Side-by-Side Extensions
Side-by-side extensibility is the architectural pattern of building custom logic, UIs, and integrations on a platform outside the SAP S/4HANA digital core (typically SAP BTP) rather than modifying the core system directly. This topic covers when to choose side-by-side over in-app or classic extensions, how these extensions connect to the core, the governance and NFR trade-offs involved, and how they support a clean-core strategy across ECC-to-S/4HANA transitions and hybrid landscapes.
Overview
Side-by-side extensibility is the architectural pattern of building custom logic, UIs, and integrations on a platform outside the SAP S/4HANA digital core (typically SAP BTP) rather than modifying the core system directly. This topic covers when to choose side-by-side over in-app or classic extensions, how these extensions connect to the core, the governance and NFR trade-offs involved, and how they support a clean-core strategy across ECC-to-S/4HANA transitions and hybrid landscapes.
Lessons in this topic
- Integration Patterns and Runtime Flow for Side-by-Side ExtensionsExplains how side-by-side extensions built on BTP communicate with the S/4HANA core at runtime, covering synchronous and asynchronous integration patterns, authentication, and typical failure points.
- Integration Patterns and Data Synchronization for Side-by-Side ExtensionsExplains how side-by-side extensions communicate with SAP core systems, covering integration styles, data consistency approaches, latency trade-offs, and error handling patterns needed for reliable production operation.
- Why Side-by-Side Extensibility Exists and When to Use ItIntroduces the business and technical rationale for side-by-side extensions, contrasting them with in-app and classic ABAP extensions, and explains the core decision criteria for choosing this pattern.