{"id":33299,"date":"2026-04-09T12:06:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T10:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cloudmagazin.com\/2026\/04\/09\/s-4hana-migration-completed-what-now-why-data-decommissioning-is-the-forgotten-step\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T15:25:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T13:25:01","slug":"s-4hana-migration-completed-what-now-why-data-decommissioning-is-the-forgotten-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cloudmagazin.com\/en\/2026\/04\/09\/s-4hana-migration-completed-what-now-why-data-decommissioning-is-the-forgotten-step\/","title":{"rendered":"S\/4HANA Done? Don&#8217;t Forget Data Decommissioning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>S\/4HANA migration dominates the IT agenda. Yet while companies invest billions in new systems, the old ones often remain untouched. This costs money, creates compliance risks, and ties up resources needed elsewhere. Data decommissioning solves this problem-but is systematically overlooked in most migration projects.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<div style=\"background:#f8fbfd;border:1px solid rgba(11,183,253,0.28);border-radius:8px;padding:22px 26px;margin:16px 0 32px 0;\">\n<ul style=\"color:#1a2733\">\n<li>Nearly half of German-speaking SAP users plan to continue operating their ECC systems beyond 2027, despite the end of mainstream support (DSAG survey, February 2026).<\/li>\n<li>Legacy system maintenance typically consumes 15 percent of the IT budget-on systems no longer operationally required.<\/li>\n<li>There is virtually no independent editorial content on data decommissioning in the German-speaking region. The topic remains underreported, even as pressure to act intensifies.<\/li>\n<li>Modern data archiving solutions enable audit-proof access to legacy data via SaaS-without needing to keep source systems running.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>SAP ECC: Support Ends, Systems Remain<\/h2>\n<p>SAP has clearly communicated its timeline. Mainstream support for ECC releases EHP 0 through 5 already expired at the end of 2025. Releases EHP 6 through 8 will follow suit by the end of 2027. After that, only Extended Maintenance remains-available at a 9 percent premium over previous license costs.<\/p>\n<p>Reality diverges sharply from the roadmap. According to a DSAG survey conducted in February 2026, nearly half of German-speaking SAP users plan to continue operating their ECC systems beyond 2027. The reasons are understandable: S\/4HANA migrations take longer than planned, cost more than budgeted, and tie up the best talent on the team.<\/p>\n<div class=\"evm-stat evm-stat-highlight\" style=\"text-align:center;background:#004a59;padding:32px 24px;margin:32px 0\">\n<div style=\"font-size:48px;font-weight:700;color:#fff;letter-spacing:-0.03em\">~50 %<\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#fff;font-size:15px;margin-top:8px;max-width:400px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\">of DACH-region SAP users plan to keep running ECC beyond 2027<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size:12px;color:#0bb7fd;margin-top:8px\">DSAG Survey, The Register, February 2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>What\u2019s often overlooked: Even companies that successfully migrate to S\/4HANA frequently leave their legacy systems running. Operational use may be complete, but historical data must remain accessible. German commercial law (GoBD) mandates audit-proof access for up to ten years. GDPR deletion deadlines must still be met. And in M&amp;A transactions, warranty claims can require access to legacy data years later.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;padding:20px 24px;margin:32px 0;border-left:4px solid #0bb7fd\">\n<p style=\"font-size:12px;color:#888;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.05em;margin-bottom:8px\">Definition<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:1.05em;line-height:1.6;color:#333;margin:0\"><strong>Data Decommissioning<\/strong> refers to the structured process of deliberately shutting down post-production IT systems. Data stored within them is migrated to a separate archival system that preserves audit-compliant access-without requiring continued operation of the source system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>The Forgotten Step: What Happens After Go-Live<\/h2>\n<p>An S\/4HANA migration consists of two halves. The first half gets the attention, the budget, and the project teams: data migration, customization, testing, go-live. The second half is postponed: What happens to the legacy systems?<\/p>\n<p>In practice, this means ECC instances, Navision systems, AS\/400 applications, and mainframe apps remain running in the data center. They consume licenses, server resources, and administrative capacity. Patches must still be applied-even though no user actively works with them anymore. Expertise for these systems dwindles, while costs remain constant.