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reviewer1687422 - PeerSpot reviewer
SAP Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Consultant
Strong financial and manufacturing integration
Pros and Cons
  • "S4HANA is a completely integrated solution. It's an end-to-end ERP system with strong manufacturing and financial integration, which is not common among ERPs. And it's a solution that's driven by industry best practices."
  • "Maybe its user interface and reporting can be improved across the board, but it is manageable."

What is our primary use case?

Mostly I have dealt with project-based manufacturing companies where they do custom product builds, like heavy equipment, compressors, steam turbines, and stuff like that.

What is most valuable?

S4HANA is a completely integrated solution. It's an end-to-end ERP system with strong manufacturing and financial integration, which is not common among ERPs. And it's a solution that's driven by industry best practices.

What needs improvement?

Maybe its user interface and reporting can be improved across the board, but it is manageable.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using S4HANA for about 16 years.

Buyer's Guide
SAP S/4HANA
September 2025
Learn what your peers think about SAP S/4HANA. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

S4HANA's stability is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

S4HANA is pretty scalable. We normally plan three to five years ahead and scale up accordingly. So as long as your sizing is done properly, you're good.

How are customer service and support?

I don't have much experience with SAP's tech support, but I have used the online support system. It's okay for a company the size of SAP. But from a customer perspective, it can be time consuming to get help from them.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up S4HANA is straightforward if you have a little bit of expertise, especially on the S4HANA side. You need to understand the appliances and hardware so you can set requirements for RAM as opposed to storage. If you have some experience in server administration, it's not like climbing a mountain; it's a small trip.

What was our ROI?

Most of the time, I've been able to quantify the soft savings, like savings in terms of time spent on processes and efficiencies that you gain. FDA reductions are generally difficult to establish over a finite period, but your soft savings are far more rewarding, and it's also more compliance related.

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

I have not dealt with licensing directly because our head office manages that. We only pay SAP to perform maintenance on the solution instead of doing it in-house. Given the size of an ERP system, you need some extra labor to maintain it, but it's justified if you look at the cost-benefit analysis. Some companies go overboard with hiring many people, and then they say it's too expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate S4HANA 10 out of 10. It's a good solution. I think some companies are penny wise and pound foolish. They invest a lot in other ERPs, and when they start to grow those systems, they create a lot of inefficiencies in the process. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Chief Executive Officer at Redment
Real User
Highly scalable, stable, and plenty of features
Pros and Cons
  • "The functionality of SAP S4HANA is very good when comparing it to others, such as Oracle, Microsoft, and other ERP solutions."
  • "Thi solution can improve the Bill of Materials (BOM) and production planning."

What is our primary use case?

SAP S4HANA is a resource-plaining solution that can help with digital transformation by using features, such as robotic process automation. It has very useful functionality but, at the moment, AI is not very natural in the world.

Our company is very large and out of the largest six modules in SAP S4HANA, we use Material Management, Sales and Distribution, Plant Maintenance, Quality Management, Customer Service, and Production Planning.

We use all modules in accounting, for example, Financial Supply Chain Management, Treasury Management, and Project System. In the warehouse, we use Transportation Management and Extended Warehouse Management and in the HR system, we use Personnel Administration, Payroll, and Time Administration.

How has it helped my organization?

SAP S4HANA robotic process automation has helped our organization by reducing approximately 80% of work in the accounting department.

What is most valuable?

The functionality of SAP S4HANA is very good when comparing it to others, such as Oracle, Microsoft, and other ERP solutions.

What needs improvement?

Thi solution can improve the Bill of Materials (BOM) and production planning.

In an upcoming release, the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) in SAP is very simple, and SAP should extend PLM in the ERP system. Additionally, SAP S4HANA should add more advanced features for monitoring in the database, such as in the Oracle solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SAP S4HANA for approximately five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is highly scalable.

We have more than 6,000 people using this solution in my organization.

How are customer service and technical support?

We are not able to use technical support in my country because in Iran it is sanctioned. However, we have not needed the support, the solution has been working well.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of SAP S4HANA is a very complex and time-consuming process. If you want to implement all modules then it will take more than 10 days.

