Add-Ons

SAP S/4HANA has proven to be just that. It has turned out to be a great simplifier of an organization’s ERP processes. It has prepared customers with the agility, adaptability, and resilience that modern businesses seek these days to overcome external disruptions and stay ahead of their competition. SAP S/4HANA offers capabilities to efficiently manage a company’s finances, procurement, manufacturing, sales, supply chain, and service operations.

One of the most common means of transitioning to SAP S/4HANA for existing SAP ERP customers has been via the “system conversion” transition process. This involves converting an existing SAP ERP 6.0 system to SAP S/4HANA using several tools like SAP Readiness Check (RC), Maintenance Planner (MP), Simplification Item Check Framework, the Software Update Manager (SUM), etc. Another common scenario involves transitioning to a higher version of SAP S/4HANA from a lower version, which is known as the “upgrade” transition process.

The role of Add-Ons in making or breaking a system conversion/upgrade to SAP S/4HANA

During a system conversion/upgrade project, a customer is most likely to encounter Add-Ons in his system landscape and would therefore need to deal with them in order to move to SAP S/4HANA. Add-ons are individual self-contained software components that sit together with the core ERP component to serve a customer-specific, industry-specific, or country-specific functionality. One of the main causes for system conversion/upgrade projects getting thwarted is that the customer has not prepared well for handling the Add-Ons in his system.

The Add-Ons existing on a customer’s ERP system that shall be part of the target SAP S/4HANA release must be supported in order to permit the system conversion/upgrade process to go through. A lack of early clarification of this situation is a potential cause for a project delay, depending on the Add-On type.

ABAP Add-On Types:

SAP Add-Ons: These are Add-Ons developed by SAP and modeled in the “Product and Production Management System” (PPMS) which is a central SAP internal master data repository for technical information on SAP software components and software products. The status is known to the Maintenance Planner.

Partner Add-Ons (also known as vendor-branded resellers or VBR Add-Ons): These are Add-Ons that are developed by select partners. These Add-Ons are also modeled in PPMS and the status is known to the Maintenance Planner.

SAP ICC-certified Third-Party Add-Ons: These are Add-Ons that are certified by the SAP Integration and Certification Center (SAP ICC). Maintenance Planner points the customer to the SAP Certified Solutions directory if the Add-On has been certified for the target SAP S/4HANA release. If it has not been certified, the customer must directly check with the vendor to clarify the strategy of the Add-On for the target SAP S/4HANA release.

Other Third-Party Add-Ons: These are independent Add-Ons that are not certified by SAP ICC and the status is not known to Maintenance Planner. In this case, as well, the customer must directly check with the vendor to clarify the strategy of the Add-On for the target SAP S/4HANA release.

Add-ons can often become a formidable challenge during the process of transitioning to SAP S/4HANA. When considering an Add-On's relevance, it's prudent to explore the option of uninstalling it if it's no longer necessary.

Should the need arise to undertake an S/4HANA conversion while retaining the Add-Ons, it's advisable to consult essential SAP OSS notes for guidance. For SAP-delivered Add-Ons, refer to OSS note 2011192, which addresses the uninstallation process. Additionally, for third-party Add-Ons, OSS note 2911053 provides valuable insights into uninstallation configuration.

In situations where Add-Ons are integral to the S/4HANA conversion, meticulous attention to compatibility is crucial. To navigate this, turn to OSS note 2214409, a comprehensive resource that directs you to a list of compatible SAP and third-party Add-Ons for each specific S/4HANA version.

Note:-

The integration of SAP's own Add-Ons typically matures within a few months post the release of a new S/4HANA version. However, third-party Add-On readiness varies across suppliers. Some suppliers exhibit exceptional responsiveness, delivering the required ACP files within a week. Conversely, others might necessitate several months or even over a year. In instances where a supplier's pace is slower, it's recommended to exert pressure through management channels, ideally via the CIO or head of IT procurement, in order to expedite progress and prevent conversion bottlenecks.

SAP Notes on Add-Ons

• SAP Add-Ons:?https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2214409
• Uninstallation of ABAP AddOns:?https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2011192

SAP Certified Solutions Directory:?https://www.sap.com/dmc/exp/2013_09_adpd/enEN/#/solutions

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