Mitigating Data Integrity and Cutover Risks in SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA Transformations Using Hybrid Brownfield–Selective Data Transition Architecture

Abstract

The transition from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA represents a fundamental architectural shift in enterprise resource planning, particularly due to the consolidation of financial and controlling data into the Universal Journal (ACDOCA). While this transformation enables real-time analytics and simplified data models, it introduces substantial risks in data integrity, financial reconciliation, and cutover execution. This paper presents a detailed analysis of these risks, focusing specifically on hybrid Brownfield–Selective Data Transition (HBSDT) strategies, and proposes a rigorously structured mitigation framework. The framework integrates reconciliation algorithms, staged data migration pipelines, and near zero-downtime cutover orchestration. Through technical decomposition of data models, migration sequences, and validation layers, the study demonstrates how enterprises can minimize discrepancies, maintain financial consistency, and achieve controlled system transitions in large-scale SAP environments.

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