Advantages of Making a Move to SAP GTS, Edition for SAP HANA
In this white paper, we will be sharing the advantages of implementing SAP GTS E4H, the implementation approach, and the deployment options. The goal is to prepare your business for the transition to SAP GTS E4H and ensure a successful upgrade with minimal disruption to your global trade operations.
SAP Global Trade Services (GTS) has long been the preferred solution for managing trade compliance, customs, and processes. However, with SAP announcing the end of mainstream maintenance for GTS by the end of 2025, companies must migrate to SAP GTS Edition for SAP S/4HANA (GTS E4H). Transitioning to SAP GTS E4H is a technical upgrade and a strategic opportunity to modernize operations, ensure compliance, and increase efficiency.
SAP GTS E4H, built on the robust SAP S/4HANA platform, offers enhanced capabilities that support the needs of modern global trade complexities. The power of SAP HANA in-memory technology, its integration, performance, and scalability position it as a critical asset for businesses with large volumes of international trade-related data.
Advantages of Transitioning to SAP GTS E4H
As SAP GTS 11.0 is approaching the end of its lifecycle, mainstream maintenance will end by December 2025. SAP GTS Edition for SAP HANA heralds the path to the future. SAP GTS Edition for HANA emerges as the right successor, offering advanced capabilities and support. Upgrading to SAP GTS Edition for SAP HANA 2023 ensures that your business stays ahead, aligning global trade processes with the future trends and demands of the market.
- Real-time insights:
SAP S/4HANA’s in-memory database enables real-time analytics, providing visibility into trade operations and accelerating decision-making. The embedded analytics available in the Fiori apps for SAP GTS E4H not only efficiently communicates insight into the current state of business, but also works as an efficient way of filtering and focusing on the most critical tasks. Users can easily toggle between the visual filter and more classic field-based (compact) filtering based on personal preference.
- Better user experience:
SAP Fiori’s intuitive interface improves user productivity and streamlines workflows. SAP GTS, edition for HANA, is the new user experience. SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA, runs, from an end-user perspective, entirely from the SAP Fiori launchpad. E4H comes with 15 new Fiori apps that are replacing more than 70 old SAP GUI transactions.
- Product Classification with AI-powered solutions and machine learning:
Product classification involves assigning tariff numbers and other relevant codes to products, ensuring compliance with customs regulations and legal controls, which is crucial for international trade operations, including customs declarations, duty calculations, and compliance checks.
SAP GTS E4H product classification functionality consists of advancements, particularly with the integration of AI and machine learning for more efficient and accurate classification. AI-powered solutions can now automate decision-making, reduce manual effort, and minimize errors in classifying products for trade compliance by learning from historical data and provide classification predictions with confidence scores, significantly improving the accuracy of the process.
- Advanced SPL Screening with SAP HANA Search capability:
With the introduction of the SAP GTS edition for SAP HANA, TREX is no longer an option, and SAP HANA’s high-speed processing enables efficient screening of large volumes of data, particularly beneficial for organizations with extensive global trade operations. Also, the integration with SAP HANA provides real-time screening and high performance, while automated workflows and comprehensive reporting further streamline the process.
Key improvements that are made in SAP GTS E4H for SPL Screening
- Consolidated Blocked Document Area
- Real-Time Screening with SAP HANA
- High Performance and Scalability:
- Automated Workflows
- Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics
- Customizable Screening Rules
- Enhanced User Experience
- Enhanced concept of processing status, progress, and proposal:
The newly introduced Fiori Apps, like the Manage Export Declarations app, include new concepts for processing statuses and processing proposals. Combined with generic SAP Fiori collaboration options, SAP GTS, E4H provides modern tools for team collaboration.
- Enhanced customs management features:
SAP GTS e4H (Edition for HANA) offers enhanced customs management features, including the automation of customs procedures, integration with customs authorities, and improved tools for managing trade compliance. It streamlines processes like classification, import/export declarations, and tariff number management, reducing costs and lead times.
Key improvements on usability and efficiency
- A new concept of processing status, progress, and proposal is introduced to track the status of customs-related tasks
- New Fiori apps are designed to improve usability and transparency for users in areas like managing and displaying export/transit declarations and their associated confirmations.
- A new enterprise search function allows users to search for specific reference numbers in export declarations.
- SAP GTS e4H includes embedded analytics functions for audit and reporting purposes.
- Renewed Trade preference management functionalities:
With the most significant improvements of Trade Preference Management and renewed management of long-term supplier declarations, companies can simplify the management of trade agreements and reduce duties.
The long-standing preference data model is deprecated, and the corresponding reports and transactions are removed and replaced with new reports and Fiori apps. In addition, with the 2023 release, GTS E4H supports Preference Data Management for Product Identifiers. The ability to determine preferential origin on the batch level is a unique advantage of SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA.
- Automation of Intrastat declaration creation and submission process:
SAP GTS E4H (Edition for HANA) supports electronic compliance reporting, primarily for Intra-Community trade within the European Union, by automating the creation and submission of statistical reports like Intrastat declarations. This feature helps businesses comply with national statistical authorities’ requirements for specific data formats, reducing manual effort and potential errors.
Natively built Fiori apps delivered with enhanced usability to increase efficiency and transparency for the users that offer built-in analytic capabilities for audits and reporting.
- The Fiori app Managing Providers of Information helps Intrastat specialists create, change, and display providers of information so that be able to declare Intrastat-relevant data to the authorities of a country.
