RISE with SAP Migration: A 10-Item Readiness Checklist Before the Project Begins

The decision to transform to RISE with SAP has been made. With the contract ready to sign and the budget being drawn up, a fundamental yet crucial question often surfaces: what preparation steps must be taken before the project begins?

Unlike most strategic guides, this article lays out 10 practical RISE with SAP migration readiness points that are ready to use in internal meetings, complete with the responsible owners and the supporting tools for each. While understanding the broader context of an ERP-to-cloud migration still matters, the focus here is on the technical preparation steps that ultimately determine whether your project succeeds.

In short, RISE with SAP is a Business Transformation as a Service offering that moves a company's ERP system onto SAP's cloud platform. Through a single subscription contract, you gain access to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), and the SAP Business Network, with SAP acting as both the infrastructure provider and the single point of accountability for the SLA.

What Is RISE with SAP Migration, and Why Does It Need Its Own Checklist?

RISE with SAP is not simply a matter of moving servers to the cloud. It is an integrated service (Business Transformation as a Service) that combines an ERP system (SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition), a development platform (SAP BTP), and the supply-chain network under one contract. With this approach, SAP takes full responsibility for the infrastructure and its services under a single SLA.

This migration changes an organization's operating model rather than merely shifting its technology, so it calls for preparation that differs from a traditional SAP installation. It is worth noting that the RISE package offering keeps evolving. Since mid-2025, SAP has simplified its structure into 'SAP Cloud ERP, private edition'. Some capabilities, such as AI and sustainability tools, are now available as separate add-ons. Be sure to refer to SAP's latest offering documents so that everything aligns with your current needs.

Why is this checklist so crucial? Most project failures occur even before the first line of code is written. Research from Gartner and McKinsey shows that the main problem in ERP projects is not technology but organizational culture and insufficiently mature change management. Structured preparation helps you anticipate these risks from the outset.

On top of that, there is a time constraint that adds urgency. Mainstream maintenance for SAP Business Suite 7 (SAP ERP 6.0) will end on December 31, 2027. Although extension options run until 2030 and a transition window until 2033, your preparation window remains limited. Understanding this deadline is essential for setting your project priorities.

What Needs to Be Prepared Before a RISE with SAP Migration?

Before starting a RISE with SAP migration, there are 10 crucial aspects whose readiness needs to be confirmed. These cover executive sponsor commitment, system mapping, data cleansing, custom code adjustment, and the use of the SAP Readiness Check tool. Beyond that, you need to understand the division of responsibilities, decide on the migration method, draw up a budget that accounts for dual operating costs, prepare change management, and choose the right partner and implementation timeline.

The table below summarizes all of these points as a practical reference for your team, complete with the responsible owners and the tools required.

The 10-Item RISE with SAP Migration Readiness Checklist

Here is a breakdown of each item in the RISE with SAP migration checklist. What sets this list apart from a generic checklist: each point is specific to the RISE context, naming its built-in tools, its owner, and the pitfalls that are so often missed.

• Executive sponsor and measurable business goals. A RISE with SAP migration is a business project, not an IT project. Without a C-level sponsor and clear KPIs, such as speeding up the monthly close or lowering operating costs, the project loses direction the moment hard decisions arise. Recall McKinsey's finding: transformation failures are more often about people than technology.

• Inventory of the system landscape and integrations. Map every application that exchanges data with SAP: POS, third-party warehouse management, e-commerce, even the Excel files quietly serving as the link between teams. Unmapped integrations are the single biggest source of cost surprises at cutover.

• Master data cleansing and validation. Duplicate Business Partner records, inconsistent Material Master units, and an unharmonized Chart of Accounts must be sorted out before the data is moved with the SAP S/4HANA Migration Cockpit (the Fiori app “Migrate Your Data”, the replacement for the now-deprecated LTMC). Consolidating legacy customers and vendors into a unified Business Partner concept is frequently the hardest phase and the one most prone to slipping. Migrating dirty data only relocates the problem to a far more expensive system.

