Lesson 3 of 5
Cutover from the business side
8 min
Cutover is the controlled move from the old system to the new one: final data loads, configuration checks, system opening and the first business transactions. The cutover manager, Luis at Contoso, runs the plan. Much of what happens on go-live weekend is technical, but several tasks only the business can do, and the go-live cannot proceed without them.
The business tasks in a cutover plan
- Weeks beforeBusiness freeze rules agreedLast date for new master data in legacy; how to handle orders taken during the freeze
- FridayLegacy closedFinal postings, period close in legacy, legacy reports frozen as reference
- SaturdayMaster data validatedCustomers, suppliers, products checked and accepted in their windows
- SundayOpen items and balances validatedAR, AP, stock and G/L tie out; open orders checked
- Sunday eveningDay-one readiness checksPeriods open, output works, users can log on, first transactions posted
- MondayBusiness startsKey users on the floor; hypercare begins
Freeze and catch-up
Between the last legacy extract and go-live, the business cannot work normally in either system. The plan sets a business freeze: no new customers or products in legacy after a date, limited order entry, and a manual log for anything urgent. After go-live, someone enters the logged transactions in SAP S/4HANA. Key users own the freeze rules for their area and the catch-up list. Unmanaged freezes cause the most avoidable data errors of the whole project.
Validating migrated data
Key users validate the data loaded on go-live weekend using the checks rehearsed in the mock loads: counts, control totals and samples, compared with legacy figures frozen at the cut-off. The order matters: master data before open items, open items before balances.
| Check | How at Contoso | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Customers and suppliers | Count by account group; sample of records including bank details | Maria; purchasing key user |
| Products | Count per plant 1710 and 1720; valuation class and standard price sample (CMC-ALT-100 at $150 Detroit, $156 Chicago) | Plant key users |
| Open sales and purchase orders | Count and open quantity vs legacy open order lists | Maria; purchasing key user |
| Stock | Quantity and value per plant and storage location (171A, 171B, 172A) vs legacy | Plant controllers |
| Open AR and AP items | Total per reconciliation account and currency vs legacy aged lists | Dan's AR and AP leads |
| G/L balances | Trial balance vs legacy; sub-ledgers tie to G/L | Dan |
Business data checks on go-live weekend.
Day-one readiness checks
Data is only part of it. Before users arrive on Monday, key users check that the business can actually transact:
- Posting periods are open for the go-live period and closed for earlier ones.
- Output: order confirmations, delivery notes and invoices print or e-mail correctly for a test document.
- Access: a sample of real users per role logs on and sees the right launchpad apps.
- Interfaces: a test message to and from each critical partner, such as the bank or carrier, succeeds.
- First transactions: one real or agreed test transaction per critical process, posted and reversed if needed, with the document flow checked.
- Has all migrated data in your area been accepted?Yes → check transactions · No → escalate to Luis with the open differences
- Can each critical process post a first transaction end to end?Yes → check output and access · No → raise a cutover issue with the failing step
- Do output, access and interfaces work for your area?Yes → report ready to Luis · No → report not ready, with a workaround if one exists
Rollback and availability
Every cutover plan has a point of no return: the moment after which going back to the legacy system is no longer practical, typically once real business transactions start in SAP S/4HANA. Before that point, a serious problem can still lead to a rollback. Key users should know when that point is and what business information Luis needs from them to decide before it passes. Their checks are timed to finish before it, not after.
Agree who is reachable when. A go-live weekend runs around the clock in shifts; a validation step waiting for one key user who is asleep holds up every task behind it. Publish a contact roster per area with a primary and a backup for each check.
What would you do?
It is Sunday evening at Contoso. All data is accepted, but the test invoice for Great Lakes Fleet Services does not print: the output shows an error. Users arrive at 7:00 a.m. What should Maria report to Luis?
- Key users own the business freeze rules and the catch-up list for their area.
- Validate migrated data in the rehearsed order and with rehearsed reports.
- Check that the business can transact: periods, output, access, interfaces, first transactions.
- Record document numbers of first transactions as evidence.
- Report status precisely, with impact and workarounds, to the cutover manager.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. What is a business freeze?
2. Which is a business cutover check?
3. Why should posting periods be checked before Monday?
4. Where should go-live weekend checks be practiced first?