Executive Summary
- This article is designed to gauge interest in new research into SAP S4HANA.
- We outline the research and questions that have yet to be answered around S4HANA.
Introduction
Before undertaking research, we are increasingly obtaining input for potential new research. This article will describe potential research into SAP S4HANA.
About S4HANA
SAP S4HANA is a solution that was announced in 2015 with great fanfare. S4HANA the follow on application to SAP’s primary ERP system. SAP is careful not to call S4HANA the legal successor to SAP ECC/Business Suite. This is so SAP can charge anew for S4HANA instead of having companies receive S4HANA for free as part of the natural support contract rights.
The vendors that specialize in ERP often run into SAP S4HANA in prospects that run SAP ECC/Business Suite system. When this happens, the vendor not only faces SAP’s marketing and sales machine but a series of SAP consulting firms that repeat what SAP says. This proposed research study would get to the reality of SAP’s S4HANA solution and would answer the following questions.
Item #1: What is the SAP S4HANA Design?
S4HANA is a confusing application that has had explanations around it by SAP and the SAP partners that are false. This ranges from how S4HANA is explained regarding the migration from ECC/Business Suite to the effect of the HANA database on S4HANA performance to a host of other foundational assumptions or contentions that are used to sell S4HANA.
This study will expose the S4HANA design.
Item #2: How Broadly Implemented is SAP S4HANA?
This is been one of the most contentious issues in the SAP ecosystem for several years. It is known that there is a large discrepancy between the number of S4HANA licenses owned by companies and the number of live instances of S4HANA. However, the actual number of live S/4HANA instances is even more complicated than simply drawing upon that difference.
We have developed a highly accurate approach for determining any SAP application’s usage. It is based upon multiple measurements, and therefore once integrated, is nearly impossible to contradict. We have also never seen an SAP customer apply this approach.
This study will contain the objective evaluation of at least 240 S4HANA case studies there is an amalgamation of public case studies and private case studies. The second being case studies that were provided to us through sources that chose to stay anonymous. These are sources from our network or from people that reached out due to reading our articles at the Brightwork website.
This is the first non-SAP aligned picture of S4HANA implementations.
Item #3: What is SAP S4HANA’s Migration Plan?
S4HANA is a different product in many ways from ECC/Business Suite. It also has a different database model. Therefore the term migration is more of a euphemism than a technical reality. S4HANA is therefore a new implementation for any customer that already has ECC/Business Suite.
- What are SAP and SAP consulting companies telling customers and prospects about how to migrate from ECC/Business Suite to S/4HANA?
- Just as importantly, what is the reality versus the statements by SAP?
Item #4: What is the SAP S4HANA Application?
- How does S4HANA look and function as an application (or combination of applications)? What is it good at, what is it not good at? What are the This section of the analysis will cover the analysis of the application and to related topics such as its integration and how it works with other SAP applications. We will add S4HANA screenshots and describe its overall design.
- What are the functionalty coverage areas and gaps with S4HANA?
Item #5: Potential Custom Additions
There may be questions you have that you would like added to the research. There is the option of adding custom questions.
The SAP Expertise of the Researcher
- A long term SAP consultant with decades of experience in SAP will write the research has written multiple books on SAP, and has a large SAP network and sources from all over the world that provides information to Brightwork. When the research is shared with individuals outside of the company, it will not be possible to assert that the author is not knowledgable in SAP.
- Naturally, pro-SAP resources will of course attempt to redirect the conversation back to SAP or SAP partner created material. The difference is that in most cases, there is no countervailing analysis provided, and SAP uses a multi-entity method of making it appear as if marketing information is the industry consensus.
Getting Accurate Information on SAP
Individuals or entities write nearly all material written on SAP with a pro-SAP financial bias. And we have demonstrated the high degree of inaccuracy in the information provided about SAP to the marketplace.
Brightwork gets to the truth of SAP.
The objective is not promotion or demotion, but accuracy.
Accuracy is both what competing vendors and SAP customers are sorely lacking. In most cases, the reality of SAP products is only learned after the purchase and many months into the implementation.
Our Previous Research
Here is an example of the research in our Brightwork Study in Oracle Database Usage.
(Please do not forward this research to link to anyone else. It is also licensed and is only being provided for you to observe an example. It has a redemption cap set.)
What You Can Expect from the Research in Terms of Management, Access, and the Licensing Arrangement
This is research that is not for public consumption and is only accessible by those that buy a license.
We cover details of the research articles related to how they are accessed, license restrictions, and other important details in the article Brightwork Licensed Research.
Conclusion
We are sharing this article to gauge interest for a study into S4HANA that would be password protected and shareable by our customers.