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reviewer1487229 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Procurement at a retailer with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Integrates with other tools, is better than previous SAP iterations, and is reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "It's reliable and the performance is good."
  • "Starting out on the solution can be a bit complex and difficult."

What is our primary use case?

This product is the ERP. I'm on the procurement side. Therefore, I leverage it for purchase orders and finance and have all the processes together.

What is most valuable?

It is better than the previous SAP solution.

It's stable. 

You can integrate it with other tools. 

What needs improvement?

I cannot recall coming across any areas that were lacking. 

Starting out on the solution can be a bit complex and difficult. I'd like to see them simplify the process of integration. It's very complex, even with the new solutions within SAP.

For how long have I used the solution?

I started using the product two years ago.

Buyer's Guide
SAP S/4HANA
January 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable product. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable and the performance is good. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 23,000 people using the solution. 

I'm on the user side. I'm not on the IT side. I don't have insights on scalability.

How are customer service and support?

I've never contacted technical support. I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they are. 

How was the initial setup?

I can't speak to the initial setup process as I was not a part of the team that handled that.

What about the implementation team?

I wasn't a part of the implementation and am unsure if any outside parties were used or if everything was handled in-house. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm not responsible for the licensing arrangements. I can't speak to the exact cost. 

What other advice do I have?

We're an SAP partner.

I'm not sure which version of the product we are on at this time. I'm not IT. I'm on the procurement side.

I'd advise new users to try to set up everything that is related to your processes and set up integration with SAP assistance tools, such as Ariba. Otherwise, in the beginning, it's very complex.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1800138 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Director at a wholesaler/distributor with 51-200 employees
Real User
Reliable, but scalability expensive
Pros and Cons
  • "SAP S4HANA is a stable solution."
  • "In an upcoming release of SAP S4HANA, chain management should be easier."

What is our primary use case?

We use SAP S4HANA for manufacturing and financials because we are a manufacturing firm.

What needs improvement?

In an upcoming release of SAP S4HANA, chain management should be easier.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SAP S4HANA for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SAP S4HANA is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found scalability difficult to achieve in SAP S4HANA because the license is quite expensive. The hardware requirement is quite high and can require a large investment for scalability.

We have approximately 200 users using the solution in my organization. We do not plan to increase the usage.

How are customer service and support?

We have internal support for SAP S4HANA but for the external technical support, we rarely use it. The system is quite stable and if we do follow the process, it should have no problems. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial configuration of SAP S4HANA is quite difficult. The time it took for the implementation took seven months.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was done by a partner.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There is an annual license for SAP S4HANA.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution to others.

I rate SAP S4HANA a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
SAP S/4HANA
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about SAP S/4HANA. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Kumar Saurav - PeerSpot reviewer
Director - SAP BTP at Incture
Real User
Top 10
It's an all-in-one with smooth integration of all modules
Pros and Cons
  • "A robust product with integration between all modules."
  • "Lacks ability to easily mass upload which has become a necessity for industry."

What is our primary use case?

I'm an SAP solution architect and we are partners with SAP.

What is most valuable?

This is a robust product with the best feature to my mind being the integration of all the modules which has made life much easier for our clients. It's one box with everything included.  

What needs improvement?

These days, most clients ask about mass upload. It's not possible to do that with SAP so there is an opportunity for them. Mass uploads have become a necessity for industry. SAP does have ways to do this but it's not user-friendly. I'd also like to have an easier option for hosting. Currently, I know that S4HANA can be ported on cloud versions, and they have started giving out ready-to-use kits but there are some hiccups and basic things are a struggle. I've worked with a few different teams that have had problems with that.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for several years. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is quite good, no complaints there.

How was the initial setup?

Deployment was quite difficult several years ago but now it's improved greatly and is quite straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost is reasonable but it's important to check on the options they offer to ensure you get what you want and that you're not paying for things you don't need. It's about having a consistent experience. 

What other advice do I have?

