SAP Maintenance: The Myths and The Options

SAP Maintenance: The Myths and The Options

All the talk in the SAP ECC6 world is about the 2027 date. The “end of support” for ECC6. But is it really the end of support? What exactly does “end of support” really mean?

Firstly, let’s dispel some myths.

Myth 1

After 31.12.2027, your SAP ECC6 system will no longer be supported by SAP.

This is untrue. 31st December 2027 represents the end of mainstream maintenance, after which you automatically enter what is known as “customer specific maintenance”. More on this shortly.

Myth 2

After 31.12.2027, you will stop paying maintenance fees to SAP.

Again, untrue (sorry). In fact, you might pay more. Again, more later.

Myth 3

All ECC6 versions end their support at the end of 2027.

Sorry, not true again. The picture is actually worse that this. If your ECC6 system is on enhancement pack 5 or lower, then mainstream maintenance ends at the end of 2025. “How do I find out my enhancement pack version?” I hear you cry! That’s pretty simple. In your SAPGUI, open System>Status as below.

Now click on the magnifying glass:

Scroll down until you see “SAP_APPL”. Your enhancement pack and service pack can be seen by reading the last character of the release and then the field “SP-Level”:

In my example, this SAP system is on enhancement pack 7, service pack 21. As a result, this system is higher than enhancement pack 5 and therefore is in mainstream maintenance until the end of 2027.

However, this system example below, is on the initial enhancement pack (sometime also called enhancement pack 0) and therefore mainstream maintenance ends at the end of 2025 as it is below enhancement pack 6.

Myth 4

SAP S/4HANA systems are all supported until 2040.

The answer to this is “yes” and “no”. The S/4HANA overall technology is supported until 2040, but the application version you are on will not be. SAP S/4HANA versions have been released every year since 2015 and each version has offered five years of support. When version 2023 was released, SAP changed this approach to an application release every two years, with each version having seven years of support. So the support windows for S/4HANA now look as per the below table.

Myth 5

Extended maintenance is offered for all SAP versions.

SAP offers extended maintenance for two years, for an additional fee (normally an additional 2% on your existing maintenance fee) for versions coming to “end of life”. However, this cannot be relied upon for all versions, not even S/4HANA, and the three years is not always true either.

If we were to redraw the table above but with extended maintenance options (at additional cost) for each version of ECC6 and S/4HANA, it would look like the below.

*Another important point to note is that extended maintenance is only offered as an option to take up whilst the customer is still in mainstream maintenance and before expiry. The option to extend mainstream maintenance is NOT available after expiry. So, if you are on SAP S/4HANA versions 1709 or 1809, you are already out of mainstream maintenance and you have no option to extend. Version 1909 will end mainstream maintenance at the end of this year.

Customer Specific Maintenance

Okay, so now we have expelled some myths, let’s look into exactly what we mean by “end of mainstream maintenance”.

Once your system comes to an end of mainstream maintenance, it enters what is known as “customer specific maintenance”. This category of support will still cost you the same as mainstream maintenance but you will get limited support. Here are some of the features of customer specific maintenance:

– No extra fee, but support fees remain same
– No end date to support from SAP
– Continued capability to create SAP support notes as normal
– If system error is new and unknown, then SAP will charge a consulting fee
– No adaptations for new or changed external requirements are provided (e.g. regulatory issues such as Brexit or India GST or EU SAF-T)

What are the options when approaching the expiry of mainstream maintenance?

So, you’re on ECC6 EHP6-8, or SAP S/4HANA 1909 and you are rapidly approaching the end of mainstream maintenance for your system. What do you do? Essentially, you have three options:

1. Upgrade your application to a version which is still in mainstream maintenance – this is the safest, but probably the costliest option. There really are business benefits to upgrading to the latest and greatest version of SAP S/4HANA, but your business case will need to rely on tangible pros rather than just the stick of being out of support (take it from someone who has felt this pain!)

2. Pay an extra 2% to move to extended maintenance (if you are in S/4HANA 1909 or are using ECC6 above EHP5). If you are using SAP S/4HANA 1909, this only buys you one more year of mainstream maintenance, but that year could be critical in preparing your business for an upgrade. If you are on ECC6, enhancement packs 6, 7 or 8, then you get two more glorious years.

3. Automatically move to customer specific maintenance. This is the “do nothing” option and may well be a viable option for some customers. The recommendation here is to understand exactly what customer specific maintenance means for your business.

What are the side-by-side comparisons of the three options?

The table below will show you your capabilities for each option:

Whichever you decide – upgrade, extend, or do nothing, make sure you are prepared for what each option means. I recommend that you have this mature conversation with your business and finance partners and come to a logical decision based upon your respective business goals.

Good luck!

Jon Simmonds, IT Director, Architecture