- Managing Intrastat Declarations helps the Intrastat specialists manage their Intrastat declarations for their providers of information.
- The Fiori app, i.e., Manage Business Partners, Intrastat specialists can create business partners.
- Improved integration with SAP TM & SAP EWM Modules:
SAP GTS, E4H seamlessly connects with other SAP S/4HANA modules for a unified view of business processes, and especially with continuously enhancing integration with SAP TM and SAP EWM. Moreover, as Advanced Shipping and receiving become the new standard for shipments in SAP, there will be further end-to-end integrations between SAP TM, SAP EWM, and SAP GTS.
- Enhanced integration between SAP GTS E4H & SAP S/4 HANA:
SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA, improves integration with SAP S/4HANA by pushing trade compliance check results and status updates directly to sales orders and scheduling agreements. This ensures sales order statuses in S/4HANA reflect actual trade compliance, eliminating the need for separate status calls to SAP GTS. Furthermore, the legal control license indicator is persisted on sales order items, enabling split or combined processing of outbound deliveries based on license types.
SAP GTS E4H Migration/Transition options: Greenfield vs. Brownfield
Transitioning to SAP GTS E4H necessitates a well-thought-out approach. Businesses can typically select between two transition approaches:
- Greenfield Implementation – This option is best for businesses seeking to redesign and optimize their global trade requirements.
- Advantages: Fresh start with simplified architecture and streamlined workflows, and opportunity to fully leverage new features and best practices
- Challenges: Higher costs and longer implementation timelines; also requires significant change management
- Brownfield Migration – This option is best for companies looking to preserve existing custom code investments while upgrading.
- Advantages: Retains current business functionality, existing configuration setup and data, and reduces implementation time and costs
- Challenges: Limited flexibility for process redesign and potential effort required to address legacy customizations
How does Ramsun Technologies plan for a smooth transition to SAP GTS E4H?
A successful transition to SAP GTS E4H requires vigilant preparation and an implementation approach.
Ramsun’s Implementation Strategy considers the following activities:
- Performance Evaluation of Current System:
Analyze and understand the scope of the current GTS setup, including customizations and data volume. Consider aspects like processing speed, system stability, and scalability. Performance constraints in the current system can provide valuable insights for optimizing the SAP GTS E4H implementation process.
- Assessment of existing functionalities:
Outline the core functionalities of the existing SAP GTS system, which includes application areas like compliance management, customs management, and Trade Preference Management. Assess how effectively these functionalities are addressing current trade management needs.
- Outline clear objectives:
Align your migration goals with business priorities such as compliance, efficiency, and scalability
- Review of Current Configuration Setup:
Examine the configuration of your SAP GTS system that includes the configuration settings for compliance checks, customs declarations, Trade Preference Management, and reporting features. Ensure that these configurations align well with your current operational requirements and compliance obligations.
- Assessment of integration points and interface setup:
Study the integration points of the current SAP GTS system with feeder systems, like SAP ERP or SAP S/4 HANA, or non-SAP systems. This assessment covers data flows, interface configurations, and synchronization mechanisms. The objective is to understand how the transition will affect these integrations and what changes will be required. Though most integrations are backward compatible, there are many new features and functions, e.g., database persistence of GTS blocks in S4HANA, which can be leveraged to disregard customizations that might have been done in the past.
- Selection of the right implementation approach:
Choose between Greenfield and Brownfield based on the organization’s needs and constraints
- Train your team:
Familiarize your staff with the new system to maximize productivity and minimize disruptions
Conclusion
The migration from SAP GTS 11 to SAP GTS E4H is a crucial moment for businesses engaged in the global trade environment. While the end of support for GTS presents challenges, it also unlocks the door to improved capabilities, streamlined processes, and future-proof compliance with SAP GTS E4H.
Transitioning to SAP GTS Edition for HANA 2023 from SAP GTS 11.0 signifies a substantial advancement in global trade compliance and managing the customs communication process. Organizations must act decisively to analyze their migration strategy, assess the benefits of greenfield versus brownfield approaches, and leverage advanced tools like the AI Framework. By doing so, businesses can ensure a seamless transition, safeguard their trade operations, and position themselves for sustained growth in the competitive global environment.
In this situation, associating with an experienced implementation partner can be invaluable. Such a partnership can offer the necessary direction, support, and technical expertise to navigate the complexities of the transition process, safeguarding a smoother transition with minimal operational disruption.
With the 2025 deadline fast approaching, now is the time to embrace the next generation of SAP Global Trade Services. Upgrade to GTS E4H and secure your organization’s future in international trade.
About Ramsun Technologies: Your Partner in GTS E4H Implementation Project
Ramsun Technologies is an expert with over 8 years of experience in designing, implementing, and supporting SAP Global Trade Service solutions. Our team of GTS expert team has best ridden the tip of SAP GTS technology for over 8 years, helping customers comprehend the full value of optimized Global Trade Operations.
As the global economy faces significant challenges. International trade today is marked by rising tariffs, increasing protectionism, and continually evolving trade regulations. SAP GTS Edition for HANA 2023.
Ramsun Technologies offers a free assessment session with our team of SAP GTS Architects on the transition approach to SAP GTS Edition for HANA. For a free assessment session,
For a free assessment on SAP GTS E4H Implementation Projects
Contact us: info@ramsun-tech.com
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