11 as transparent tables and you can select data from them with SE16n.

Here’s how you can see what’s behind it:

In SE11, goto Menu -> Extras -> Proxy Object:

Here you can see what’s behind it: A CDS-view!

Like SE11 tells you, you can look at the CDS views with ADT (aka ABAP in Eclipse). Or just use report RUTDDLSSHOW2:

I hope you enjoyed this update, keep exploring! (I sure will!)

Best

Joachim

How to save time needed to import 36 languages for S4HANA 1511 New Installation with Best Practices

For S/4HANA 1511 New installation when using Best Practices, language import is needed as per note 2231568 - SAP Best Practices for S/4HANA, on premise edition U.S.A (USV1) and Admin Guide for Solution ImplementationSection 2.2 – Handling Language Import.

Using SAPINST - Each language is installed sequentially. This takes a long time. Just the install of French language took 3 hrs 15 min. considering average of 2.5 hrs the 36 additional languages should take 90 hrs which is approx. 4 days. You can use this procedure to save time when installing 36 languages or when there are many languages required to be installed.

1. PREPARATION:

Provide additional space of approx 100GB will be needed in /usr/sap/trans. There should be sufficient background jobs. Also, take a backup at this point.

The media directory structure is as shown below after extracting the zip files:

vhcals4hci:/media/51050422_LNG1/DATA_UNITS # ls

AR BG  CA  CS DA  DE  EL EN  ES  ET  FI

vhcals4hci:/media/51050422_LNG2/DATA_UNITS # ls

FR HE  HI  HR  HU IT  JA  KK KO  LT  LV NL  NO  PL PT  RO

vhcals4hci:/media/51050422_LNG3/DATA_UNITS # ls

RU SH  SK  SL SV  TH  TR UK  VI  ZF  ZH

Copy the *.PAT files into /usr/sap/trans/EPS/in with this single command

vhcals4hci: cp /media/51050422_LNG?/DATA_UNITS/??/*.PAT /usr/sap/trans/EPS/in/.

2. ADD LANGUAGES IN RSCPINST:

Execute tCode SE38, program RSCPINST

Click on Add Language

RtClick First Column and select Set Filter from Popup

Click on Multiple Selection

Select items from below for cut & paste

AR

BG

CA

CS

DA

DE

EL

EN

ES

ET

FI

FR

HE

HI

HR

HU

IT

JA

KK

KO

LT

LV

NL

NO

PL

PT

RO

RU

SH

SK

SL

SV

TH

TR

UK

VI

ZF

ZH

Click on icon below to paste all 38 language codes

Click on Execute and Ok

Click on Select All

You will get screen like this. Languages already installed will be shown

Click on Check and then Activate. You will get message below

3. SETUP MONITORING AT OS LEVEL:

While the languages are being imported in the next step you will see no job running in SAP.

But R3trans processes will be running. The following scripts will help to check progress:

1. Monitor CPU Consumptionm in one window command :
   top
2. Count number of R3trans processes at OS level and they reduce in umber as the language import is completed.command :
   ps -ef | grep R3trans | wc -l
3. Monitor Space at OS level in directory /usr/sap/trans with comma:
   df -h
4. Count the number of files in /usr/sap/trans/tmp. The number of languages remaining to be imported are approx half the number of files here.
   ls –l /usr/sap/trans/tmp | wc -l
5. Tail ALOG file in /usr/sap/trans/log. Find out the last ALOG file like ALOG1601 and tail the file to check current date to substitute MM, DD and execute  command:
   grep "S4H.ALL R 0004 2016MMDD" ALOG1601.S4H

4. ADD LANGUAGES TO SMLT:

enter tCode SMLT click on create icon. Assuming the box is not used for any other work, as you add each language watch the CPU utilisation and after you reach about 70%, wait for 5 minutes before adding next language.

5. REPEAT ABOVE STEPS FOR ALL LANGUAGES:

Add one by one language from below list shown here for Cut and Paste. Please pick the correct ones from the popup list one by one.

AR          Arabic

BG          Bulgarian

CA          Catalan

CS          Czech

DA          Danish

DE          German  - Already installed

EL           Greek

EN          English--- - Already installed

ES           Spanish

ET           Estonian

FI            Finnish

FR           French

HE          Hebrew

HI           Hindi

HR          Croatian

HU          Hungarian

IT            Italian

JA           Japanese

KK          Kazakh

KO          Korean

LT           Lithuanian

LV           Latvian

NL          Dutch

NO         Norwegian

PL           Polish

PT           Portuguese

RO          Romanian

RU          Russian

SH          Serbian(Latin)

SK          Slovak

SL           Slovenian

SV          Swedish

TH          Thai

TR          Turkish

UK          Ukrainian

VI            Vietnamese

ZF           Chinesetrad.

