The brownfield implementation approach of converting the existing SAP ERP to S/4 HANA requires setting up Customer-Vendor Integration (CVI) by reviewing the existing number range assignments and performing a large number of data validation and synchronization checks. The CVI cockpit is a user-friendly tool to make the end-to-end Business Partner Conversion process smoother.
The Business Partner concept is not entirely new to SAP, as it existed in the core applications. In SAP ERP, the customer and vendor master data sets were used for sales and purchasing. However, when a company moves from SAP ERP to SAP S/4 HANA, a Business Partner becomes the leading object, and customers and vendors are created under a Business Partner as roles.
Therefore, if a company is planning to move from SAP ERP to SAP S/4 HANA using a system conversion approach, it is crucial to ensure that the business data model is established in SAP ERP before the system conversion. The CVI cockpit is the primary tool used for Business Partner Conversion during the SAP ERP to S/4 HANA transition. CVI reports are also quite helpful during the conversion project.
Business Partner Conversion Approach
The Business Partner has three categories: person, group, or organization. Business Partners can also hold multiple roles, such as customer, vendor, contact person, or employee. The general data stored within the Business Partner is shared across all different roles.
What is Business Partner in SAP S/4HANA? : Learn More
It is possible to maintain multiple addresses for a given Business Partner and also manage time-dependent data such as address, bank data, and relationships. The Business Partner object provides a harmonized architecture across all applications in SAP.
If you create a Business Partner with a customer role, the data provided is processed by the CVI interface. All the data relevant to the Business Partner (general data) is stored in the Business Partner tables. Similarly, the data relevant to the customer or vendor is processed by the CVI interface and stored in the appropriate customer and vendor tables. Links are then created between the customer and Business Partner, as well as between the vendor and Business Partner.
Customer-Vendor Integration Implementation Approach
Phases Involved in Business Partner Conversion
- Preparation
- Synchronization
- Conversion
- Post-Conversion
Preparation Phase
In this phase, CVI is customized in the direction from customer to Business Partner and vendor to Business Partner. A company must ensure that customer and vendor data is clean by enabling and ensuring extensive checks before moving on to the next phase.
Synchronization Phase
During this phase, synchronization programs are run to create Business Partners for every customer and vendor in the SAP ERP system. This stage is critical for ensuring a smooth Business Partner Conversion.
Conversion Phase
When the company is ready to proceed, the technical conversion of SAP ERP to SAP S/4 HANA takes place.
Post-Conversion Phase
Once the system conversion is completed, some post-conversion activities must be performed in the SAP S/4 HANA system before handing it over to end users. These activities include the customization of CVI, but this time the direction is reversed: from Business Partner to customer and from Business Partner to vendor.
Upon completing these activities, the Business Partner becomes the leading object in SAP S/4 HANA, and customers and vendors are associated with the Business Partner as roles.
CVI ensures that tables such as BUT000, KNA1, KNB1, LFA1, and LFB1 are always kept synchronized with identical fields. This applies to both SAP ERP and SAP S/4 HANA. The master data tables for customers and vendors (KNA1 and LFA1) are still used in the background and are constantly updated by CVI.
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Conversion Activities Road Map
CVI requires high-quality master data. The quality checks cannot be switched off at the CVI cockpit level. This compels a company to run a master data quality project for the customer and vendor master data in SAP ERP.
If master data cleaning and error fixing are not started in advance, perhaps even as a separate mini-project, it can negatively affect the entire Business Partner Conversion project. The time frame and effort required to convert Business Partners depend on:
- Data Volume
- Business Partner/CVI/Pre-checks
- Customer/Vendor/Business Partner number ranges consideration
- Business Partner customizing consistency
- Customer/Vendor/Business Partner synchronization, including data consistency
- Existing customer/vendor enhancements and extensions already implemented
It is highly recommended for a company to start the CVI activities in the current SAP ERP system immediately to avoid delays in the SAP S/4 HANA conversion project.
CVI Cockpit Overview
The CVI cockpit is a comprehensive tool provided by SAP to complete CVI implementation and synchronization in SAP ERP. This tool is available in SAP ERP after the relevant SAP Notes are applied by the technical team.
Features of the CVI Cockpit
- Standard guidance with a structured and sequential application cockpit
- Interactive and user-friendly steps to maintain task status in various tabs
- Flexible sequence control to navigate across tasks per synchronization stage
- System-based messaging for cockpit overall status
- Ability to track steps undertaken and tasks performed with change history through status logging
- Detailed documentation to help effectively work with the cockpit
Conclusion: Business Partner Conversion from SAP ERP to S/4 HANA
The transition from SAP ERP to SAP S/4 HANA with the Business Partner Conversion approach ensures a streamlined and future-ready data model. Thus, by implementing Customer-Vendor Integration (CVI), companies can achieve a synchronized and harmonized architecture. The CVI cockpit plays a pivotal role in simplifying the implementation process, ensuring that data quality is maintained and integration is seamless. Starting CVI activities early in SAP ERP is crucial to avoid delays and challenges during conversion. With careful planning and execution, businesses can fully leverage the benefits of SAP S/4 HANA and enhance operational efficiency.