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

The price of the solution is reasonable but some modules can be expensive. When comparing SAP S4HANA to other solutions, such as Oracle, it is not expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated other solutions, such as Oracle.

What other advice do I have?

I would strongly recommend this solution to others.

I rate SAP S4HANA a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
SAP S/4HANA
September 2025
Learn what your peers think about SAP S/4HANA. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1601094 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Media Strategist at a media company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Has great scalability and allows us to get all our processes flowing together
Pros and Cons
  • "We're able to get all our processes flowing together. We're able to make all of our business processes talk to each other."
  • "It should have more support. Documentation and support for mobile apps can be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for our financials and ERP.

How has it helped my organization?

It has got all our data more scalable, and it made it more workable for us. So, we're able to make things run faster, especially when our developer team was doing data modeling.

What is most valuable?

We're able to get all our processes flowing together. We're able to make all of our business processes talk to each other.

What needs improvement?

It should have more support. Documentation and support for mobile apps can be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

So far, it has been good. We had some problems with our customizations, but everything seems to be running fine.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Its scalability is fine. We plan to increase its usage and use it extensively.

All people who are using it are in IT. Some of them are in the finance department.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is good. They were pretty knowledgeable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We're new to that. We didn't use anything.

How was the initial setup?

It was kind of complex because we didn't know the difference between the SAP Business ByDesign and SAP S/4HANA. It wasn't clear. SAP just has too many versions, and it was like, "Oh, give me a break, and tell me what to get."

For its maintenance, we have at least five people. They're in IT with different roles.

What about the implementation team?

We used a consultant. Our experience was good.

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

We're not sure yet. I think it was six figures a year, over 100,000. It has straight-up licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it an eight out of 10 because it has got great scalability. It has worked so far.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Senior Functional Consultant at Cognitus Consulting
Consultant
Ability for remote access is a key feature in streamlining our processes
Pros and Cons
  • "The Fiori design is a valuable feature."
  • "Documentation could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I'm a senior functional consultant and we partner with SAP. 

How has it helped my organization?

Previously, when a sales person had to register a deal, it meant logging onto Windows to look at the deals, now it can all be done from a mobile phone. That's a huge benefit for us. 

What is most valuable?

The best part of this solution is the Fiori design. 

What needs improvement?

The documentation for this solution can definitely be improved and I'd also like to see more support, more numbers of Android or iPhone apps.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is highly scalable. We've scaled it more than 75% of what we initially had. We regularly scale and there's no excess consumption of resources or major tweaks required when we're scaling up. We have around 500 end users and we have a team of five or six people responsible for maintenance, including a system administrator. We use this solution extensively and will continue to expand our use of it. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We had a good experience with technical support. They know what they're doing and the response time was good. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used SAP ECC. We switched because they discontinued maintenance of ECC and this is a new solution altogether. It didn't make sense for us to continue with SAP ECC.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was moderate on the complexity side. Not too complex, but also not so easy. The deployment was done in-house and took several months. 

What other advice do I have?

There are a lot of ERP solutions on the market - Oracle, JD Edwards, and the like, but when it comes to SAP, my experience is that once you implement the solution and you understand how it works, it becomes intuitive to work with. When you upgrade to a new solution or when a whole lot of changes come in, the user experience stays pretty much consistent.

I rate this solution an eight out of 10. 

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. Partner
PeerSpot user
IT Coordinator at Cooperativa Central Dos Produtores Rurais De Minas Gerais Ltda.
Real User
A next-generation in-memory database solution with a useful feature called Fiori
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the user experience and usability of SAP Fiori, which is one of the main features that we are using."
  • "The initial setup could be better. They can make the process a little easier. The functions that we require will be available in the next release. We specifically need a new model, and I think we have some versions to implement. I already read on the SAP website that some functionalities we are waiting for are available in this new version."

What is our primary use case?

We use SAP S4HANA for our main backup processes. Most of the backups processes if for sales, supply, accounting, and financial. 

What is most valuable?

