Lesson 5 of 5
Testing and tracking retrofits
9 min
A retrofit is only done when it is tested in the project track and recorded as complete. Two disciplines make that happen: testing each retrofit in its new home, and keeping a register that proves nothing was left behind.
Testing retrofitted changes
The ECC fix was tested in ECC, on ECC data. That proves little about S/4HANA, where the data model, the code around the fix and sometimes the process have changed. Each retrofit needs its own test in CMQ. Reuse the test case written for the ECC fix where you can, adapt it to S/4HANA screens and apps, and link it to the retrofit feature so the evidence sits with the change.
| Retrofit type | Minimum test | Add to regression? |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration, low risk | Re-run the original scenario in CMQ | Only if a critical process |
| Configuration, financial | Original scenario plus postings checked by finance | Yes |
| Code fix merged with project change | Original scenario, project scenarios for the object, peer review | Yes |
| Interface fix | Original scenario with partner test data, for example Lakeside Components | Yes, if the interface is critical |
Proportionate testing for retrofits at Contoso.
The retrofit register
The register is the single list of every change that reached ECC production after the first project system was copied. Luis builds it from the EP1 import history, so it does not depend on anyone remembering to add a line. Each line records the transport, the date, the objects, the decision and how it was closed.
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| ECC transport and import date to EP1 | ED1K904512, imported 12 May |
| Objects | Pricing routine, freight condition type |
| Decision and reason | Merge: routine adapted during custom code remediation |
| S/4HANA feature and transport | Feature "Retrofit ED1K904512", transport in CMD |
| Test evidence | Test run in CMQ, passed, Priya’s team, 16 May |
| Status | Closed |
One line of Contoso’s retrofit register.
Reporting retrofit status
Report the register weekly with three numbers: lines opened, lines closed and the age of the oldest open line. Contoso's target is that no retrofit stays open for more than ten working days, and none at all during hard freeze. A growing backlog is an early warning that development capacity is being eaten by retrofit, which Grace needs to know before it delays the build.
Reconciliation before cutover
- ExtractList every transport imported into EP1 since the CMD copy date
- CompareMatch each one to a closed register line
- InvestigateAny unmatched transport is assessed now
- Spot-checkCompare a sample of objects between EP1 and CMQ with remote comparison tools
- Sign offLuis and Kenji sign: register complete; Priya signs: retrofits tested
SAP provides comparison tools that help with spot checks: version management in the ABAP Workbench can compare an object with its version in another system, and the Customizing Cross-System Viewer (transaction SCU0) compares customizing between systems. Expect differences, since conversion changes many objects; the point is to confirm that each difference is explained.
Keep the register after go-live as part of the release records. If a defect appears in hypercare that looks like an old ECC problem, the register shows at once whether the fix was retrofitted, how it was tested and who signed it, which turns a long investigation into a short one.
What would you do?
Three days before cutover, the reconciliation finds an ECC transport from last week with no register line: an urgent fix to a goods receipt output. Kenji says there is no time. What should Luis do?
- Test every retrofit in CMQ; ECC testing does not prove S/4HANA behavior.
- Build the register from production import history, not from memory.
- Each register line: transport, date, objects, decision, feature, test evidence, status.
- Reconcile before cutover and again after the last ECC import; every gap gets a decision.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Why must retrofits be retested in the S/4HANA project system?
2. Where should the retrofit register get its lines from?
3. When should the final reconciliation be run?