Converting to SAP S/4HANA: Greenfield, Brownfield, Selective Data Transition and the Toolchain (Readiness Check, SUM/DMO)
As of 2026-10-30
Moving to SAP S/4HANA is one of three transition paths: new implementation, system conversion or selective data transition. This module shows how to choose, how to read an SAP Readiness Check result, how Maintenance Planner and Software Update Manager with the Database Migration Option execute the conversion, and what the conversion does to BW extractors, CDS-based extraction and AI readiness. You classify ten example findings into before, during and after, and write a one-page recommendation for a composite case.
What you will learn
- Choose between new implementation, system conversion and selective data transition for a given client profile
- Read an SAP Readiness Check analysis and rank simplification items by effort and conversion phase
- Explain the roles of Maintenance Planner, stack.xml, SUM and DMO in a conversion run
- Classify ten findings into must-do before, during and after the conversion
- List the BW and integration objects at risk and plan CDS/ODP-based extraction
Concept overview: three paths and one toolchain
Converting to SAP S/4HANA is not one project type but three, and the toolchain you use depends on the path you pick. SAP's own training material counts them in this order: new implementation (greenfield, "a brand new installation of a system"), system conversion (brownfield, a "guided technical process for a 1:1 conversion of an existing SAP ERP system") and selective data transition (a tool-based approach that moves configuration, master and transaction data selectively). Across roughly 10,000 SAP S/4HANA projects over three years, SAP Learning reports 50% new implementations, 48% system conversions and 2% selective data transitions. "Bluefield" is consultant slang for the third path (concept C380), not an SAP product term.
Prerequisites
- Working knowledge of SAP ERP 6.0 and the SAP HANA database
- Basic ABAP and transport concepts (custom code, ATC)
- Familiarity with BW extraction (DataSources, ODP) as in M064
Outcomes
- Recommend a transition path with two sourced arguments for a composite client case
- Derive a before/during/after plan from Readiness Check activities
- Name the blockers that stop SUM (add-ons, business functions, business partner data)
- Describe the DMO sequence and the point after which the Reset Option no longer applies
- Write the CDS annotations that make a view ODP-extractable
- Build a work package for the 12-extractor BW inventory in the exercise
Full module with the Consultant plan — €19.90/month. The full module adds: the decision framework · the end-to-end scenario walkthrough · the KPI scorecard · the anti-patterns · the code blocks · the knowledge check · the diagrams.