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Impactful Updates for SAP S/4HANA: Driving Efficiency and Innovation in Finance and Human Resources

  • June 11, 2024
  • 12 minutes of reading

SAP, the world leader in business management software, has just announced a series of significant updates to SAP S/4HANA. These updates promise substantial optimizations in key areas such as finance and human resources, with the aim of increasing efficiency and innovation for more than 413,000 global customers.

SAP's commitment to setting new standards for business management is evident with these improvements. Customers in 180 countries now have the opportunity to improve operational efficiency and innovation through new capabilities offered by SAP S/4HANA. According to research carried out by Mignow, a pioneer in the automation of migrations between SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA, these updates are crucial to keeping companies competitive and aligned with the best market practices.

The Importance of Migrating to SAP S/4HANA

The digital transition remains a central pillar of SAP's strategy. Regular updates are necessary to ensure that users' systems are always in line with technological innovations. The discontinuation of the ECC version in 2027 is a critical milestone that highlights the urgent need for migration. Without this migration, companies risk losing enterprise support and facing other significant disadvantages.

Guilherme Joventino, COO and co-founder of Mignow, emphasizes the importance of starting migration projects as soon as possible. According to Joventino, the complexity and time required for a successful transition are significant. He recommends that, regardless of the version used, the system be updated every six years. This is crucial to avoid additional costs and ensure that the organization does not become obsolete in relation to the market.

Benefits of the Latest Updates to SAP S/4HANA

The latest update to SAP S/4HANA brings a series of advantages, especially in the financial modules. Improvements in asset accounting, financial close operations and corporate accounting were introduced. These improvements aim to optimize essential processes and increase the efficiency of financial reporting.

Optimizations in Asset Accounting

The update introduces new features that improve processes such as depreciation lists, asset write-off records and reconciliation of GR/IR accounts. These improvements are designed to simplify financial management and ensure greater accuracy in accounting reports.

Improvements in Financial Closing

For financial close operations, new functionality has been added, including improved file upload methods and balance validation. Additionally, data integration for credit risk-based impairment accounting in the general ledger has been implemented. These additions provide a clearer and more accurate view of corporate finances.

Innovations in Corporate Accounting

The SAP S/4HANA update also includes innovations in corporate accounting. These innovations allow for better data integration and more effective management of financial processes. The ability to validate balances and improved account reconciliation are just some of the features that help companies maintain robust and efficient financial management.

Mignow’s Role in the Transition to SAP S/4HANA

Mignow plays a key role in facilitating the transition between SAP versions. Through subscription software, Mignow keeps the system constantly updated, offering solutions that reduce errors and execution times. Using artificial intelligence, Mignow ensures that systems are always competitive and aligned with market innovations.

Guilherme Joventino highlights the importance of keeping the SAP system up to date, not only to save time and resources, but also to guarantee the competitive and innovative capacity of organizations in the market. Transitioning to the latest version of SAP S/4HANA is an essential strategy for companies looking to lead in an ever-changing business environment.

The Role of AI in Migrating to SAP S/4HANA

As the 2027 deadline set by SAP for the discontinuation of ECC approaches, companies are looking for effective solutions to migrate their systems. In this scenario, Mignow announced the development of SAP migration software that incorporates Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT technologies from OpenAI. This software simplifies the migration process, significantly reducing the time and cost involved.

Mignow's AI identifies errors and bugs in the client's system and proposes automatic solutions, which drastically reduces project time. The company, specialized in SAP conversion, scaled its processes, allowing it to increase the number of projects maintained with the same number of employees. Mignow software uses AI to automate SAP updates, minimizing the need for human intervention and speeding up operations.

Marcel Nakazawa, head of COE at Mignow, highlights the software's features: “Automation facilitates the management of large volumes of activities and allows execution at scale. For example, it is possible to speed up analyzes and resolve technical queries quickly and efficiently. These automations are aligned with SAP’s new methodology to follow the most up-to-date standards on the market.”

This is because AI, when reading an environment, identifies patterns and new scenarios, enabling the execution of an activity that has already been carried out previously or not. If one of these scenarios has not been mapped, it is possible to create a solution and replicate it to other projects.

Success Stories

The effectiveness of the software has been proven in large projects with companies such as Votorantim, Localiza and Pague Menos, in addition to carrying out the fastest migration in the world in just 18 days for the construction company RFM. “Mignow’s AI identifies errors and bugs in the client’s system and proposes automatic solutions, which drastically reduces project time,” explains Nakazawa. Furthermore, the software performs the conversion of Custom Codes in an automated way, with the possibility of reducing manual intervention to just 1% or up to 0.5%.

Future Innovations

The executive also highlights the use of other OpenAI APIs to create a pioneering and exclusive resource from Mignow that extracts, reviews and corrects codes autonomously, further optimizing resources. Mignow is not limited to the use of GPT Chat. MigMentor, a tool in development that will use Chat GPT to provide information about internal processes and technical terms, both to the team and to customers. “This highlights Mignow’s commitment to remaining at the forefront of Digital Transformation, exploring new technologies and resources that appear on the market”, concludes Nakazawa.

