The transition net is a simple yet powerful method to choose the right transition strategy for SAP S/4HANA transition.
It involves five questions whose answers are scored between 1 and 3 and plotted in a spider map to determine the best fit of the three transition approaches:
This figure shows the transition net chart with these five questions and how their answers are plotted.
The table below provides a guide for assigning scores for each of the five questions in the transition net.
| Transition Net Question | Score | Transition Solution Approach |
| What is the desired level of process engineering? | 1 | Only the mandatory simplification items needed in SAP S/4HANA |
| 2 | Selective process redesign, for example, setup of parallel ledgers, organizational structure harmonization, and so on | |
| 3 | Redesign of many key processes across all business areas required | |
| What is the level of historical data required in the SAP S/4HANA system? | 1 | Lift and shift of entire historical data |
| 2 | Selective history sliced by organizational units, time, and so on | |
| 3 | No historical transactions, only master data and open items | |
| What is the ratio of the number of source systems to the number of target systems? | 1 | 1:1 (1 source and 1 target system) |
| 2 | 1:n split (1 source system to be split into multiple targets based on business functions of organizational units) or n:1 merge (more than one source SAP ERP system to be consolidated to SAP S/4HANA) | |
| 3 | m:n (multiple SAP and non-SAP systems in scope in both the source and target sides) | |
| What is the cloud adoption strategy for SAP S/4HANA? | 1 | On-premise SAP S/4HANA or SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition on RISE with SAP |
| 2 | Hybrid approach involving on-premise, private cloud, and public cloud scenarios | |
| 3 | SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition | |
| What is the rollout approach for the project? | 1 | Big bang: single phase go-live |
| 2 | Mini-bang: rollout by countries or organizational units | |
| 3 | Phased approach: rollout phased by applications |
Once the individual scores for each of the transition net questions are decided, they are plotted in the spider map. If the scores for all five questions are 1, then it’s a clear indication that brownfield (or system conversion) should be the transition approach. If the scores for the majority of questions are 3, then the greenfield (new implementation) is the preferred transition approach. Every other scenario is a fit for the selective data transition approach.
The figure below is a real example of how an organization assigned scores to the transition net questions to decide on the right transition approach. Based on the transition net plot, selective data transition is the best approach for this case.
To summarize: Five questions, each scored between 1 and 3, give you a defensible starting point for an SAP S/4HANA project decision that often turns into months of debate. Score everything as a 1 and you're looking at a system conversion; score mostly 3s and a new implementation fits better. Anything in between points to selective data transition. Run this exercise early, while there's still room to discuss process redesign and data retention before the budget and timeline lock in.
Editor’s note: This post has been adapted from a section of the book Selective Data Transition to SAP S/4HANA by Ildar Akhmerov, Stefano Castiglioni, and Avinash Janakiraman. Ildar is an SAP S/4HANA transition architect with more than two decades of hands-on SAP experience and over a decade dedicated to architecting, executing, and safeguarding transition projects to SAP S/4HANA. Stefano is the consulting director in SAP’s Data Management and Landscape Transformation (DMLT) organization. Avinash is a technology leader and recognized expert in SAP data transformation, with more than 22 years of experience helping organizations navigate complex SAP landscapes.
This post was originally published 9/2026.