SAP S/4HANA Reviews

Most of our customers have their applications hosted on SAP. Therefore, they have stored the data on SAP S/4HANA database.

SAP S/4HANA is the preferred database because of its scalability, faster accessibility, compatibility, and other well-suited features for large data sets.

The product’s pricing could be improved. It needs a high CPU and memory to analyze and compute that data. Thus, it should be natively supported from the cloud platform. We should get the bundled image so installation and configurations are not done manually. All those should come as a bundle learning package. A virtual machine could exist to make everything available on a single deployment. That will save some time for any project timelines.

I have been using SAP S/4HANA for five years.

The product is stable.

SAP S/4HANA is scalable. We have enterprise-level clients.

The initial setup is fine since we have good documentation for reference. The deployment requires four hours to complete.

The product is not that cheap, not that expensive. It is costly in computing because these VMs have a huge CPU and utilization. We have a monthly billing, and there are extra costs for the license.

As for the interface, it always depends on the individual. However, there are some recommendations. Ultimately, it is up to the developer to decide how to implement the interface in the back end.

SAP S/4HANA is a good product, but anyone who plans to use it for their application should have the core skills required. It is not something that ordinary people can do, as it requires some expertise. When hosting it on the cloud, such as Azure, Amazon, or Google, it is important to take care of security policies, government regulations, and disaster recovery strategies. You need to plan your design and architecture accordingly.

Overall, I rate it a nine out of ten.

Customers reach out to me when they have challenges related to licensing and contracting costs associated with it.  

Customer choose this solution because they want to transition away from Oracle or because they are compelled to go for SAP.

Oracle has its own data center, hardware, virtualization layer, and database. They offer a complete solution, which SAP currently can't match. This is a weak point in SAP's proposition.

I have been using this solution for the last 20 years.

It is a stable solution. 

It is a very scalable solution. We have enterprise-level businesses using this solution. 

The customer service and support are average. There is room for improvement in response time. 

Neutral

It is easy to install. Our clients deploy it on the cloud or on-premises.

It's quite expensive. However, it can be expensive to maintain the solution. 

The licensing varies because I serve multiple customers, and there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. There are additional costs for technical support and consulting

I have a background in Oracle, I'm making a few comparisons between Oracle and SAP. I fully understand SAP's strategy to move their customers to S/4HANA. However, when we consider the developments in ERP suites in the cloud, especially Oracle's approach compared to SAP's,  I lean more towards Oracle from a solution perspective. Oracle provides a native cloud solution that integrates everything seamlessly. 

On the other hand, SAP, especially if you're using the right solution, essentially involves deploying older on-premises SAP software on a hyperscaler, which we refer to as a "cloudified" solution. This, in my opinion, isn't as strong in the overall proposition.

I would recommend thoroughly evaluating other options and ensuring a clear understanding of the associated risks and costs before making a decision.

Overall, I would rate the solution a six out of ten because there is always room for improvement and SAP lacks a native cloud solution.

Our company implements the solution for customers. It is used for order management, finance, purchasing, and manufacturing. We currently have two customers using the solution. 

The solution's new UI called Fiori is user friendly.

The solution is very easy to integrate.

The solution is complex technically because both an old and a new path exist. Some more development work is needed for Fiori before a complete switchover can happen. Right now, they are enhancing and developing Fiori. In two to five years, things may change because Fiori will be finished and in the market. 

I have been using the solution for three years. 

The solution is stable. 

The solution is scalable. 

Technical support could be better so I rate it a five out of ten. 

Neutral

The setup is complex. We were given instructions but setup was not easy. 

We implement the solution for customers. Implementation can take between six months to two years depending on the scope and customer. 

The pricing model is based on an annual license. 

I recommend the solution for big companies because they have a lot of SAP users and can handle the specs of implementation. I do not recommend the solution for mid-sized or small companies because there won't be enough users or support. 

Because two systems are being used within the solution as it iterates over to Fiori, the system is currently very technically complex. A lot of workarounds are needed and this creates a bad experience for customers. 

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

SAP S4HANA is used as an enterprise resource planning solution.

I have been using SAP for more than 13 years and the new SAP S4HANA was not only a simple upgrade, they have made a lot of improvements. They have simplified a lot of the functions, the all-new interface gives users a better experience. The database itself is quite efficient in nature and it provides effective data queries. It is a good upgrade from the previous version of SAP R/3.

I have used SAP S4HANA for approximately two years.

