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SAP S/4HANA It is a new generation SAP ERP system running on the SAP HANA in-memory database. It provides a state-of-the-art intelligent technology platform for business processes that use real-time data and machine learning to support forward-looking decisions.
S/4HANA can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud, but all implementations require migration of existing data from SAP ERP systems or other applications.
The migration process can be complex because it involves many steps, including determining what existing data to migrate, how to clean and transform the data, and how to perform the migration without disrupting ongoing business operations.
By clearly understanding the key considerations for this project and using the right tools, organizations can simplify and streamline their migration process while minimizing costs and avoiding disruption.
The need to migrate data to SAP S/4HANA is often necessary for customers who no longer meet the requirements of their legacy ERP systems. However, data migration projects are often time-consuming and expensive.
SAP S/4 HANA service Enables you to manage your company’s entire data migration project in a fast and cost-effective manner. You can migrate all relevant SAP data from source systems (SAP or non-SAP systems) and non-SAP data from other databases and applications (including Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and DB2) to any target system.
If you plan to migrate to SAP S/4HANA, consider the following key considerations:
current system landscape
When developing a migration strategy, it is critical to consider your current system environment. Evaluate whether you need to migrate all systems or just some systems. If the environment is very large, a single system migration may be preferable. However, multi-system migration may be more efficient if the data in each system is similar. You should perform parallel testing on the migrated data to ensure that it can be used in SAP S/4HANA.
It is helpful to consider whether custom code or business processes need to be migrated to SAP S/4HANA. In most cases this is not necessary as SAP has already migrated most of the custom code and business processes for you.
Will the new HANA database fit into the existing server?
The new SAP S/4HANA system will run on the same server as the current system for some time. This means that data volumes, performance requirements, and growth expectations must be considered to determine whether a new HANA database is suitable for existing servers. Data and transactions will run not only on the current system, but also on the SAP S/4HANA system for a specific period of time, so additional servers are required during this dual run.
It is recommended to use SAP Best Practices to run the initial implementation phase in a server environment that mirrors your production environment as closely as possible. This way, you can validate your implementation approach and ensure it meets business needs before going live.
What licensing options are available?
The choice to use a license for an existing SAP Business Suite system or to acquire a new permanent license is primarily dependent on the remaining term of use of the current SAP Business Suite system.
For example, if there is only one year of operation left, then from an auditing standpoint, it may be better to get a new perpetual license and start from scratch. There is also an option to migrate from an existing license to a subscription model. This choice needs to be carefully considered as it will have an impact on technical aspects such as infrastructure and business aspects such as cash flow.
Is there enough space in the file system for migration?
When migrating data from a legacy system to HANA, the first step is to extract the data from the legacy system. For large amounts of data, parallel data extraction using multiple extractors running in parallel makes sense. Extracted data can be stored in a temporary location on the old database before being transferred to HANA.
When extracting and transferring large amounts of data, you need to consider whether there is enough space on both systems for the temporary storage required for this process. Also, you need to consider whether the file systems where the SAP HANA database is installed have free space, and if not, whether these file systems can be expanded.
There must be enough space for archiving or deleting old log files and other temporary files to avoid problems associated with filling up the file system.
SAP recommends approximately twice the disk space of physical memory for non-production systems and three times as much for production systems (to cover potential unplanned outages).
How much knowledge/experience does your team have with HANA or SAP S4HANA?
It is important to assess your organization’s knowledge of HANA and SAP S4HANA. Your organization may have been running on SAP for many years and you have extensive implementation experience. Your team may have completed an upgrade from ECC 6.0 to EHP8. On the other hand, this may be your company’s first foray into SAP software.
Asking yourself (and other key stakeholders) questions like these will help you discover the level of knowledge and expertise you already have, and areas where you can invest more time and effort to build your skills.
in conclusion
We narrowed down some basic considerations when migrating data to SAP S4HANA. Refer to this guide as you work through your migration project to ensure that all important factors are considered to minimize possible pitfalls and challenges.
