With SAP S/4HANA, SAP has introduced a new product which is significantly different compared to the earlier ERP systems, and which brings many new features and simplifications with every new release.
Because of that, it’s highly recommended for SAP customers, to only use certified third party software, for integrating with SAP S/4HANA. This is mostly important, if the third party software runs in SAP S/4HANA as an ABAP Add-On.
Customers planning to migrate from SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA, or to upgrade their SAP S/4HANA system to a higher version, should contact their third party software providers early enough, and ask them about their strategy regarding the planned SAP S/4HANA release.
The SAP Integration and Certification Center (SAP ICC) which is part of SAP Partner Innovation Lifecycle Services (SAP PLS) supports customers, partners and independent software vendors with various services, which help customers to have a smooth migration towards SAP S/4HANA.
ABAP Add-Ons are highly depending on the underlying SAP release, because they run directly in the SAP backend server. Customers should make sure to always use third party software, that has been adapted for the specific SAP S/4HANA version the customer uses. Otherwise delays during the migration or implementation project are often inevitable. A successful certification of the Add-On helps to make sure, that all the necessary adjustments have been made.
To make it easier for customers to verify the compatibility with specific SAP S/4HANA versions, SAP ICC offers certification for every new SAP S/4HANA release, clearly indicating the version on the certificate. That means for example, Add-Ons certified for release 1610 earn a certificate for the scenario “S/4-ABAP 1610”. The certification includes a deployment test on the given SAP S/4HANA release, as well as a check, that the provided packages also support the migration to SAP S/4HANA. Further checks for SAP S/4HANA Readiness are done as well.
Certification for an SAP S/4HANA release is only possible, after the release is “generally available” (GA). To ensure that partners can test, adapt and certify their Add-On in a timely manner, SAP ICC informs their partners about the upcoming certification option, sends contracts and provides test system access before the release date. With that, SAP ICC helps to onboard partners to the new release as early as possible.
Integrated Solutions run side-by-side with the SAP S/4HANA system. The integration is based on exchanging data with SAP using released SAP APIs, like WebServices, RFC modules, BAPIs or IDOC messages. Usually these APIs do not change from one release to the next, and because of that Integrated Solutions are less release dependent on the respective SAP S/4HANA release.
◉ There are several predefined Integration Scenarios available, that enable typical business processes, like connecting external archive systems. Software Vendors can choose such a scenario to build the integration. To get certified, they must fulfill all the requirements of a test catalog that is defined by SAP.
A complete list of all available Integration Scenarios for SAP S/4HANA with compatibility information is available at the end of this blog.
◉ If the partner solution does not fit into such a standard scenario, then partners can go for an Integration Assessment based Certification (IA). During that process, SAP ICC and the partner jointly define a certifiable scenario, which is based on a selection of released APIs that come with SAP S/4HANA. Also, the test cases for certification are defined jointly by SAP ICC and the vendor. Such an “S/4-IA-certification” is valid for one release of SAP S/4HANA, and this release is mentioned in the “certified functions” of the certificate. It can also be checked online.
It is considered a best practice for customers using Integrated Solutions from third party vendors to make sure, that the solution is certified for integration with SAP S/4HANA, because of the pre-checks that occur during certification.
In summary:
While SAP does not mandate third-party solutions to be certified by SAP: It is important that third-party solutions – regardless, if they were used in an SAP Business Suite environment before, or are newly developed – are adjusted to run in SAP S/4HANA.
And what better way for partners and customers to ensure the adjustment has been done correctly, than to pay attention to the ‘certified’ status for SAP S/4HANA.
SAP ICC provides the SAP Certified Solutions Directory, to search for certified ABAP Add-Ons and Integrated Solutions. In the search-field on the top left, you can enter (parts of) the company or product name, to see if the solution is certified. By clicking on the company name, you get a list of all certified products, and further details about the certification scenario:
◉ ABAP Add-Ons: Make sure, that the solution is certified for your release of SAP S/4HANA, by checking the value of the “SAP Interface“. For ABAP Add-Ons, this always starts with “S/4-ABAP”. The sample Add-On below is certified for SAP S/4HANA 1610:
Because of that, it’s highly recommended for SAP customers, to only use certified third party software, for integrating with SAP S/4HANA. This is mostly important, if the third party software runs in SAP S/4HANA as an ABAP Add-On.
Customers planning to migrate from SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA, or to upgrade their SAP S/4HANA system to a higher version, should contact their third party software providers early enough, and ask them about their strategy regarding the planned SAP S/4HANA release.
