Navigating Your S/4HANA Migration with Basware: Key Considerations

SAP’s transition from ECC6 to S/4HANA is more than just an IT upgrade, it’s a fundamental shift in how finance and procurement systems operate. With support for ECC6 ending in 2027, organizations are under pressure to migrate while ensuring business continuity, compliance, and efficiency. Read below our advice on how to manage this migration.

S/4HANA introduces new integration frameworks and data structures, requiring a careful evaluation of how your invoice automation and procurement processes interact with Basware. Since you already use Basware for these functions, you’re in a strong position to minimize disruption, but key considerations remain.

As S/4HANA alters the way invoices are processed within SAP, thoughtfully externalizing AP with Basware can help your organization avoid disruptions and minimize risks. However, it's essential to plan ahead.

Considerations to Avoid Issues in Your Basware-Integrated Processes

Your Basware integrations with SAP ECC6 or other legacy SAP versions  have been optimized over time. When moving to S/4HANA, especially the public cloud version, certain technical updates may be required. 

Integration Adjustments

S/4HANA introduces new APIs and OData, as well as table structures, which may impact MVD, invoice, and purchase order data exchange. Review:

• Which interfaces need to be updated or reconfigured?
• Are there new SAP APIs that Basware can leverage?
• What is the preferred approach given your timeline?

E-Invoicing and Compliance Updates

Many S/4HANA migrations coincide with the rollout of new e-invoicing mandates in various countries. Ensure that your Basware compliance configurations align with these changes and that your SAP system is prepared to:

• Handle real-time tax reporting and invoice validation where required
• Maintain audit trails between SAP and Basware for compliance visibility
• Adapt to government-mandated invoicing platforms, such as France’s e-invoicing model in 2026

Master Data Alignment

SAP’s master data structures change with S/4HANA, which may affect your invoice processing and purchase order matching within Basware. Consider:

• Have vendor and GL account structures changed?
• Are PO and cost center hierarchies aligned between SAP and Basware?
• Is invoice coding still mapped correctly?

By addressing these areas early, you can ensure Basware continues to operate seamlessly post-migration.

Challenges in SAP-Managed Invoice Processes

For areas of your business that still process invoices directly within SAP, the migration to S/4HANA presents additional challenges.

Cost and Complexity of In-House Automation

SAP S/4HANA offers new machine learning capabilities for AP automation, but implementing these natively within SAP requires:

• Extensive configuration and custom development
• High maintenance costs for workflows and exception handling
• Limited supplier flexibility compared to external invoice networks

Reevaluating Compliance Strategies

If parts of your organization rely on SAP’s native compliance tools, the migration may require additional investment in:

• Custom scripting or third-party tax compliance add-ons
• E-invoicing configurations for government portals
• Maintaining regional compliance for multi-country operations

Supplier Adoption and Onboarding

SAP invoice portals such as SAP Ariba often struggle with low supplier adoption rates, leading to continued manual invoice handling post-migration. Ensuring that all suppliers can submit invoices seamlessly, without requiring portal logins, remains a challenge.

Key Steps to a Smooth S/4HANA Transition

Since your organization already works with Basware, you have a head start. To ensure a seamless transition, consider the following steps:

1. Assess your current Basware-SAP integrations and identify which interfaces need updating.
2. Validate compliance readiness to ensure e-invoicing mandates and tax reporting align across SAP and Basware.
3. Review master data to ensure supplier, PO, and GL structures remain consistent post-migration.
4. Evaluate non-Basware invoice processes to identify risks and inefficiencies in areas still processing invoices within SAP.
5. Test early and often by running parallel testing with both ECC6 and S/4HANA to catch issues before go-live.

Final Thoughts

Your S/4HANA transition is an opportunity to refine processes, improve compliance, and enhance automation. By proactively addressing integration updates, compliance changes, and SAP-internal invoice processing challenges, you can ensure a smooth and efficient transition.

If you have questions about your Basware setup during migration, reach out to your Basware Customer Success Manager (CSM) to discuss next steps.