ZH          Chinese

The screen should look like this. Please ensure the number of languages is 38.

6. IMPORT PACKAGES:

Against each language click on Import Package icon

Find Packages, Select and Execute

7. MONITOR THE JOB:

A job will be launched in SM37

8. REPEAT ABOVE STEP FOR ALL LANGUAGES:

Check the jobs scheduled

The process of adding and running all above can be completed in 30 mins

9. MONITOR PROCESSES AT OS LEVEL AND IMPORT STATUS IN SMLT:

After above jobs are completed, you will need to monitor R3trans processes as below. The number of R3trans processes reduces as language import is completed.

All above should be completed in 7 Hrs

Following is the typical order of import if you have added all languages in SMLT one after other in listed sequence, The first language to finish was CA – Catalonia and after that in 4 minutes language ET finishes and so on. Arabic Language finishes last.

CA          4hrs8min

ET          4hrs12min

LV           4hrs33min

NO          4hrs36min

FI            4hrs40min

SH          4hrs42min

SL           4hrs47min

HE          4hrs49min

UK          4hrs49min

KO          4hrs49min

HI           4hrs49min

HR          4hrs49min

SV          5hrs

VI            5hrs1min

PL           5hrs5min

RO          5hrs7min

KK          5hrs8min

EL           5hrs10min

NL          5hrs11min

HU          5hrs13min

DA          5hrs14min

LT           5hrs16min

ZF           5hrs17min

SK          5hrs18min

TH          5hrs20min

TR          5hrs22min

RU          5hrs26min

IT            5hrs28min

CS          5hrs35min

PT           5hrs36min

JA           5hrs38min

ZH          5hrs39min

ES           5hrs41min

BG          6hrs

AR          6hrs 10min

The above procedure can also be used in case there are many languages to be imported for other products.

Mahesh Sardesai

Product Expert

S4HANA Regional Implementation Group

S/4 HANA On-premise edition (1511 release) is out with hype. SAP clearly says ‘It is a new product’ and the path to S/4 HANA from ERP ECC is not an upgrade. Not sure whether existing SAP customers has any choice rather than switch to S/4 HANA at certain point in time, the moot question is When and How to move to S/4 HANA .

When: S/4 HANA is not fully released i.e developments are ongoing and will continue for more years. SAP has a road map, but no completion date. So, should the transition be started when it is fully released? SAP’s marketing person says to start the journey as SAP is releasing its functionalities over time.

How: SAP says 3 transition paths as in below screen shot.

If it is migration (System conversion or Landscape transformation), then probably all old (and redundant) custom codes, existing order types also will be carried over, then will the innovations or simplicity really be achieved? Is new-implementation a better option to come out of legacy or changed business processes? Or a mixed approach ( like System conversion for core ECC functionality and then new implementation for IBP) is better?.There is no straight answers to ‘When’ and ‘How’ questions. But the most important is to analyze the Simplification (or restriction) list as in URL https://uacp.hana.ondemand.com/http.svc/rc/PRODUCTION/pdfa4322f56824ae221e10000000a4450e5/1511%20000/en-US/SIMPL_OP1511.pdf ,  understand the impacted functionalities on conversion to  S/4 HANA and then decide considering the complexity , custom developments , dependency with other SAP applications etc . Highlighted below some of the On-premise functionalities which will be different (and/or not available) in S/4 HANA and must be pre-checked for migration or transition before deciding the path for S/4 HANA journey.

Finance :Migration from classic G/L to new G/L (using ledger to update particular valuation) is mandatory. Secondary cost elements will now be G/L accounts and need to migrated to chart of accounts. Existing functionality of parallel valuation needs to be adapted due to merger of FI & CO tables into universal journal. Activation of material ledger and Account based COPA are also mandatory, Actual costing is optional. Some migrations are also needed if source system is already active with material ledger.

Business partner : Customer and vendor master data will be replaced by Business partner . Customer / vendor integration (CVI) is a Pre-requisite for transition to S/4HANA. Custom fields or code (if any) for auto creation of customer or vendor master data etc need to adapted to Business partner.

Material number extension : Material number can now be 40 characters from existing 18. It is a optional feature. Impact of this extension on custom coding, interfaces, other SAP applications need to be evaluated before switching on 40 characters.

Foreign trade: Functionality of foreign trade under SD (Sales & distribution) has been deprecated with SAP’s GTS (Global trade service). There is an option to integrate GTS natively in S&4 HANA or it can be separate application / instance. Existing foreign trade processes need to be analyzed.

Change in SD data model : There are several changes in SD data model including pricing (which is the heart of existing applications).  SAP has provided some migration options to move data from existing tables to new tables, however it needs to be evaluated the impact of amendment / append of existing tables.

