Lesson 4 of 5
Coming from ECC: NAST and coexistence
9 min
In SAP ECC, sales outputs were handled by message control, often called NAST after its central table. It used the condition technique you know from pricing. Contoso's ECC system has years of NAST setup: output types, condition records, forms and custom print programs. Moving to SAP S/4HANA does not erase it overnight.
How NAST worked
- Output procedureAssigned to the sales document, delivery or billing type
- Output typeFor example BA00 order confirmation, LD00 delivery note, RD00 invoice
- Access sequenceWhich condition tables to search, in which order
- Condition recordMaintained with VV11 / VV21 / VV31: partner, transmission medium, timing
- Output recordCreated in table NAST with status; processed by a program and a form
Transmission media such as print, external send (email or fax) and EDI were set on the condition record. Timing (immediately, with the next selection run, or at a set time) was set there too, and periodic jobs processed outputs scheduled for later. Forms were typically SAPscript or Smart Forms with print programs, often heavily customized.
The comparison
| ECC NAST (message control) | SAP S/4HANA output management | |
|---|---|---|
| Determination | Condition technique: output procedure, output types, access sequences, condition records | BRFplus decision tables in output parameter determination |
| Maintained by | Condition records (VV11 and similar) by key users; configuration in NACE | Decision tables in the Output Parameter Determination app (OPD) |
| Channels | Transmission media: print, fax, external send, EDI, special functions | Print, email, XML, IDoc |
| Forms | SAPscript, Smart Forms, Adobe forms with print programs | Adobe-based form templates with master and content forms; some legacy forms supported |
| Status and history | Output record in NAST with processing log | Output items with status and history on the document |
Coexistence after a conversion
SAP S/4HANA still supports NAST-based output for sales documents, deliveries and billing documents, and SAP positions the new output management as the strategic framework. Which one a document uses is set per application object type in Customizing, under Cross-Application Components, Output Control, in the activity Manage Application Object Type Activation. A converted system can therefore use new output management for billing documents and NAST for deliveries at the same time.
- ConversionTechnical moveNAST setup comes across; outputs keep working for documents that stay on NAST
- Wave 1Billing documentsActivate new output management for billing; build invoice rules and forms; test thoroughly
- Wave 2Sales ordersOrder confirmations move to new output management
- LaterDeliveriesDelivery notes and labels move once warehouse printing is ready
- Each waveRetire NAST setupRemove obsolete condition records, jobs and custom programs for migrated objects
Some NAST functions have no direct equivalent: SAP documents that certain NAST transmission media, such as special functions and workflow events, cannot be used with the new output management. If Contoso's ECC process relies on a special-function output, for example to trigger an internal follow-up, it needs a redesign, not just a conversion.
Custom code is the other conversion topic. Many ECC systems have custom print programs and Smart Forms with logic that nobody has documented, for example a special text printed only for one customer group or a bank account chosen by currency. Before moving a document to the new output management, inventory those rules and re-create them in decision tables or form logic. Compare old and new outputs for the same documents side by side; differences in such hidden rules are the most common migration defect.
What would you do?
After conversion, Contoso's delivery notes still print through NAST, while invoices use the new output management. A consultant proposes switching deliveries to the new framework one week before go-live "to keep things consistent". What do you advise Grace?
- ECC used NAST message control based on the condition technique, with condition records such as VV11/VV21/VV31.
- SAP S/4HANA output management uses BRFplus decision tables and output items.
- Which framework a document uses is set per application object type in Manage Application Object Type Activation.
- Coexistence after conversion is normal; some NAST functions need redesign.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. On what technique was ECC NAST output determination based?
2. Where is it set whether billing documents use NAST or the new output management?
3. Can NAST and the new output management be used in the same system?
4. Which ECC transaction maintained output condition records for billing documents?