SAP ECC to S/4HANA Interview Secrets Every Professional Should Know
Posted on January 2, 2026 by Laeeq Siddique
Ultimately, 2027 isn’t just another deadline it’s where the rubber meets the road for SAP ECC customers.
The soup to nuts troubleshooting book – as SAP moves towards the end of mainstream support for ECC, migrating from ECC to date 2027 has emerged as a burning question for enterprises, IT decision makers and SAP professionals across geographies. A long-term roadmap item seems like an urgent business decision that is very closely tied to cost, security, compliance and ongoing innovation.
Older organizations who wait will face higher support costs, business disruption, and will be unable to take advantage of the modern capabilities that SAP has to offer. Meanwhile in the background, SAP experts are being grilled in interviews to what extent they know about acing and handling ECC migration challenges 2027 across enterprise landscapes.
This blog will get you to understand the key SAP ECC migration challenges in 2027, how organizations and individuals can prepare themselves for successful migration to SAP S/4HANA without bearing unnecessary risks.
What is SAP ECC and why the deadline of 2027 is important?
SAP ECC (ERP Central Component) has served as the primary system of record for your business for years, managing your finance, supply chain, manufacturing, sales and HR processes. But SAP’s strategy has moved completely toward SAP S/4HANA.
2027 is a significant deadline, as that is when SAP will stop mainstream maintenance for ECC. Greater support, however, is often available at a substantial expense and without the pace of innovation.
That makes ECC migration challenges 2027 a business problem, not an IT one. Any company which still uses ECC after this date will incur more and more technical debt, operate with a lack of system reliability and be open to increased security vulnerabilities.
Why ECC Migration Challenges in 2027 Are NOT the Same as in Previous Years
Previous migration conversations, however, were largely hypothetical. In 2027, the picture looks much different.
- First, SAP’s innovation is almost purely S/4HANA-based now. Automation, analytics, AI and cloud integration are not being backported to ECC.
- Second, the ecosystem is changing. ECC consultants that are smart are retiring/moving over to S/4HANA and there is a gap in the supply. Yet there’s a growing need for migration specialists.
- Finally, business expectations are higher. Companies need more than a technical conversion; they need something that shows discernible business and customer value.
This union makes the task of ECC migration obstacles 2027 harder and more pressing than ever.
The Cost Of Waiting Past 2027 To Migrate From SAP ECC
Not moving to ECC now is a decision as well. Direct and indirect results of it are caused.
- In terms of money, the cost of running costs soars. These are not costs that deliver new value; these just keep the existing lights on in old systems.
- From a risk standpoint, security vulnerabilities are more difficult to contain, compliance-related patches fall further behind, and systems become more prone to outages.
- Strategically, companies lose the ability to innovate at speed. S/4HANA users enjoy a competitive edge with its real-time analytics, faster processes and enhanced compatibility with newer platforms.
This is why we cannot afford to sit back and wait until 2027 for any ECC migration challenge to show up.
ECC Migration Challenges – Top 2027 Enterprises Must Consider
Complexity of custom code in ECC to S/4HANAMIGRATION
Most ECC instances have years of custom built development. These are, very often, custom objects (Z programs, user exits and enhancements, custom tables) developed to enable the business process.
This S/4HANA, much of these customizations are either outdated or not compatible. The database changes, simpler schemas and even more stringent performance expectations demand close code examination and housekeeping.
Transmission of custom ABAP is one of ECC migration challenges 2027 and it mainly decides on the success or failure if we go for complete project.
Data Sets and Information Size, Quality and Age Decisions
ECC systems generally contain tens of years of transactional and master data. If you do it all without thinking about it, you may be facing performance draining and unwarranted complexity.
Enterprises must decide:
- What are the operational or legal requirements for historical data
- What can be archived
- What data quality considerations are necessary prior to migration?
Bad data decisions exacerbate the ECC migration headaches 2027 and elongate project timescales and costs.
Functional Changes in S/4HANA and BPR
There are substantial functional changes throughout the modules in S/4HANA.
- Finance is going to the Universal Journal
- MRP is overhauled
- Credit management moves into FSCM
- Logistics processes are streamlined
It is more than system change is needed for these adjustments. They require business process alignment, user training and organizational change management.
This function difference is often ignored and ends up causing failed (or late) migration.
Integration and Interface Considerations in the Transition from ECC to S/4HANA
ECC landscapes are laser-coupled with external systems, legacy applications and middlewares.
During migration:
- Existing interfaces may break
- IDocs may require redesign
- Processing systems of SAP PI/PO usually require modernization
Handling integrations is also one of the most underestimated ECC migration challenges 2027, but they are particularly influential when it comes to business continuity.