Credit management : SD credit management is replaced by Credit management under Financial Supply Chain Management (FSCM).

SD revenue recognition: Revenue recognition is not supported. SAP's Recommendation is to migrate to ‘Revenue accounting and reporting’. Not all functionalities of revenue recognition are available in release 1.1 of Revenue Accounting and Reporting

Rebate: SD Rebate Processing (excepting SAP CRM Trade Promotion Management (TPM)  is replaced by Settlement Management. Existing rebate agreements must be closed by a final settlement before migration.

Billing : Contract billing is not supported . Existing billing output (through NAST ) needs to be migrated to Adobe , Smart forms etc.

Variant configuration , BOM  Version: Certain functionalities are not supported

MRP : Material Planning only on plant and MRP area is possible , but not on storage location level (as a part of simplification) . MRP will be run through MRP Live (optimized for HANA). Net change planning is not supported.

ATP & Scheduling : APO’s GATP & PPDS functionalities are expected to be bundled in future release of S/4 HANA for Availability check and production scheduling.  MRP live is pre-requisite for PPDS functionality in S/4 HANA.

S&OP : Sales and operational planning will be replaced by IBP (Integrated business planning). Some functionalities of APO are also being made available in IBP.

Product catalog : SAP is positioning Hybris for web / internet processes , Product catalog will not be in target architecture.

SRM : S/4 HANA will have SRM bundled within it . Only limited SRM functionalities are included in 1511 release.

Quality management : ITS services for results recording , quality notifications & certificates are not supported .

Project system : PRT (Production resources and tools) , texts , claim , Easy cost planning (ECP) , Work force planning , project reports , OpenPS , cProjects  will not be supported. Many transaction codes will not be present as a part of simplification . Existing CJ20N is being  enhanced for navigation to different reports. Needs huge knowledge transfer to users.  Archiving needs to be done through central SARA transactions i.e not by individual transaction like CN80 etc.

Transportation : Existing Logistics execution transportation (LE-TRA) needs to be replaced by TM (Transportation management). TM has several advanced functionalities on transportation planning , optimization , freight charge / settlement , but has huge master data requirement. Is TM an overkill for customer (Shipper) with simple distribution requirement ?

Warehouse management : Existing warehousing (WM) functionality needs to be replaced by EWM (Extended warehouse management) . Migration for existing EWM (running separately) customers to natively integrated S/4 HANA also needs to be evaluated. QIE within EWM also will be made obsolete. It is not clear how quality functions of existing EWM will work within S/4 HANA.

There are obvious advantages in unifying several applications within S/4 HANA as highlighted in other blog in URL http://scn.sap.com/community/s4hana/blog/2015/11/19/sap-s-road-map-for-supply-chain-solution-with-s4-hana-and-its-expected-benefits , however the implementation of EWM in place WM , TM in place of LE-TRA are separate projects by itself. So, the warm up (Pre-check) for move to S/4 HANA will be a huge project spanning several years. SAP’s innovations may be in right direction, but the journey towards unified digital platform will not be that simple and that is probably the reason for changing the name for ‘Simple finance’ to ‘S/4 HANA Finance’ or ‘Simple logistics’ to ‘S/4 HANA Logistics’.

So this weekend is Super Bowl 50, and the San Francisco Bay Area is expecting over one million visitors as a result. For those of you outside the US, it's hard to explain the level of excitement and amount of detail that is going into this experience happening in just a few days. Think of it like the World Cup, just with more helmets and a ball that gets thrown more than kicked.

American football is celebrated more on Super Bowl day than any other day of the year, and SAP will be right there in the middle of the action! SAP technology is powering the "Fan Energy Zone" in downtown San Francisco where fans can play virtual football games and have their performance tracked and ranked in real-time. These games measure skills, reward players that collaborate, and process game data in real-time. You can read all about it here, including details on the 50-foot wide by 15-foot tall Fan Wall that updates fan scores and leaderboards.

This is all powered by SAP HANA, SAP's platform for next-generation applications and analytics. Regardless of the use case (fun times at a football game or inventory optimization at a warehouse), SAP HANA is designed to accelerate database processing, deliver more intelligence, integrate all types of data, and simplify the IT environment. And that last point is what I really want to stress next. Often times businesses get nervous about the costs or other unforeseen pain points associated with transitioning or migrating to a next-generation technology like this.

But SAP's already thought through the most common scenarios and has put together SAP Activate, what we like to call our "innovation adoption framework" for enabling a path for any SAP customer (or potential SAP customer) to implement SAP S/4HANA, SAP's next-gen business suite built on SAP HANA (the advanced in-memory platform mentioned earlier that's powering all the fun stuff at Super Bowl 50). The idea is for you to be able to take advantage of SAP S/4HANA quickly, regardless of your starting circumstances and without having to worry about what it takes to get there.

