Cross-Module Integration and Non-Functional Architecture
A parent-level orientation to cross-module integration and non-functional architecture in SAP landscapes spanning ECC, S/4HANA (on-premise, private cloud, public cloud) and BTP. Covers how functional modules, custom extensions, and hybrid integrations fit together; how non-functional requirements (performance, security, availability, scalability, maintainability) are decided and governed; and how migration, rollback, cost, and operational concerns shape architecture decisions across the SAP estate. Sets prerequisites and sequencing for deeper child topics rather than replacing them.
Overview
A parent-level orientation to cross-module integration and non-functional architecture in SAP landscapes spanning ECC, S/4HANA (on-premise, private cloud, public cloud) and BTP. Covers how functional modules, custom extensions, and hybrid integrations fit together; how non-functional requirements (performance, security, availability, scalability, maintainability) are decided and governed; and how migration, rollback, cost, and operational concerns shape architecture decisions across the SAP estate. Sets prerequisites and sequencing for deeper child topics rather than replacing them.
Lessons in this topic
- Why Cross-Module Integration and Non-Functional Architecture MatterAn introduction to why architects must think beyond single modules, covering the business case for integration thinking and non-functional requirements, and how this parent topic maps to deeper child topics.
- Mapping the Architecture Landscape: Integration Patterns, NFR Categories, and Child-Topic SequencingA structured map of integration pattern options, the major NFR categories architects must govern, and a recommended sequence for exploring the detailed child topics under this learning path.
Interview questions covered
- In an S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation, how do you decide whether a requirement should be met through in-app extensibility, side-by-side extensibility on BTP, or a standard configuration change?
- What is a Design Authority (Architecture Review Board) in an SAP program, and why is it needed alongside project governance boards?
- In a fit-to-standard workshop series using Signavio process models, the business insists on retaining a heavily customized approval workflow that has no S/4HANA standard equivalent. How should the architect resolve this?
- What is the purpose of a Design Authority (or Architecture Review Board) in an SAP program, and what decisions typically require its approval?
- In an S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation, how do you decide whether a requirement should be met via SAP standard configuration, in-app (Key User) extensibility, or side-by-side extension on BTP?
- In a brownfield S/4HANA conversion program, how do you structure wave planning across multiple company codes to minimize business disruption?
- When planning migration waves for a brownfield conversion of a multi-entity ECC landscape, what configuration factors determine how entities are grouped into waves, and how can Solution Manager support this planning?
- During Fit-to-Standard workshops using Signavio process models, the business insists on retaining a heavily customized approval workflow that has no S/4HANA standard equivalent. How should the architect handle this in the testing strategy?
- In a brownfield conversion program, how should wave planning be structured to minimize business disruption across multiple company codes?
- What is a greenfield SAP transformation approach and when should an architect recommend it over other transition paths?
- What is the role of a Design Authority (or Architecture Review Board) in an SAP S/4HANA program, and why is it needed alongside standard project governance?
- What is the role of a Design Authority (Architecture Review Board) in an SAP S/4HANA program, and what decisions typically require its sign-off?
- How should wave planning be structured in a brownfield SAP conversion to minimize business disruption across multiple company codes?
- When planning migration waves for a brownfield S/4HANA conversion of a multi-entity ECC landscape, what factors determine how entities are grouped into waves, and how does Solution Manager support this planning?
- What is a greenfield SAP transformation approach, and when should an architect recommend it over other transition options?
- Across four successive mock cutovers tracked in Cloud ALM, defect volume in the same tax and pricing test scripts remains flat instead of declining, despite fixes being marked closed each cycle. How would you architect a testing feedback-loop mechanism to determine whether this reflects regression reintroduction, incomplete fix validation, or a design flaw, before the fifth and final rehearsal?
- Your organization runs Record-to-Report (R2R) in S/4HANA but consolidates financial data with a non-SAP corporate consolidation tool. Month-end close is delayed because the consolidation tool receives inconsistent ACDOCA extracts. How would you redesign the integration to resolve this?
- After several years of tactical fixes, an S/4HANA landscape has accumulated significant technical debt in custom code and integration patterns, threatening the next release cycle. How would you structure a technical debt remediation strategy governed through release cycles and FinOps tracking?
- A manufacturing client wants to integrate a non-SAP MES (Manufacturing Execution System) with S/4HANA for a Make-to-Deliver process, synchronizing production confirmations and goods movements in near real time. How would you architect this integration?
- How would you architect an integration between SAP S/4HANA's Universal Journal and a BTP-based group reporting or consolidation solution to support the Record-to-Report process?