SAP S/4HANA Reviews

Most of my clients use it for controlling finances and for BI (purchasing and sales). Depending on the activity, we can also use it for logistics and plan management, like in energy module ISU — it's a specific module for energy, oil and gas distribution.

There's lots of improvement to be made on the user experience level and digital work. Since SAP is a transactional software, you can't use it like Salesforce. It's not easy to create automated reports.

For the user experience, they can try to get out of the strictly industrial point of view because it's an IT solution. It's not always the most fun application the use. It's pretty complicated and if you're not fully trained for it, it isn't easy to understand how it works.

I have been using it for the last four years.

S/4 HANA is the most stable solution provided by SAP.

The scalability is very good. That's the good thing about the S/4 HANA solution.

Support is quite good; they know their solutions. Over the last few years, they changed all the resources that were on the first S/4 HANA program. They're pretty efficient. There's always a contract with them for support. Normally, regular support is done internally, but when it comes to SAP bugs, when we can't solve the problem, we go back to SAP support and can rely on them.

Setup is complex. SAP is the biggest ERP on the market. We like to say it's the Rolls-Royce of ERPs. So it can't be deployed without a minimum of 10 to 20 consultants, plus approximately the same kind of resources on the business level.

Licensing is quite expensive. It works with yearly licenses and it's ugly. 

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

For maintenance of the solution, the number of people needed depends on how many users you have. Basically, now we use TMAs most of the time, but for smaller conditions, it would be a minimum of 10 people. It depends on the number of modules that you have. For example, with my last clients, we had a regional team of 20% plus an external team of more than 10% and it was really not a big deployment or activity.

For full deployment, the time it takes depends on the complexity of the deployment and the number of processes to review. In a normal situation, basic roll out would be between four to six months and a global project or program can take up to three to five years. It also depends on the number of sites because you have to deploy the solution, and once you have the core model, you need to perform a roll out on every site and do all the necessary training. I've worked on programs before that lasted five or six years with major companies where there were over 700 sites. It's difficult to do more than 50 or 60 sites per year, and even with that, it's complicated. With one of my prior clients, it was a 10-year program.

With regular companies, there are more than five to seven thousand users and with major ones, on my biggest project, we had 30,000 users worldwide.

The solution can be used on all levels.  On the IT level, it's a tool that we deploy to enable the tracking of client processes, but it can be used on every level. It's commonly used for finance control, sales and purchasing because those are the biggest parts when managing client TNLs. Depending on the activity, if you're not a big client, you can go down to MRP level, managing all the logistics and all the productivity. It can be used by everyone.

It has been used across various verticals, including billing, sales, business, and pharmaceuticals. It has been implemented in different business verticals.

Apart from the core business processes, the performance has been drastically improved. The speed of executing reports has increased significantly. We no longer need day-minus-one business processing.

In the past, we had to extract, transform, and load data (ETL cycle), and only then would we get critical dashboards and reports the next day. Now, it's available in real-time data, within the same instance, on a single click. This is a major improvement.

Everything is available in S/4HANA. It's really good. There might be some restrictions in the public cloud, but in the private cloud, anything you can think of can be made available. That is the best part of S/4HANA.

S/4HANA stands for high-performance analytic appliance. 90% of activity is done on the hardware side, as it supports fast memory executions.

Initially, it was SAP ECC 6.0, but then they introduced faster execution processes and best practices for different verticals. It gives an advantage on top of what is being used across different businesses. They have introduced best processes altogether.

The implementation time has also been reduced drastically. We start by showing the customer the best practices and configurations. This is a major difference from before when we used to understand their "as-is" process and then design the "to-be" process.

Now, we get acceptance on the best practices early on and only do customizations where necessary. Most customers prefer this approach because they are changing their business to match best practices rather than us changing the software to match their business.

Additionally, there are public and private editions of the product. The private cloud is owned by the customer, giving them full control over customizations. The public cloud is controlled by SAP, which offers only best practices that customers accept, knowing they align with industry standards.

