Data Migration in S/4HANA Revamped

Together with a revamped business suite you can expect revamped data migration tooling. We are
used to work with LSMW for years as the legacy data migration tool for new implementations and
migrations. LSMW is still an available tool in S/4HANA, but working with LSMW can be a cumbersome
process, this is also the reason why a lot of third party solutions (based on LSMW) are created and
sold to make life easier. Now we have new tools available, can we completely forget the old fashioned
LSMW?

Changes in data migration

Together with the innovations related to data models, user interfaces, etc. in S/4HANA, SAP has
revised the way we load data into SAP.

The reason to come up with a modern and easy to use migration tool is to simplify and fulfill the
following challenges and requirements:
 ▪ Migrate data from SAP/non-SAP systems to S/4HANA
▪ Provide a data migration solution without programming requirement
▪ Incorporate custom objects in an easy way
▪ Mapping data between source and target system
▪ Reduce effort and minimize downtime
Before going into detailed explanations, I will provide you the list of available tools for data migration
in S/4HANA. Besides the two new tools, we still have LSMW and RDM:

▪ LSMW
▪ Migration Cockpit (MC)
▪ Migration Object Modeler (MOM)
▪ Rapid Data Migration (RDM) with Data Services
Are you interested in the different migration tools in S/4HANA and various possible transition
scenarios? Would you like to know more about the availability of LSMW and have detailed
explanations on the Migration Cockpit and Migration Object Modeler? Are you wondering why
you still need the more advanced Rapid Data Migration tool and what this tool is all about?
After having gained insights in these tools, you probably also want to have a nice overview of
when to use which tool? Then continue reading this blog.

What are the different transition scenarios?

In of my previous blog posts I explained the possible transition scenarios to S/4HANA. I will give a
quick refresh here since the transition scenarios are related to the choice for a migration tool.

S/4HANA Deployment Options

New Implementation
This approach is also known as the greenfield implementation. For this approach the available data
migration tools will be discussed further in this blogpost. The duration and complexity of the project
depends on the number of required data migration objects and the volume per data migration object.
System Conversion
From a technical point of view, a system conversion is a complete conversion of an existing SAP
ERP system to SAP S/4HANA. So, an existing SAP ERP system is converted to S/4HANA together
with the database tables, data models and application code.

Landscape transformation:
the landscape transformation scenario requires currently a service or consulting engagement with
SAP. There is not generally released toolset with documentation available which you can use to
configure, test und execute your own, individual data migration to the SAP S/4HANA platform. The
currently available tools and technology are only available via SAP Value Assurance Services or
Consulting Service Engagements.

Availability of LSMW
As mentioned before, LSMW is available within S/4HANA On-Premise, but not considered by SAP
as the migration tool going forward. When using LSMW in a S/4HANA environment all object should
be checked and tested carefully. Especially for objects which are subject to change, like GL account
/ Cost Elements.

According to SAP, LSMW is not recommended for data load into S/4HANA and can be used at
customer’s own risk.

The S/4HANA Migration Cockpit

The Migration Cockpit is the new migration tool for S/4HANA. It is available for on premise as from
version 1610 and it is the only migration tool for Cloud deployments. It is a tool for the initial upload
of data only and not all LSMW functionalities are covered. The number of supported objects are
growing with each new release, but not all objects are available currently.

In the below 2 tables you can find the available object in the S/4HANA 1610 and 1709 releases.

Available objects in S/4HANA 1610:

Migration cockpit available object S4HANA 1610 (32)

Available objects in S/4HANA 1709:

Migration cockpit available object S4HANA 1709 (52)

Available objects in S/4HANA 1809:

How does the Migration Cockpit work?

The Migration Cockpit features a single point of entry where, via guided procedures, data selection,
data transformation and monitoring can be performed. It provided logs and documentation to help
the user during the process.

To my opinion the most convenient part is the fact that there are predefined Excel templates for each
object and SAP is taking care of the source and target structure mapping automatically.

Let’s see how this works…

Migration Project
The transaction code for the Migration Cockpit is LTMC. In the Migration Cockpit I have created a
Test project. From the test project I can navigate to the available Migration Object:
 Create Migration Project in Cockpit
Download Template
I have selected the Migration of Vendors object. As you can see the system also shows the
dependent object, in this case the migration of banks. From this page I can download the Excel
template. The Excel file can be saved locally, and you can start filling in data. The Excel templates
are in XML format.

Migration Cockpit Migration Object Vendors with Excel template

Upload File
After you have prepared the file, and all mandatory fields are filled, the file can be uploaded in the
Migration Cockpit.

Migration Cockpit Migration Object Vendors Upload file

Activate, start transfer and validate data
The uploaded source file is now ready. After selecting the correct file, it should be activated first and
then we can start the transfer.
Migration Cockpit Migration Object Vendors Start Transfer
Convert Values
In this step the field mapping will be done. If a value is found for the first time, you need to confirm
the value.

Migration Cockpit Migration Object Vendors Convert Values

Simulation and import
Now you can click on simulation and import.

Migration Cockpit Migration Object Vendors Execute import

The import is finished and the vendor is created.

Migration Cockpit Migration Object Vendors Created

Troubleshooting
All actions in the Migration Cockpit are performed as a background job (SM37). To understand the
import process and for troubleshooting in case of errors it is good to understand how the BAPI
behind the Cockpit works. The BAPI used for the data import can be found in transaction LTMOM. In
the BAPI you can also see how the source and target fields ere mapped.

