Lesson 1 of 5
Prerequisites
12 min
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SAP's conversion guide describes two phases. In the prepare phase you plan, check the system requirements, run Maintenance Planner, run the Simplification Item-Check, analyze custom code and do the cross-application and application-specific preparations. In the realize phase you run the Software Update Manager (SUM), adapt custom code and do the follow-on activities. SAP recommends doing them in that sequence. This course follows Sam, Contoso's Basis lead, through both, and Priya, who needs a converted system she can trust before testing starts.
- PlanSAP Readiness Check, Roadmap Viewer, project plan
- Check requirementsUnicode, ABAP-only, start release, data volume
- Maintenance PlannerAdd-ons, business functions, industry solutions; stack.xml
- SI-CheckRelevant simplification items and consistency
- Custom codeScope, remote ATC, adaptation plan
- PreparationsCross-application and application-specific
- SUMDatabase migration if needed, software update, data conversion
- Follow-onCustom code adaptation, cross-application and application follow-ups
Hard technical requirements
- Unicode. The system must already be Unicode. A non-Unicode system needs a combined upgrade and Unicode conversion first, then the conversion to SAP S/4HANA.
- AS ABAP only. Dual-stack systems (ABAP and Java in one system) are not supported; split them first.
- Supported start release. A one-step conversion needs a minimum release level. For SAP S/4HANA 2025, SAP lists it in restriction note 3549655, and release information note 3493301 gives the feature package stack equivalences. ECC 6.0 EHP 8, Contoso's release, is a typical start point; confirm your support package level against the note.
- SUM 2.0. Conversions to SAP S/4HANA use SUM 2.0. Use the latest support package of SUM at project start and always its latest patch.
- Database. If the source is not on SAP HANA, SUM's Database Migration Option (DMO) migrates it during the conversion.
Preparations that block the run if missed
| Preparation | Why | Owner at Contoso |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance Planner readiness: SPAM/SAINT version, system data reaching SAP | Maintenance Planner needs correct system data; the guide asks for SPAM/SAINT patch 71 or higher | Sam |
| Remove client 066 | The old EarlyWatch client is not used in SAP S/4HANA and can cause issues such as job scheduling problems | Sam |
| Uninstall local Fiori apps not released for SAP_UI 7.50 | Otherwise Maintenance Planner will not allow the conversion | Sam |
| SI-Check consistency errors fixed | SUM stops on return code 12 at its start, and on 8 or higher or an unexempted 7 before downtime | Process owners with Kenji |
| Customer vendor integration complete | Every customer and supplier needs a business partner before conversion | Maria and Dan's teams |
| Finance and asset preparation | Period close, reconciliation and pre-checks; SAP's finance conversion note lists the steps | Dan |
| Authorization and Fiori preparation | Business roles need adjusting after SUM; plan the mapping early | Security team |
Selected preparation items from SAP's conversion guide, with Contoso's owners.
Worked example: Contoso's prerequisite sheet for EP1
| Requirement | EP1 status | Action and evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode | Already Unicode | None; screenshot of the system status kept in the project file |
| AS ABAP only | ABAP only; Java runs on separate systems | None |
| Start release | ECC 6.0 EHP 8 | Sam checks the support package level against restriction note 3549655 |
| Database | Not SAP HANA, in Contoso's own data center | SUM with DMO and a move to the RISE data center |
| SPAM/SAINT | Below patch 71 | Update SPAM/SAINT in ED1, EQ1 and EP1 before planning |
| Client 066 | Present | Removed as described in SAP Note 1749142 |
| SI-Check notes | 2399707 (report) and 2502552 (check classes via TCI) | TCI enabled (SAP Note 2187425); first run lists relevant items and consistency errors |
| Custom code | 11,800 Z objects | 4,300 unused objects deleted; 7,500 in scope; first scoped ATC run 3,900 findings |
| Customer vendor integration | 4,850 customers | First CVI consistency check 640 issues; second run 22 |
How Sam turned the hard requirements and blocking preparations into a status sheet with evidence for EP1.
Step by step: running the SI-Check
- Implement SAP Note 2399707 (the check report) and follow SAP Note 2502552 exactly; it brings the check classes as transport-based correction instructions (TCI). Without TCI enabled, the check fails with missing check class errors.
- Start report
/SDF/RC_START_CHECKin transaction SA38 and choose the target release, SAP S/4HANA 2025. - Run it in the background for a large system, then choose Check Consistency for All.
- Read every relevant item. Some items have no consistency check but still change behavior; they go on the expected-changes list for testers.
- Fix red errors at the source. Errors marked in the Exemption Possible column can only be cleared by an exemption, which the system logs, so make each exemption a documented decision with an owner.
- Re-check a single item after each fix rather than rerunning everything; that is the SI-Check's advantage over SAP Readiness Check.
Two planning tools help shape this list. SAP Readiness Check is the planning tool: a cloud-based analysis of the production system covering relevant simplification items, custom code, add-on compatibility, business functions, sizing, recommended Fiori apps and integration. SAP calls it not mandatory but highly recommended. The Simplification Item-Check (report /SDF/RC_START_CHECK) is the operational tool: mandatory, run in SAP GUI, called again by SUM, and able to re-check a single item after a fix.
| SAP Readiness Check | Simplification Item-Check | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Planning and tracking across the project | Operational clean-up up to the downtime |
| Interface | Cloud-based web interface | Report in SAP GUI |
| Scope | Simplification items, custom code, add-ons, sizing, business functions, Fiori apps, integration | Simplification item relevance and consistency |
| Called by SUM | No | Yes |
| Mandatory | No, but highly recommended | Yes |
What would you do?
Six weeks before the CMQ conversion, the CVI check shows 60 one-off aftermarket customers failing on missing postal codes. Sales says these customers are created daily at the counter. What should Sam and Maria do?
- Prepare, then realize: requirements, Maintenance Planner, SI-Check, custom code, preparations, then SUM and follow-on.
- Hard requirements: Unicode, AS ABAP only, supported start release, SUM 2.0; DMO if not on SAP HANA.
- Small items block big runs: client 066, local Fiori apps, SPAM/SAINT level, SI-Check errors, CVI.
- Readiness Check plans; the SI-Check controls the clean-up and is run again by SUM.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. What must a non-Unicode ECC system do before converting to SAP S/4HANA?
2. Why must client 066 be removed before the conversion?
3. Which analysis tool is mandatory and called again by SUM?
4. Which source system type is not supported for the conversion?
5. What happens if TCI is not enabled when you implement the SI-Check notes?