One disadvantage is the introduction of multiple products. In older versions, everything was in a single package. Now, we need separate licenses for different functionalities: S/4HANA Cloud for human capital management, SuccessFactors for talent management, and Ariba for procurement. For advanced components, we need S/4HANA for enterprise portfolio and project management. 

Additionally, if we purchase SuccessFactors, we also need to add integration tools like SAP Cloud Platform Integration. So, it's like buying a basic bundle (starting from 65 or 25 FPUs) and then adding more components and integrations later, each with its own license fees. Essentially, they have changed the model to introduce multiple products with new license fees.

Everything is available and works well in S/4HANA. There might be some restrictions in the public cloud, but in the private cloud, you can make anything available.  

I am a consultant; we don't use it in-house. We work with SAP. It has been almost nine to ten years since we started with S/4HANA side.

The private cloud is 100% stable. The public cloud still needs some time; it's 90% stable, but 10% still needs enhancement.

Private cloud is ten out of ten, and public cloud is nine out of ten.

It is a very scalable solution. 

The customer service and support are good. 

Positive

S/4HANA deployment is easier than previous versions.

Deployment time:

The deployment time depends on the complexity of the business. 

For a public cloud implementation with standard business processes, it takes three to four months, with the fifth month for support. 

For a private cloud implementation, it may take five months or more, depending on the customizations and configurations needed. The number of consultants and the complexity of the business processes are the most important factors.

Moreover, the maintenance is easier now.

Integration into existing infrastructure: 

 There are multiple options for integration depending on the products. For SuccessFactors, you can either use SAP Cloud Platform Integration (CPI) or the SuccessFactors Integration Suite. 

In the Middle East, where I work, there's a government-mandated e-invoicing system that requires integration with S/4HANA. 

Like Ariba, that also needs to be integrated. In this version, integration options have been expanded. Previously, it was only SAP Process Orchestration (PO) that handled integration, but now there are more options available.

For a private cloud implementation, a team of eight or nine people: six consultants for the core modules, one basis consultant, one technical consultant, and one project manager. 

For a public cloud implementation, the number of consultants is reduced to six.

ROI has multiple aspects. In the initial days with ECC, costly hardware with depreciation cycles was necessary. Moving to the cloud reduces those expenses. Within three to five years, ROI is very good. 

Additionally, the need for data centers, DR sites, and skilled maintenance teams is eliminated, drastically reducing costs within five years compared to SAP ECC.

It's expensive when opting for a private cloud but cheaper on a public cloud.

For private clouds, the price could have room for improvement. It is a bit on the higher end. 

The license is subscription-based. The users can lock in licenses for three, five, or even seven years. The agreed-upon pricing on day one applies yearly for the chosen duration. This is available for all SAP products.

Clients don't have to pay extra for support, maintenance, or other things. So, the subscription includes everything.

For S/4HANA, my recommendation is that finance is very strong. They have improved. SD (Sales and Distribution) in finance has been strong since day one, but now they have also improved the purchase cycle significantly. They have introduced multiple products like IBP (Integrated Business Planning), which has improved their planning for production and the entire manufacturing process. 

Considering this, I would recommend S/4HANA Private Cloud as of now. SAP is working very hard on S/4HANA Public Cloud as well, so in one or two years, the public cloud might be the best option.

Overall, I would rate the product a nine out of ten. 

Many look for companies and partners who can help them implement SAP S/4HANA. So, we help in the implementation phase. We provide ongoing support as well.

The new features introduced by SAP S_4HANA are the ones I find to be valuable.

The support and price of the solution need to be improved. The solution should incorporate some new innovations.

I have been using SAP S/4HANA for a decade. My company has a partnership with SAP.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten. We have small, medium, and enterprise-sized clients using the solution.

I rate the technical support an eight out of ten. There are some problems with the support provided for the solution, so it is not quite easy. It takes some time for them to offer us support.

