Many finance and IT teams are eager to capture the benefits of S/4HANA. But timing, budget, and competing priorities can often delay a full migration. The good news is you can bring a surprising amount of S/4HANA value into ECC right now.
Below are ten practical moves drawn from real-world projects to help you modernize, de-risk, and buy time without waiting.
This blog is based on the keynote presentation by Paul Ovigele at the SAP Controlling Conference.
1) Turn on (more of) Material Ledger
Material Ledger isn’t just “future prep”—it delivers value in ECC today. Use it for parallel currencies and valuations, and—where appropriate—actual costing. Recalculate activity rates based on actuals, push variances back to production orders (DUV), and use the ML cockpit to drive month-end transparency.
2) Implement Valuated Stock in Transit (LOG_MM_SIT)
Stop plugging month-end gaps with manual journal entries. Valuated SIT recognizes inventory “on the water” in accounting and logistics—intercompany, intracompany, and even to customers (e.g., with proof of delivery). Bonus: when combined with actual costing (and, ideally, group valuation), you can preserve cost-component detail across company codes.
3) Bring COGS Split to ECC
S/4HANA can split COGS by cost components; you can mirror that behavior in ECC with proven patterns or add-ons. Drive both standard COGS and ML revaluations into granular P&L lines (material, labor, OH), in real time or via month-end post-processing, without disturbing your original postings.
4) Activate Account-Based COPA (alongside Costing-Based)
Account-based COPA is the strategic direction. Even if you continue using costing-based for reporting, turn on account-based now to seed Universal Journal-aligned history. Pair it with a COGS split solution to regain component-level detail in ECC.
5) Adopt Group Reporting (with ECC as a Source)
SAP Group Reporting runs on S/4HANA, but you can feed it from ECC via GRDC, APIs, files—or through Central Finance. This lets you modernize consolidation (ACDOCU) without waiting for a full ERP cutover.
6) Use Fiori with ECC (Selectively)
Fiori isn’t S/4-only. You can deliver role-based tiles for high-value tasks (approvals, analytics, KPIs) to simplify UX, shorten training, and reduce navigation friction—especially for occasional users outside Finance.
7) Move ECC to HANA Database
You won’t get all of S/4’s app logic, but you will get the performance. ECC on HANA enables faster queries, near-real-time operational reporting, and shorter batch windows. Combine with parallel processing and EarlyWatch recommendations to squeeze more throughput from close jobs.
8) Extend ECC with SAP BTP
Treat BTP as a sidecar for innovation. Deploy cloud services (e.g., Document & Reporting Compliance, integration flows) without customizing your core. This keeps ECC stable while letting you pilot new capabilities quickly.
9) Layer Modern Analytics on Top
Whether it’s SAP Analytics Cloud or BusinessObjects, stand up governed models that blend ECC data with non-SAP sources. Use ML features in SAC for forecast bias checks, late-payment risk, or demand signals—no core changes required.
10) Tighten Security & Compliance Now
As ECC support windows evolve, harden your posture: MFA, role redesign (least privilege), segregation-of-duties monitoring, automated user lifecycle, and patch pipelines. Treat this as “evergreen hygiene” while your S/4 path firms up.
Leadership Talking Points
- Value now, transformation later: These steps reduce close times, improve margin visibility, and strengthen controls—without locking you out of S/4.
- Risk & cost mitigation: Automating SIT and COGS split eliminates manual entries and audit pain; ECC-on-HANA and BTP reduce technical debt.
- Future-proofing: Account-based COPA, Material Ledger discipline, and Group Reporting build migration-ready data and processes.
How to Start (next 90 days)
- Assess current ML usage, SIT feasibility, and COGS/variance pain points.
- Pilot one finance win (e.g., SIT or COGS split) and one analytics win (SAC model).
- Plan ECC-on-HANA and Fiori tiles for quick UX uplift.
- Roadmap Group Reporting and account-based COPA as your S/4 runway.
You don’t have to wait for the big bang to innovate. With focused upgrades and cloud extensions, ECC can deliver S/4HANA-like outcomes today—while you prepare for tomorrow.
This blog is based on the presentation by Paul Ovigele: “10 Practical Ways to Bring S/4HANA-Like Value into Your ECC Landscape Today” from the SAP Controlling Conference. To access the full session and other in-depth SAP Controlling topics, sign up for our membership here.
