SAP Migration · 6 min read · September 2025
The hidden data risks that derail S/4HANA migrations, and how to surface them
By Thinklytics Partners, SAP S/4HANA Practice
The risks that derail S/4HANA migrations are rarely on the project plan: duplicate master data, dark data, broken custom code, and reporting that snaps when the data moves.
Topics covered
- Migration Risk
- Master Data
- Dark Data
- Custom Code
Frequently asked questions
What are the biggest hidden risks in an S/4HANA migration?
Duplicate master data, dark data, custom code that breaks on the new model, and reporting that goes dark when the data structure changes. They rarely appear on the project plan.
Why are these risks hidden?
Because none of them show up in a sandbox demo. They surface during conversion, reconciliation, or the first close, when the timeline is fixed and fixing them is expensive.
What is dark data?
Historical SAP data nobody uses and nobody will miss: obsolete customers, dead materials, and stale records. Migrating it inflates cost, volume, and conversion time for no value.
How do we surface these risks early?
Run a readiness assessment that profiles the data, maps custom-code dependencies, and inventories the reports at risk, visualized on a Migration Risk Dashboard.
What is the Migration Risk Dashboard?
A Tableau or Power BI dashboard that shows where your data will fail during conversion, how much is affected, and what it will cost to ignore, in language leadership can read.
Can we fix these after go-live instead?
You can, but it is far more expensive and disruptive in production. Surfacing and fixing them before the move is the cheaper, lower-risk path.