Issue

Syensqo currently uses the following SAP functionalities in ECC to cover HSE requirements relating to Safety Datasheets, Labelling, Dangerous Goods 

Management, Substance Volume Tracking and Compositions.

• Composition
• Product Classification
• Company Substance Management
• Raw Materials
• SDS Template and Generation
• Other Documents
• SDS Authoring Automation Algorithm (“Expert Rules”)
• Mass Upload / Modification (User Accessible)
• SVT(Substance Volume Tracking
• SVHC(Substance of Very High Concern)

These SAP functionalities can be supported either through standard features or with enhancements in SAP Product Compliance within S/4HANA.
S/4HANA offers the option to implement a 'Classic Version' or a 'New Version' for SAP Product Compliance. A decision is required, which version of

S/4HANA Product Compliance (NEW or CLASSIC) should be implemented considering scope of the each items and timelines.

Recommendation

Recommendation: To Adapt Option D

The recommendation is to implement the S/4HANA for Product Compliance 'Hybrid Version' (Option D (Classic + New)).

This is driven by the following key points:

• The S/4HANA Product Compliance New Version (Option A) is available for implementation starting with S/4HANA 2023, but it is expected to reach its full functional scope only by 2027. Until then, it will have notable functionality gaps compared to the Classic version.

• Implementing the S/4HANA Product Compliance Classic Version (Option B) will require a new re-implementation project (big bang approach) to be completed before support for the Classic version ends in 2036. This would essentially involve a greenfield implementation of Product Compliance, as the data models between the Classic and New versions are not compatible.

• Continuing with ECC On-Premise would result in limited long-term viability and present significant challenges in terms of integration with key functional areas such as Logistics, Transportation Management, and Product Master. Given that S/4HANA adoption is central to the ERP Rebuild strategy, this option should be excluded. Additionally, the practicality of maintaining an ECC6 system landscape for this purpose is questionable. Therefore, Option C—continuation with ECC6—is not considered a viable path forward.

• The S/4HANA Product Compliance Hybrid Version (Option D: Classic + New) allows for a phased adoption of the New Version functionality as it becomes available. This approach decouples SAP’s release timeline from the SyWay project schedule, providing flexibility to adopt new capabilities based on business readiness.

  By enabling a gradual rollout, implementation efforts are expected to be smaller in scale and more manageable. The hybrid model also allows Syensqo to leverage new features to meet future business requirements without needing additional custom enhancements to address existing scope gaps.

          Accordingly, based on the current feature set, the following processes are categorized under the appropriate versions of Product Compliance.

Background & Context

The strategy is to utilize S/4HANA Product Compliance New functionality as extensively as possible. However, since the full scope is not yet available in the New version, a Hybrid Approach (New + Classic) has been adopted. The processes have been categorized below based on the corresponding versions of Product Compliance.

Assumptions

• Customer is migrating to or already using S/4HANA Product Compliance (New).

It is assumed that:

• The S/4HANA Product Compliance Classic version includes all functionalities required by Syensqo. SAP currently indicates that nearly all features from SAP Product Safety and SAP Product and REACH Compliance are available in this version.
• The MSDS Maker functionality is not included in the Classic version and has been replaced by CosSta (Conditions for Safety Statements), which is part of the SAP EHS Rule Editor.
• Any impacts arising from this KDD on other ERP Rebuild EHS KDDs will be addressed through subsequent KDDs related to the respective ERP Rebuild EHS components.
• The ERP Rebuild will not result in an unsupported platform, following platform license negotiations, and a supported S/4HANA version will serve as the core platform (see related KDDs listed under 'References').
• The current 3E ERC Suite (Enterprise Regulatory Content) license in use by Syensqo may need to be upgraded to include the 3E ERC+ Suite.

Constraints

• Functional Gaps and Feature Limitations

• Migration Complexity and Data Consistency

• Custom logic via BAdIs might increase implementation effort and complexity.

• There’s no UI-based Rule Editor as intuitive as the CG02 Expert Rule Editor.

• A decision for 'Classic Version' would need to consider that a reimplementation of Product Compliance will be required before 2036 for a 
  greenfield implementation of 'New Version' for S/4 HANA Product Compliance.
• SAP have not been able to provide clear guidance on the roadmap and alignment beyond 2025 of S/4HANA features at the time of writing.

