SAP Business Transformation Center Scenario

Although the deadlines for final migration to the SAP S/4HANA platform are fast approaching (with the end of basic support for ECC in 2027 and extended support ending in 2030), many companies are still postponing their decision on how and when to migrate to the new SAP platform. This is made more difficult by the variety of approaches to this project.

Let’s start by reviewing all available approaches to migrating from SAP ECC to S/4HANA. The most labor-intensive approach, which involves the reimplementation of the SAP system in the new version, is greenfield. This approach allows for fully utilizing the new technical capabilities of the system and the best business practices from SAP. However, it requires significant financial resources, time, and may lead to greater disruptions in business continuity compared to other approaches. For companies that can afford the effort of re-implementing the system, it presents a great opportunity to improve business management efficiency and eliminate the “burden of history” from the SAP system.

On the opposite end, there is a conversion of the existing SAP ECC system to S/4HANA with minimal changes to the system (the mandatory change being the implementation of Business Partner functionality before such a migration). This approach is called brownfield. Its advantages include a short project duration, relatively low cost, and limited functional changes, which typically results in maintaining system continuity and no major changes for end users. Brownfield allows for leveraging the new technical capabilities of the system and enables gradual process changes after the migration to S/4HANA. It is an approach for businesses that are satisfied with their SAP system and want to reduce investments while obtaining protection by maintaining support from the system manufacturer.

Somewhere in between there is an approach that uses third-party transformation tools, referred to by SAP as Selective Data Transition. This approach involves separating the technical migration from the data migration and enables both selective data migration from SAP ECC (e.g., by company codes or years) and data transformation during migration and adaptation to new processes (e.g., implementing Business Partner functionality “on the fly” or transforming financial reporting from creating financial statements by accounts to reporting by ledgers).

This approach offers more flexibility than brownfield, but the project can still be completed faster and at a lower cost compared to reimplementation (greenfield). The downside of this approach is the need to use third-party transformation software, which increases project costs and, especially for smaller clients, can be a limitation.

In this context, a well-known tool is the CrystalBridge data transformation platform. At the SAP Transformation Center in All for One, we have extensive experience using this platform in SAP S/4HANA migration projects for large clients with complex SAP system landscapes. It’s worth mentioning that the manufacturer of CrystalBridge, SNP, refers to the transformation approach using this tool as Bluefield.

Since the second quarter of 2024, a tool from SAP has been available in the market, enabling projects to be executed using the Lean Selective Data Transition (Lean SDT) approach – the SAP Business Transformation Center (SAP BTC). It provides a limited set of possible selections and transformations, but does not increase the project workload compared to the Brownfield approach and is free of charge for SAP customers (it requires SAP CALM, which is included in SAP Cloud Service subscriptions and SAP Enterprise Support).

All for One has been working closely with SAP on the development of SAP BTC. Even before the tool had been generally available, we supported its testing and completed the world’s first S/4HANA migration projects using it. Leveraging the knowledge and experience gained from migration projects carried out using various approaches, we have developed our own add-ons for this tool, enhancing its potential for our clients.

We have integrated the All for One Business Partner Kit, adding the capability to implement the Business Partner during a single downtime in a migration using BTC. We have also added tools that provide flexibility in testing and the ability to migrate data more granularly than in the standard SAP approach. We have extended the standard with tools for validating data migration, resulting in a reduction in the time spent testing the system. We have developed and implemented a repeatable methodology of migration to S/4HANA using SAP BTC and All for One proprietary tools. This methodology makes projects shorter and more cost-effective compared to the brownfield approach, while providing additional flexibility that is impossible to achieve in a standard conversion project.

What do we recommend? As always – it depends. Companies with a very old SAP system that want to change the configuration of the processes mapped in it and have the necessary resources and time should opt for reimplementation. Such a project will refresh the processes in the system and help fully leverage the potential of the S/4HANA platform. On the other hand, companies satisfied with their SAP that want to maintain manufacturer support while implementing minor changes should choose the new Lean SDT (BTC) transformational approach. It entails similar costs to the Brownfield approach, but is faster and offers more opportunities to make small adjustments during the migration.

Where the system is too large for a reimplementation project (it would require excessive costs and time), but the company still wants to change selected processes or reorganize the system landscape (e.g., to merge two SAP ECC systems into one SAP ERP system), the best approach would be the Bluefield transformation approach using the CrystalBridge tools.

Choosing the right approach is a difficult decision. We would be pleased to support you in this process, offering a standard analysis package before the migration project. We have the knowledge and experience, and we would be glad to share it with you.

Krzysztof Siwiec, SAP Transformation Center Director, All for One Poland: “Over 150 completed transformation projects, including as many as 80 migrations to SAP S/4HANA in complex, international SAP environments. Five teams and fifty SAP consultants. Most with at least several years of experience in complex projects for large, international clients. Each of them is simultaneously involved in an average of five projects. Every month, we complete at least one S/4 go-live, and often more. In addition, we are supported by over 150 SAP module consultants and Basis specialists. This is our potential.

We carry out S/4 migration projects in all possible models: greenfield, transformation approach, and brownfield. In our workshop, we have third-party tools: CrystalBridge from SNP and SAP Business Transformation Center, and we are also developing our own products that support efficient and fast execution of transformation-related tasks. Additionally, we support our partners in the development and testing of these tools.

Since March, our department has had a new name: SAP Transformation Center (STC). Our commitment and readiness to support SAP projects, even for the largest clients, remain unchanged".