Data migration is one of the riskiest parts of any SAP project. Wrong or incomplete data can stop operations after go-live. Good planning makes it predictable.
1. Define the scope
Which data objects are needed? Typically:
- Master data: customers, suppliers (business partners), materials, bills of materials, routings, prices
- Open items: open orders, open invoices, open purchase orders
- Balances: general ledger and asset balances
- History: often not migrated in greenfield projects; kept in an archive
2. Clean before you migrate
Remove duplicates, outdated records and inconsistent data. Agree on data owners in the business who decide what is correct. Cleansing early is cheaper than fixing in the new system.
3. Map the data
Map fields and values from the old system to S/4HANA – including new concepts like the business partner model. Document rules and transformations.
4. Choose tools
The SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit provides predefined migration objects and templates or direct transfer from SAP source systems. Complex cases may need additional ETL tools.
5. Test in cycles
Run several mock migrations:
- First load to find technical problems
- Second load to improve quality and performance
- Dress rehearsal with the real cut-over timeline
6. Validate
Compare record counts, totals and samples. Let business users check key data. Reconcile financial balances exactly.
7. Plan the cut-over
A detailed hour-by-hour plan: system freeze, final extraction, load, validation, go/no-go decision and rollback options.
8. Govern master data afterwards
Introduce rules and responsibilities so data quality stays high in the new system.
Common pitfalls
- Underestimating cleansing effort
- Business not involved in validation
- Too few test cycles
- No time buffer in the cut-over plan
We support data migration from analysis to cut-over, including ABAP or tool-based transformations where needed.