Impacts

• All capabilities within the Product Compliance business area are available in SAP S/4HANA, although the specific scope may differ from the functionality offered in the ECC-based products. The available options are as follows:

1. For customers licensed with SAP S/4HANA and SAP S/4HANA for Product Compliance, there is flexibility to use either the Classic functionality or the New functionality.
2. For customers subscribed to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition and SAP S/4HANA Cloud for Product Compliance, private edition, both the Classic and New functionalities are available and can be selected as needed.
3. For customers subscribed to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, public edition and SAP S/4HANA Cloud for Product Compliance, public edition, only the New functionality of Product Compliance is available.

• Additionally, the current 3E ERC Suite (Enterprise Regulatory Content) license used by Syensqo may require an upgrade to include the 3E ERC+ Suite to support extended regulatory content needs.

Business Rules

Business rules may be required to ensure alignment between the New and Classic versions of Product Compliance—for example, in areas such as SDS version management.

Options considered

List the options (viable options or alternatives) you considered. These often require a longer explanation with diagrams, or references to other documents (links are best, but attachments are also possible). Use enough detail to adequately explain what you considered so that a project or business stakeholder reviewing this decision will not come back and ask "did you think about...?"; this leads to loss of credibility and questioning of other decisions. This section also helps ensure that you considered enough suitable alternatives rather than just copy/pasting SAP's recommendations.

Option A: S4 Classic

The SAP ERP-based Product Safety and Product Compliance (Classic) solutions offer:

• A complete feature set

• Interfaces via SAP GUI and Web Dynpro transactions

• A specification database with a workbench-based approach

• Full functional scope with no further enhancements planned

• Immediate availability

• SAP standard maintenance support from 2029 until 2036

To continue using this version, a new greenfield implementation project will be required between 2027 and 2036. Furthermore, transitioning to the New Version of Product Compliance—once it reaches feature parity (currently targeted for 2027)—will necessitate a separate migration or re-implementation project. Given the significant differences in data models, this transition will be complex and not a simple technical upgrade.

Option B: S4 New

The New Version of Product Compliance features:

• A modern process model supported by SAP Fiori apps

• A new CDS-based data model

• Enhanced integration with Product Master, Sales, Delivery, Procurement, and Transportation

• Improved alignment with logistics processes

Currently, it offers a limited functional scope, with ongoing developments outlined in the innovation roadmap. The available capabilities include:

• Product Marketability(Note: Full functionality of SVT not yet available)

• Dangerous Goods Management

• SDS Management (Note: Full SDS authoring, BOMBOS transfer functionalities are not yet available)

This version is available starting with S/4HANA 2023, but only with limited functionality. The full scope is expected to be delivered with S/4HANA 2027.

Option C: Continue with ECC 6.0

There is an option to continue using SAP ECC 6.0 On-Premise, which is supported by SAP until the end of 2027.

After 2027, extended support is available from SAP on a paid basis.

This approach assumes the continuation of the current “As-Is” setup on ECC 6.0 On-Premise systems.

However, between 2027 and 2030, a greenfield implementation project will be required to transition to Product Compliance on S/4HANA.

Option D: Hybrid (Classic + New)

The Hybrid approach leverages selected capabilities from both the Classic and New Versions of Product Compliance within a single S/4HANA system, with the 3E Hybrid Adapter facilitating data synchronization between the two data models.

• The 3E Adapter, an ABAP add-on, connects processes in the New Version to those in the Classic Version by replicating data from the Classic data model into the New one.

• Both data models can coexist in the same S/4HANA system—no separate system landscape is required.

• The solution includes embedded regulatory content and a multi-lingual phrase library.

• Capabilities are gradually transitioned from the Classic to the New Version in a phased manner, helping to bridge existing functionality gaps.

• This approach supports smaller, incremental implementations over time instead of a single large-scale transition ("Big Bang").

• User impact is minimized, as users will continue working within the same S/4HANA system, using familiar SAP GUI and Web Dynpro applications for Classic functionality

Based on the functionalities outlined above, the following approach is recommended for adoption:

Evaluation

Outline why you selected a position. The best format could be a pro/con table (sample below), but is up to you as the author. You must consider complexity, feasibility, cost/effort to implement, but also ongoing operational impact and cost. You must consider the program principles and explain any deviations in detail. This is probably as important as the decision itself.

See also

Insert links and references to other documents which are relevant when trying to understand this decision and its implications. Other decisions are often impacted, so it's good to list them here with links. Attachments are also possible but dangerous as they are static documents and not updated by their authors.

Change log