The SAP Integration and Certification Center (SAP ICC) which is part of SAP Partner Innovation Lifecycle Services (SAP PLS) supports customers, partners and independent software vendors with various services, which help customers to have a smooth migration towards SAP S/4HANA.
Certification Advice for ABAP Add-Ons
ABAP Add-Ons are highly depending on the underlying SAP release, because they run directly in the SAP backend server. Customers should make sure to always use third party software, that has been adapted for the specific SAP S/4HANA version the customer uses. Otherwise delays during the migration or implementation project are often inevitable. A successful certification of the Add-On helps to make sure, that all the necessary adjustments have been made.
To make it easier for customers to verify the compatibility with specific SAP S/4HANA versions, SAP ICC offers certification for every new SAP S/4HANA release, clearly indicating the version on the certificate. That means for example, Add-Ons certified for release 1610 earn a certificate for the scenario “S/4-ABAP 1610”. The certification includes a deployment test on the given SAP S/4HANA release, as well as a check, that the provided packages also support the migration to SAP S/4HANA. Further checks for SAP S/4HANA Readiness are done as well.
Certification for an SAP S/4HANA release is only possible, after the release is “generally available” (GA). To ensure that partners can test, adapt and certify their Add-On in a timely manner, SAP ICC informs their partners about the upcoming certification option, sends contracts and provides test system access before the release date. With that, SAP ICC helps to onboard partners to the new release as early as possible.
Certification Advice for Integrated Solutions
Integrated Solutions run side-by-side with the SAP S/4HANA system. The integration is based on exchanging data with SAP using released SAP APIs, like WebServices, RFC modules, BAPIs or IDOC messages. Usually these APIs do not change from one release to the next, and because of that Integrated Solutions are less release dependent on the respective SAP S/4HANA release.
◉ There are several predefined Integration Scenarios available, that enable typical business processes, like connecting external archive systems. Software Vendors can choose such a scenario to build the integration. To get certified, they must fulfill all the requirements of a test catalog that is defined by SAP.
A complete list of all available Integration Scenarios for SAP S/4HANA with compatibility information is available at the end of this blog.
◉ If the partner solution does not fit into such a standard scenario, then partners can go for an Integration Assessment based Certification (IA). During that process, SAP ICC and the partner jointly define a certifiable scenario, which is based on a selection of released APIs that come with SAP S/4HANA. Also, the test cases for certification are defined jointly by SAP ICC and the vendor. Such an “S/4-IA-certification” is valid for one release of SAP S/4HANA, and this release is mentioned in the “certified functions” of the certificate. It can also be checked online.
It is considered a best practice for customers using Integrated Solutions from third party vendors to make sure, that the solution is certified for integration with SAP S/4HANA, because of the pre-checks that occur during certification.
In summary:
While SAP does not mandate third-party solutions to be certified by SAP: It is important that third-party solutions – regardless, if they were used in an SAP Business Suite environment before, or are newly developed – are adjusted to run in SAP S/4HANA.
And what better way for partners and customers to ensure the adjustment has been done correctly, than to pay attention to the ‘certified’ status for SAP S/4HANA.
Search for solutions certified for SAP S/4HANA
SAP ICC provides the SAP Certified Solutions Directory, to search for certified ABAP Add-Ons and Integrated Solutions. In the search-field on the top left, you can enter (parts of) the company or product name, to see if the solution is certified. By clicking on the company name, you get a list of all certified products, and further details about the certification scenario:
◉ ABAP Add-Ons: Make sure, that the solution is certified for your release of SAP S/4HANA, by checking the value of the “SAP Interface“. For ABAP Add-Ons, this always starts with “S/4-ABAP”. The sample Add-On below is certified for SAP S/4HANA 1610:
◉ Integrated Solutions: You can easily identify Integrated Solutions certified for SAP S/4HANA. The value of the “SAP Interface” also starts with “S/4-“. For an Integration Assessment based Certification, the “SAP Interface” is “S/4-IA”.
Integration Scenarios available with SAP S/4HANA
Below you can find a list of all SAP-defined certifiable integration scenarios that are available with SAP S/4HANA. In the 2nd column, you can find information, for which releases of SAP S/4HANA a given certification is valid.
Most of the scenarios were already available with SAP ERP, and they were adjusted and updated to also work with SAP S/4HANA. You simply have to search for the scenario, that is listed in the 3rd column. The high-level information provided there is mostly also valid for the SAP S/4HANA version of the scenario.
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