This solution is stable. The application runs on hardware and if you are using cloud architecture it is stable. However, there are too many factors to clearly say this solution is stable because it depends on the environment. For example, where are you hosting the solution and how are you accessing it can impact the stability. If one of these many factors is not suitable then the solution as a whole could be determined to be unstable. 

It is simple to implement SAP S4HANA. If you are already in this type of environment, then the transition is not very complex. However, if you do not then it can be difficult.

It does not matter what ERP you are using, whether it is Oracle, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, or others, and even locally made or customized solutions, it is always the change management that takes all the effort. It is never technology that comes in between as the bottleneck because whatever technology you choose, configure, design architect, it does the job. The issue is the mindset of people, how to change people, how to train them, how do you make them efficient, how they will become more fluent and adapt to this change? That is the challenge, it is never technology that falls in place as a bottleneck.

I have evaluated Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, and other solutions.

When trying to improve, you either implement something new and then try to improve your internal process, or there is a change in business, market, product, or scenario altogether, or maybe a merger equation that you need something which is not there. It is always a gap between the demand and supply and that is the reason the flow happens. Otherwise, if everything is saturated, then it becomes fully stable, there is no need for any movement or change anywhere. 

There has been a lot of changes in businesses recently with COVID, the entire way we do business has changed from the way we used to do business earlier. For example, in a manufacturing company, they could have had everything configured in a certain way, and then suddenly no one was able to attend the offices or building. This pandemic has placed a lot of restrictions and yet you have to manage everything, such as productivity, people, and their time. There have been tremendous changes over the past year and a half. If you look at any supply chain or any transport company, there is a change in requirements, reporting, monitoring, and objective analysis of each and every function. It is a process that is going on that will transform the industry, the outlook, the way of we are going to be working with people. Operations are shifting from a physical presence to remote working and virtually managing. Time, demand, and businesses keep changing, and then the software and different upgrades, functionality, will change too.

I am completely agnostic to any particular solution or vendor. My advice is if you choose SAP, Microsoft, Oracle, or another solution, all of them are equally good. They can be configured and can be customized. There is never a one size fits all solution, you will have to find what solution fits your particular business and use case. One solution might be the best for one type of use case but not work well in another. 

I rate SAP S4HANA an eight out of ten.

SAP S4HANA is a product that can be used for any hyper-scale, such as AWS, Google, or Azure. It can even be used on-premises.

SAP S4HANA is part of an Intelligent Enterprise and the solution is used for various things.

The most valuable feature is the inbuilt standards included in SAP that customers can adopt easily. It can be customized based on the specific requirements.

It has evolved over time with the feedback provided by various customers.

Another benefit is in the delivery, it offers an explorative approach to simplify it for the customer.

As an end-user, this solution offers what is needed.

The dashboards are great. The platform is very intuitive, and in terms of communication, the interface is very interactive. 

The initial setup could be simplified. It needs improvement.

I would like to see the AI included to help from a data standpoint.

I have been working with SAP S4HANA for more than six years.

I am using the latest version.

It's a reliable solution from a technical and business standpoint.

It's a scalable solution. In terms of the number of users that are using it, it scales well.

The range of customers who use this solution can be from less than 100 to more than 3,000.

SAP S4HANA can be customized to be very scalable. It can be adapted for large enterprises.

In our organization, our customers are from medium enterprises to large-sized companies as well.

SAP supports this solution well when there are any bugs or glitches in the solution.

Initially, we had a hiccup. We contacted technical support, they were supportive and helped resolve the issue.

I am not using an alternative ERP.

Depending on various factors, the initial setup can be completed in as little as six to nine months or it can take as long as one and a half to two years.

The initial setup can complex.

Licensing works on a subscription model for the cloud version and it's a one-time fee for the on-premises version.

We are happy with the pricing because it is dependant on the number of users who are using the solution.

I feel the pricing model is fair. It is also very flexible.

I would definitely recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.

This solution is suitable for small to large enterprise companies and can use the pricing model. 

They can adopt the solution in less than a month and use the standard that SAP offers.

I would rate SAP S4HANA a nine out of ten.

We use the tool  as an ERP transactional system for financials, logistics, human resources, sales, distribution, and billing.

SAP S/4HANA dominates around 70 percent of the ERP market in Chile, and I believe this isn't merely coincidental. I've always maintained that if someone believes SAP S/4HANA lacks a certain functionality, they haven't explored it thoroughly. However, there's a widespread lack of understanding regarding its full potential and how to configure it.

Many businesses in Chile and elsewhere underutilize SAP S/4HANA, limiting its use to basic tasks like document entry or accounting, which is unfortunate considering its capabilities. SAP S/4HANA offers integration, consistency, security, and potential for user-friendliness. Nonetheless, initiatives like Fiori and SAPS/4HANA seem to be moving in the right direction to address this issue.

