Conversion from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA for a Belgian Biotech Company

ACBaltica guided the customer through a full conversion project – from technical migration and business process workshops to the adaptation of custom developments – ensuring a smooth, efficient, and future-ready transformation.

Customer

The customer is a growing Belgian biotech company that has been using SAP ECC 6 EHP6 for more than six years. By 2021, it was clear that the existing system no longer supported business growth and wasn't flexible enough. That – and the upcoming end of SAP support for ECC – were the reasons why the company decided to migrate to SAP S/4HANA. Because cloud adoption was still in its early stages at that time, the company chose the on-premise version of SAP S/4HANA to retain full control over its data and infrastructure.

The conversion project ran from October 2021 to December 2022

Challenge

The customer needed to transition from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA while:

• Retaining existing business processes and key data structures
• Understanding which new features were relevant and valuable for their operations
• Adapting custom developments to work in the new environment
• Executing the project efficiently with limited testing capabilities

In this case, the company did not use a dedicated test environment. Typically, SAP S/4HANA conversions include testing in three systems – sandbox, development, and quality assurance (QA) – before going live. But in this case, testing was performed only in the sandbox and development systems. However, there was a specific testing mandate within the development system.

Solution

Our team performed a full system conversion from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA, ensuring all business-critical data and configurations were preserved.

Key steps included:

• System preparation and analysis: The customer already used the SAP HANA database, which simplified the technical conversion and reduced project complexity.
• Custom code adaptation: ACBaltica used the ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC) – a standard SAP tool that identifies which parts of the customer's custom developments are compatible with S/4HANA, which require adjustments, and where errors may occur. This allowed for a precise and efficient transfer of custom code.
• Business workshops: ACBaltica conducted training and alignment workshops with key users to determine which S/4HANA features were most relevant for their business. In this case, these were Credit Management, Cash Management, and others.
• Testing strategy: To compensate for the missing QA system, ACBaltica enriched the relevant development mandate with production data, enabling realistic testing and validation.
• Go-live and support: The project timeline was extended to align with the customer's preferred go-live date, which had to avoid a Friday bank holiday. Under standard circumstances, such a project would have taken approximately 6–8 months, but due to scheduling constraints, the total duration was around 12 months.

Our approach

Our team guided the customer through every step of the journey – from early preparation through go-live and support – following the SAP Activate methodology.

System preparation and analysis

Because the company was already running on SAP HANA, the technical transition to S/4HANA was smoother and faster than a typical migration. ACBaltica performed a detailed readiness check and system analysis to identify potential issues before the project began.

Custom code adaptation

Using SAP's ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC), our team scanned all custom developments to pinpoint which were compatible with S/4HANA, which required minor adjustments, and which had to be rebuilt. With this approach, we ensured that all essential custom code was optimized for the new platform.

Business alignment workshops

We organized a series of interactive workshops with key business users to explore new S/4HANA capabilities and determine which features would deliver the biggest value. For this customer, we found the best opportunities in Credit Management, Cash Management, and several financial process improvements.

Tailored testing strategy

To compensate for the missing QA system, ACBaltica enriched the development system with real-world data from production. This allowed testing and validation to occur under realistic conditions, ensuring that every business process was thoroughly checked before go-live.

Smooth go-live and support

The go-live date was carefully planned, and the project timeline was adjusted to align with the customer's schedule. While a typical ECC-to-S/4HANA conversion might take at least, 8–9 months, this project took around 12 months due to timing and validation requirements – without disrupting daily operations.

Results and benefits

The company's ERP system was successfully upgraded to SAP S/4HANA – smoothly, securely, and without data loss.

Key results include:

• Stable go-live with minimal downtime.
• All custom features were successfully migrated and optimized.
• Improved performance and faster data processing.
• Enhanced reporting and analytics capabilities.
• A clear understanding of new S/4HANA features relevant to their business.
• A strong foundation for future digital innovation.

Today, the company runs a fresh version of S/4HANA, benefiting from SAP's regular updates, enhanced compliance, and access to innovations.

With the migration complete, they're now ready to build on this foundation – adding new functionalities and exploring intelligent automation and analytics in the future.

Why ACBaltica?

ACBaltica combines deep SAP expertise with a practical, business-oriented approach. Our consultants not only execute the technical conversion but also help customers understand why and how to use S/4HANA's new capabilities to get real value from the upgrade.

Our strengths

• Proven experience in SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA conversions
• Certified SAP consultants with hands-on migration expertise
• Flexible testing and implementation strategies adapted to customer needs
• Deep understanding of both technical and business dimensions of transformation