Impact and recommendations for action
SAP already set the end date for the usage rights of Compatibility Scope solutions to December 31, 2025 in 2016 and published this in Note 2269324. The company also referred to this in the S/4HANA Software Use Rights (SUR).
Compatibility packs are additional packages or software extensions developed by SAP to ensure compatibility between different versions of a program or system. They enable companies to continue using older SAP ECC functions in S/4HANA software versions. The compatibility scope, on the other hand, is a specification that indicates which of these old ECC transactions and functions are still available in the S/4HANA system and run under the packs, although this number has decreased significantly in recent years.
With the right of use expiring on December 31, 2025, many companies are faced with the need to make adjustments. The following article addresses key aspects, shows which systems are affected, and discusses appropriate measures for responding to this problem in the short to medium term.
Background of the Compatibility Scope
The Compatibility Scope includes standard functions of the SAP S/4HANA core that facilitate the transition from ECC to S/4HANA. Examples include transactions such as MD04 (material requirements planning), CM25 (capacity planning), and QMIS (quality management information system). These are temporary compatibility modules that do not require separate licenses. The right to use most of these elements will expire on January 1, 2026, regardless of the S/4HANA version. Although the transactions will remain technically available, they may no longer be used. SAP reserves the right to make changes in the backend that could restrict functionality.
Compatibility Packs will expire at the end of 2025 – companies must check their status immediately to avoid risks. As a reliable partner, CONSILIO recommends the Early Watch Report for compliance and stability and provides support in resolving potential problems.
Affected systems and companies
In principle, all installations of S/4HANA except the public version are affected. For SAP ERP Cloud (formerly known as GROW with SAP or S/4HANA Public Cloud), there is generally no compatibility scope availability. SAP offers the option of concluding an extended right of use contractually with a "RISE with SAP" via SAP Cloud ERP private. Experience shows that the right of use can be extended until the end of the 2020s. Estimates by the Info-Tech Research Group indicate that up to 70 percent of S/4HANA users use at least one compatibility pack. This also includes the areas of HR, Materials Management (MM), and Production Planning (PP). There are specific exceptions in the PP-PI (Production Planning – Process Industries), CS (Customer Service), and TM (Transportation Management) modules; details are listed in the SAP Note. According to SAP, these compatibility packs will still be permitted until the end of 2030 based on current information.
Potential risks and consequences
Anyone who continues to use the transactions after the cut-off date is in breach of license terms and EU law, including a lack of support in the event of malfunctions. It is currently unclear whether SAP will provide support for tickets, and backend adjustments may affect workflows. In addition, customer-specific adjustments (custom code) and links make the switch to native S/4HANA processes more difficult. A timely, comprehensive risk analysis is therefore essential to avoid operational disruptions.
Recommended testing and migration steps
The first step is to find out whether and to what extent your own system is affected. To do this, SAP recommends using the Readiness Check, including its Compatibility Scope Analysis and Early Watch Alert (EWA) report applications. These tools help with analysis and show where the problems lie. Running the Early Watch Report (SAP Note 2290622) can be used to analyze usage over the last three months. In addition, the subnotes in the SAP documentation should also be checked to identify seasonal or rare transactions (e.g., from Controlling).
The switch to Fiori apps (native S/4HANA processes) is expected to take several weeks if the infrastructure is already in place; if the basis is missing, it will take several months to set up servers and permissions. SAP offers dedicated apps, but 1:1 transferability should be checked. A partner assessment helps to identify and implement individual adjustments.
Alternative ways to circumvent the problem in the short term include the option of contractually agreeing on extended usage rights with a "RISE with SAP" agreement via SAP Cloud ERP private.
Conclusion and call to action
With the deadline of December 31, 2025, it is advisable to immediately review the use of Compatibility Paks. The first step in identifying how your company is affected is to perform an analysis using the Early Watch Report. If necessary, an SAP partner such as CONSILIO should be consulted for a detailed, broader analysis. In ongoing or upcoming projects, the use of Compatibility Scope Items should be excluded, with exceptions only in accordance with SAP notes. This not only ensures legal certainty, but also future-proof S/4HANA usage.