<\/p>\n<div class=\"evm-stat evm-stat-row\" style=\"gap:16px;margin:32px 0\">\n<div style=\"flex:1;text-align:center;background:#004a59;padding:20px 12px;border-top:3px solid #0bb7fd\">\n<div style=\"font-size:28px;font-weight:700;color:#fff\">15 %<\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#fff;font-size:12px;margin-top:4px\">of IT budget spent on legacy maintenance<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"flex:1;text-align:center;background:#004a59;padding:20px 12px;border-top:3px solid #0bb7fd\">\n<div style=\"font-size:28px;font-weight:700;color:#fff\">10 Yrs<\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#fff;font-size:12px;margin-top:4px\">GoBD retention requirement (German commercial law)<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"flex:1;text-align:center;background:#004a59;padding:20px 12px;border-top:3px solid #0bb7fd\">\n<div style=\"font-size:28px;font-weight:700;color:#fff\">80 %<\/div>\n<div style=\"color:#fff;font-size:12px;margin-top:4px\">cost savings achievable through decommissioning<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>IT leaders know this problem well. But there\u2019s rarely a dedicated budget for \u201cshutting down legacy systems.\u201d Decommissioning never appears on roadmaps because it delivers no new features and doesn\u2019t fill out a business case slide. Yet the math is simple: Every euro not spent maintaining dead systems becomes available for innovation.<\/p>\n<h2>Three Typical Scenarios for Data Decommissioning<\/h2>\n<p>Data decommissioning addresses situations that IT departments in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) regularly encounter. Here are three real-world scenarios.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Scenario 1: Post-Migration.<\/strong> A company has completed its transformation to S\/4HANA while simultaneously consolidating multiple legacy systems. Operational data from the past two years has been migrated. However, historical data from ECC and Navision must remain accessible, as auditors, tax advisors, and internal compliance teams still require it. Instead of continuing to operate both legacy systems, the data is transferred to an archival system. The source systems are then decommissioned.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Scenario 2: M&amp;A Transaction.<\/strong> Company A sells a business unit to Company B. Operational data is migrated, but both parties must retain access to historical records-for warranty claims, legal obligations, and compliance with Germany\u2019s GoBD (principles for proper recordkeeping of digital documents). Creating a full system copy would be costly. A leaner alternative: a compliant archival tool that preserves data integrity while maintaining logical access.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Scenario 3: Data Center Shutdown.<\/strong> Servers must be removed from the data center by year-end. Business-critical historical data resides on an AS\/400 and a mainframe-data that cannot be deleted due to regulatory requirements. The applications running on them aren\u2019t cloud-compatible. Solution: export the data, store it in a cloud-based archival tool, and power down the legacy hardware.<\/p>\n<h2>How Modern Decommissioning Works<\/h2>\n<p>The approach has evolved significantly in recent years. Previously, the standard was SAP\u2019s native archiving via ILM or running read-only copies. Both methods have limitations: ILM is complex, requires ongoing SAP licenses, and covers only SAP data. Read-only copies still need patching and administrative upkeep.<\/p>\n<p>Modern historical data platforms-like Historia from SDD Group-take a different path. Data is exported from the source system and stored in a cloud-based data store. Access is provided through a web application that replicates the business logic of the retired system. Users see the data in its familiar structure-even though the original system no longer exists.<\/p>\n<p>Pricing is based on storage volume, not user count. Unlimited users, single sign-on, role-based access control. For IT departments, this means: no recurring license fees for legacy systems, zero administrative overhead, and no patch management for end-of-life software.<\/p>\n<p>A retention manager ensures GDPR-mandated deletion deadlines are met, automatically removing or anonymizing data once retention periods expire. In regulated industries like financial services and pharma, supervisory authorities actively audit compliance.<\/p>\n<h2>Why This Topic Belongs on Your Agenda Now<\/h2>\n<p>The convergence of expiring SAP support, rising cloud costs, and tightening compliance requirements is creating pressure that can\u2019t be ignored. Companies continuing to run ECC systems beyond 2027 in Extended Maintenance mode will pay 9 percent more-for a system that receives no new features.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, regulatory demands are intensifying. GoBD-compliant data retention, GDPR-mandated deletion obligations, and sector-specific rules like DORA in finance now make structured data archiving non-negotiable. \u201cJust keep it running\u201d is not a compliance strategy.