I like the user experience and usability of SAP Fiori, which is one of the main features that we are using.

What needs improvement?

The initial setup could be better. They can make the process a little easier. The functions that we require will be available in the next release. We specifically need a new model, and I think we have some versions to implement. I already read on the SAP website that some functionalities we are waiting for are available in this new version.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using SAP S4HANA for just six months. We just converted the ECC to S/4.

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?

SAP S4HANA is scalable, and we're running this solution at some banks we have here. It's easy to scale, but it takes a couple of months to do it.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good. it's very nice because we have both local support and international support on their website. I think it's good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup isn't easy because it takes six months to deploy the project. I think we also discussed it for almost a year before implementing it. 

What other advice do I have?

I would advise potential users to plan extensively before they start. It's very important.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give SAP S4HANA a nine.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Associate director at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
MSP
Top 20
Modern user interface, simplified operations, but complex installation
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found the user interface very modern and it has simplified many user jobs, such as the embedded logistics. They have introduced central finance which has been a benefit."
  • "This solution works with the configuration, if the prerequisites are very clear and can be configured it works perfectly. If you need to simulate something, as a predictive tool this kind of simulation is not very accurate and it has limitations. This is something that could improve."

What is our primary use case?

The solution can be used for many things in an organization, such as managing sales, operations, supply chain logistics, master data, and product management.

What is most valuable?

I have found the user interface very modern and it has simplified many user jobs, such as the embedded logistics. They have introduced central finance which has been a benefit.

What needs improvement?

This solution works with the configuration, if the prerequisites are very clear and can be configured it works perfectly. If you need to simulate something, as a predictive tool this kind of simulation is not very accurate and it has limitations. This is something that could improve.

In an upcoming release, the allocation process should be revised and improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for approximately eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable in this new version we have been using.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is easy to scale. I have found this solution is the best fit for medium to large size businesses.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support has been very valuable. They are experts and provide a great service.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is a complex process compared to other solutions. The setup can be even more complex by adding areas of the organization you want to the solution, such as LAN networks, licenses, and infrastructure.

What about the implementation team?

The client decides who does the implementations. Some do it themselves and others use a vendor.

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

I have found the price of the solution is on the medium to the expensive side of the scale. There is a license for this solution and there are additional maintenance fees.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to those looking for a similar solution.

I rate SAP S4HANA a seven 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. Partner
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
reviewer1403493 - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Consultant at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
MSP
Feature-rich and offers different deployment options, but the customization should be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The key modules that I find most valuable are material management (MM), financial accounting and controlling (FICO), and human resources (HR)."
  • "The two things that need to be improved are price and customization."

What is our primary use case?

We are a pre-sales team and I have been working as a consultant for SAP S4HANA.

Most often, we deal with manufacturing CPG customers. We prefer the complete SAP S4HANA Suite, with all of the functionalities, and the use cases are typically everything that is offered from the processes in that suite.

What is most valuable?

The key modules that I find most valuable are material management (MM), financial accounting and controlling (FICO), and human resources (HR). I am not exposed to all of the core features, but these are the ones that we generally prefer and propose.

What needs improvement?

The two things that need to be improved are price and customization. These are two dynamic changes that every customer will want.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with SAP S4HANA for the past year and a half.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Our customers for this solution are mixed in size. We have small-scale, medium-scale, and large-scale customers. The number of users also varies. It can be hundreds or multiple thousands.

How are customer service and technical support?

I do not have experience with SAP technical support.

How was the initial setup?

We have enough competency in our company that the initial setup is straightforward and we don't face many issues. There may be some complexity but it depends on the configuration.

The deployment model is a mixture of offerings and this choice is based on customer requirements. Sometimes it is a cloud deployment, whereas others are on-premises, and yet in some cases, it is a hybrid model.

What about the implementation team?

We have an in-house team for deployment.

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

The price of this product is an issue for some customers.

What other advice do I have?

I highly recommend this product for all SAP customers who want to digitize and have a core business suite of applications.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
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Download our free SAP S/4HANA Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: September 2025
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Buyer's Guide
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