What about objects not supported by the Migration

Cockpit?
For On-Premise and private cloud deployments it is possible to enhance the pre-defined migration
objects with the Migration Object Modeler (MoM). The MoM is designed to integrated custom
objects (e.g. add new fields) and to create SAP standard object which are currently not in
scope of the Migration Cockpit.
Standard object can be easily enhancement in the Migration Object Modeler with the following steps:

▪ Select the appropriate project/object

▪ Edit source structure
▪ Change field mapping
▪ Download new template
Let’s see how we can enhance the previous used vendor master data object in the Migration Object
Modeler:

Transaction LTMOM and select the project/migration object Select the specific Migration Object
in your project in which you want to make enhancement.

Migration Object Modeler Select Object

Editing Source Structure
Here you can find all the fields which are shown in the Excel template. From here additional fields can
be added.

Migration Object Modeler Change Source Structure

Select the tab in which you would like to make an enhancement. As you can see, all fields in a specific
tab in the Excel file are grouped together in the hierarchy. I will add a field in the Purchase Organization
Data. Select the structure and switch to change mode:
 Migration Object Modeler Change Source Structure 2
As you can see, the template default fields cannot be changed. I add my enhancement in the first free
field.

Migration Object Modeler change field mapping

Migration Object Modeler Adding Field to structure

Change Field Mapping
After we have added the enhanced field in the source structure, the field mapping must be maintained.
Find your field in both left and right-hand sides of the screen. Drag and drop the file form the right side
(target structure) to the left side of the screen. You will see that the new field will become active.

Migration Object Modeler change field mapping

Download the new template file
After the Migration Object enhancement, we can download the new Excel template from the
Migration Cockpit. The template will include the new added field.
 Migration Object Modeler Download new Excel template

Rapid Data Migration with Data Services

After you have seen the Migration Cockpit and the Migration Object Modeler you may wonder why you
still need Data Services. SAP Rapid Data Migration is a tool which must be installed on your system
separately.

SAP Data Services provides capabilities for data extraction, transformation, and load (ETL), as well
as data quality management, and text data processing. The ETL capabilities of the tool can be used
free of charge, but the data quality features require a Data Services license. The Rapid Data Migration
package also contains sample migration content in the form of e.g. business partners, materials, sales
document etc.

In the next chapter I share an overview of all the available migration objects in Rapid Data Migration.
You will see that the delta with the latest version of S/4HANA (1709) is not huge. The added value of
Rapid Data Migration is not the higher number of available standard migration objects, but the ETL
and Data Quality capabilities together with the SAP Best Practice Migration Content.

The SAP Best Practiced Migration Content is not only available for S/4HANA, but also for other SAP
solutions listed below. These packages can be downloaded for free with your S-user.

▪ SAP Business Suite on HANA

▪ SAP ERP (incl. Retail and HCM)
▪ SAP CRM
▪ SAP Billing for Utilities
▪ SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central
▪ SAP Hybris Cloud for Customer
For more information, you can visit the below SAP sites.
Process overview
In the next picture a high-level overview is given in 6 steps about the architecture and process of the
Rapid Data Migration Solution.

Rapid Data Migration Architectur

▪ 1. Source and Target system
▪ On the left side the system is integrated with one or more SAP or non-SAP legacy
systems via different interfaces (flat file, data base, etc.)
▪ On the right side the S/4HANA system is connected.
▪ 2. Extraction and profiling
▪ This is the staging area between the source and target system. The area is provided
by the database on which SAP Data Services runs.
▪ In this step the data is extracted and analyzed (profiled)
▪ 3. Cleansing, Conversion, validation and loading
▪ In this step the cleansing of data records is done. You ensure that the data comply to
certain rules and the customizing settings in the S/4HANA system. Data cleansing can
include e.g. dividing fields, merging field and converting values to certain formats.
▪ The cleansed and verified data is then imported to S/4HANA
▪ 4. Customizing extraction from SAP S/4HANA
 ▪ The customizing settings in the S/4HANA system are extracted and replicated to the
intermediate layer so you can ensure that the data is compatible with these specific
customizing settings (e.g. plants, material types, customer groups, etc.).
▪ 5. Data Reconciliation
▪ The actual imported data to S/4HANA is reconciled with the expected data for the Data
Services migration.
▪ 6. Dashboard and Reporting
▪ The entire migration process can be tracked and traced with dashboards and reports.
The pre-defined reports are delivered in the SAP Business Object BI Web Intelligence
tool. The reports can be used as is or can be used as a template to create own reports.

Available object in the Rapid Data Migration tool

Below you can find the list of all available migration objects in Rapid Data Migration. I have added an
extra column to make an easy comparison between the available object in the Migration Cockpit in
S/4HANA version 1709. Column “MC 1709” indicates the availability of the object in the Migration
Cockpit for version 1709.

Rapid Data Migration available object (65)

When to use What?

You now should have a good overview of the different data migration tools available today for
existing system and for S/4HANA. It can be difficult to choose the right tool, there is no general
recommendation because multiple tools can be used in parallel and the choice of tool depends
highly on your deployment model and data quality requirements.

To below overview will help you to choose the tool for your situation.
 S4HANA Migration When to Use What

Final words
If you’re familiar with LSMW, you can clearly see that the Migration Cockpit and the Migration Object
Modeler will make lives easier. It is a ready to use solution which will reduce migration time. The
solution is not perfect and still needs some enhancements, but SAP has announced that these set of
tools are the feature solutions for data migration in S/4HANA.

The number of migration objects are growing with each release, and when we have a look at the
planned functionalities and enhancement it is quite promising.

▪ Direct access via RFC (instead of file upload)

▪ Staging area between source and target system
▪ Data Quality (cleansing, checks, etc.)
▪ Analysis (In SAP source system)
▪ Automated validation (of migration results)