Voyager – S5 System Conversion Project

Following few major difference between SAP ECC and SAP S/4 HANA from Technical Perspective:

Major Pre-requisites :

System Conversion in short is typically the fastest option, an approach that converts any SAP ECC 6.x
system running on any database to SAP S/4HANA, preserving your existing configuration,
customizations, and historical data. This approach allows a rapid technical conversion, adding
innovations gradually for users.
  The major teams involved in a conversion project are the Technology Team (responsible for
executing the Software Update Manager(SUM) tool in all the platforms(Sandbox,
Development, Quality, Dry and Production))
 Functional Team (responsible for pre-check for Software Update Manager compatibility,
Functional factory, Migration to new Finance Tables, Credit Management and Material
Ledger activation, involving different Lines of Business)
 Security Team (adjustment of roles for new Fiori applications)
 The Advanced Business Application Programming (ABAP) Team (responsible for the custom
code adaption, SAP S/4HANA code remediation etc.)
 Fiori Team (responsible for setting up the Fiori Launchpad and Launchpad designer).

 To begin with a conversion project, we first need to discuss and decide on the data
cleansing. This includes master data as well as transactional data cleansing (Cleansing
historical data) based upon the customers’ statutory requirements. The data cleansing helps
in reducing the database size to be converted proving beneficial to the technology team for
a smooth conversion.

Starting with the Prepare phase, the base document to start with the conversion is the Readiness
Check Report: (Transaction SE38 – execute /SDF/RC_START_CHECK) - How to install S4HANA
readiness check 2.0? Following Notes :
SAP OSS note 2758146 – SAP Readiness Check 2.0 & Next Generation SAP Business Scenario
Recommendations and 2913617 – SAP Readiness Check 2.0 contain all the installation instructions.
Short sequence of steps:
 1. de-implement OSS note 2310438 – SAP Readiness Check for SAP S/4HANA – Managed
System if it was applied
2. Implement OSS note 2745851 – Business Process Improvement Content for SAP Readiness
Check 2.0 and Next Generation SAP Business Scenario Recommendations
3. Update or implement OSS note 2185390 – Custom Code Analyzer
4. Update or implement OSS note 1872170 – ABAP on HANA sizing report (S/4HANA, Suite on
HANA…)
5. Update or implement OSS note 2399707 – Simplification Item Check
6. Implement OSS note 2769657 – Interface Discovery for IDoc as part of Readiness Check
7. Implement OSS note 2612179 – DVM API to trigger and monitor DVM ST14 analyses for
Readiness Check
8. Implement OSS note 2972792 – Financial Data Quality: Trigger Data Collection Reports to
Check Your Financial Data Quality and to Enable the Financial Data Quality Check in SAP
Readiness Check
9. Implement OSS note 2903677 – SAP Readiness Check: Effort Drivers of Simplification Items
Check
10. Implement OSS note 3010669 – Enhancements to SAP Readiness Check Dashboard for
Business Partner/CVI
11. Implement OSS note 2758146 itself

Next to these notes, if you are using ATC, it is wise to also apply OSS note 2781766 – Enabling ATC
check result export for SAP Readiness Check 2.0.

 The main elements that need to be analysed from a functional point of view are – Active
Business Functions, Add-On Compatibility and Simplification Items.
 Add-On Compatibility – The check analyses how many add-ons are installed in the system, with
the help of a Maintenance Planner whether they are compatible with SAP HANA.
 The Maintenance Planner is a solution hosted by SAP that helps you plan and maintain
systems in your landscape. The Maintenance Planner also helps the Business get a view on
the compatibility status of the Add-Ons on his/her SAP ECC system before system
conversion/upgrade to SAP S/4HANA.
 Simplification Items – By executing the above mentioned report you can get a list of
Simplification Items that are relevant to the specific Business database and must be looked
into before converting the SAP ECC system to SAP S/4HANA.

The Conversion works in three phases at a high level:

Pre-Conversion — Software Update Manager (executed by technology team) — Post-Conversion

Pre-Conversion and Detailed Assessments:

The resolution of the Simplification Items is a pre-conversion activity. From Logistics side, most of
the activities are Pre-Conversion, whereas for Finance, we have a lot of involvement during Post-
Conversion as well. During this phase we conduct Detailed Assessment Sessions with the customers,
introducing them to the possible changes that might directly or indirectly impact the business
process once the system is converted.

Fit-Gap Analysis:

This is an important milestone, where the changes and their business impact is discussed in detail
with the business. There are certain optional changes as well that are a part of conversion and
should be explained to the Business in the As-Is and To-Be format in order to provide an opportunity
to the Business to decide whether they want to proceed with the To-Be process or if they are okay
with the current process and want to perform it As-Is. Another important decision that need to be
discussed and taken is on the Fiori apps. Post conversion there are certain FI transactions that would
become completely obsolete and would be replaced by Fiori. Along with the mandatory applications,
customers also have a choice to implement Fiori apps for transactions that are still supported in SAP
S/4HANA as well. These discussions can be conducted during the Fit-Gap Analysis sessions.

Software Upgrade Manager (SUM):

Post Completion of the identification and resolution of the Simplification Items, Basis team executes
the SUM (Software Upgrade Manager) tool – a multi-purpose tool that supports various processes,
such as performing a release upgrade, installing enhancement packages, applying Support Package
Stacks, installing add-ons, or updating single components on SAP NetWeaver.

Post-Conversion:

Following the Software Update Manager Conversion, next comes the turn of the post-conversion
activities. These include the manual data migration, custom Code adaptions, any Workflows,
Reports, Interface, Conversion, Enhancements and Forms (WRICEF) implementations that are
required as part of the Business requirements and the system landscape.

Along with the above, the consultants are also required to prepare configuration document/run
book that can further be used as a guide to understand the major configuration changes that have
been conducted as part of the conversion.

Once we are done with the Post-Conversion Activities we proceed with the testing. This process is
applicable for all the landscapes (Sandbox, Development and Quality). In Sandbox, we perform a
smoke test, in order to test the basic transactions and functionalities. Similarly, in Development, we
perform a round of unit testing. Once the Quality system is converted, System Integration
Testing(SIT) and User Acceptance Testing(UAT) is conducted from the customer’s end (with the
support of SAP).

Cutover Plan:

Post the System Integration Testing(SIT) and User Acceptance Testing(UAT) Sign-off, we start with
the cutover planning. This includes a planned timeline for all the relevant actions to be performed in
the dry run and the Production system to implement the final SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA Conversion.
The cutover plan includes the responsible Lines of Business’s points of contact and their activities
timed and planned in order to have a smooth and successful conversion.