So that's why I'm happy to announce our latest openSAP course: SAP S/4HANA Implementation. It's a free course open to anyone interested in learning all about the most popular adoption scenarios for getting to SAP S/4HANA. It features lots of system demos and walkthroughs and includes everything you need to know to get started on the topic. The course is only four weeks long and requires just 2-3 hours per week for you to be able to complete it successfully.

Learn more details and sign up on the landing page here. Looking forward to seeing you in the course and, until then, enjoy the Super Bowl!

Digital economy has arrived in a big way and only a few people will disagree that it is here to stay. Digital transformation, which is fueling the digital economy, is rapidly disrupting the entire value chain in many industries. You need a digital core for your business to survive and thrive in such a fast paced digital economy. A digital core platform allows you to get connected with your customers, supply chain partners, social networks, devices and things, all at the same time. In other words, it enables you to digitalize and internet-ize your business. SAP S/4 HANA is a digital core platform designed and developed by SAP.

SAP S/4 HANA enables you to connect to the internet economy in the ways which could not be imagined just some time back. It helps you digitalize your value chain with all the value chain partners around 4 key digital transformation themes –

• Omni channel customer experience
• Supplier collaboration business networks
• Workforce engagement, and
• Internet of things.

There are 5 important innovations which underlie SAP S/4 HANA digital core platform -

1. Simple Data Model: With a simplified data model, SAP S/4 HANA is able to achieve upto 10x smaller data footprint. This also helps achieve a faster deployment time and overall a reduced total cost of ownership.
2. Modern User Experience: With SAP Fiori UX, the user experience is getting transformed from a cluttered, boring desktop user interface to a modern, inspirational user experience which is responsive and device agnostic
3. Innovative Business Solutions: With simplified and innovative solutions such as SAP Simple Finance, Simple Logistics, SAP Predictive Analytics – the businesses are able to leverage continuous waves of innovation without disrupting their existing environment
4. Choice of Deployment: SAP S/4 HANA can be deployed either On-Premise or on the cloud. This gives significant flexibility to the businesses depending upon their current landscape and future goals
5. Non-Disruptive Journey: SAP customers can start their journey to SAP S/4 HANA from wherever they are, which means there is a deployment path available even if you are a new SAP customer or an existing customer.

The last point mentioned in the above list needs further investigation as how existing or new SAP customers can adopt SAP S/4 HANA in a non-disruptive way to make it a digital core for their business. Let’s look at the 3 situations possible and discuss 3 deployment options which suit these situations.

There are 3 starting points as the customer journey to SAP S/4 HANA which are a) New SAP customer, b) Existing customer with SAP Business Suite on any DB and c) Existing customer with SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA. The On-premise deployment options vary according to each of these situations.

1. Starting Point A
   New SAP Customers
   
   This is a new implementation of SAP HANA on-premise edition. The customer journey includes 4 key steps (main steps, not the complete technical list) as mentioned below -

           Plan the scope and identify key business scenarios
           Install HANA and S/4 HANA: This would require installation of SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP 7.5 based on SAP HANA,                followed by installation of SAP S/4 HANA on-premise edition. After this, SAP Fiori for SAP S/4 HANA on premise edition needs to be installed
           Import data from legacy application as needed

           Install exchange innovation such as SAP Simple Finance.

      In summary, in this scenario, first SAP S/4 HANA implementation is done and then master and transactional data are migrated from the legacy system.

     2. Starting Point B
        Customers with SAP ERP on any database

        In this scenario, the customer wants to migrate from on-premise SAP ERP to SAP S/4 HANA, on-premise edition. The customer journey involves           6  key steps as mentioned below -

           Plan the scope and identify key business scenarios
           Update SAP ERP ECC6 to EhP7 and Unicode data types. This also includes updating to SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP 7.5
           Migrate the database to SAP HANA
           Install SAP S/4 HANA on-premise edition and install SAP Fiori for SAP S/4 HANA, on-premise edition
           Migrate the data from old data structures to the new simplified data structures
           Install exchange innovation such as SAP Simple Finance.

     3. Starting Point C
     Customers with SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA

     In this scenario, the customer wants to migrate from on-premise SAP ERP powered by SAP HANA to SAP S/4 HANA. The customer journey involves           3  key steps as mentioned below –

Plan the scope and identify key business scenarios
            Install exchange innovation such as SAP Simple Finance.