<\/p>\n<p>For IT leaders and CIOs, decommissioning isn\u2019t glamorous. It doesn\u2019t deliver innovation, AI capabilities, or a prestige project for the next board presentation. But it frees up budget, reduces risk, and simplifies the IT landscape-precisely the priorities that will define success twelve months from now.<\/p>\n<div style=\"gap:16px;margin:32px 0\">\n<div style=\"flex:1;background:#fef3ee;padding:20px;border-top:3px solid #e8784a\">\n<p style=\"font-weight:700;color:#e8784a;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:0.95em\">Continuing to Operate Legacy Systems<\/p>\n<ul style=\"padding:0;margin:0;font-size:0.9em;line-height:1.7;color:#555\">\n<li>\u2717 Ongoing license fees with no productive use<\/li>\n<li>\u2717 Patch management for end-of-life software<\/li>\n<li>\u2717 Shrinking internal expertise<\/li>\n<li>\u2717 Security risks from unpatched systems<\/li>\n<li>\u2717 From 2028: +9% Extended Maintenance fee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"flex:1;background:#e8ede8;padding:20px;border-top:3px solid #354037\">\n<p style=\"font-weight:700;color:#354037;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:0.95em\">Decommissioning with Archiving<\/p>\n<ul style=\"padding:0;margin:0;font-size:0.9em;line-height:1.7;color:#555\">\n<li>\u2713 Up to 80% cost savings<\/li>\n<li>\u2713 Audit-proof access to all legacy data<\/li>\n<li>\u2713 No hardware or admin overhead<\/li>\n<li>\u2713 GDPR-compliant deletion, automated<\/li>\n<li>\u2713 CO\u2082 reduction from decommissioned servers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<details>\n<summary><strong>What is Data Decommissioning?<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p style=\"margin:8px 0 4px 24px;color:#555;line-height:1.6\">Data decommissioning refers to the structured process of shutting down legacy systems and migrating their data into a separate archival or historical storage system. The goal is to preserve access to historical data without needing to keep the source system operational.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary><strong>How long does a typical decommissioning project take?<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p style=\"margin:8px 0 4px 24px;color:#555;line-height:1.6\">Implementation time depends on the complexity of the source system and data volume. For standardized SAP environments, projects can be completed in a few weeks. More complex landscapes involving multiple legacy systems may require three to six months.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary><strong>What does it cost to simply keep legacy systems running?<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p style=\"margin:8px 0 4px 24px;color:#555;line-height:1.6\">Industry estimates suggest legacy system maintenance consumes around 15 percent of IT budgets. Additional indirect costs include administrative labor, security risks from unpatched systems, and opportunity costs tied up in maintaining outdated infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary><strong>Is Data Decommissioning only relevant for SAP systems?<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p style=\"margin:8px 0 4px 24px;color:#555;line-height:1.6\">No. Archiving solutions like Historia support not only SAP but also non-SAP systems such as Navision, AS\/400 applications, mainframe platforms, and other legacy databases. The approach is system-agnostic.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary><strong>Which compliance requirements does decommissioning address?<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p style=\"margin:8px 0 4px 24px;color:#555;line-height:1.6\">Germany\u2019s GoBD (Generally Accepted Principles of Proper Accounting) mandates audit-proof access to business-relevant data for up to ten years. The GDPR requires deletion of personal data once its processing purpose expires. Sector-specific regulations like DORA in finance further tighten these obligations. 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But those who migrate often forget about legacy systems. Data decommissioning solves this problem.","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":33294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-adv":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":0,"pre_headline":"","bildquelle":"","teasertext":"","language":"de","_evm_slot_owner":"","_evm_translation_lang":"","featured_post":0,"featured_post_sortierung":0,"_wp_old_slug":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[929],"tags":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-33299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cm-guides"],"evm_reading_time_minutes":8,"wpml_language":"en","wpml_translation_of":33291,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>S\/4HANA Migration Completed \u2013 What Now? 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