How to measure SAP data readiness across six dimensions

Measuring SAP data readiness means scoring six things before you commit to a date: master data, data quality, custom code, reporting, scope, and ownership.

Measuring SAP data readiness means scoring six things before you commit: master data quality, data quality, custom code, reporting dependencies, scope decisions, and program ownership. Score them with evidence, not assumption, because commitments made before the data is measured are the root of most overruns.

The six dimensions of SAP data readiness

Score each from zero to five before you commit to a date. A low total means an early start invites overruns.

• Master data quality. Duplicates and completeness across customers, vendors, and materials. Usually one of the two lowest scores.
• Data quality. Consistency and validity of values: units of measure, classifications, mandatory fields.
• Custom code. What breaks against the simplified data model, and how much of it is actually used.
• Reporting dependencies. Which BW models and dashboards go dark when the data structure changes.
• Scope decisions. Whether keep, drop, and redesign were decided deliberately or left open.
• Program ownership. Who owns the data outcome, and how senior they are.

Source: Thinklytics SAP data readiness practice, 2026.

The six dimensions

Master data readiness, the duplicates and completeness across customers, vendors, and materials. Data quality, the consistency and validity of values. Custom code readiness, what breaks against the simplified data model. Reporting readiness, what goes dark when data moves. Scope readiness, whether keep, drop, and redesign were decided deliberately. And program readiness, who owns the data outcome and how senior they are.

The four quiet killers of an S/4HANA migration

None of these show up in a sandbox demo. They surface at conversion, reconciliation, or the first close.

• Duplicate master data. Breaks reconciliation and migrates as separate records unless stopped.
• Dark data. Unused historical records that inflate volume, cost, and conversion time for no value.
• Custom code that breaks. ABAP written against the old tables fails on the simplified data model.
• Reporting that goes dark. BW models and downstream dashboards snap when the data structure changes.

Source: Thinklytics SAP data readiness practice, 2026.

Score before you commit

Rate each from zero to five. A low total means committing now invites overruns, the 30 percent of programs that run late or over budget. A high one means you can commit with confidence and proof. Most teams find one or two dimensions, usually master data and reporting, drag the whole score down.

Make it evidence-based

The point is to replace assumption with evidence from your own system, visualized on a Migration Risk Dashboard your steering committee can act on. That is what a SAP data readiness assessment produces in four weeks, and what the 30-day Analytics Truth Audit is built to deliver.

Frequently asked questions

What is SAP data readiness?

It is how ready your data, custom code, and reporting are for an S/4HANA migration, measured with evidence before you commit to a date and budget.

What are the dimensions of readiness?

Master data quality, data quality, custom code, reporting dependencies, scope decisions, and program ownership. Each is scored against the real condition of your system.

How do we score readiness?

Rate each dimension from zero to five. A low total means committing now invites overruns. A high total means you can commit with confidence and documented proof.

Which dimension usually scores lowest?

Master data and reporting most often drag the score down, because both accumulate problems quietly over a decade on ECC.

What produces a readiness score?

A Blueprint and Readiness Assessment, a four-week diagnostic that profiles your data and code and visualizes the result on a Migration Risk Dashboard.

Why measure before committing?

Because commitments made before the data is measured are the root of most overruns. Measuring first is the cheapest way to de-risk the program.