Positive

On a scale of one to ten for initial setup, where one is difficult, and ten is easy, I rate initial setup as ten since it is very easy.

The deployment process took about ten months. We need six people for implementation, which includes one or two system architects to handle the technical field, while the others are mostly business consultants. For maintenance, we have a team of about 20 people to support our customer base.

The solution is worth the money.

I rate the pricing a ten on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is too expensive. It is an expensive tool.

Those planning to use the solution need to fully understand it because it's not quite fit for most customers. Overall, I rate the product a ten out of ten.

The features you have access to when using this solution depends on which format or version you use. If an organization uses the SAP ECC version, this is an older version and multiple things would be the same at a process execution level and architecture level. However, S/4HANA offers a lot of additional capability with respect to performance due to its built-in architecture for many functions including finance, production, quality, manufacturing, inventory or sales distribution and logistics. SAP offers many capabilities with respect to enhanced functionalities, process improvement and better analytics.

SAP has introduced a lot of management functionality from a sales distribution perspective. The finance module offers a lot of reports as well as the offering of Fiori, which is a UI5 based tool which can be installed in each and every handheld devices for the purpose of approvals.

In the transportation module, which is a part of the sales distribution, SAP offers modifications and enhancements.

SAP offers a lot of products now and all the capabilities are available from one service provider. However, the knowledge needed for the implementation of these capabilities isn't widely shared and so product knowledge in the market isn't comprehensive. This makes it challenging to fully take advantage of all the capabilities. We would like to have access to tutorials. 

The integration could be made a little simpler in terms of design and implementation. SAP should integrate easier with other third party systems. Industry specific retail or FMCG related industries can't directly rely on SAP with respect to the POS integration or the eCommerce integration. 

I have used this solution for ten years. 

This is a stable solution. 

This is a scalable solution but some companies face challenges in terms of migration when it comes to the material ledger, COPA cockpits or the introduction of the actual costing. It again depends upon the expertise of the consultants who are doing the implementation but is not part of a product bug.

We have consulted directly with SAP when it comes to completing the initial implementation. When it comes to going live and if we encounter any major issues which cannot be resolved by implementation partners, then we contact the platinum consultants at SAP. 

There is an option to pay for managed services and support from SAP.

The complexity of the setup depends on the organization. If the organization is using ECC then the setup is straightforward. If the organization is using another product like Oracle or Microsoft Dynamics, it is a big change migrating to SAP S/4HANA.

The size of an organization and volume will also impact the complexity of the setup. A mid-size organization would require an in-house team for maintenance. This maintenance is important as lack of specific activities or tasks could cause mishaps in the entire system. 

SAP is a costly product in terms of maintenance for an organization who has reached a particular level. For organizations, like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, they rely heavily on this solution and cost is not as issue for companies of that size.

I complete a comparative analysis when an organization is running on a legacy ERP. We provide the review services and pre-implementation services where this is a very common question. We complete a feature comparison analysis for Oracle versus SAP or Microsoft Dynamics 365 versus SAP. The most common outcome is that SAP is the best product overall. 

This solution can be implemented in multiple ways. One is the on-premise model where the organization has to manage servers and administration related activities on their own. The second is the cloud deployment model that requires some kind of public cloud or private cloud. There are multiple service providers who can help with cloud deployment. The third option is a hybrid model. You can complete a cost benefit analysis and have a mix of this kind of development.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten. 

SAP S4HANA is used as a complete resource planning solution for our organization.

The solution is flexible, has a lot of functionality, and has the ability to deliver more security than other comparable solutions.

SAP S4HANA is not suitable for all-size companies. If you have a small company there are better fit solutions for your needs.

I have been using SAP S4HANA for approximately five months.

We have found that SAP S4HANA is more reliable and stable than other solutions, such as ECC.

The solution is scalable.

The technical support is very good. We have generated support tickets, and they have provided helpful advice and solutions to our problems in a timely manner.

I have used many other solutions, such as ECC and Business One.

