This post is the second of a three-part series on considerations all SAP customers should make in planning for S/4HANA.
- Part 1: Are you looking at a greenfield S/4 implementation or an ECC conversion to S/4?
- Part 2: Are SAP or third-party add-ons in use in your ECC system?
- Part 3: Are you heavily dependent on IDOC? [forthcoming]
Part 2: Are SAP or third-party add-ons in use in your ECC system?
Most SAP ECC customers run SAP and/or third party add-ons in their environments. From PPM and DMiS to OpenText and HighRadius, add-ons allow SAP customers to extend the functionality of ECC.
Why do add-ons matter if your organization is planning for S/4HANA?
The answer is simple: all add-ons must be certified for S/4 in order to run on S/4. If you a deploying a greenfield S/4 environment and have add-ons in ECC that are not certified for S/4, you will not be able to install the add-on. If you are converting from ECC to S/4 and have add-ons that are not certified, the conversion tool will simply stop in its tracks when Maintenance Planner identifies the uncertified add-on. There are no work-arounds or loopholes; add-on certification is a must.
What can you do about add-ons when planning for S/4?
- Refer to SAP Note 2214409 for compatible third party add-ons to SAP S/4HANA 1511 On-Premise Edition.
- Make sure your add-ons are certified for the version of S/4 you are targeting. Currently, all add-ons must be certified for each new version of S/4. Thus, if an add-on is certified for 1511, the third party will need to re-certify for 1610 and each subsequent version.
- Notify SAP and third party add-on vendors that you are planning for S/4. The more notice provided, the better the chance add-ons will be certified in time for your deployment.
- Contact third party vendors whose add-ons are not certified to ask them to accelerate their certification, and if needed, direct them to the SAP Integration and Certification Center (ICC) for direction on how to get certified. It is in third-party vendor best interests to quickly certify their products so they can market their S/4 compliance.
- Uninstall add-ons not in use. Even if you are not using an add-on, if it is installed and not certified you cannot convert to S/4.
- Contact your SAP Account Executive, Client Partner, or other SAP representative to request that SAP accelerates its portion of the certification, as well as to get SAP to lean on vendors to accelerate certification.
What else should you know about add-ons in planning for S/4?
- Currently, third-party vendors cannot begin certification until each new release of S/4 is Generally Available (GA). This means that you will need to wait until add-ons are certified sometime after GA. Keep this in mind when planning your S/4 deployment timeline. As a general rule of thumb, allow 2+ months after a new S/4 version is GA before you begin your implementation, and notify both SAP and third parties 3-6 months ahead of your deployment that you need add-ons to be certified.
- It can be difficult to get both SAP and third party add-on uninstall packages. This is another reason why notification of SAP and third parties well in advance of your S/4 deployment is crucial.
Resources:
- SAP Note 2011192: Uninstalling ABAP Add-ons
- SAP Note 2214409: SAP S/4HANA On-Premise Edition 1511 Compatible Add-ons
- SAP Integration and Certification Center (ICC)
- SAP Help Portal for S/4HANA On-Premise Edition (product documentation, Simplification List, other pertinent materials)
- Simplification List for S/4HANA, On-Premise Edition 1511
- Transition to SAP S/4HANA
- The Road to SAP S/4HANA [whitepaper]: Transition and Deployment Options for SAP S/4HANA
- SAP Services and Consulting
Laura Mikovsky, MBA, Ph.D.
SAP Client Partner and advocate of running simple with SAP Services and Support
twitter: (@lauramikovsky)