Migrating to SAP S/4HANA: Operating Models, Migration Scenarios, Tools, and Implementation

SAP ERP is nearing end of maintenance—is your organization ready for SAP S/4HANA? In this migration guide, get up to speed on the latest migration paths, tools, and strategies. Explore on-premise, cloud, and hybrid deployment options, and then learn how to plan and execute new implementations, system conversions, and selective data transitions. With updated coverage of generative AI features, plus step-by-step guidance from planning through go-live, this book has everything you need to confidently navigate your journey to SAP S/4HANA.

• A guide to SAP S/4HANA migration and implementation projects, on-premise and in the cloud
• Planning, preparation, implementation: find the information you need for each project phase
• Detailed instructions for brownfield and greenfield scenarios

Migration Scenarios
Explore about the different paths to SAP S/4HANA. Learn about your deployment—cloud, on-premise, or hybrid—and see how to perform a greenfield or brownfield migration.

Tools and Methodologies
Master the tools you need for a successful transition. Tap into the latest capabilities of the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit, SAP S/4HANA migration object modeler, and more.

Planning to Go-Live
Follow instructions, expert advice, and detailed screenshots for your end-to-end migration project. Set up a trial system, prepare for your new implementation or system conversion, and execute your data transfer.

• Cloud, on-premise, and hybrid scenarios
• System conversion (brownfield)
• New implementation (greenfield)
• Data migration
• Software Update Manager (SUM)
• SAP Activate
• SAP Central Business Configuration
• Migration cockpit
• Migration object modeler
• SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP)
• SAP S/4HANA Cloud
• Hyperscalers

Frank Densborn has been an expert in data migration at SAP since 2004 and is the author of numerous SAP PRESS titles in German and English. Today, he leads the SAP Experience Center and AI Lab in Palo Alto as part of SAP’s Experience Services organization. His team delivers immersive, hands-on customer engagements that demonstrate how SAP technology solves real business challenges end-to-end through interactive showcases, real-world use cases, and specialized SAP Business AI and agentic AI workshops. His focus is on driving digital transformation through human-centered design, AI, and SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP). Previously, Frank worked as an enterprise architect at SAP AppHaus Palo Alto, supporting SAP S/4HANA customers in the adoption of innovative technologies. Before that, he was responsible as a product manager for SAP S/4HANA migration solutions. He brought Rapid Data Migration solutions into the SAP portfolio and worked for several years in software development for the Legacy System Migration Workbench (LSMW), while also supporting data migration projects for SAP customers. Frank studied mathematics, physics, and computer science at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. He has been living with his family and a very hungry Labrador Retriever in Silicon Valley for over fifteen years—right at the heart of technological innovation, particularly in the field of AI.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankdensborn

Frank Finkbohner worked for SAP since 1999, including 13 years in SAP consulting, where he supported customers in numerous projects, including data migration and the development and extension of ABAP applications. Even back then, his focus was on data migration. As a manager of data migration projects, he developed his own method of structuring migration projects into work packages (SEAMAP) and has also successfully applied it in his customer projects. In 2012, he moved to SAP Development as Delivery Manager for Rapid Deployment Solutions. From 2015 to mid-2025, he was responsible for the development of SAP S/4HANA Cloud data migration content as a product owner. Frank is also the author of several SAP PRESS books and E-Bites on the subject of data migration. Frank earned his diploma in computer science at the University of Applied Sciences in Fulda, Germany, and is also a graduate industrial engineer as a result of his studies at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany. He lives in Saarland, in the heart of Europe, and has been in the SAP early retirement program since early 2026.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfinkbohner

Martina Höft works in product management for SAP S/4HANA in the area of data migration and data transformation with a focus on the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit. Martina has been with SAP since 2011 and has held various positions in consulting and product management. Previously, she worked for many years as a senior consultant for various consulting firms in numerous national and international projects. Her focus was on SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM) and SAP Sales and Distribution. Martina is a trained office administrator and studied economics.

Dr. Petra Klöß is a senior director in SAP Central Business Configuration, managing customer success for SAP Central Business Configuration for the Americas and greater China. She has been with SAP for more than 25 years in various roles, from training to product management to marketing, including development. She is the author of various SAP Activate workstreams, of the five golden rules for implementing SAP S/4HANA Cloud, and of the SAP01 SAP overview training course. Petra has extensive experience in large-scale solution-oriented software implementations. She gives lectures and training courses on implementation methodologies within and outside SAP. She studied chemistry at the University of Mainz and earned her doctorate in physics at the University of Southampton, UK. Petra has been living in Minnesota since 2022.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/pkloess

Kim Mathäß has worked at SAP since 2006 and is currently senior development manager in SAP S/4HANA Globalization. Previously, he headed product management for SAP S/4HANA Cross Topics, which is responsible for data management and migration for SAP S/4HANA. Kim was responsible for the further development of tools and solutions for the transition to SAP S/4HANA. He regularly gave presentations on transition scenarios and migration at national and international conferences and trade fairs. In his previous consulting role, Kim worked as a senior consultant and business development manager on numerous projects for international corporations and medium-sized European companies. His experience ranges from new SAP implementations to conversions of systems and complete system landscapes. These projects included system consolidation, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and traditional data transfers from SAP and non-SAP systems.