• Custom code inventory and remediation. Run the SAP Custom Code Migration app (a Fiori app) to identify the home-grown code that needs to be adapted for S/4HANA. At the same time, this is the right moment to plan moving customizations toward modern extensibility in line with the SAP Clean Core principle, namely keeping the system core standard so that it is easy to upgrade in the future. A heavily customized ECC landscape typically holds thousands of ABAP objects; auditing them all early prevents the 30–50% cost overrun that projects skipping this step so often suffer.

• Run the SAP Readiness Check. This is a Fiori-based analysis tool that SAP provides free to its customers, accessed through SAP for Me or SAP Cloud ALM using a valid S-user account. One important note: free here applies to licensed SAP customers with an active support contract, not to the general public. The results analyze simplification items, custom code impact, add-on compatibility, and sizing, and then become the roadmap for planning your migration.

• Understand the shared responsibility model. SAP manages the cloud infrastructure, operating system, database, and 24/7 security monitoring. But business process configuration, data quality and security, and user access remain entirely yours. This is the part most often misunderstood, and it is discussed in more depth in the next section.

• Choose a migration approach and set the package. SAP's three official paths: greenfield (a new implementation with redesigned processes), brownfield (converting the ECC system as is), and Selective Data Transition (SDT, a combination of the two, often called “bluefield” by a number of implementers, though its official name is SDT). Along with this, set the RISE package that fits. An ISG survey reported by The Register (February 2026) found that around 34% of organizations chose brownfield, 18% chose full greenfield, and nearly half took a mixed path.

• Draw up a realistic budget, including hidden costs. Beyond the subscription, implementation, integration, and training, don't forget the dual-run cost that is characteristic of a RISE with SAP migration, namely running the old ECC in parallel with the new S/4HANA. In large enterprise implementations, the dual-run period often lasts 12–24 months, and this doubled infrastructure cost almost never makes it into the initial estimate. From a licensing standpoint, running both in parallel also requires a Parallel Landscape Agreement negotiated with SAP beforehand.

• Plan change management and internal communication. Involve users early, build a communication calendar, and plan role-based training. The ISG study (via The Register, February 2026) shows that only around 18% of companies genuinely redesign their processes when moving to S/4HANA, while nearly 49% opt for little or no re-engineering and keep their old processes. Resistance is a variable that can be managed, not a surprise.

• Choose an implementation partner and build the cutover timeline. Set milestones from design, configuration, data migration, testing, and training through go-live and hypercare. Do due diligence on a partner's track record rather than simply picking the cheapest. According to the Horváth study (Business Transformation Unlocked, 200 companies, 2025), S/4HANA projects run on average 30% longer than planned and only 8% finish on schedule, so a realistic timeline from the start saves a great deal of pain.

Who Owns Each Item? Your Responsibilities vs SAP vs the Partner

The point most often gotten wrong in a RISE with SAP migration: RISE does not mean “SAP handles everything”. Because RISE is a managed cloud service, some organizations assume that business configuration and data are managed by SAP too. That is incorrect. SAP manages the technical layer; the customer remains the full owner of Customizing, data, and user access.

This division is contractual and documented in SAP's Roles & Responsibilities guide. Understanding it from the start prevents responsibility gaps, that is, situations where a task is assumed to be handled by SAP when it actually belongs to your internal team. The following table makes it clear.

This is where the implementation partner comes in: bridging the customer side. In real-world RISE implementations, the partner typically handles configuration, data migration, and cutover support. This work sits contractually in the “customer” column, but it demands specialized expertise that internal teams rarely possess in full. A practical note: almost every organization brings in external help for its SAP transformation, so partner quality often becomes the difference between a project that stays in control and one that slips.

Signs You Are NOT Yet Ready to Start a RISE with SAP Migration

Not every company that has signed its intent to migrate is truly ready to start tomorrow. Forcing a RISE with SAP migration on an organization that is not ready is the most common recipe for cost overruns and schedule slippage. You are likely not yet ready to start if several of the following conditions still exist.

