Custom code in SAP systems offers flexibility for handling specific tasks but can also introduce complexity, leading to various challenges. One of the biggest issues arises during system upgrades, as the transition to SAP S/4HANA can be significantly hindered by an overload of disorganized code.
Fortunately, there is an approach that addresses this challenge: the concept of a “Clean Core.” SAP Clean Core focuses on decoupling customizations from the core SAP system, which simplifies, speeds up, and secures future updates.
So, how can this be achieved? Let’s explore the roadmap to a Clean Core SAP system and the solutions designed to make it a reality.
What Does “Clean Core” Really Mean?
Over time, SAP environments, particularly those running on ECC, tend to accumulate layers of custom code that become deeply integrated into the core system. This can make upgrading to S/4HANA a complex and time-consuming process, as each line of code must be reviewed, adjusted, and tested.
The Clean Core SAP system concept offers an alternative approach, focusing on maintaining a streamlined, standard core system while still supporting customizations.
Clean Core encourages isolating custom code from the core by utilizing SAP’s extensibility frameworks, such as key user extensions, the Restful ABAP Programming Model (RAP), and the Cloud Application Programming (CAP) model. This separation helps keep the core system clean, minimizes the impact of custom code during upgrades, and facilitates easier adoption of new SAP features.
The Process: Moving to a Clean Core SAP System
So, how can you achieve the sought-after Clean Core? In this section, we will explore what smartShift considers the most effective approach to this process.
Step 1: Making Sense of Your Custom Code
Achieving a Clean Core begins with a comprehensive inventory of all custom objects, including user exits and Z-programs, followed by an evaluation of their roles within your current environment. This process involves analyzing dependencies between custom and standard objects, as well as understanding the business logic behind each customization.
The analysis should consider both technical and functional aspects, as some code that appears unused might be crucial during specific operational periods, such as financial closes or end-of-year reporting.
The outcome of this assessment is a detailed plan that categorizes code into what is critical, what can be decommissioned, and what requires modernization. Given the potential complexity of this process, it is advisable to use supportive tools, such as a robust Clean Core X-Ray, to streamline the analysis and planning.
Step 2: Remediation and Optimization
The next crucial step is to resolve compatibility issues between legacy custom code and S/4HANA. With S/4HANA introducing key changes in database architecture (transitioning to HANA), user interfaces (Fiori), and core functionalities (like new data models for finance and logistics), custom code developed for older SAP environments may not function properly without modernization.
This is where remediation comes in. It involves reworking the code’s underlying logic to ensure it operates effectively within the new environment. Remediation is particularly important when the code interacts with areas that have undergone significant changes in S/4HANA, such as the material ledger or asset accounting.
Additionally, the remediation process should assess how custom code impacts system performance. Since the HANA database is designed for in-memory data processing, legacy code that was optimized for older database structures may underperform and require updates.
Traditional remediation can be time-consuming, often taking several months, but advanced solutions like smartShift’s Intelligent Automation can significantly speed up this process, reducing it to just a few weeks.
Step 3: Automating Dual Maintenance
During the SAP upgrade, it’s essential to keep the existing production system fully operational, which necessitates dual maintenance. This means ensuring that any updates or modifications to the custom code in the current system are consistently reflected in the new S/4HANA environment, keeping both systems synchronized.
To achieve this, it’s crucial to establish processes that automatically mirror every change made in the existing system to the new S/4HANA setup. Solutions like dual maintenance automated solutions can simplify this task, enabling real-time merging and reconciliation of changes, thus maintaining consistency across both environments during the transition.
Step 4: Security and Compliance
A critical component of the Clean Core process is conducting a thorough security audit of the custom codebase. Before migrating code to the S/4HANA environment, it is crucial to identify and address any security or compliance vulnerabilities.
The audit should focus on code that interacts with sensitive data, such as financial information or personal customer details, ensuring that robust security measures are implemented. Additionally, it should check for compliance issues, especially in industries with stringent regulatory requirements. By resolving these issues early, you can prevent potential risks and ensure a smooth, secure transition to S/4HANA.
Step 5: Realizing Clean Core in S/4HANA
The last step in the Clean Core SAP system roadmap involves decoupling as much custom code as possible from the core SAP system. This is the essence of the Clean Core approach: maintaining an untouched core system while executing custom business logic externally, such as through key user extensibility. By doing this, future updates and upgrades become significantly easier to manage.
Decoupling involves adapting custom code to function within a modular, service-based architecture. This requires rethinking how custom business processes are designed so they interact with the core SAP system via APIs, instead of being deeply integrated. This shift not only simplifies system maintenance but also enhances flexibility, making it easier to implement new features and updates.
Conclusion
Optimizing custom code and achieving a Clean Core SAP system can be challenging, but it is feasible with the right approach and tools. Solutions such as smartShift’s Clean Core X-Ray enable a thorough analysis of the existing codebase, allowing for effective remediation and modernization. This process ultimately helps in decoupling custom code from the core SAP system.
In the end, you will get a modernized and scalable SAP environment that is ready for whatever comes next.
