S/4HANA Isn’t the Only Path to Modernisation — ECC Can Get There Too.
One of the strongest emotional levers SAP and major SIs use to push customers toward S/4HANA is the promise of modernisation. The message: stay on ECC, and you’ll fall behind; transition to S/4HANA, and you’ll leap forward.
But here’s the interesting part.
The underlying architecture of S/4HANA isn’t radically different. The data structures are similar. The information being captured, processed, and reported on is fundamentally the same. The real gap, the one that users feel every day, is not the core system; it’s the user experience.
Modern UX Makes SAP Accessible to Everyone
The classic SAP GUI is familiar and reliable, but it hasn’t meaningfully changed in decades. It works, but it also creates friction:
- Approvals get lost in Outlook
- Mobile users are effectively excluded
- Occasional users avoid the system entirely
- Errors creep in because screens are complex
- New starters look at the UI in disbelief
- “Super users” become bottlenecks
The standard UI isn’t broken, but it is somewhat limiting. And that’s why the S/4HANA modernisation narrative resonates so strongly.
For SAP customers choosing to stay on ECC for the foreseeable future, this is where meaningful progress can be made today without touching the core system. Modernising the user experience removes barriers for occasional users, new starters, and non‑SAP‑native roles
It shifts the focus from “how SAP is structured” to “how people actually work.”
Modernising ECC isn’t a full redesign. It’s targeted, practical improvements in the areas that matter most. For example:
- Managers approving purchase orders from their phone in seconds
- Buyers raising requisitions through simple, guided forms
- Finance teams working from a single inbox instead of multiple transactions
- Executives viewing real‑time KPIs on clean dashboards
- Warehouse staff confirming movements without navigating complex screens
None of this replaces ECC. It simply removes friction from the highest‑frequency interactions.
Three Practical Modernisation Paths for ECC
1. Build Fiori Apps on ECC Using SAPUI5
This is the traditional approach. It solves the problem, but it is resource‑intensive. Most organisations target specific transactions or workflows rather than replicating the full S/4HANA Fiori library.
To go down this path, ECC customers need to ensure:
- SAP Gateway is configured,
- SAPUI5 Libraries are available, and
- The required ECC Backend Add‑Ons have been implemented.
Even with these components in place, building SAP Fiori Apps remains time-consuming and expensive.
2. Build Fiori‑Style Apps Using Third‑Party Platforms
A faster, more cost‑effective option. These tools enable teams to deliver a broader suite of apps without requiring deep SAPUI5 expertise, accelerating UX transformation.
Third‑party Fiori builders such as Stelo (Stelo | Accelerated SAP Fiori) from Arch dramitically simplify the process of delivering modern SAP apps on ECC. Instead of writing SAPUI5 code, building OData services manually, or managing complex Gateway configurations, these platforms provide a low‑code, model‑driven approach that accelerates delivery and reduces dependency on scarce SAP skills.
Third-party tools, such as Stelo:
- Cut development time by 70–90%
- Remove the need for SAPUI5 and OData expertise
- Deliver consistent, modern UX across all apps
- Allow rapid scaling (10–50 apps in months, not years)
- Makes ECC feel modern without touching the core system
3. Integrate Microsoft Teams Using Adaptive Cards
Bringing SAP workflows into Teams dramatically improves usability. Approvals, notifications, and guided actions appear where users already work every day.
Tools such as Looply (Looply | SAP & Microsoft Teams integration) enable SAP ECC customers to bring SAP workflows, approvals, notifications, and guided actions directly into Microsoft Teams — without custom development, SAPUI5, or manually building OData services.
It transforms Teams into a practical, everyday SAP interaction layer, giving users a modern, frictionless experience while the ECC core remains unchanged.
Integrating SAP ECC with Teams using Looply:
- Eliminates SAP GUI dependency for common tasks
- Delivers a modern, mobile‑friendly UX instantly
- Reduces training effort for occasional users
- Improves workflow turnaround times
- Removes the need for SAPUI5, OData, or custom Teams development
- Brings SAP into the tools users already live in every day
Next Steps
For SAP customers choosing to stay on ECC for the foreseeable future, modernisation doesn’t require a migration. It’s the user experience that needs to evolve. And that evolution doesn’t require S/4HANA.
With targeted Fiori apps, low‑code platforms like #Stelo, and Teams‑based workflows powered by tools like #Looply, organisations can deliver a modern, intuitive, mobile‑ready SAP experience right now. These approaches remove friction, simplify work, and make SAP accessible to everyone, without the need to transition to S/4HANA
For ECC customers, the path forward is simple: don’t migrate for modernisation — modernise where you are.
If you’re exploring practical ways to modernise ECC without a full transformation, I’m always happy to walk through what’s working for other organisations.
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