• Master data is a mess with no clear owner. If not a single person is accountable for the quality of customer, vendor, or material data, the migration will inherit that chaos, now in a far more expensive system.

• There is no active executive sponsor. Without a C-level owner ready to make hard decisions and allocate resources, the project will stall when it runs into priority conflicts with daily operations.

• Critical integrations are not yet mapped. If you don't know exactly which applications exchange data with SAP, you don't yet have a complete picture of the project's scope. A blurry scope is a source of ballooning costs.

• A team with no spare time. Migration demands real involvement from key users in every division. If everyone is already full with daily work, the project will lack the very input that matters most.

Before talking about kick-off, first settle data ownership and sponsor commitment. For the complementary view from the other side, namely what to avoid while the project is underway, it is worth looking at the list of common mistakes during a RISE with SAP migration that rounds out this checklist.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What needs to be prepared before a RISE with SAP migration?

Before the project gets underway, make sure these 10 main points are ready: appointing a committed executive sponsor, mapping systems, cleansing master data, and assessing the existing program code. You also need to run the SAP Readiness Check, understand the division of responsibilities, decide on the right migration method, set a budget for dual operations, build a cultural change strategy, and choose an experienced partner to lay out the implementation timeline.

What is RISE with SAP and what does it include?

RISE with SAP is a business transformation service that combines the SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP (Private Edition), a development platform (SAP BTP), and access to the SAP business network in a single subscription contract. Since mid-2025, SAP has simplified this package into 'SAP Cloud ERP, private edition', where AI or sustainability features are available as separate add-ons. Because the package keeps being updated, be sure to check the latest details in your contract.

How long does a RISE with SAP migration take?

The time required depends heavily on the scale of your system. In general, the conversion method (brownfield) is faster than building from scratch (greenfield). As a rough guide, a mid-to-large enterprise project usually takes between 12 and 24 months. Preparation work such as tidying up data and adjusting program code is best done 2 to 4 months before the project officially begins.

What is the SAP Readiness Check, and is it free?

The SAP Readiness Check is a Fiori-based analysis tool that helps you see your system's readiness before moving to S/4HANA. The tool checks custom code compatibility, simplification items, and system sizing. For customers with an active SAP support contract, the tool is available at no additional cost through the SAP for Me or SAP Cloud ALM portal.

What is the difference between the customer's and SAP's responsibilities in RISE with SAP?

SAP handles the technical side of the infrastructure, such as server management, the database, patching, and 24/7 security. Meanwhile, you remain fully responsible for business process configuration, data quality, user access, and the development of additional applications. It is important to understand that even though the infrastructure is managed by SAP, control over business operations stays in your hands.

When does SAP ECC officially reach end of support?

Mainstream support for SAP ERP 6.0 will end on December 31, 2027. After that date, extended support is available through the end of 2030 for an additional fee. For highly complex needs, SAP offers a special transition option through 2033 that can be ordered starting in 2028. Review your strategy promptly so that it stays aligned with this schedule.

What are the hidden costs of migrating to RISE with SAP?

The costs that are most often overlooked include running dual systems (dual-run) during the transition period, rebuilding integrations with third-party systems, more intensive data cleansing than expected, and training and change management expenses. In addition, if the project runs longer than planned, the cost of additional consultants also needs to be anticipated from the start.

Conclusion

A successful RISE with SAP migration is almost always determined long before go-live, in the unglamorous preparation phase: sorting out master data, mapping integrations, and agreeing on who owns what. The 2027 and 2030 deadlines make this window tight, but rushing without the ten items above only magnifies the risk of failure. As an SAP Platinum Partner through United VARs, and recognized as Best RISE Partner as well as Best Cloud Partner, Soltius designs and executes RISE with SAP migrations: guiding companies from readiness assessment through post-go-live support, not as the software's maker, but as the partner who carries it out.

To discuss your company's RISE with SAP migration readiness, visit www.soltius.co.id and start a conversation with a team that has been through it in the field.