8 Things to Prepare before SAP BW4HANA Modernization to SAP Datasphere.

A successful modernization starts long before the first BW object is migrated.

Moving from SAP BW/4HANA to SAP Datasphere requires more than transferring data and recreating existing objects. Teams need to understand the current landscape, recover undocumented business logic, identify dependencies, and decide what can be reused or needs redesign.

Without this groundwork, migration teams risk underestimating complexity, overlooking critical requirements, and carrying unresolved business rules into the new environment.

Here are eight things to prepare before starting your modernization project.

1. A Complete Inventory of Your BW Landscape

Before estimating migration effort, establish what exists in your current environment and what still serves a business purpose.

Your inventory should cover relevant objects, including:

• DataSources and source systems

• Transformations, routines, and DTPs

• InfoObjects, DSOs, and ADSOs

• CompositeProviders and other reporting providers

• BEx Queries and Process Chains

• Analysis authorizations

Record available technical details, usage information, known dependencies, and whether each object is still required.

Object count alone is not a reliable measure of complexity. A landscape with fewer objects but extensive custom logic may require more investigation than one with many standard objects.

Have on hand: An inventory of objects in scope, their known usage, and any obvious gaps requiring further assessment.

2. Technical Documentation and Dependency Mapping

An inventory tells you what exists. Technical documentation and dependency mapping help explain how it works.

BW objects rarely operate in isolation. A report may depend on a provider, an ADSO, several transformations, custom routines, master-data mappings, and source extraction logic. A change to one component can affect multiple downstream reports.

Document the relevant technical logic, particularly:

• Custom ABAP start and end routines

• Transformation rules and DTP-level filters

• Query-level filters, SAP exit logic, and exception aggregation

• Currency conversion and specialized functions

• Custom extractors and extraction dependencies

• Process Chains and data-loading sequences

• Master-data mappings, lookups, and manual adjustments

Map the relationships between sources, transformations, data models, and reports. Also identify components that may require translation, additional engineering, or redesign because standard migration capabilities may not cover every requirement.

Have on hand: Available technical specifications, routine documentation, extraction details, and an end-to-end data-lineage view.

3. Documented Business Rules and KPI Definitions

Technical documentation explains how an object operates. It may not explain why its logic exists.

Over time, business rules change, KPIs evolve, and different departments may develop different interpretations of the same measure. These decisions can become embedded in transformations and queries without being formally documented.

Before modernization, identify the business meaning behind critical reports and KPIs.

For each important measure, establish:

• Its definition and calculation logic

• Relevant filters, exceptions, and aggregation rules

• Which report represents the official business number

• Whether different departments use different interpretations

• What should happen if the migrated result differs from the existing result

Do not automatically assume that the current implementation is the definitive business standard. Differences may reveal undocumented changes, defects, or conflicting definitions that require resolution.

Have on hand: Documented KPI definitions, critical report requirements, known business-rule exceptions, and a record of unresolved questions.

4. Access to the Right People and Decision-Makers

Documentation alone may not recover all the knowledge embedded in a BW landscape.

A developer may understand a routine’s implementation but not its original business purpose. A functional consultant may know the intended calculation, while a business stakeholder understands which report is trusted and why.

When critical knowledge sits with a few individuals, the departure or unavailability of those people can leave the project unable to explain existing behaviour or approve changes confidently.

Identify the technical, functional, and business stakeholders who can clarify:

• Why critical logic was introduced

• How important KPIs should behave

• Which reports business teams rely on

• Which changes require business approval

• Who can approve changes when the original designer is unavailable

Run structured knowledge-transfer workshops and record the findings. Assign clear ownership for business rules and define who has the authority to approve revised KPI definitions or migration outcomes.

Have on hand: A stakeholder map, knowledge-transfer plan, named KPI owners, and an agreed decision-making and approval process.

5. A Reuse, Conversion, and Redesign Assessment

Not every BW object will follow the same modernization path.

