Employee Central Integration with EHP8 vs. HCM for S4HANA

[andreasmarte]

Hello all,

we're currently discussing the it-hr architecture regarding HCM on premise and SF-EC (hybrid core approach with master data in SF and local HCM payroll/time with EHP8).

End of last year there was HCM for S4HANA announced. We're thinking about SF/EC and what would be our best way of the migration steps in the next years.

On the SAP slides there was mentioned that an advantage from HCM for S4HANA is the integration with SF/EC. There was added that there is "prepackaged content for SF" available.

What's the advantage of the integration of SF/EC with HCM for S4HANA against integrating EHP8 with SF/EC first and after that migrating from EHP8 to HCM for S4HANA in the second step?

Isn't there any "prepackaged content" available for integrating EHP8 to SF/EC?

Thanks and best regards
Andreas

[AndyAntol]

You have to bear in mind that the maintenance for SAP ECC 6.0 (ERP HCM EHP8) ends in 2027:

Maintenance Timelines for SAP ERP 6.0 | SAP Blogs

H4S4 (HCM for SAP S/4H) is expected to be supported until 2040 (at least).

[brittacarols]

The integration of SF/EC with HCM for S4HANA offers several advantages compared to integrating EHP8 with SF/EC first and then migrating to HCM for S4HANA in a second step. Here are some key points to consider:

1. Seamless Integration: HCM for S4HANA is designed to work seamlessly with SF/EC, providing a smoother integration experience. The prepackaged content for SF/EC in HCM for S4HANA means that the integration components and configurations are already built-in and tested, reducing the effort required for integration.
2. Enhanced Functionality: HCM for S4HANA offers enhanced functionality and features that are specifically designed to work in conjunction with SF/EC. These features may not be available or may require additional customization when integrating EHP8 with SF/EC.
3. Simplified Data Model: HCM for S4HANA uses a simplified data model, which aligns well with the data model used in SF/EC. This simplification facilitates data exchange and synchronization between the two systems, leading to more efficient and accurate data integration.
4. Future-proofing: By adopting HCM for S4HANA and integrating it with SF/EC, you are aligning your HR architecture with SAP's long-term roadmap. SAP is investing heavily in developing and enhancing HCM for S4HANA, ensuring that you can take advantage of future innovations and updates.

[DaSch]

With the 2H 2022 release of SAP SuccessFactors, we provided a new add-on for integration of SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central with SAP S/4HANA. See here for more information: New Add-On for SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Integration with SAP Human Capital Management for...

[suresh_datti]

the new staging area is a promising addition..thanks..

[AndyAntol]

You have to bear in mind that the maintenance for SAP ECC 6.0 (ERP HCM EHP8) ends in 2027:

Maintenance Timelines for SAP ERP 6.0 | SAP Blogs

H4S4 (HCM for SAP S/4H) is expected to be supported until 2040 (at least).

[nlgro023]

Did you lot have a unicode conversion yet (as that's kind of needed to ensure this will all work)?
I think the choice of words for "EHP8" is a bit of a confusing as I personally just see that as an upgrade for the SAP ECC system / R3 / (for some even just SAP HCM), which for me still means we talk about that same system and not something different.

Long story short, the biggest difference in such a staggered approach is that you are also setting up the intergration kind of stuff twice and therefore also get yourself an extra round of testing. Things are similar, but there will always be differences in the setup.

That's why even in the name they suggests its SAP ERP or S/4HANA: https://api.sap.com/package/ERPtoSAPSuccessFactorsEmployeeCentralConfirmationv2/overview
(there are actually quite a few integrations for this, meaning also for org structure replication, cost center replication, time data etc.).