Migrating to SAP S/4HANA isn’t just a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic move that defines the digital roadmap of your company. Choosing between Greenfield, Brownfield, or a Phased Migration (also called Selective Data Transition or Hybrid Migration) is a critical decision that affects cost, timeline, and business alignment.
Greenfield: A fresh implementation
- Full re-implementation of SAP S/4HANA.
- Ideal for companies aiming to redesign processes from scratch.
- Legacy data can be excluded or migrated selectively.
- Supports deployment in On-premise, Private Cloud, or Public Cloud.
- Requires strong change management and internal alignment.
Brownfield: System conversion from ECC
- Also called System Conversion, it transitions the ECC system to S/4HANA while retaining core configurations and data.
- Minimal disruption, best for stable, well-maintained systems.
- Shell Conversion possible: migrate only the structure, not the data.
- Compatible with SAP RISE and cloud environments.
- Cost-efficient, faster go-live.
Phased Migration (Selective Data Transition)
- Hybrid approach combining Greenfield and Brownfield.
- Migrate by region, company code, business process or data type.
- Ideal for multinational companies or complex environments.
- Enables gradual rollout with strong governance.
- Compatible with Business Suite Packages.
Key technical terms
- SAP RISE: Business Transformation as a Service including S/4HANA, infrastructure and support.
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud: Public or Private deployment options.
- Shell Conversion: transfers system structure without historical data.
- Data Tiering Strategy: managing data layers for performance and compliance.
- Readiness Check: tool to assess ECC readiness for S/4HANA.
How principal33 supports you
At principal33, we don’t force one path—we assess your current system, goals and team capabilities to define the optimal migration strategy:
- Readiness check and functional assessment.
- Roadmap and scenario planning.
- Experts in S/4HANA migration, change management, cloud integration.
There is no one-size-fits-all migration. With principal33, we define the SAP path that fits your business.
