Faster SAP RISE Transitions Using Smart Code Migration

RISE with SAP isn’t just another ERP migration initiative—it’s a strategic path that transforms how businesses operate in the cloud. It’s designed to modernize legacy SAP landscapes, realign architecture around intelligent enterprise frameworks, and future-proof organizations ahead of looming deadlines.

With SAP sunsetting mainstream support for Business Suite 7 by the end of 2027 and extended support wrapping up by 2030, the clock is ticking. Businesses face a twofold challenge: re-platform core operations while maintaining functional continuity. For those with heavy custom codebases built over decades, this transition isn’t just complex—it’s risky.

Now, organizations aren’t only looking to move—they need to move faster. But code migration remains one of the most time-consuming and error-prone steps in the journey. Diligent answers this problem with an automation platform engineered for SAP code transformation—Smart Code Migration Tool. It’s a purpose-built solution that dramatically reduces manual effort, eliminates technical guesswork, and accelerates readiness for SAP S/4HANA and RISE with SAP transitions.

Why Speed and Precision Matter in RISE with SAP Transitions

The value of RISE with SAP lies in speed—how quickly organizations can leave behind legacy processes and tap into business transformation as a service. But moving too slowly doesn’t just delay innovation; it extends reliance on unsupported architecture, incompatible third-party systems, and aging infrastructure that’s harder to maintain.

Fast transitions reduce business disruption, avoid compliance friction, and let organizations benefit sooner from process redesign, embedded AI, and integrated cloud services. But with many enterprises juggling complex landscapes and custom ABAP libraries, migration speed often becomes the first casualty of legacy complexity.

In the next section, find out where delays typically occur, and what you need to look at before hitting a wall.

Where Migrations Slow Down: The Hidden Challenges in Custom Code

SAP ERP systems often carry years—sometimes decades—of custom development. While these enhancements were once critical to business processes, many are outdated, redundant, or incompatible with S/4HANA’s architecture. Migrating these customizations isn’t a simple copy-paste job.

Here are the typical friction points:

• Unanalyzed code volume: Organizations often don’t have a full inventory of what custom code exists and where it’s used.
• Manual remediation burden: ABAP code requires reworking to comply with modern CDS views, syntax changes, and stricter performance rules.
• Segregation of concerns: Functional teams and development teams don’t always align on what can be retired or refactored.
• Testing blind spots: After code is adjusted, validating business process integrity across modules is labor-intensive.
• Documentation gaps: Inconsistent or missing code change logs make it harder to audit or reverse issues when things go wrong.

Why RISE with SAP Demands an Automation-First Migration Approach

Enterprises can’t move forward at cloud speed while clinging to legacy development practices. Every code issue resolved manually adds friction to a process that already demands precision, scale, and timing alignment across business units.

• SAP RISE transitions come with more than just infrastructure change, they bring a new architectural model, stricter compliance requirements, and a modern development paradigm that favors clean core principles and high maintainability. These aren’t suggestions; they are preconditions to unlock the real benefits of S/4HANA.
• Manual remediation slows projects because it requires specialized knowledge, step-by-step reviews, and often multiple handoffs. Analysts must sort through thousands of lines of ABAP code, identify outdated syntax, re-map old table structures, and make sure the fix doesn’t break downstream logic. These steps, done by hand, consume hours that stretch timelines by months.
• An automation-first approach reverses this equation. By programmatically scanning and classifying issues during ATC runs, teams gain visibility instantly. Automated remediation then applies SAP-aligned code fixes that adhere to development standards. Testing becomes continuous, not periodic, and every change is traceable.

SAP itself has matured the expectations around clean code. Enterprises responding with intelligent automation are better positioned to meet these standards without delay or compromise.

What Fast-Moving Enterprises Are Doing Differently

Teams that complete SAP transitions faster don’t take shortcuts. They change how early decisions are made and how execution is managed across teams.

Here’s how high-velocity transformation teams approach SAP code migration:

1. Early in the process:

• Conduct full-code inventory and fit-gap analysis

• Flag and retire outdated or redundant custom objects

• Use tools to classify critical issues by business risk, not just code priority

2. During remediation:

• Build remediation “pipelines” that process similar issue types in bulk

• Apply pre-tested SAP fix templates using automation platforms

• Use parallel testing environments to validate outputs in real time

3. During business validation:

• Shift from manual test scripts to automated output validation

• Integrate functional approvals into system workflows, not spreadsheets
• Document change logs and remediation scope at every checkpoint

Strategic Readiness for Complex SAP Landscapes

In large enterprises, delays aren’t caused by volume—they’re caused by misalignment. Systems, regions, and teams must move together, or the whole program stalls.

The complexity of a multi-country, multi-system SAP environment demands structure. Here’s what defines readiness in these high-scale landscapes:

1. Governance readiness:

• Align remediation plans to core business processes and global reporting requirements
• Ensure centralized visibility into code health across systems

2. Execution readiness:

• Establish a remediation center of excellence with standardized automation tools

• Schedule remediation windows in coordination with infrastructure cutovers

3. Change management readiness:

• Enable dual maintenance—sync changes between ECC and S/4HANA environments

• Create rollback protocols and QA staging to avoid production conflicts

4. Quality control readiness:

• Implement global testing protocols with shared KPI thresholds
• Validate remediation not just technically, but operationally (does the report still serve its purpose?)

Accelerating RISE with SAP Using Diligent’s Smart Code Migration Tool

Manual remediation slows progress. Diligent’s Smart Code Migration Tool flips the model—automating what matters most in your move to SAP S/4HANA and RISE with SAP.

The Smart Code Migration Tool by Diligent is designed to simplify the most resource-intensive part of your SAP transformation: custom code remediation. It delivers a full lifecycle of automation, starting from deep code analysis all the way to remediation, testing, and documentation.

Here’s what it delivers:

• Automated ATC Analysis: Categorizes P1, P2, and P3 issues with actionable insights. Flags CDS migration needs, inefficient SELECT statements, and false positives.
• Quick Fix Remediation: Applies SAP-recommended remediations in real time. Converts legacy tables to CDS views, standardizes field structures, and adds pseudo-comments for non-critical issues.
• 100% Testing Coverage: Automatically validates all report outputs, ensuring accuracy after changes—no guesswork required.
• End-to-End Documentation: Generates detailed logs of every code change, making audits and team handovers easier.

The following are the ranges of business impact you can expect with the Smart Code Migration Tool:

• 70–80% reduction in manual remediation workload
• Faster time-to-value by accelerating readiness for deployment
• Lower TCO through shortened project timelines
• Improved compliance and consistent code quality across global teams

Transformative Migrations Begin With Smarter Tools

When code remediation is guided by automation and aligned to policy, transformation becomes manageable. Organizations regain control over their timelines. Migration teams focus on orchestration instead of firefighting. Business units stay engaged without being overwhelmed.

Diligent’s Smart Code Migration Tool brings structure to this process. It provides the rules, intelligence, and automation needed to scale confidently, no matter how complex the landscape.

In every transformation, code becomes the bottleneck or the breakthrough. What you choose to automate, document, and accelerate determines how ready your business really is.