If you're a company that's already using SAP, ERP or ECC, then you'll know that you will get a consolidated system if you take on S4HANA. If you're not using SAP, you have the choice to go with it and make it accessible to your team.

I rate this solution eight out of 10.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Associate IT Consultant at itcinfotech
MSP
Easy integration with other tools

What is our primary use case?

S/4HANA BASIS administration and technical architect solutions.

How has it helped my organization?

We have implemented for one of the customers and gone live recently, and its greenfield implementation. The customer was very happy as the implementation time took less than 6-8 months.

What is most valuable?

Easy integration with other tools.

What needs improvement?

  • S/4HANA 1610: We found very less Fiori apps — a few apps not working.
  • All module Fiori apps need to be tuned.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Civil Engineer at gieco
Real User
Fast and stable, but is expensive and needs a lot of hardware
Pros and Cons
  • "It is really fast. It is also very stable."
  • "I'm not a big fan of SAP S/4HANA because it needs a lot of hardware. It is really fast, but it needs a lot of hardware. The hardware for S/4HANA is too expensive."

What is most valuable?

It is really fast. It is also very stable.

What needs improvement?

I'm not a big fan of SAP S/4HANA because it needs a lot of hardware. It is really fast, but it needs a lot of hardware. The hardware for S/4HANA is too expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using it for six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is working fine. It is really stable. We didn't find any issue, but we have been using it only for six months.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. We have around 100 users.

How are customer service and support?

We take the first level of support from a partner. They have not been very good. We are thinking of replacing the partner.

How was the initial setup?

It was not straightforward. I took a lot of time to set up S/4HANA. The installation, implementation, and analysis took more than one year.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is very expensive. It is not cheap.

What other advice do I have?

It is stable, but it is expensive, and it needs a lot of hardware. Next time, we would go for another vendor. In our experience, Oracle is better.

I would rate it a seven out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
CEO at CJG Consulting
Real User
Scalable and stable with good cost optimization shipped on cloud solutions
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability is excellent, especially on cloud deployment models."
  • "Technical support has been declining. They aren't as responsive as they used to be."

What is our primary use case?

With our customers, we are currently administering their solution over SAP HANA and with different infrastructures such as cloud computing, AWS, Azure, GCP, and others that are also on-premise.

We have customers with new implementations and we offer this product to them. We handle the technical installation, then the high availability solution, the disaster recovery, et cetera. We are doing the administration of all the landscapes and a sub-basic administration. 

In all the other cases we have, the customers are immigrating their solution from SAP HEC. That is the other server for SAP. We bring it to the cloud with public clouds like AWS. Those cases are the most common.

What is most valuable?

The cost optimization that is shipped with cloud solutions is the primary benefit of the product. 

The integral services that we can administer to our customers are excellent. They are paying for an all-inclusive version of the service. We manage all the features of the operating system - such as ACE's, SAP systems, networks, security on the cloud, et cetera. We can administer everything that is associated with the landscape.

We're well trained on the solution and therefore find the implementation process straightforward.

The solution is quite stable and offers good patches for when issues arise.

The scalability is excellent, especially on cloud deployment models.

What needs improvement?

From our point of view, we are just a technology consultant. We look at the interfaces in terms of the functional modules we have. It's hard to really see what would be missing in terms of a feature. 

For clients, the most painful part of the solution is the implementation guides of the business or process applications. Okay. The business scenario, the graphic user interface, shown on the system can be a challenge. 

Maybe the commercial model for some other products developed for HANA could be adjusted to make it less complex and more affordable. The commercial laws that SAP has it's very complex. The customer has to acquire a very high license on the product and then they have to buy infrastructure on top of that.

Technical support has been declining. They aren't as responsive as they used to be.

The product could use some other integrations with leaders of the products with public clouds - especially if they are doing with another staff like ILP or on other applications. There could be more legal applications that could be integrated more easily with SAP than they're doing. Right now, we have to develop all the integrations. It would be so much better if this was already done. 