More Skill Gaps and Resource Constraints in 2027
The SAP skills market is changing fast. ECC skills are decreasing and the demand for S/4HANA is increasing.
Organizations face:
- Shortage of experienced migration consultants
- Higher costs for skilled resources
- In-house teams who do not have experience implementing S/4HANA themselves
Thus, strategic planning and partner choice are crucial to successfully address the phenomenon of ECC migration 2027.
Let us make it clear the ECC to S/4HANA Migration In 2027
Brownfield Conversion: When Speed Matters
A brownfield conversion is the term for the upgrade of an existing ECC system to S/4HANA with current configurations and processes.
- This method is quicker and less disruptive, but may perpetuate technical debt.
- It’s for those organizations that require speed and stability.
Greenfield Applications: Clean Core Concerns
If you want to have a clean core, that is.
Greenfield migration adds a new S/4HANA instance from scratch.
- Provides optimization of the process, clean architecture and alignment with SAP best practices
- More work: More time, and staff; more change management
Landscape Transformation for Large Enterprises
Large organizations with more than one ECC system typically opt for landscape transformation.
- Brings together systems
- Standardizes processes
- Provides a single S/4HANA landscape
It’s cumbersome but provides strategic value in the long run.
Tools for Mitigation of ECC Migration 2027
| Tool | Purpose |
| SAP Readiness Check | System compatibility analysis |
| Simplification Item Catalog | Functional impact review |
| Custom Code Migration Cockpit | ABAP remediation |
| SPAM / SUM | Technical conversion |
| SAP Test Automation | Regression testing |
ECC Migration Hurdles 2027: Personnel Issues for Companies To Ponder
SAP consultants are now tested more for their migration hands-on skills.
Common interview questions include:
- Why is ECC migration critical now?
- How do you handle custom code when migrating?
- What are the risks of postponing migration?
- What is your recommendation for the migration over to Confluence and why?
Obvious, practical solutions are proof that understanding of ECC migration task 2027 has been achieved.
How Cremencing Solutions Eases Transition Migrations for Organizations to ECC 2027
Cremencing Solutions: We cater to SAP Custom Development and enterprise-level migration assistance.
Our approach focuses on:
- Custom development in ABAP and RAP following the S/4HANA standard
- Migratable extensions that retain business logic
- Post-migration optimization and performance tuning
- Critical condition and SAP support as well as staff augmentation
We enable companies to transform their SAP landscapes without disrupting core business processes.
Recent Trends Impacting ECC Migration Plans in 2027
The reasons for which migrations happen are influenced by a number of trends:
- A better run: The more popular RISE with SAP becomes
- Increasing adoption of SAP BTP for extensions
- Heavy emphasis on “clean core“ principle
- Automated testing and data validation
Knowing these trends can help enterprises future-proof their migration strategy.
Summary: Why You Can’t Wait To Address ECC Migration Challenges 2027
ECC migration challenges 2027 is the one of the biggest transformation points in the SAP ecosystem. Later action adds cost, risk and complexity while early planning allows for optimisation, innovation and advantage.
As SAP guys we need to have a solution or knowledge on how to tackle these for career growth and your interview.
Addressing them proactively is the key to a secure, scalable and future-oriented SAP landscape for corporations.
Working with experienced SAP experts such as Cremencing Solutions can mean the difference between a dangerous migration and a successful transformation.
FAQs: ECC Migration Challenges 2027
The biggest hurdles for ECC migration in 2027 are?
- Termination of mainstream support for SAP ECC
- Increasing cost of extended maintenance
- Adaptation difficulties around complex custom codes
- Massive data volumes and integration with non-SAP systems
- Access to competent SAP S/4HANA resources
What makes 2027 an important deadline for SAP ECC customers?
- Operational and financial exposure after 2027
- Extended support costs a fortune
- Security patches are scarce and innovation dries up
What are the dangers of putting off your SAP ECC migration after 2027?
- Drives up support costs
- Exposes systems to security risks
- Inhibits compliance with legal responsibilities
- Causes instability and poor competitive stance
SAP ECC will be totally obsolete by 2027?
- Not immediately turned off
- Mainstream maintenance lapses, extended maintenance limited and expensive
- Adds long-term business and technical risks
Why is S/4HANA transition complex for ECC?
- Custom code fixes, data clean-up, functionality redeployment
- Process redesign for business processes
- Maintaining system stability during and after migration
Which type of migration is most appropriate in addressing issues around migrating ECC to 2027?
- Brownfield: quickest
- Greenfield: allows process reengineering
- Landscape transformations: for larger companies with many systems
External Links:
- SAP ECC to S/4HANA Migration Guide
- SAP Readiness Check 2.0
- SAP Simplification Item Catalog
- SAP ECC Support and Maintenance Schedule