Connecting SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central with SAP Human Capital Management for SAP S/4HANA

[frankbareis]

As the end of mainstream maintenance for SAP Business Suite including SAP ERP HCM in 2027 comes nearer, SAP is offering a solution for customers that are not yet ready to bring all their HR processes to the cloud with SAP SuccessFactors solutions.

With the move to SAP Human Capital Management for SAP S/4HANA (SAP HCM for SAP S/4HANA), customers can benefit from a maintenance window until 2040. While SAP SuccessFactors solutions remain the strategic focus of SAP's HR portfolio, customers can rely on a long-term support to ensure hybrid processes still work. In addition, the solution will make use of the SAP HANA database and a higher level of the underlying SAP NetWeaver basis. More details about SAP HCM for SAP S/4HANA can be found here in the blog from Ralf Wagner.

Many of our customers today run a hybrid HR solution environment. They use SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central for core HR in combination with SAP ERP HCM for payroll or time management processes. SAP provides a pre-packaged integration between these solutions, based on an SAP ERP add-on named 'PA_SE_IN'. If an SAP ERP HCM customer decides to upgrade to the new SAP HCM for SAP S/4HANA solution they will get a new version of the add-on, now named 'ECS4HCM'. Again, this will enable a smooth integration in a hybrid setup. In addition, it will prepare customers well for a long support period and make use of the new technologies mentioned above.

PA_SE_IN evolved a lot over the past years, and we still support the early technologies with that add-on. For the benefit of our customers, the new add-on will not only make use of SAP HANA technology as a result of moving from SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA, but we also make the new add-on simpler to implement and simpler to run.

The new add-on will be available together with the first release of SAP HCM for SAP S/4HANA in Q4 of 2022. To allow the move from PA_SE_IN to ECS4HCM, both add-ons will be offered in parallel for the yearly releases of SAP HCM for SAP S/4HANA up until the 2023 version, and during the mainstream maintenance periods of these 2 releases. Based on that, customers can use any of the SAP HCM for SAP S/4HANA releases of years 2022 to 2023 to move from PA_SE_IN to ECS4HCM.

Release 2022 of SAP S/4HANA is planned to be supported for 5 years, i.e., mainstream maintenance until 2027. With release 2023, SAP S/4HANA will change to a 2-year release cycle, and to 7 years of mainstream maintenance. With that, SAP S/4HANA 2023 is planned to be supported until 2030. For the add-ons that means that PA_SE_IN can be used with SAP S/4HANA 2023 until 2030. As soon as customers switch to a higher release of SAP S/4HANA, e.g., release 2025, then only the new add-on ECS4HCM can be used.

The transition to the new add-on will be described in a guide. Customers already using the business integration builder feature of PA_SE_IN will have a low effort to move to the new add-on.

We will provide more information and details here in the SAP SuccessFactors Customer Community over the coming weeks by updating this blog. Make sure to check back every once in a while, to stay up to date.

 

As the Release 2H 2022 is coming closer, we are about to publish release information in the What's New area of SAP's help portal. Here's the link to more details about the new add on. Official publication is planned for October 21st, so please check on or after that date.

And, there is note 3250816 available with more details on the maintenance of the PA_SE_IN add on.

 

Linking the Upgrade Guide directly here, not only via the comments below:

https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_SUCCESSFACTORS_EC_S4_HCM_INTEGRATION/8a55054806d84df69ece2ccb69c11c18/...

[siddharthrajora]

Thank you for this information.

Looking forward for this integration add on with H4S4 (S4HANA 2022)

[pboulicaut]

What is the added value for SuccessFactors customers to integrate SAP HCM for S/4 Hana when payroll & time management is done in third party applications?

[frankbareis]

Dear Philippe,

I always recommend customers to look for process improvements and to look for reduction of pain points with current integrations. The answer to the question depends on that. If the integration with 3rd parties has potential for process improvement or if it has pain points to be addressed, then a new solution like SAP HCM for S/4HANA comes into play, but there should also be evaluations regarding using SAP Employee Central Time Management and Payroll solutions.

 

Best regards,

Frank

[brandontoombseic]

Frank-

Thanks for writing the blog!

I'm excited to hear about the new add-on. I think that BIB has been a solid product, but I'm willing to venture that the new approach will be even better.  When/where can I get more detail on what is coming?  I'm really interested in hearing how the new add-on is simpler to implement and run.

Let me see if I can summarize my understanding of the dates above:

1. On SAP ECC HCM, you are supported until 2027 or 2030 with extended maintenance and will use PA_SE_IN.


2. When you move to S4/HANA, starting in Q4 of 2022 you upgrade to the new ECS4HCM or can continue to use PA_SE_IN through S/4 2025. When you upgrade to S/4 2026, which you have to do by 2031, you will be forced to move off of PA_SE_IN to ECS4HCM.

Is that correct?

Thanks,

Brandon

[frankbareis]

Hi Brandon,

thanks for your interest in this topic and in the blog. More details will be linked from here, as they become available. Please check the What's New Viewer documentation for the SAP SuccessFactors release 2211 around the release date of the Preview environment.

Today I adjusted the blog text a bit, as there is a new release schedule for SAP S/4HANA announced.

Regarding your bullet 1, that is correct. For SAP ECC HCM, the new Add-on ECS4HCM is not available, and the existing add-on can be used with extended maintenance until 2030.