Some objects may fit supported migration approaches. Others may require translation or additional engineering. Certain reporting models or business requirements may need redesign to suit the target architecture.

Assess each object or related group of objects based on its technical type, complexity, dependencies, custom logic, and business purpose.

Classify the work into practical categories:

• Reuse: Existing logic or components can be retained where appropriate.

• Convert with support: Additional translation or engineering is required.

• Expert intervention: Complex routines or dependencies require specialist review.

• Redesign: The existing approach needs to change to meet target requirements.

This assessment helps the team identify risks and develop a more realistic migration plan instead of assuming every object can be converted in the same way.

Have on hand: An initial object classification, known exceptions, unresolved design decisions, and a list of components requiring specialist assessment.

6. Historical Data and Data-Loading Requirements

The migration approach must account for how data is extracted, loaded, refreshed, and retained.

The existing BW landscape may contain historical data, custom extraction logic, and load dependencies that influence the target design.

Resolve the following questions early:

• Which historical data must be retained or migrated?

• Which source systems and extraction mechanisms are involved?

• Are custom extractors or object-specific dependencies present?

• How are initial and subsequent data loads managed?

• Which load sequences and operational constraints must be considered?

The answers will depend on the existing landscape and the agreed target design. They should be established through assessment rather than assumed.

Have on hand: Historical data requirements, extraction documentation, current load strategies, retention expectations, and known operational constraints.

7. A Validation and Reconciliation Plan

A successful deployment does not automatically mean a successful migration.

The target must reproduce the required data and business behaviour. Differences can arise from filters, aggregation, currency conversion, custom logic, or changes to KPI definitions.

Define how correctness will be established before migration begins.

Your validation plan should specify:

• Baseline reports and critical KPIs

• Source-to-target comparison methods

• Row-count and data-level reconciliation requirements, where appropriate

• Acceptable tolerances and how discrepancies will be investigated

• Business-rule test cases

• Who reviews results and approves acceptance

Matching totals alone may not prove that the underlying records and business logic are correct. Validation must reflect the requirements of the specific data model and business process.

Have on hand: Baseline results, test scenarios, reconciliation criteria, acceptance tolerances, and named approvers.

8. A Testing and Cutover Plan

The final preparation area is operational readiness.

Even a technically sound migration can disrupt business operations if testing is incomplete, approval responsibilities are unclear, or cutover is poorly coordinated.

Define how technical teams, functional teams, and business stakeholders will work together during testing and deployment.

Agree on:

• Responsibilities for technical and functional testing

• The process for recording and resolving defects

• Conditions that must be met before cutover

• Business communication and reporting continuity requirements

• Escalation and approval procedures

• Appropriate contingency or rollback arrangements

Have on hand: A responsibility matrix, testing schedule, defect-resolution process, cutover criteria, and a plan to minimize disruption to business users.

BW Modernization Readiness Checklist

Before moving into detailed migration planning, check whether you have:

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  An inventory of BW objects in scope

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  Technical documentation and dependency mapping

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  Documented business rules and KPI definitions

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  Identified technical, functional, and business owners

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  An initial reuse, conversion, and redesign assessment

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  Historical data and data-loading requirements

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  Baseline reports and reconciliation criteria

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  Testing, approval, and cutover plans

Not every question needs to be resolved before the project begins. However, gaps should be visible, assigned to an owner, and included in the project plan.

Final Thoughts: Understand Before You Modernize

The preparation phase establishes whether your team understands the landscape it is about to change.

A successful SAP BW/4HANA modernization to SAP Datasphere requires a clear view of the existing architecture, the business rules it supports, the people who understand those rules, and the criteria that will determine whether the new environment is correct.

Before asking how quickly the migration can be completed, ask three questions:

Do we know what we are migrating? Do we understand why it works the way it does? Can we prove the new environment preserves the required business behaviour?

Answering these questions early gives your team a stronger foundation for estimating effort, managing risk, and planning a migration that supports business continuity.