The installation and cloud configuration was straightforward.

We had some issues with the installation of the solution. The implementation partner we were using was in India and they could not travel to where we are in Saudi Arabia because of the Covid-19 pandemic making resolutions difficult. Additionally, the communication was difficult. However, this was not the fault of SAP S4HANA.

We used the S/4HANA implementation team to do the full implementation.

There is a license required for the use of this solution and we are on a monthly subscription. The cost of the solution is expensive compared to other solutions. 

I would recommend this solution to others. However, they have to make sure it is the right fit for their environment. If they have a small company that has approximately 200 to 300 users then this solution is not the best for them, SAP Business One would be the better choice for their whole business cycle. S/4HANA is for larger-scale companies with more users.

I rate SAP S4HANA an eight out of ten.

SAP S4HANA is a resource-plaining solution that can help with digital transformation by using features, such as robotic process automation. It has very useful functionality but, at the moment, AI is not very natural in the world.

Our company is very large and out of the largest six modules in SAP S4HANA, we use Material Management, Sales and Distribution, Plant Maintenance, Quality Management, Customer Service, and Production Planning.

We use all modules in accounting, for example, Financial Supply Chain Management, Treasury Management, and Project System. In the warehouse, we use Transportation Management and Extended Warehouse Management and in the HR system, we use Personnel Administration, Payroll, and Time Administration.

SAP S4HANA robotic process automation has helped our organization by reducing approximately 80% of work in the accounting department.

The functionality of SAP S4HANA is very good when comparing it to others, such as Oracle, Microsoft, and other ERP solutions.

Thi solution can improve the Bill of Materials (BOM) and production planning.

In an upcoming release, the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) in SAP is very simple, and SAP should extend PLM in the ERP system. Additionally, SAP S4HANA should add more advanced features for monitoring in the database, such as in the Oracle solution.

I have been using SAP S4HANA for approximately five years.

The solution is very stable.

The solution is highly scalable.

We have more than 6,000 people using this solution in my organization.

We are not able to use technical support in my country because in Iran it is sanctioned. However, we have not needed the support, the solution has been working well.

The initial setup of SAP S4HANA is a very complex and time-consuming process. If you want to implement all modules then it will take more than 10 days.

The price of the solution is reasonable but some modules can be expensive. When comparing SAP S4HANA to other solutions, such as Oracle, it is not expensive.

I have evaluated other solutions, such as Oracle.

I would strongly recommend this solution to others.

I rate SAP S4HANA a nine out of ten.

We use the solution as an enterprise application. 

The tool's most valuable features are ease of use, high availability, and connectivity. 

The product should improve its cost. 

I have been using the product for two years. 

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

I rate SAP S/4HANA's scalability a seven out of ten. My company has 2000 users who use it daily. 

I rate the tool's ease of deployment an eight out of ten. 

A third-party consultant helped us with the deployment. 

SAP S/4HANA is expensive. 

We evaluated Oracle before SAP S/4HANA. 

I rate the overall product a six out of ten. 

Many companies are currently going for SAP S/4HANA because the maintenance for their SAP ERP or SAP ECC will be over the next year. Even their extended maintenance will be over by 2028. Some companies have gone for mergers and acquisitions and want common processes across their entities. Hence, they chose a good ERP system like SAP S/4HANA.

The solution's most valuable features are performance and processes. Following its integration with cutting-edge modern technologies like SAP BTP, the solution is now better positioned to cater to most of an organization's functions.

The solution’s pricing could be reduced.

The solution has provided good stability to some of our customers. The stability of the solution during one of the big projects we did in 2022 was phenomenal.

About 90% of our customers work with SAP S/4HANA.

The solution's technical support team is fast and knowledgeable.

The solution’s initial setup is straightforward.

I would recommend the solution to other users. It is generally a good option to migrate from non-SAP to SAP solution. Using a comprehensive product like SAP S/4HANA provides many benefits, such as best processes and integration with other technologies.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.