Accelerating Digital Transformation with SAP S/4HANA

Digital transformation is one of the main goals of modern companies, and SAP S/4HANA is at the heart of this change. SAP understands that to compete in the digital economy, companies need an ERP system that is agile, flexible and capable of seamlessly integrating with new technologies.

Why is SAP S/4HANA Essential in Digital Transformation?

SAP S/4HANA is designed to provide a solid digital foundation that can support business innovation and transformation. It enables companies to quickly adopt new technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and IoT. With this, it is possible to obtain deeper insights and make more informed and faster decisions.

How Does Upgrading to SAP S/4HANA Impact Operational Efficiency?

Upgrading to SAP S/4HANA can result in significant improvements in operational efficiency. Companies can automate manual processes, reduce errors and increase productivity. Plus, with an intuitive user interface and real-time analytics, employees can work more effectively and collaborate better.

Finance and Human Resources: Core Updates

SAP S/4HANA's finance and human resources modules are two of the areas most benefiting from the latest updates. These areas are fundamental to the functioning of any organization and, with the new functionalities, it is possible to achieve more efficient and strategic management.

Advances in Financial Management

Financial management is one of the main focuses of SAP S/4HANA updates. With new tools and functionalities, companies can manage their assets and liabilities more effectively, improve financial control and gain a clearer view of their financial health.

Main Improvements in Financial Management:

  • Asset Accounting: Processes such as depreciation lists and asset retirement records have been improved to increase accuracy and efficiency.
  • Financial close: New file upload and balance validation methods facilitate financial closing, making it faster and less prone to errors.
  • Account Reconciliation: Improvements in GR/IR account reconciliation help keep accounting books up to date and accurate.

Innovations in Human Resources

Human resources also benefit significantly from SAP S/4HANA updates. The new features help companies better manage their human capital, from hiring to talent development and retention.

Main Improvements in Human Resources:

  • Talent Management: Advanced talent recruitment and development tools help attract, develop and retain the best professionals.
  • Payroll and Benefits: More automated and integrated processes for payroll and benefits administration increase efficiency and reduce errors.
  • Analysis and reports: New analytics and reporting capabilities provide valuable workforce insights, enabling more strategic and informed decisions.

Migration Opportunities and Challenges

Migrating to SAP S/4HANA, although essential, presents both opportunities and challenges. It is important for companies to be aware of these aspects to plan and execute a successful transition.

Opportunities:

  • Innovation and Growth: With access to the latest technologies and features, companies can innovate and grow faster.
  • Operational efficiency: More automated and integrated processes increase operational efficiency, allowing companies to do more with less.
  • Informed Decisions: Real-time analytics and advanced reporting provide valuable insights for making informed, strategic decisions.

Challenges:

  • Migration Complexity: Migrating to SAP S/4HANA can be complex and time-consuming, requiring careful planning and execution.
  • Initial cost: While the long-term benefits are significant, the initial cost of migration can be a hurdle for some companies.
  • Adaptation and Training: Employees need to be trained to use new features and tools, which can take time and resources.

FAQs

How important is it to migrate to SAP S/4HANA? Migrating to SAP S/4HANA is crucial to ensuring your company benefits from the latest technological innovations, process optimizations and ongoing support. The discontinuation of the ECC version in 2027 makes migration a necessity to avoid loss of support and other disadvantages.

What are the key benefits of the latest SAP S/4HANA updates? The latest updates to SAP S/4HANA deliver significant improvements in asset accounting, financial close and corporate accounting, providing more efficient financial management and more accurate reporting.

How can Mignow help with the transition to SAP S/4HANA? Mignow facilitates the transition through subscription software that keeps the system constantly updated. Using artificial intelligence, Mignow reduces errors and execution times, ensuring that systems are always aligned with market innovations.

What are the implications of not migrating to SAP S/4HANA by 2027? Failure to migrate to SAP S/4HANA by 2027 could result in the loss of Enterprise Support, additional costs to maintain an obsolete system, and a lower competitive position in the market.

What is the recommendation for updating SAP systems according to Mignow? Mignow recommends that SAP systems be updated every six years, regardless of the version used, to ensure that the organization benefits from the latest innovations and remains competitive.

How can SAP S/4HANA's new asset accounting capabilities benefit my company? New asset accounting capabilities in SAP S/4HANA improve processes such as depreciation lists, asset retirement records and account reconciliation, providing more accurate and efficient financial management.

Conclusion

The impactful updates announced by SAP for SAP S/4HANA are an important milestone in the ongoing evolution of business management. With substantial improvements in key areas such as finance and human resources, these upgrades not only increase operational efficiency but also fuel innovation. The transition to SAP S/4HANA is, therefore, an essential strategy for any organization that wants to remain competitive and aligned with best market practices. Mignow, with its expertise in migrating and updating SAP systems, is a crucial ally in this process, ensuring that companies can successfully navigate this digital transformation.

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