Author: Paul Gendreau

All-in on SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit?

Posted on November 2, 2020 by - Architecture, Data Migration

I am not “all-in” on SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit.

Analysts warn that 83% of all data migration projects either fail or significantly exceed budgets. Like a poker table full of serious faces in a swanky casino, the stakes in data migration are sky high. Before going all-in on a single bet of such consequence, you’d better consider the big picture.

Yes, I understand that it’s the recommended tool for loading data into SAP S/4HANA, and has been for 5 years. And — for as many years — it’s been touted as the successor to Legacy System Migration Workbench (LSMW), which is no longer considered strategic.  It’s not that SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit isn’t usable.  After five years of steady revision, it’s achieved that mark, albeit with constraints.  And it introduces important innovation, such as Direct Transfer, to transfer data directly from an SAP system. That’s all super-good news, but it’s insufficient information.

Master Data and Identifying Numbers

Posted on October 30, 2020 by - Architecture

Data and business process owners: What numbers should we use for Products, Locations, Suppliers, Customers … and so on?  A seemingly simple question, but the consequences of your answer are many and without end. Tread carefully!

Implementing SAP S/4HANA illustrates the universal subject, but with nuances that require your attention to stay clear of trouble.

As usual, observing a few experience-based principles can promote good outcomes for Master Data and business processes, now and in future.

Load Inventory Balance in S/4HANA with LSMW

Posted on October 21, 2020 by - Data Migration, MDA Workbench

You can load inventory quantity and value for materials in S/4HANA 2020 using IDoc Type MBGMCR04.

Yes, SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit is the “recommended by SAP” tool for loading data in S/4HANA. But there are exceptions to its efficacy. For example, IDoc type MBGMCR is exactly how it’s done in SAP Rapid Data Migration with SAP Data Services (On Premise), Migration Inventory Balances (‏W38‏).

If you’re not using SAP Data Services then Legacy System Migration Workbench (LSMW) is also relevant, using exactly the same IDoc approach that SAP delivers with Rapid Data Migration. What’s more, LSMW (more precisely, IDocs) remains essential for data migration in SAP Retail. For confirmation of necessity, see SAP Note 2538170 – Migration of Retail Objects to SAP S/4HANA on-premise.

MDA Workbench is a free and simple tool for creating such LSMW projects, and for creating a comprehensive kit of deliverables for data migration.

Security and Controls in Development Systems

Posted on October 18, 2020 by - Architecture

Excluding production, I’m regularly astonished by lax Security and Controls in SAP Landscapes. With S/4HANA, astonishment becomes concern.

I’m not talking about the blatantly obvious; no, we don’t regularly see SAP_ALL granted in Development systems as in days of yore.  It’s more subtle than that, but perhaps not by much.

What is Listing in SAP Retail?

Posted on October 12, 2020 by - Assortment, SAP Retail

Is this Product authorized for business processes at this Location on this date?

In SAP Retail, Listing Conditions answer this simple question, but the complexity of producing the answer is massively underappreciated.

There are three main parts to the story: Data Management (business process), Execution (system process), and Listing Conditions (one result).  And then there are common exception scenarios to be handled.

Archive SAP Retail Site and Business Partner

Posted on October 7, 2020 by - Business Partner, Site Master

Archiving is a tedious task! And so infrequently done, who can remember the steps? I’ve carefully documented it here so that you and I never forget again!

The steps for archiving Site Business Partner also apply to plain old Business Partners and dependent objects. So now you’ve got that in your bag of tricks too!.

Archiving is a seldom-executed process in the course of implementing SAP Retail. And archiving of Site Master is even less likely to occur, unless as a necessary corrective for mistakenly created data. That’s a less-than-ideal occasion for dusting off old or never-practiced archiving skills.

Worry not! You’ll be prepared for success with this detailed guide to archiving Retail Site, Business Partner, and dependent objects.

SAP Retail Text?

Posted on October 4, 2020 by - Article Master, SAP Retail, Site Master

The SAP lexicon is fun. Similar or same words commonly describe different things, and different words describe the same or similar thing. As such, speaking precisely requires effort, if not blind faith.

This is particularly true in SAP Retail, where a so-called “Retail Text” was historically applied to rename business objects. Materials became Articles, Plants became Sites, and more.

With S/4HANA, Retail Text is no more. The standard labels Material and Plant appear on screens, not Article and Site. But not consistently.

SAP Number Range Shenanigans

Posted on October 2, 2020 by - SAP ERP

The shenanigans of alphanumeric SAP Number Ranges are a surprise even to seasoned experts.

You’re likely well aquatinted with the mundane task of maintaining numeric number ranges for most business objects. The behavior is easily understood because the SAP system straightforwardly considers them as, well … numbers. Adding alpha characters to the mix is less common, and the resultant behavior is significantly less intuitive.