SAP often launches new solutions without first providing the proper documentation. We end up figuring it out, however, it would be nice to have that documentation up front.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have approximately 15 years of experience on the books with this solution. We've used it since SAP was not HANA. It's now been with HANA, since 2014, if I recall correctly. Therefore, that may be about seven years of experience. Obviously, we've worked with the product over the last 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. It's, it's a very, very stable version. SAP is often releasing new patches. If we are having some issues, such as some problems with transactions or maybe some features may not work properly, we reach out to enterprise support and often just get a patch. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The level of scalability you can achieve depends on the infrastructure that you have installed. In the cloud, in product public sites, it's easier to scale. We can scale both up and out and it's very simple to accomplish. 

Typically, we deal with medium businesses. Some others are large at approximately 5,000 users. Most are between 400 and 800 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support used to be better. They seem to be less proactive than they were before. Previously they were very responsive and helpful. It's lagged a bit. We're disappointed their rapid response has declined. We're no longer satisfied with the level of service provided.

How was the initial setup?

For us, the entire process is traditionally straightforward. It's not too complex. We manage it like the other systems in the past and obviously take into consideration any new technology within SAP HANA. However, in terms of setting it up, it's not a problem.

With a big cloud infrastructure, we can set up a system in less than a month. It may take between two to three months to take over the system and put it onto the cloud or on our hardware projects. On-premise it may be longer - sometimes around four months.

How many people you need for deployment and maintenance depends on the number of systems. However, with a team of four to five people we managed to do all the projects. 

What about the implementation team?

We handle the implementation process for our clients.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

While our clients may first evaluate other solutions, that's not something that we typically do.

What other advice do I have?

We are experts in the technical implementation of the product.

We work with a variety of versions, and, of course, with eh latest 2020 updates. We deal with both cloud and on-premises deployment models.

I'd advise potential new users to really think about their infrastructure and the features they would like. Everything should be looked at and discussed in advance, from security concerns to functional modules. The more you understand what you need, the more likely you will get a solution that you want - and that does what you need it to.

Overall, I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
PeerSpot user
Chief Executive Officer at AVIC software & Service
Real User
A comprehensive ERP service that provides good performance
Pros and Cons
  • "SAP S/4HANA is a comprehensive ERP solution that provides better performance."
  • "Introducing better functions to our customers with the Fiori app is not easy for consultants."

What is most valuable?

SAP S/4HANA is a comprehensive ERP solution that provides better performance.

What needs improvement?

Introducing better functions to our customers with the Fiori app is not easy for consultants. There are too many apps, and it takes time to understand their functions. You cannot know all the functions when you implement them, which is a big challenge. The solution should include a comprehensive migration tool for implementation.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SAP S/4HANA for almost seven years.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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reviewer1397796 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MSP
The in-memory database is its key feature
Pros and Cons
  • "From a technological point of view, the in-memory database is one of the key highlights."
  • "If S4HANA has more AI and machine learning, it will be better and easier for reporting and dashboarding."

What is our primary use case?

It is used for financial accounting. We are a system integrator, and we have some customers using it. Some customers are on-prem, and we also have some customers on Azure.

What is most valuable?

From a technological point of view, the in-memory database is one of the key highlights.

What needs improvement?

If S4HANA has more AI and machine learning, it will be better and easier for reporting and dashboarding.

Its pricing could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is quite stable as long as you have the right infrastructure environment.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

S4HANA has scalability features, but it depends on the infrastructure. If it is on-prem, you also need scalable hardware.

How are customer service and support?

We have less technical support because of the fewer resources in the region, but we don't have any issues at the moment with that. We are also working with some partners.

How was the initial setup?

Its initial setup is straightforward, but the rollout is quite challenging when the customization starts.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its pricing could be better.

What other advice do I have?

Normally, we engage with SAP sales to do the assessment. For a successful implementation, before implementing it, I would advise consulting SAP professional services, not just a partner of SAP. If SAP can provide a consulting service initially, it'll be beneficial.

I would rate it an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
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Download our free SAP S/4HANA Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.