On 30 September 2025, the AFSUG Data Management Special Interest Group hosted an insightful session that brought clarity to one of the most pressing challenges facing Organisations today: “ How best to transition to SAP S/4HANA.”

With over 120 attendees joining the conversation, the event featured expert guidance from Samantha Matraiotti (GlueData Services) and Safiye Coban (Natuvian), who shared practical knowledge, strategies and tools to support successful transformation journeys.

Exploring Transition Pathways

Samantha opened the session by unpacking the three main routes to S/4HANA:

• Greenfield (New Implementation): A complete rebuild with clean, optimised data and redesigned processes.
• Brownfield (System Conversion): A technical upgrade retaining existing data, configuration and custom code.
• Selective Data Transition (SDT): A hybrid approach that combines the best of both worlds—reuse where it adds value, while selectively migrating only the data you truly need.

She highlighted how SAP’s Business Transformation Center Lean SDT solution—often referred to as “Brownfield Plus”—offers flexibility by reducing data volumes while minimising disruption.

Why Selective Data Transition?

Taking the discussion further, Safiye provided a deep dive into Natuvian’s Data Conversion Suite (DCS) and the benefits of SDT. 

She outlined five reasons organisations are embracing this approach:

• Accelerated change by moving only relevant data and processes.
• One-step consolidations and modernisation of system landscapes.
• Reduced project risk by leveraging proven processes.
• Data cleanup opportunities to shed redundant structures.
• Low impact on operations, ensuring business continuity during transformation.

Using the analogy of remodelling a house rather than rebuilding it, Safiye showed how SDT helps organisations retain valuable “infrastructure” (custom code and configuration) while discarding unnecessary “clutter” (outdated data).

Tools and Methodologies

The Session also spotlighted the SAP Activate methodology as a proven framework to manage risk and ensure structured progress across six clear phases—from Discover to Run.

Attendees were introduced to Natuvian’s Data Conversion Suite, an end-to-end platform supporting transformation projects through modules for analysis, migration, validation, archiving and testing. 

With AI-driven mapping, automation and strong governance, it enables efficient and auditable migrations across both cloud and on-premise landscapes.

Key Takeaways

• Start data migration activities early to reduce risk.
• Adopt a “fail fast” mindset with test migrations and mock cycles.
• Ensure functional testing is done on migrated data—not test data created in isolation.
• Archive and clean data upfront to avoid costly baggage in S/4HANA.

Closing Reflections

The lively Q&A underscored the importance of archiving as a future discussion topic, with participants calling it “the dark horse hiding in the shadows” of transformation projects.

A big thank you to Samantha Matraiotti and Safiye Coban for sharing their expertise and to all our engaged attendees for making the session so valuable.

Stay tuned for upcoming sessions under our AFSUG Data Management SIG banner, where we will continue to explore the practical realities of digital transformation.

Missed the Session?

The full recording and presentation are available to AFSUG members : www.afsug.com under
Downloads.