Comprehensive Guide to Migrating from SAP LE-WM to EWM in S/4HANA

With SAP’s shift toward S/4HANA, SAP LE-WM (Logistics Execution Warehouse Management) is reaching the end of its support lifecycle and will soon be replaced by SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM). This migration is essential for organizations aiming to keep their warehouse operations current, agile, and integrated with SAP’s broader digital suite. Moving to EWM allows companies to leverage advanced warehousing capabilities, such as enhanced labor management, complex picking strategies, and real-time inventory insights—all while remaining in line with SAP’s long-term technology strategy.

This article outlines the roadmap to transition from LE-WM to EWM, providing insights into the migration phases, field mapping details, and best practices to ensure a seamless migration that maximizes warehouse efficiency.

Why Migrate from LE-WM to EWM?

SAP LE-WM has been a staple for warehouse operations, but it lacks the advanced capabilities of EWM, including support for intricate picking strategies, storage bin sorting, and advanced labor management. EWM in S/4HANA provides a scalable, flexible solution designed to handle more complex logistics needs while integrating seamlessly with other S/4HANA modules.

Migration Prerequisites and System Setup

Before Migration:

• RFC Connections: Establish an RFC (Remote Function Call) between LE-WM and EWM for data extraction and transfer.
• Warehouse Number Mapping: Map each LE-WM warehouse number to an equivalent EWM warehouse number.
• Storage Type Setup: Define EWM storage types to correspond with those in LE-WM for consistency in storage configurations.

Key Phases of Migration

1. Warehouse Product Migration
2. Storage Bin Migration
3. Physical Inventory Completeness Migration
4. Mapping of Unit and Storage Types

Each of these phases involves specific data elements, field mappings, and file management practices critical for preserving data integrity during the migration process.

1. Warehouse Product Migration

Product data migration transfers core material and warehouse-specific product information from LE-WM into EWM, ensuring continuity in handling materials post-migration. Here are the key components:

• Product Master Data: Includes warehouse number, material number, and other essential product details.
• Fixed Bin Assignments: Fixed storage bin data associated with materials for optimized warehouse operations.
• Palletization Data: Transfers packaging specifications to EWM for accurate storage handling.
• Warehouse Unit of Measure (UoM): Ensures consistency in unit handling between LE-WM and EWM.

Data Fields in Product Migration

Data Flow Example: The above fields are downloaded as CSV files or transformed directly via RFC, then uploaded to EWM using /SCWM/IPU for specific palletization data and /SCWM/MAT1 for product data.

Fixed Bin Assignments

• Transferred from LE-WM using /SCWM/BINMAT.
• Key fields include the bin location (MLGT-LGPLA), maximum and minimum bin quantities, and the replenishment quantity.

2. Storage Bin Migration

The storage bin migration ensures accurate handling and storage configurations, integral for operations continuity. The data flow includes extracting bins and sortation fields from LE-WM, transforming them, and importing into EWM tables such as /SCWM/LAGP for storage bins and /SCWM/LAGPS for sortation.

Data Transformation Note: Alphanumeric sort fields in LE-WM are converted to numeric values in EWM to accommodate the latter's restrictions.

3. Physical Inventory Completeness Migration

Physical Inventory completeness is critical to maintain stock accuracy and physical inventory compliance. This migration phase captures historical completeness data and transfers it as completeness sets in EWM.

Completeness data is stored as CSV files and transferred to EWM, where each record represents the completeness state of inventory for a product at a specified date.

4. Mapping of Unit and Storage Types

Mapping storage units and units of measure ensures data integrity and operational continuity during migration. EWM packaging types need mapping from LE-WM unit types for accurate packaging specification and handling unit setups.

Mapping Details

1. Storage Unit Mapping: Links LE-WM storage unit types (e.g., pallet types) to EWM packaging material definitions, creating a unified standard.
2. Warehouse UoM Mapping: Maps each LE-WM UoM (e.g., base units of measure) to EWM equivalents, ensuring consistency across picking, packing, and storage workflows.

Migration Cockpit and Process Automation

SAP’s Migration Cockpit and Migrate Your Data app provide a structured approach to automate complex migrations, including bin sortation, product data, and completeness records. These tools allow for seamless data transfer, simulations, and testing before final migration.

Best Practices

1. Use Simulation: Run the Migration Cockpit in test mode to verify data accuracy before full migration.
2. Phased Migration: Conduct bin migration, product data migration, and UoM separately to reduce errors.
3. Monitor RFC Connections: Ensure RFC connections are live and stable for high-volume data transfer during migration.

Conclusion

The LE-WM to EWM migration is a foundational step for companies aiming to optimize their warehouse management capabilities. SAP EWM, with its advanced handling, storage, and real-time processing, ensures better efficiency and scalability within SAP S/4HANA. This guide provides a comprehensive approach to migrating warehouse data, from product details and bin assignments to inventory completeness, ensuring data integrity and operational readiness post-migration