In case the customers want to start with SAP S/4 HANA cloud edition, the journey is going to comprise the following steps –

Try SAP S/4 HANA cloud edition and buy the subscription
Migrate the data to SAP S/4 HANA cloud edition from the legacy system
Integrate the applications with SAP S/4 HANA cloud edition as necessary
Test and use SAP S/4 HANA cloud edition.

Depending upon their starting point, the SAP customers can walk an appropriate journey path and deploy and run SAP S/4 as their digital core which can help them survive and thrive in the digital economy.

Last year at SAP TechEd in Las Vegas I had the pleasure to talk about SAP S/4HANA. The focus was on how SAP S/4HANA enables the digital transformation of businesses. Companies need to be prepared to seize a business opportunity the moment it comes into sight. The way to achieve this agility is with a flexible, digital core at the heart of every organization.

With SAP S/4HANA we are redefining business applications in an era of in-memory computing and big data. In my session I explained why SAP S/4HANA is a game changer for our customers, how the roadmap looks like and how our customers can get there. We simplified the data model taking out all aggregates and indices on the one hand and also simplified the user experience on the other. With SAP S/4HANA we are offering a complete Business Suite for all lines of business including choice of deployment. You can run it in the cloud or on-premise.

To get an overview of SAP S/4HANA delivering end-to-end, digitized operations through simplified IT I encourage you to watch the replay of my keynote. This gives you a comprehensive introduction into the topic.

Watch the Lecture Replay

Customer Adoption: Three-digit number of live customers

As adoption numbers are changing rapidly I would like to give you an update. SAP S/4HANA has to-date significantly over 2,700 licensed customers worldwide with a three-digit number of live customers. With that we truly have a global reach and we proofed that this new solution is stable. The fast adoption shows how fast the time to value is our customers can expect. This is a huge success given the fact that this new solution was only launched in February 2015 – a real team effort by SAP and its entire ecosystem.

One of these customers is Airbus DS Optronics. The system conversion to SAP S/4HANA as Airbus DS Optronics’ digital core marks a major milestone within the group’s financial digitalization initiative. As part of the project, SAP HANA replaced the database previously used by the company (see SAP News for more information).

Another customer is Swiss Property, a real-estate developer that buys land, designs apartment houses and builds them. Swiss Property is transforming their business model from running the entire value chain in Switzerland to sourcing and pre-fabricating abroad, transporting parts, then assemble the building in Switzerland.

Stay tuned for more updates on SAP S/4HANA. We will be present at various events around the world. Visit the SAP booth at this year’s CeBIT in Hanover or SAPPHIRE in Orlando. In the meantime, if you are itching to learn more I would suggest the following resources for you.

Selection of other SAP S/4HANA related SAP TechEd lectures that should give you together with my lecture an holistic overview:

Want to learn more?

• Website: www.sap.com/s4hana (EN); www.sap.de/s4hana (DE)
• Roadmap on SAP Service Market Place (Login required)
• FAQ
• SAP S/4HANA on SCN 
• Simplification List
• You can get started on your digital journey with the IDC Digital Transformation Benchmarking tool and put your transformation in motion for the coming year.
  • En: https://sap.dx-idcmaturityscapesnapshot.com/
  • De: https://go.sap.com/germany/cmp/dg/crm-de15-1it-plt-bk01/index.html und http://discover.sap.com/germany-digital-transformation

Sign up to receive SAP TechEd event updates, special promotions, information on registration, session topics, and speakers.

FPS1 Update

With SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511 (initial shipment stack) I published a Blog explaining the status of dedicated Business Functions and their behavior within the system conversion: SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition system conversion: Additional remarks regarding Business Functions

With SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511 Feature Pack Stack 1 (FPS1) there are some changes which I want to make available within this blog. More or less the text of the blog is similar to the initial blog - I´ve updated the figures with the current FPS1 state.

Kind Regards,
Frank

___________________

Introduction

As a first step within the SAP S/4HANA, on-premise system conversion the customer will execute the Maintenance Planner. The Maintenance Planner checks the system with regards to business functions, industry solutions, and add-ons. If there is no valid path for the conversion (for example, the add-on is not released yet), the Maintenance Planner prevents the conversion.

• For more details see Conversion Guide (SAP Help) or the related SCN Blog (The System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511 - Technical procedure and semantic adaption tasks SCN Link).
• It is recommended to get familiar with the SAP S/4HANA system conversion basic information.
• The following SCN Blog provides specific information about the role of Business Functions within SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511 and is based on the basic understanding of the system conversion process.

