Lesson 3 of 5
Retrofit
9 min
Retrofit is the controlled transfer of a change from the maintenance track into the project track. It starts the moment a maintenance transport reaches ECC production and ends when the same business effect is working, and tested, in S/4HANA.
Step one: assess every change
Not every ECC change needs retrofitting. Some fix code that the conversion replaced; some configure functions that no longer exist in S/4HANA; some are already covered by project scope. Every change still gets a decision, recorded with a reason, because "we decided it was not needed" and "we forgot" look the same on go-live day unless written down.
- Does the changed object still exist and still matter in S/4HANA?No → record "not applicable" with reason · Yes → next question
- Has the project already changed the same object?No → retrofit by transferring the change · Yes → next question
- Can the two changes be merged with a tool?Yes → semi-automatic retrofit, then review · No → manual retrofit by a developer
Retrofit methods
SAP Solution Manager's retrofit function, long used for N+1 landscapes, sorts changes into three groups. Objects with no conflict (not changed in the project system) can be auto-imported: a transport of copies is created with just those objects. Objects with a conflict that a tool supports are retrofitted semi-automatically: the Correction Workbench for repository objects and BC Sets for customizing let you adjust without overwriting the project's version. Everything else is manual. Conflict detection depends on the cross-system object lock being active for the target system.
| Method | When it applies | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-import | Object unchanged in the project system | In a conversion, "unchanged by the project" does not mean "unchanged by the conversion"; check simplification impact |
| Semi-automatic | Conflict, repository object or customizing supported by a tool | Review the merged result; the tool does not know business intent |
| Manual | Conflict without tool support, or the S/4HANA design differs | Effort; needs the original developer’s explanation of intent |
Retrofit methods and their pitfalls.
Retrofit across a release change
Conversion projects add a twist. ECC and S/4HANA are different releases. Custom code in CMD may already have been adapted to the simplified data model, and some ECC tables or transactions are replaced. A change that would auto-import cleanly between two ECC systems may be wrong in S/4HANA. Contoso's rule is that every code retrofit is reviewed by Kenji's team against the S/4HANA version of the object, even when a tool could transfer it automatically. Configuration retrofits are re-entered in CMD on a project transport, using the ECC transport as the specification.
SAP Cloud ALM, which runs Contoso's S/4HANA project, does not document a native retrofit function at the time of writing. Contoso records each retrofit as a feature in the S/4HANA project, tagged "retrofit", with the ECC transport number in the title, so it flows through the normal test and approval path. Check your Cloud ALM release and the roadmap; this area may change.
- ECC fix in productionTransport imported to EP1; Luis’s register gets a new line
- AssessKenji or the configuration lead decides: not applicable, retrofit or merge
- FeatureRetrofit feature created in Cloud ALM, tagged "retrofit", ECC transport in the title
- ApplyChange made in CMD on a transport created from the feature
- TestRetested in CMQ; added to regression if the process is critical
- CloseRegister line closed with feature ID and test result
What would you do?
A configuration change in ECC adjusts a tolerance key for invoice verification. The same tolerance key was not touched by the project. A tool could auto-import it. What should Contoso do?
- Every maintenance change gets a recorded decision: not applicable, retrofit or merge.
- Solution Manager retrofit sorts objects into auto-import, semi-automatic (Correction Workbench, BC Sets) and manual.
- Across a release change, review even conflict-free code against the S/4HANA version.
- In Cloud ALM, run each retrofit as a tagged feature so it follows the normal test and approval path.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Which tool does Solution Manager retrofit use for conflicting repository objects?
2. Which tool supports semi-automatic retrofit of customizing?
3. Why is "not applicable" still recorded with a reason?
4. How does Contoso run retrofits through SAP Cloud ALM?