In the SAP service note 1648480, SAP announces sunset support for NetWeaver 7.5. The end of the Java stack will be 2024, and for the Abap stack it will be 2025. Theoretically, this also means the end of Business Suite on Hana (SoH) because the ECC 6.0 core of the Business Suite 7 needs NetWeaver 7.5.
What does this mean for SoH and NetWeaver?
SAP’s official answer, “Customers using Business Suite 7 or Business Suite on Hana and corresponding solutions do not lose their licenses in 2025. SAP will make an official statement in due time on what will happen after 2025.”
While this answer is absolutely correct, it highlights precisely why this could potentially turn into a disaster for customers.
No SoH system will just vanish after 2025 or decommission itself, this much is true. However, what about legal retention periods, what about compliance? What about security and data protection? What about service and support? Will customers still have to pay service and maintenance fees for SoH even though NetWeaver 7.5 is no more?
An insider confirmed that as of now, SAP itself is not entirely sure yet. Internal discussion and talks with user groups are still ongoing.
The real problem is the time frame. For SAP customers with thousands of SoH users, 2025 will come way too soon. Even a purely technical migration from SoH to S/4 including user training and testing can take years of planning and implementation.
SAP setting an expiration date for NetWeaver and consequently SoH feels short-sighted and out of touch with customers’ needs. No wonder, then, that customers are losing trust in SAP’s strategies and roadmaps.
The offical statement will come in due time, SAP says. However, SAP needs to realize that it is due time. The time is now to clarify what the SAP service note means, what customers can expect regarding their systems, SoH and NetWeaver, and what alternatives the ERP company is proposing.
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