I can discuss one of our largest clients, a utility company. They specialize in generating and commercializing electricity, primarily for industrial customers. They utilize the tool, encompassing standard ERP features like logistics, human resources, and financials, and integrating their core business processes into the entire system. It adds great value to the company.

For instance, by integrating metering systems online into the ERP system, all billing and operational processes become online. The system connects with the CRM system and incorporates the physical network. Let me provide an example. If there's an outage at your home, contact the utility company, and the tool will identify your location and provide access to relevant client information.

The entire process is seamlessly integrated into the system. When the affected individual is eventually billed, they will receive a discount due to the outage, as per our loss analysis for such situations. It's all integrated, making the experience seamless, efficient, and pleasant for everyone involved, from the call center staff to the customers.

The solution's most valuable feature is integration. Our core data services are very powerful, and they allow a whole new reporting capability that was not present before. Another valuable feature is energy data management, specifically the processing of metering information from utilities, which has benefited our organization the most. It allows us to monitor real-time consumption data.

The use cases I mentioned before all involve customization in terms of parameterization and custom developments. We strive to keep things standard, but there are cases where centralization or more specific development is needed. Through both of these means, we've successfully delivered projects and provided meaningful solutions to our customers.

I think the user interface still needs improvement. While efforts are being made to enhance and make it more user-friendly, there are still shortcomings. Fiori is a great step forward, but work must be done. So, I believe SAP S/4HANA should focus more on improving GUI access. We also had a difficult time migrating the fixed assets. 

I have been working with the product for seven years.

I rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten.

I rate the tool's scalability a ten out of ten. 

The tool's deployment is straightforward. 

The solution is worth its costs. 

I rate the product an eight out of ten. If your business processes are clear, the implementation will be straightforward. If not, it will not. Don't try to accommodate the system to your business process; instead, try to align your business processes with what's defined in the system.

We use it for the FICO {Financial Accounting (FI), Management Accounting (CO)}, SD, and MM modules.

We don't face any problems with the modules, but we have a problem with the web solution. The web access sometimes has difficulties with logging in.

The support should be improved. Every time we submit tickets to SAP, the process takes a long time.

Also, improved performance, reliability, and stability would be beneficial.

In my current company, we migrated to SAP S/4HANA last year in January. It means we started using it in January 2023.

It is not really stable. 

Based on the SAP support we currently use, the users access SAP through the web. In the web interface, we have a lot of connection issues. 

Although SAP claims they are addressing these problems, they have not taken any concrete action. Instead, they try to shift the responsibility back to the customer.

According to our agreement, these tasks should be handled by SAP. However, the support team consistently insists that these issues fall under their scope. This is the challenge we are currently facing.

It is scalable enough. We have over a hundred end users using it. There are around five administrators for this product.

When we want to raise a ticket on the SAP portal, the process takes a longer time, and there are many selections that confuse the user. SAP should simplify the way tickets are submitted. This is what we hope they will improve.

They need to improve the solution and streamline the process. We want to bring the issue in more clearly so we can know which option to select.  

Neutral

The pricing is okay. It is higher. It is expensive. 

We encountered an issue when we implemented SAP S/4HANA. It wasn't properly implemented with disaster recovery. The disaster recovery was an additional feature that required a separate payment to implement a disaster recovery plan.

Overall, I would rate the product an eight out of ten because the support is very bad. 

I have been a consultant for SAP retail, SAP Fashion as well as generic.  I also have been exposed to many business sectors. 

The user interface should be much more convenient and user-friendly. 

In future releases, there could be more use of AI.

I have been using this solution for more than five years. 

The solution offers good stability. 

I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. It is reliable. I have a lot of customers using this solution. There are more than 500 end users. 

The customer service and support are fast. SAP addressed my tickets quite quickly.

The initial setup is not complex; it's more at a medium level. Not too easy, but with the right knowledge, you can configure it.

For a migration process, it took around six to seven months, which was the fastest I've done. For implementation projects, it typically takes around one year, sometimes one and a half.

It was implemented in a waterfall approach, and one was brownfield. I would suggest, not from the SAP side, but from the client side, if the hardware components are powerful, the system would run faster. In migration projects, data migration can take a lot of time, so having a reliable server is important.

We recommend annual licensing. It is expensive, but for large-scale companies, it's manageable.

I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. I would say that SAP should make the user interface more user-friendly, which would be a plus point, especially in pre-sales.