EHP 4 - current patchlevel higher than equivalence level

Dear All,

in our SAP ERP 6.00 system we plan to implement EHP 4 - let's assume SPS 4 - and from the documentation we know that therefore the equivalence level is SPS 16.

In a first workshop with external consultatns we have been told that we will face problems when certain software components are already patched higher than to the equivalence level.

This is really confusing me because especially in the HCM area (SAP-HR, EA-HR) I think we cannot stop at the level of SPS 16 because there are legal changes that need to be installed before the EHP project.

The equivalent stack SPS 16 contains the SAP-HR component in patchlevel 45 but for the year end legal changes we definitely need to patch the SAP-HR components up to level 50 or 51.

Isn't it so that after the EHP 4 upgrade we simply have to import the additional patches of SAP-HR 604 on top of the level that is included in the EHP and ERP queue of the EHP project to be on the same actual status than we had it before the EHP upgrade?

I cannot imagine that we really have to stop the maintenance of our system until we realize the EHP upgrade just to not patch any component higher than the equivalence level......but this is what the consultant has told us.

Thanks a lot in advance for your really appreciated feedback!

Günter