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The aim of data migration is to transfer data to a new system in a reliable and quality-assured manner so that it is complete, correct and redundancy-free. One scenario that many companies currently (have to) tackle is data migration from SAP or non-SAP systems to SAP S/4HANA. To ensure that the data can be transferred to the new system as cleanly as possible, a comprehensive data analysis and data cleansing should first take place before the actual migration.
What is important for data migration in SAP landscapes
Overcoming the challenges of data migration
IBsolution’s best practice approach provides answers to the most common challenges of data migration. For example, if the existing source structures differ from the future target structures, mapping is required first. In general, the better the data migration is planned and prepared, the less testing is needed. In addition, the migration solution may have to meet formal requirements such as the ISO 8000 data quality standard.
Clarification of important questions
As part of a data migration, companies need to clarify a number of questions in order to tailor the approach and the tools used to their own requirements. For example, it may not be necessary to migrate all data from the source system if the business case has changed or processes have been adapted or streamlined. The volume of data to be migrated influences the decision as to whether data migration should be carried out automatically or manually. It should also be noted that additional licenses may be required for the use of ETL tools for the migration – depending on whether the tool is already in use in the company or needs to be purchased.
How does the data get into the new system?
There are various options for transferring the data to the target system. With a file upload, the data is extracted from the old system and loaded into the target system. Alternatively, the data can be loaded into staging tables and processed further. The third option is the direct approach. Here, the ETL tool accesses the source system directly.
The respective business case must be taken into account when selecting the appropriate method. Is it possible to fill the system completely with an initial load or are there several systems that need to be consolidated? In this case, mappings and formatting are still required. In addition, certain quality assurance measures should be carried out in advance, such as recoding or data cleansing, which can be carried out either automatically or manually.
Migration scenarios to SAP S/4HANA
There are various ways for companies to migrate to SAP S/4HANA. In terms of data migration, each scenario requires a different approach.
New implementation (greenfield)
The SAP S/4HANA system is set up from scratch. This requires an initial data load. The master and transaction data is migrated from the legacy system, which can be either an SAP system or a non-SAP system. For a new implementation, it makes sense to use the standard SAP tools and content for data migration.
System conversion (brownfield)
System conversion refers to the complete conversion of an existing SAP ECC system to SAP S/4HANA (Lift & shift). This scenario is technically based on the Software Update Manager (SUM) with an additional Database Migration Option (DMO) if the company is not yet using SAP HANA as the underlying database. Proven tools such as the SAP Migration Cockpit provide support during the changeover.
Landscape transformation
A landscape transformation is when several current, local SAP systems are consolidated into a global SAP S/4HANA system or components of the existing SAP systems (e.g. company code or process) are transferred to a separate SAP S/4HANA system. Such a scenario increases the complexity of the data migration.
Comparison of migration methods
Transfer by files (file upload)
File upload is available for SAP S/4HANA on-premise and SAP S/4HANA Cloud, can be used for any source system (SAP and non-SAP) and is suitable for both small and large volumes of data. The files are filled using predefined XML templates. The data is uploaded to the new system using an ETL tool or SAP’s standard tools.
Transfer using staging tables
The variant with staging tables is also available for SAP S/4HANA on-premise and SAP S/4HANA Cloud and can be used for SAP and non-SAP source systems. The method is particularly suitable for large volumes of data. The data is loaded into staging tables, where it is processed and remodeled. The staging tables are filled using SAP Data Services, Smart Data Integration (SDI), SAP HANA Studio, open SQL or any ETL tool, for example. The data is then transferred to the new SAP system.
Transfer directly from the SAP system
Transferring data directly from the source system is undoubtedly the most convenient migration method. This variant is available for SAP S/4HANA on-premise and is suitable for ABAP-based SAP source systems. The data is selected directly from the SAP source system, transferred and imported into the target system.
Suitable tools for data analysis and migration
A large number of tools are available for data migration to SAP S/4HANA. The following overview therefore does not claim to be exhaustive.
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SAP Information Steward (for carrying out data analyses)
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SAP Data Services (this is the ETL tool from SAP)
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SAP Legacy System Migration Workbench (SAP LSMW is no longer being further developed, but is still suitable for certain migration scenarios)
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SAP Rapid Data Migration (provides ready-made templates and thus simplifies migration)
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SAP MDG Consolidation (for data cleansing)
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SAP Migration Cockpit (the latest tool for migration to SAP S/4HANA)
SAP Migration Cockpit
The data migration tool that is most frequently used in practice is the SAP Migration Cockpit. SAP provides migration objects and is continuously expanding this offering. The objects contain a complete business case that ensures that all relevant data and tables are migrated. With the SAP Migration Cockpit, both the file upload and the direct approach can be used, and staging tables can also be filled.
The SAP Migration Cockpit proves to be an extremely flexible tool. It is suitable for all variants of SAP S/4HANA (on-premise, private cloud, public cloud), although there are slight differences in the functionalities. As the SAP Migration Cockpit is integrated into the SAP S/4HANA system, it does not require any additional deployments or configurations. The included migration objects take care of a large part of the definition work. File uploads or staging tables are used to load the legacy data. In the future, it is planned to be able to extract the data directly from ABAP-based source systems. The migration objects are defined by SAP and can be adapted and extended using the Migration Object Modeler (MOM) for SAP S/4HANA on-premise and SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud.
