SAP ECC to S/4HANA migration process flow
Editable SAP ECC to S/4HANA migration process flow: Readiness Check, custom code analysis, fit-to-standard, the brownfield, greenfield or selective data transition decision, testing and the conversion cutover.
What the SAP ECC to S/4HANA migration process flow process is
With mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC 6.0 ending in 2027, most SAP customers are planning or running their move to S/4HANA. The first big decision, and the one that shapes the whole program, is the transition approach: convert the existing system (brownfield), reimplement (greenfield), or build a new system and move selected data (selective data transition).
Each path has a different shape. Brownfield is dominated by technical preparation: Business Partner conversion, simplification items, custom code. Greenfield starts from SAP Best Practices and fit-to-standard workshops and builds gaps as extensions. Selective data transition sits between them. Drawing all three on one flow helps a steering committee see what it is choosing.
Use the template for program planning, steering committee briefings and as the top-level map that detailed process designs hang from. Rename the lanes, delete the paths you have ruled out, and add your own milestones.
What this flowchart covers
In this template
- SAP Readiness Check, simplification item analysis and custom code analysis with ATC
- Fit-to-standard workshops against SAP Best Practices
- The transition approach decision: brownfield system conversion, greenfield new implementation or selective data transition
- Business Partner conversion and the Software Update Manager conversion run, or configuration and clean-core extensions on SAP BTP
- Data load with the Migration Cockpit, integration and user acceptance testing, and the production cutover
When to use this template
- You are planning an S/4HANA program and need to explain the transition options to the steering committee
- You have chosen an approach and need a top-level flow to organise detailed process designs
- You are a partner preparing a proposal or discovery workshop for an ECC customer
- You want to align business process owners on when fit-to-standard happens and what it decides
How it works
Start with the assessment steps
Record the outputs of the Readiness Check and custom code analysis in the notes of those steps: number of simplification items, custom objects in use, and add-ons to replace.
Write your decision criteria
Note why the program chose its transition approach on the decision, such as process change appetite, data history needs, timeline and budget.
Remove the paths you ruled out
Delete the branches you are not taking so the flow becomes your program's plan rather than a list of options.
Add your test cycles
Split testing into the cycles you will run, such as integration test 1 and 2 and user acceptance testing, with exit criteria on each.
Get sign-off
Send the flow to the program sponsor and process owners for approval; the approved version and later changes are kept in the history.
Frequently asked questions
When does SAP ECC support end?
Mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC 6.0 (Business Suite 7) ends at the end of 2027. SAP offers extended maintenance to the end of 2030 at extra cost, and customer-specific maintenance after that. Most customers are planning their S/4HANA move with 2027 as the target.
What is the difference between brownfield and greenfield S/4HANA?
Brownfield is a system conversion: the existing ECC system, its configuration, custom code and history are converted to S/4HANA. Greenfield is a new implementation that starts from SAP Best Practices and migrates only the data you need. Selective data transition is a middle path that builds a new system and moves selected data and configuration.
What is fit-to-standard in SAP Activate?
It is the workshop phase where business users are shown SAP's standard processes in a preconfigured system and decide where the standard fits and where there is a real gap. Gaps are documented as requirements and, under a clean-core approach, built as extensions rather than modifications.
What is the SAP Migration Cockpit?
It is the S/4HANA tool for loading data into a new system, using predefined migration objects for master data and open items. It is used in greenfield and selective approaches; a brownfield conversion keeps the data in place.
Where this process fits
In most operations this process hands off to ERP cutover process flow (rehearsal to hypercare).
Comes after
- ERP cutover process flow (rehearsal to hypercare) — Editable ERP cutover process flow for SAP, Oracle, Dynamics 365 or NetSuite go-lives: mock cutover, legacy freeze, data load, reconciliation sign-off, go/no-go decision, rollback and hypercare exit.