Regarding the bullet 2, your summary has to be adjusted based on the new SAP S/4HANA release schedule. SAP's aim is to allow customers a smooth transition from PA_SE_IN to ECS4HCM. Customers can first decide on when to move to SAP S/4HANA, and second when to move to the new add-on. To support that flexibility, we selected the 2 releases of 2022 and 2023, where both add-ons are available, and based on release 2023 customers may use the mainstream maintenence period until 2030 (release 2022 mainstream maintenance until 2027) for the move of the add-on.

Please let me know if I can further clarify.

Best regards,

Frank

[brandontoombseic]

Thanks Frank! Really looking forward to hearing more details. I am hoping there are advances in synchronizing configuration such as Bank and Pay Scales.

Is this correct?

1. On SAP ECC HCM, you are supported until 2027 or 2030 with extended maintenance and will use PA_SE_IN.


2. When you move to S4/HANA, starting in Q4 of 2022 you can upgrade to the new ECS4HCM or can continue to use PA_SE_IN. When you upgrade to S/4 2025, which you have to do by 2031, you will need to move off of PA_SE_IN to ECS4HCM.

[frankbareis]

Thanks Brandon, and your summary with the 2 bullets is correct.

[brandontoombseic]

Frank-

 

Since we are actually in Q4 2022 already, can you be more specific on when this rollout would happen? There are only 11 weeks left in 2022, and I'm assuming you won't be dropping this during the holidays so it would sometime in the next 9 weeks.

Thanks,

Brandon

[frankbareis]

Hi Brandon,

 

I just added 2 more paragraphs to the blog with links to further information. Hope this answers your question.

 

Thanks, Frank

[brandontoombseic]

Thanks for closing the loop in this Frank!  Unfortunately, the link to the new documentation did not work. Is it just not active yet?

[brandontoombseic]

The documentation is live though.  You can get to it through the release notes. Looking forward to reviewing!

 

https://help.sap.com/docs/PRODUCTS/8e0d540f96474717bbf18df51e54e522/a1a3274929a54261be6bf48a3b83b2b4...

[frankbareis]

Hi Brandon,

can you please check again? I cannot test it from here, but I got informed that it would be released around the 21st.

Thanks, Frank

[frankbareis]

Indeed there was a problem with the link, so now it's corrected.

[brandontoombseic]

Frank-

 

Having read the linked documentation, my takeaway is that the S4 is enforcing use BIB and with CPI as the only integration method, which is definitely the right direction. Streamlining means there is less complexity to suppport going forward.

Are those the main differentiators for now, with more enhancements coming to the S4 Add-On in the future?

[Frank_Haschick]

Good question. I actually thought, the new way for SAP would be the Point-to-Point integration. If you want to integrate SF Time Management to SAP onPremise, the newest offering from SAP is to use the Point-to-Point integration without CPI.

Frank: Any clarification, why SAP is developing in two directions for the SF-HCM-Integration?

[kmohan1]

Hi Frank,

Thanks for the Post and detailed overview. I would like to put my query and issue I am facing before you, where you can provide me some insight. Earlier we are using PA_SE_IN and now We migrated to ECS4HCM.

When we are using and we were able to replicate or migrate data using BIB through PA_SE_IN. And Later, we want to use the latest options on the same. So, we migrated to ECS4HCM.

After check all the configuration and making necessary modifications: Below are the issue I am facing: there is are new behaviors we are encountering

When I am trying to replicate using the Program: ECPAO_EE_ORG_REPL_QUERY: We miss the option of Enable Extended Verbose Logging(For Employee Master Data) in the newer version

System show successfully run and there is no error in CPI or SLG1

I am not able to see the replication happened as before.

When I check in SuccessFactors under : DATA Replication Monitor Screen -

Replication status shows Awaiting Processing.

1. RH_SFIOM_PROC_EE_ORG_ASS_RPRQ - This function is disabled in Add-On version


2. ECPAO_EE_ORG_RESET_QRY_ADM is been disabled in Add On version Message


3. RH_SFIOM_VIEW_EE_ORG_ASS_RPRQ is been disabled in Add-On Version message

We are not having clear message help link. Could provide some transactional level changes are done.

Looking forward to hear from you

Regards,

Krishna Mohan V

[frankbareis]

Hi Frank,

there is no general focus on point to point integrations. Integrations based on CPI are widely used by our customers. Employee, Org Assignment and Org Data integrations work very well on CPI. With the new Time Management integration we are reusing the Time Integration with Employee Central Payroll, and that is a point to point integration. Both CPI and P2P can coexist.

Best regards,

Frank

[frankbareis]

Hi Krishan,

looking at your questions I think that the answers are already available in the ECS4HCM Upgrade Guide: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_SUCCESSFACTORS_EC_S4_HCM_INTEGRATION/8a55054806d84df69ece2ccb69c11c18/...

May I ask to check there first? As questions remain open, I'm happy to help with them afterwards.

Thanks and best regards,

Frank

[brian_gouriou2]

Hello,

Thanks for this information.

One question:

Does the new customizing will be time dependent?

It could be very helpfull in order to make evolutions to customizing (for example, stop replicating a field without triggering retrocalculation).

Thanks,

Best Regards,

Brian

[frankbareis]

Hello Brian,

 

there are no plans for that.

 

Best regards,

Frank

[brian_gouriou2]

Ok, thanks for your answer.

Maybe this functionality could be interesting for long-term support of hybrid HR solution.

Best Regards,

Brian