Business Functions

A business function is a building block of a business function set. From a business perspective, it represents a self-contained function that you can switch on. From a technical point of view, it is a set of switches that assign repository objects to the business function. Business functions are switched on at a system level. For more details regarding Business Functions see SAP Help: Link

Business Functions Sets

The business functions are grouped in business function sets in your ABAP-based ECC system. There are two types of business functions sets:

• For most Industry Business Solutions, there is one business function set for each industry. You use this to change your clients of an ECC system over to the applications and solutions tailored for an industry. This business function set covers all industry business functions that can be used for an industry solution to be used exclusively on one system/one instance.
• In addition to the industry-specific business function sets, there is a general business function set. This contains the Enterprise business functions and the Enterprise Extensions. These contain functions for the standard applications of Accounting, Logistics, Human Capital Management, and some additional industry-specific applications.

A business function set is activated when you have activated at least one of the related business functions. We therefore recommend that you activate the business function set when you start configuring your system, since the required industry-specific view of your Implementation Guide is only created once you have activated the related business function.For more details regarding SAP ERP Business Functions and Industry Business Solutions see SAP Help:Link

Business Functions Status in SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511

Business Functions can have the following status:

• Always on,
• Customer switchable,
• Always off.

During the system conversion to SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511 the following figure gives an overview about the handling of different status of Business Functions.

ALWAYS OFF in SAP S/4HANA

If a business function was switched“ON” in the Business Suite start release system, but defined as “always_off” in the SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition target release, then a system conversion is not possible with this release (for Business Functions where the status cannot be reverted on start release). See aswell SAP Note 2240359 - SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511 Feature Pack Stack 1 (FPS1): Always-Off Business Functions

Find attached the list of Business Functions which are in state ALWAYS_OFF in SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511 FPS1 (as well included in SAP note as attachment):

Note 1:
In this constellation it is not possible to convert this system and start a conversion program with the target of productive use. If the intention is a proof of concept to experience SAP S/4HANA it is possible to convert the system by applying a workaround in a non-productive testing environment.

Note 2:

The status of following Business Functions which are currently (SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511) in state “always_off” are planned to be changed. Find attached the list of Business Functions which are planned to be changed.

ALWAYS ON in SAP S/4HANA

If a business function was switched "OFF" in the start release system, but defined as "always_on" in the target release, then the business function will be activated during the conversion. See aswell SAP Note 2240360 - SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511 Feature Pack Stack 1 (FPS1): Always-On Business Functions. Find attached the list of Business Functions which are in state ALWAYS_ON in SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511 FPS1 (as well included in SAP note as attachment):

Note 1: See SAP Help Portal: http://help.sap.com/s4hana_op_1511 --> Conversion Guide

CUSTOMER SWITCHABLE in SAP S/4HANA

If a business function is defined as "customer_switchable" in the target release (SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511), then the business function status remains unchanged from the status on start release.

Future roadmap and related Business Functions

For the following applications and industries there is a future roadmap. See additionally the following SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Management Roadmap: Link

• Commodity Management
• Additional Industries:
  • Healthcare
  • Retail / Fashion
  • Oil & Gas
  • IS-U (WASTE) - (*Roadmap still to be defined
  • IS Media (*Roadmap still to be defined)

The Business Functions related to these applications and industries are accordingly as well on a roadmap to be adapted. Find attached the list of Business Functions which related to these applications and industries.

Related information sources

Guides/Documentation

Related SAP Notes

SAP has just launched an update of the Business Scenario Recommendations for SAP S/4HANA. This new version includes the latest information on the new wave of simplification and innovation in SAP S/4HANA Material Management and Operations (SAP S/4HANA 1511 shipment) in addition to the SAP S/4HANA Finance recommendations already available.

The Business Scenario Recommendations report identifies the most valuable digitized business scenarios – running on SAP S/4HANA – for customers, based on their current SAP usage information. Customers can browse the report by line of business and review their individual business scenario details and benefits. It explains the business context, challenges addressed, values, business drivers, as well as, innovations provided by SAP HANA and SAP Fiori for every recommended business scenario. Furthermore, it includes high-level technical prerequisites, information on how to implement SAP S/4HANA and much more.

The report has been enriched with numerous additional business scenarios including many simplified logistics scenarios. It includes new links to Solution Explorer and thousands of new transaction mappings, which improve the accuracy of the analysis.

Discover how SAP S/4HANA can help you become a digital enterprise: In just five minutes you can order the new, enhanced Business Scenario Recommendations for SAP S/4HANA and get your personalized report within approximately five business days. It will help to identify the most valuable digitized business scenarios for your enterprise.

Business Scenario Recommendations for SAP S/4HANA explained in 4 Minutes (video)

Order your free Business Scenario Recommendations report now, download a sample report or find out more information at www.s4hana.com.

Hello Everyone,

Many people are having confusion with SAP S/4HANA(without space) Releases and its technical components versions/naming conventions.

Here is the big picture which gives you an overview of what it is and its respective technical software components in detail from Basis standpoint.

