Unpacking SAP’s Clean Core Strategy: What Every Business Needs to Know

One of the most frequently discussed topics recently in the SAP ecosystem is the concept of a “clean core.”  But what does this term really mean?  For the past 30 plus years SAP has enabled customization of the ERP software code base using the proprietary ABAP programming language. Enhancements were first available via user-exits in core programs and later improved via Business Add-Ins (BadI’s) and later with the Enhancement Concept.

In hindsight, these options for custom development delivered the business benefits that companies needed to be competitive and deliver for their customers.  However, the customizations also led to a higher total cost of ownership as a result of performance impacts and remediations during upgrades, support packs and SAP Note implementations.

A clean core allows SAP to introduce future S/4HANA upgrades and enhancements for a larger customer base in a timely manner with lower cost to the customer.  SAP is replacing “in-core” ABAP customization with options including low-code/no-code, pro-code and Side-by-Side solutions in the SAP Business Technology Platform (commonly referred to as SAP BTP.)  Below we discuss four key benefits of the clean core approach.

Ease of upgrades

One of the most significant advantages of SAP’s clean core strategy is the ease of upgrading your system. By minimizing custom code and modifications, upgrades become seamless and less disruptive. This means your business can stay up-to-date with the latest SAP innovations without the hassle of extensive testing and adaptation.

Enhanced system performance and user experience

A clean core ensures that your system runs smoothly and efficiently. By reducing the complexity of customizations, you can achieve better system performance and responsiveness. This leads to faster transaction processing and improved user experience. SAP’s clean core strategy simplifies the user experience by providing a more intuitive and consistent interface.

Flexibility and scalability

Adopting SAP’s clean core strategy allows your business to be more agile and responsive to changing market demands. The clean core approach supports extensibility, enabling you to add new functionalities and integrate with other systems without compromising the integrity of your core ERP. This flexibility ensures that your system can grow and evolve with your business.

Cost efficiency

By reducing the need for extensive customizations and modifications, a clean core lowers the total cost of ownership (TCO). This includes savings on infrastructure, maintenance, and licensing costs. Additionally, the ease of upgrades and improved system performance contribute to long-term cost efficiency.

What does this mean to you and your business? 

The “clean core” approach doesn’t require a complete lift and shift of all your custom ABAP however addressing the issues of “in-core” customizations sooner rather than later is recommended.  Implementing extensions in key scenarios and incrementally moving toward the clean core while retiring older ABAP custom developments will ensure you are able to adapt to the latest SAP S/4HANA innovations more easily.  RISE with SAP customers can view their status within the SAP Clean Core Dashboard. This dashboard is located under the ‘Systems & Provisioning’ section of SAP for Me.

If your business runs SAP and needs to develop custom solutions, we can help through our Clean Core Architectural Review (CCAR) service.  As part of this service, we perform a thorough review and identify the top custom solutions that can be migrated from the core to a modern user experience leveraging technologies such as SAP UI5 Fiori application running on the SAP BTP.

Related Reading:

• RISE with SAP
• SAP’s “Clean Core” approach makes Application Management Services a success factor
• SAP Application Management Services