SAP in a nutshell
SAP is the most widely used ERP software for medium and large companies. It connects finance, purchasing, sales, production, warehouse and HR in one integrated system. The current generation is SAP S/4HANA (cloud or on-premise), running on the in-memory HANA database with the Fiori user interface.
Many companies still run SAP ECC 6.0, whose mainstream maintenance ends in 2027 (optional extended maintenance until 2030). That is why S/4HANA migration is one of the most common SAP projects today. Smaller companies often use SAP Business One or S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition instead.
Types of SAP projects
Greenfield implementation
New S/4HANA system with redesigned, standardised processes.
- Fit-to-standard workshops
- Clean data model
- Best for outdated or heavily customised legacy systems
Brownfield system conversion
Convert an existing ECC system to S/4HANA, keeping history and customising.
- Readiness check & simplification list
- Custom-code adaptation
- Faster, less process change
Selective data transition
Hybrid: new system, but selected data and processes carried over.
- Company-code or year selection
- Mergers & carve-outs
- Specialised tools
Rollout
Extend an existing SAP template to new countries or plants.
- Local legal requirements
- Localisation & languages
- Template governance
Upgrade & release change
Move to a newer S/4HANA release or feature pack.
- Regression testing
- New functionality adoption
- Downtime planning
AMS – Application Management
Ongoing support and further development after go-live.
- Incident & change management
- SLA-based support
- Continuous improvement
Custom development
ABAP, Fiori apps, forms, interfaces and reports.
- Clean core principles
- RAP & CDS views
- Adobe forms, workflows
BTP extensions & integration
Side-by-side extensions and integration on SAP Business Technology Platform.
- CAP apps
- Integration Suite (CPI)
- Build Apps / Process Automation
SAP core modules explained
SAP is organised in modules (in S/4HANA often called lines of business). These are the most important ones:
| Module | Area | Typical processes |
|---|---|---|
| FI – Financial Accounting | Finance | General ledger, accounts payable/receivable, asset accounting, closing |
| CO – Controlling | Finance | Cost centres, profit centres, internal orders, product costing, profitability analysis |
| MM – Materials Management | Procurement | Purchase requisitions and orders, goods receipt, invoice verification, inventory |
| SD – Sales & Distribution | Sales | Quotes, sales orders, pricing, delivery, billing |
| PP – Production Planning | Manufacturing | MRP, BOMs, routings, production orders, capacity planning |
| QM – Quality Management | Manufacturing | Inspection plans, quality notifications, certificates |
| PM / EAM – Plant Maintenance | Assets | Maintenance orders, preventive maintenance, equipment |
| EWM – Extended Warehouse Management | Logistics | Bins, picking, packing, warehouse automation |
| TM – Transportation Management | Logistics | Freight planning, carriers, freight costs |
| HCM / SuccessFactors | HR | Personnel admin, payroll, time management, recruiting, learning |
| PS – Project System | Projects | Project structures, budgets, project costing |
| Ariba | Procurement | Supplier collaboration, sourcing, contracts |
| BW/4HANA, SAC – Analytics | Reporting | Data warehouse, dashboards, planning |
SAP Activate – the project methodology, phase by phase
Every S/4HANA project follows SAP's Activate methodology. Here is what happens in each phase and what you get:
- DiscoverBusiness case, value drivers, trial system and first scope. Should it be greenfield or brownfield? Cloud or on-premise?Deliverables: business case, transition path decision
- PrepareProject set-up: team, governance, plan, system landscape; for conversions the Readiness Check and custom-code analysis.Deliverables: project charter, plan, landscape
- ExploreFit-to-standard workshops per module: SAP best-practice processes are shown, gaps are documented as delta requirements.Deliverables: fit-gap list, backlog, design documents
- RealizeConfiguration in sprints, development of extensions (ABAP, Fiori, BTP), interfaces, data migration cycles and integration testing.Deliverables: configured system, tested developments, migration test runs
- DeployUser acceptance tests, end-user training, cut-over planning, final data migration and go-live.Deliverables: go-live, trained users
- RunHypercare, then stable operations with AMS support, continuous improvement and regular upgrades.Deliverables: stable operation, improvement roadmap
SAP development & technology
ABAP development
Reports, enhancements, BAPIs, RFCs, IDocs, forms.
Fiori / UI5 apps
Modern, role-based apps on desktop and mobile.
SAP BTP
Side-by-side extensions that keep the core clean.
Integration
Connect SAP to shops, CRM, banks, logistics and legacy systems.
Data migration
Extraction, cleansing, mapping and load.
Analytics
Embedded analytics and dashboards.
Industries running SAP
Frequently asked questions
Greenfield or brownfield – which is right for us?
Brownfield is faster and keeps history and customising; greenfield is best when processes are outdated or the system is heavily modified. A selective transition combines both. We assess your system and recommend.
How long does an S/4HANA migration take?
A brownfield conversion of a mid-sized system typically takes 6–12 months; greenfield implementations 9–18 months, depending on scope, countries and data quality.
What does 'clean core' mean?
Keeping the SAP standard unmodified and building extensions on released APIs or on BTP, so upgrades stay simple and cheap.
Do you support SAP Business One?
Yes – for smaller companies we support Business One setup, add-ons and integrations.
Can you take over support of our existing SAP system?
Yes, through Application Management Services (AMS) with defined SLAs for incidents and changes.