6.11    Data Model Simplification

SAP S/4HANA is faster than traditional SAP ERP, and part of the reason for that is the simplification of tables and accesses in the database. These changes aren’t always seen directly by end users and are generally behind-the-scenes updates; however, they have been implemented to enhance the overall speed and UX of SAP S/4HANA.

6.11.1    Sales and Distribution Pricing

In SAP ERP, the results of pricing calculations were stored in table KONV and were then transferred to the various sales documents. In SAP S/4HANA, new table PRCD_ELEMENTS is more robust with additional columns added and some field lengths extended. There is no impact to business processes with this change—prices will still be calculated based on condition records and will still be displayed in the sales documents—but the overall result is a reduced footprint and easier processing.

SAP ERP System Upgrade to SAP S/4HANA

If any custom fields were added to table KONV in the SAP ERP system, it’s important to ensure those fields are also added to the PRCS_ELEMENTS_DATA structure, which will then ensure the fields are included in any pricing-related tables and structures, such as table PRCD_ELEMENTS. It’s also important to review custom code in the development system to ensure it will use table PRCD_ELEMENTS and not table KONV. Note that the document currency is included in table PRCD_ELEMENTS. When converting pricing data, SAP provides an automated migration functionality, but there are postmigration steps that must be completed to ensure the document currency is updated accordingly in the table.

6.11.2    Sales and Distribution Data Flow

With SAP S/4HANA, the document status tables have been eliminated, and the document flow table has been updated. The header status table VBUK and the line item status table VBUP have been eliminated in SAP S/4HANA. Instead, status fields have been moved to the corresponding header and line item tables for order (VBAK, VBAP), delivery (LIKP, LIPS), and billing (VBRK, VBRP) documents. The document flow table (VBFA) has been simplified as well.

These changes don’t have any effects on the Sales and Distribution business processes, as users will still be able to see the header and line item status of documents, and the document flow will still show the relationships between sales, delivery, and billing documents. The overall benefits are a simplified data flow, fewer aggregates, and better performance of queries in the SAP S/4HANA system.

SAP ERP System Upgrade to SAP S/4HANA

If any custom fields or structures were added to tables VBUK or VBUP in the SAP ERP system, those fields must be added to the respective order, delivery, and/or billing document tables. If the field is relevant for all the documents, then the field must be appended to all the tables; however, if the field was only relevant for a subset of documents, then you’ll only need to update the tables for those specific documents. For smooth system conversion, these fields should have the same field name, data structure, and field length as the SAP ERP fields.

6.11.3    Simplification of Redundancies

SAP S/4HANA has eliminated a number of redundancies in the database. These eliminations have minimal impacts to the order-to-cash processes, but they allow the system to work faster. The document status and indexing tables VAKPA, VAPMA, VLKPA, VLPMA, VRKPA, and VRPMA have been removed. The rebate index table VBOX has been eliminated, as Settlement Management is now used to manage rebates. Finally, the Logistics Information System (LIS) tables S066 and S067 have been eliminated, as credit management is handled through FSCM.

SAP ERP System Upgrade to SAP S/4HANA

Before upgrading to SAP S/4HANA, the custom code check should be run to identify if there are any custom programs that use these tables. If so, the code will need to be reviewed to first determine if the code will still be required in the SAP S/4HANA system and, second, to determine where the code needs updates based on the elimination of the tables.