It captures both Cloud edition and on-premise edition releases.

Thanks,

JC

Hello everyone !

I have spent a nice amount of time reading the SAP documents related to S/4HANA OP, available here on SCN (great blogs as always !) and also on the SAP website for SAP partners.

As we have S/4 projects starting soon, I wanted to be sure that we fully understood the application options.

So In case you have the same questions, here is a quick recap !

S/4HANA FINANCE  

The Simple Finance Add-on on Suite on HANA (AKA ECC on HANA) was released in versions 1.0 then 2.0.

It is improving FI-CO for an ECC system on HANA, by simplifying the table architecture of, and around, BSEG and BKPF.

As the name implied, it is an ADD-ON to an existing ECC system.

It then changed its name into S/4HANA Finance, and later it also had some Support Packs.

So now the name of the add-on is S/4HANA Finance 1503, 1508, 1511...and so on (yes, it is the year and the month of the release!)

The best note to follow the names and the versions is OSS Note 2171868

S/4HANA ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT

In November 2015, SAP released the S/4HANA Enterprise Management application: this is the real thing, the complete S/4HANA system, with all the asset management, service, sales, manufacturing processes.

The "Simple" brand is not used anymore, so there is no "Simple Logistics", just S/4HANA SALES, S/4HANA SERVICES.....etc

the first release of S/4HANA Enterprise Management was version 1511, and SAP documents mentioned a future version called 1602 and even 1605.

But......two weeks ago SAP released "SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edition 1511 Feature Package Stack 01" (official name).

If you are wondering, this is in fact the 1602 version, but the naming has changed !

So what do I need to know ?

if you plan an S/4HANA project, you have 2 options:

=> you can have  S/4HANA Finance added to your existing ECC system on HANA.
The finance tables will be simplified, you will have great improvements within the finance processes, and the other processes will stay the same. 

=> you can install a new S/4HANA enterprise Management system (or convert your existing SAP Business Suite ).
You will benefit from great innovations within all the processes (table simplification, new interface, process optimization..), and the core of the system will be different (please read the Simplification List ! ) 

=> both systems are called S/4HANA, but their technical architecture are quite different, as you can see...

Please comment if need be, and have a great day !

Eric

Introduction and purpose

Although a many good articles have been written by a number of experts about S/4 HANA, there still seem to be a lot of confusing terminology floating around. SAP customers and consultants are struggling to figure out answers to their open questions around the numerous SAP products which seem to offer similar functionality. I have provided my point-of-view on the direction SAP is headed in an effort to help relatively junior SAP consultants and aspiring future SAP consultants.

A bit of background

The biggest ERP in the market 'SAP' has evolved over the past four decades and has been the single most integrated business solution implemented in the market. While companies across the globe in numerous industries their businesses and IT systems utilizing SAP solutions, it offered a career opportunities in the form of a large number of highly paid consultants.

The integrated nature of the SAP package required a combined effort from many professionals who come with deep business knowledge and expertise in different business areas (functional consultants) such as procurement, manufacturing, sales & distribution, finance, quality, maintenance, warehouse, service, etc. In addition to the process areas, consultants with deep technical expertise (technical consultants) are needed to fill the gaps in standard SAP solution and to customize the solution. Also, there is a need for system administrators and people who administer security (basis and security consultants).

Traditionally, companies hired consulting firms (also called as system integrators) to understand their business processes and bring in their consultants with specific skill sets who can understand their business processes, design and configure the future SAP system and also train their personnel.

A quick look at how SAP product(s) evolved

The mainframe based SAP R2 was released in 1979 with a two tier architecture. The widely popular R3 system was released in 1992 which comprised of 3 tier architecture (database, application server and the presentation server being the 3 tiers). SAP kept enhancing the product in the form of releases. SAP stabilized its product with the name ECC6 released in 2006. SAP kept adding enhancement packs until 2013, the last one being EHP7 released in 2013.

In the last decade, SAP released numerous products that worked in conjunction with core ECC6 (also called as ERP6) to meet specific business needs, a few examples being mySAP CRM, SRM, APO, PLM, EWM, BW/BI, MII, SCM, MRS among many others.

In addition, numerous industry specific versions of SAP ECC6 (ERP) are made available, which catered to specific industry segments such as retail, utilities, public sector, oil & gas, healthcare, banking to name a few.

Demand for SAP Consultants

The number of SAP consultants increased steadily as the number of SAP implementation increased from late 80s until now. Depending on the demand for a certain skills, consulting companies and independent consultants charged their clients high hourly rates. However demand for the skill sets varied based on the industry trends, the number of ongoing implementations, support requirements, all in the mix of newer products and functionality being released by SAP. Seasoned SAP consultants would very well know that they need to constantly upgrade their skills with newer product releases and acquire newer skills that are in demand constantly so that they can stay in high demand.

