Purchasing documents in SAP and data migration to S/4

Using the full functionality of the CrystalBridge Transformation Cockpit, we are able to interfere with specific data and implement field value changes in the table using a properly designed mapping table.

The most common field mappings in projects completed to date are:

• document type change (Document Type, field BSART),
• international trade rules (Incoterm, field INCO1 & INCO2),
• supplier accounts (Supplier, field LINFR),
• procedures (Procedure, field KALSM),
• purchasing groups (Purchasing Group, field EKGRP),
• document release indicator (Release Indicator, field FRGKE).

All these mappings (changes) of field contents are possible by adapting the mapping table to the import rule, where we define the mapping rule using the ABAP code, i.e. what is to be changed, when and in what cases. The interface accesses the input value and generates an output value based on the rule. After starting the import, we can observe the final effect in the target system, i.e. changed values for all fields from the relevant domain, e.g. for several hundred thousand sales documents.

It is also a very common operation to renumber documents according to the customer’s request. To do this, we use the “number_get_next" function contained in the preparation object (Forerunner), which creates a mapping containing old numbers (from the source system) and new numbers, sequentially from a predetermined number range. The new numbers are entered in the corresponding fields at the stage of importing the tables in the target system. This procedure allows for organizing the numbering in the new system while transferring only the documents most necessary for the business, excluding those that clutter the archives.

In the case of SAP S/4HANA system version conversion, the data related to purchase orders is stored in a dedicated object. It is used to migrate data from the source ECC system to S/4HANA. During this process, entries from the KONV table are converted to an additional PRCD_ELEMENTS (KONV) table, according to simplification note 2267442. The additional tables we use are a tool in the process of recording the history of purchase orders for additional currencies.

When migrating to S/4HANA, the material ledger conversion is mandatory and we perform it using the specially customized Cockpit, a tool from the CrystalBridge platform, which in the case of purchase orders applies to the following tables:

• MLWERE (Conversion Table between Purchasing and Material Ledger),
• MLBE (Material Ledger FS Item Table for GR/IR relevant transaction),
• MLBEH (Material Ledger FS Item Table for GR/IR relevant transaction),
• MLBECR (Material Ledger Currency Table for GR/IR relevant transaction).

The migration of materials management requires a thorough analysis of the system and strictly defined steps to be followed for it to be successful. When preparing the migration objects, attention should be paid to all the rules set on each table. The rules that include the aforementioned selections, mappings and renumberings are a major topic during the discussion with the customer and should certainly not be skipped. A conversion to S/4HANA is successful when testing is successful.

To date, we have conducted more than one hundred and thirty transformation projects in which purchasing was one of the main issues. With our experience in materials management, we are open to new challenges that await us in ongoing and planned projects.

Three years – that’s how long, or rather how short, customers will be provided with support for SAP ERP/ECC systems. Anyone who has ever participated in an SAP implementation or development project is well aware of how little time is left to plan and carry out a migration to SAP S/4HANA.

The Digital Transformation Center department at All for One Poland is working full steam ahead, carrying out transformation projects in large SAP environments of our international customers. We have already completed over 70 migrations to S/4.

One of the major projects we completed earlier this year was for a large educational institution from the Middle East. The project involved a comprehensive migration of an extensive SAP environment to S/4HANA based on the Bluefield approach. It included data conversion and harmonization. We used CrystalBridge, a data transformation platform automating migration activities, which provided us with great data selection capabilities and allowed us to maintain near-zero system downtime. The scope of this project was very broad, which, combined with a tight schedule, was the biggest challenge for the team.

We observe that after years of waiting, Polish companies are also including migration projects in their budgets. Their interest is also evidenced by the high attendance at the meetings we organize for clients and the increasingly specific questions they ask us.

Krzysztof Siwiec, Director of the Digital Transformation Center, SNP Poland