S/4HANA Implementation and Conversion
The SAP S/4HANA suite of ERP software aids in a company’s transition from a straightforward transactional system to an intelligent ERP system that supports real-time decision-making.
A next-generation business suite
SAP S/4HANA, the newest business suite, is built to function simply in a digital economy. It redefines how enterprise software creates value across industries with instant insight and was created for the ground-breaking SAP S/4HANA in-memory computing platform.
Key Benefits of S/4HANA
- SAP S/4HANA runs on a brand-new code base; utilising SAP HANA’s in-memory computing architecture, providing the ability to access real-time business statistics and analytics; and the convergence of transactional and analytical systems.
- SAP S/4HANA also personalises the user experience on any device and natively connects to Big Data, IOT and business and social networks - all in real time.
- New functionality like the Universal Journal allows financial users to access a single source of financial truth where both financial and management accounting documents were stored.
- SAP S/4HANA will also simplify your IT landscape and reduce cost of ownership (TCO), through:
- Reducing your data footprint
- Working with larger data sets in one system saving hardware costs, operational costs, and time
- Choice of deployment: cloud, on premise, or hybrid to drive quick time-to-value
- You optimise your business processes,
- You control the margin on your products more precisely,
- You plan your production more efficiently,
- You manage resources more efficiently,
- You have constant access to current data.
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Three approaches to S/4HANA transformation
Depending on what S/4HANA deployment option you decide on, there are two options to approach transformation: the Greenfield approach, which is starting from scratch, or upgrading SAP ECC 6.0 in a Brownfield approach, which allows the transformation without re-implementation and without disrupting existing business processes.
Some organisations opt for a hybrid approach, which lets you choose the best parts of Greenfield and Brownfield implementations. This approach is best for large enterprises with a lot of data and complex systems.
Greenfield approach - new implementation
When a business chooses the Greenfield strategy, it abandons its current ERP system. This offers the benefit of enabling the implementation of a new, uniform system that only includes the required procedures and information.
Innovations can be integrated more effectively, and a high level of functionality can be attained if a firm redefines its enterprise architecture. Only 14% of respondents in the study mentioned above chose this strategy because it requires more work.
However, the Greenfield approach cannot be avoided because the systems must be replaced entirely when moving to the SAP S/4HANA cloud version.
Brownfield approach - system conversion
The Brownfield method involves converting the system. This means that current business procedures are used and, if necessary, improved.
The Brownfield technique is the most commonly used migration strategy because most businesses do not want to give up their customised ERP system entirely. According to the report, 44% of respondents selected this approach, while 42% chose a combined Greenfield and Brownfield forms.
The conversion is divided into distinct phases using EA tools to guarantee a smooth transition. The tools also demand that outdated procedures be reexamined to prevent the adoption of redundancy and complexity. The Greenfield strategy has the benefit of speeding up system conversion projects.
Hybrid approach - selective data transition
Strictly speaking, the hybrid approach and its landscape transformation is not an independent transformation strategy. It is simply a method that large companies with complex system landscapes can use to prepare for transformation. In practice, this means that databases are cleaned up and consolidated to reduce the Footprint before the change.
Companies can also use this approach to combine several ERP systems from different vendors. Such a simplification is also possible during the actual transformation. Whether this makes sense depends on the system landscape and the target system. In many cases, an enterprise architect works with all three approaches to achieve the best possible approach.
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The sector leader is Ibrahim Khan
I am SAP Technical Architect with 15 years of experience in designing, implementing and supporting large-scale, complex SAP systems with customers in a range of industries including Retail, Utilities, Oil & Gas, Real Estate, Pharmaceuticals, and Manufacturing in various locations across Asia, US, UK and Middle East.
I have participated many times in all stages of projects, namely analysis, development of the implementation concept, solution building, testing, training, system launch, and post-implementation support. I have the ability to understand business needs, articulate technical requirements, build and maintain strong customer relationships and lead teams to achieve project goals within tight timeframes.
I am a certified consultant in SAP HANA,S/4HANA and Fiori with a high level of knowledge and experience across SAP technologies like S/4HANA, BW/4HANA , Native HANA, SAP Fiori and SAP Cloud Platforms.