Over the past two decades, a number of SAP skills became commoditized. For example, skills in certain SAP modules such as SAP MM, SD, FI, PP or even ABAP programming as the number of implementations diminished and the number of consultants increased. Long gone are the days when consultants charged top hourly rates for these skills.

Advent of new generation SAP products - S/4 HANA, Cloud

SAP came up with strategies to stay as a leader in ERP market with sustaining growth over years to come. SAPs new mantra to achieve this is by bringing the new S/4 HANA into the market.

What is HANA?

SAP traditionally operated on databases that they did not own. All of the SAP installations done prior to HANA were utilized competitor's databases. HANA is SAP's own 'state-of-the-art' database which is column oriented and stores data 'in-memory'. It offers 'real-time' analytics.

SAP introduced HANA database to the market in 2011. SAP so far did a few HANA releases since then with different names and functionality. 'BW on HANA' was released in 2012 which gained a lot of momentum in the world of analytics. Soon in 2013, SAP released 'Suite-on-HANA (SOH)' which is nothing but the entire existing SAP products running on HANA database. Since the introduction of HANA, SAP is working towards enhancing and optimizing all of the existing products to take advantage of the capabilities of HANA database and eliminate restrictions that the existing relational databases imposed.

SAP continued to expand their product portfolio by acquiring a number of companies and merging the products with their new generation products. A few such examples are SuccessFactors, Ariba, Hybris, Syclo, etc.

SAP released Simple Finance in 2014, which is an S/4 product and runs on HANA. Simple Finance saw a big change in terms of how financial data is stored in the SAP system. Numerous tables that traditionally stored SAP Finance and Costing (FI/CO) data have been condensed into a handful of HANA tables which reduces complexity in data storage and increases reporting speed.

Moving ahead in the same path, SAP intends to HANAize all of the traditional modules in the ERP. SAP release 1511 S/4HANA covers the latest suite of SAP products including S/4HANA Enterprise Management.

What is Fiori?

SAP also addressed the age old complaint that the SAP screens are not user friendly and non-intuitive, by releasing what is called 'Fiori' user interface (Ux). Fiori is based on UI5 technology and contains a set of front end templates called 'tiles' that users can pick and choose for the applications thy intend to run on SAP. One other key feature of Fiori is mobility integration. All the new generation SAP products are web enabled, persona based and configurable.

It appears like the future SAP implementations would typically comprise of S/4 HANA Enterprise Management application running on Fiori front end and mobility enabled. Since the table structures would have been simplified, there would probably be a limited need for the RICEF(custom developments). Reports would be generated using the in-memory (cloud) capabilities. Just a guess but simple queries might be able to generate complex reports given that the table structures are simple. We may have to wait and watch to see if the new generation digital analytics might possibly eliminate the need for traditional BW reporting..!

What it means to SAP Consultants

While SAP is driving big changes and on their way to creating new markets for the new generation products, customers are still confused with the fast pace of changes and the array of products available currently with overlapping functionality. They have hard time making the right choices.

This offers a huge challenge as well as a huge opportunity for SAP consultants to catch up with SAP's pace and understand the latest products and provide customers with right information and guide them making the right choices. Good news is that the core business processes are actually driven by the industry and more of less would remain the same irrespective of the technology advancements. So the need of the hour for SAP consultants is to invest time in upgrading their skills, after all consultants are the ones to take the brunt of understanding the new products, features and functionality..!

Certainly there will be a many customers in the future who would wan to implement S/4 HANA and Fiori. Consultants could look forward to upgrade projects as well as new implementations the 'this' is the right time for them to gear up and get ready for the 'next big thing'..!

Maybe you have read the Simplification List about lots of tables(like MSEK, MKPF, VBUK, VAPMA …) being eliminated in S/4 HANA 1511 on premise edition. When looking at an actual system, have you been wondering (I sure have, see my previous blog ), why they still seem to be there?

-> You see them in SE11 as transparent tables and you can select data from them with SE16n.

Here’s how you can see what’s behind it:

In SE11, goto Menu -> Extras -> Proxy Object:

Here you can see what’s behind it: A CDS-view!

Like SE11 tells you, you can look at the CDS views with ADT (aka ABAP in Eclipse). Or just use report RUTDDLSSHOW2:

I hope you enjoyed this update, keep exploring! (I sure will!)

Best

Joachim

Hello Everyone,

Many people are having confusion with SAP S/4HANA(without space) Releases and its technical components versions/naming conventions.

Here is the big picture which gives you an overview of what it is and its respective technical software components in detail from Basis standpoint.

It captures both Cloud edition and on-premise edition releases.

Thanks,

JC