In this blog, we will share 12 good reasons existing users of SAP Global Trade Services should move to the new and future-proof SAP Global Trade Services, edition for SAP HANA.
12 Good Reasons to Move to SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA
Reason no. 1 – A Roadmap to the Future
The first and maybe the most crucial reason you should move to SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA, is that you will have to sooner or later. This is because the current SAP GTS 11.0 is close to ending its lifecycle and will be out of mainstream maintenance at the end of December 2025.
As illustrated below, a new era has begun with the introduction of SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA. With the move to the SAP HANA platform, we will see a new version of SAP GTS being released every second year, in line with the overall release strategy of SAP HANA, and we will see the second version, SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA 2023 shipping this year (2023).
Future innovations and, eventually, also necessary new legal requirements will become available in SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA only.
Please note that SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA connects to both SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA, so there is no need to upgrade to SAP S/4HANA before embarking on the journey.
Reason no 2 – Better User Experience
Another reason for moving to the 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. SAP Fiori represents, of course, a change management challenge. Still, the Fiori user experience is undoubtedly a better one and is a user experiences consistent with SAP strategy and coherent with SAP S/4HANA and other modern SAP solutions.
Reason no 3 – Improved Usability and Efficiency with Re-designed Fiori Apps
With the SAP Fiori user experience also comes 15 new Fiori apps. They are replacing more than 70 old SAP GUI transactions. These apps represent not only enhanced usability. They will also increase efficiency and provide increased transparency for users and corporations.
You should not underestimate the change management effort of switching to SAP Fiori; however, for the new generation entering the workforce, SAP Fiori is clearly preferred compared to the classic SAP GUI.
The native Fiori-apps mainly cover compliance management, export, transit, and trade preference management. However, fans of the SAP GUI will still recognize major parts of GTS, and the transition should be relatively easy.
Reason no 4 – Embedded Analytics for Work, Reporting, and Audit
One example of improvements provided by the SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA is the embedded analytics available in the Fiori apps. Not only do they efficiently communicate insight into the current state of business, but the analytics 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.
Reason no 5 – Improved concept of processing status, progress, and proposal
In some apps, like the Manage Export Declarations app, we introduce new concepts for processing statuses and processing proposals. Combined with generic SAP Fiori collaboration options, SAP GTS, E4H provides modern tools for team collaboration.
Reason no 6 – Enterprise Search for Selected Objects
Every application that uses the ABAP platform as its underlying technology platform can use Enterprise Search in connection with SAP HANA as the technology for basic searches. Enterprise Search allows you to search all structured data in an application in a unified way. This also applies to the SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA. This represents a vast improvement in data availability and user experience. With a reference entered in the search field on top, users can easily find all documents or master data elements sharing the same reference.
Reason no 7 – Renewed Trade Preference Management
You can find one of the most significant improvements within Trade Preference Management. The management of long-term supplier declarations has been completely reworked.
The old data model is deprecated, and the corresponding reports and transactions are deleted and replaced by new reports and Fiori applications. In addition, with the 2023 release, we support 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.
The change in the data model is making the transition a bit harder; however, with the added value it provides, it represents a reasonable renewal of an important and quickly changing area within International trade.
Reason no 8 – Improvements with SAP S/4HANA 2022 Order to Cash
SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA, also improves integration with SAP S/4HANA. For example, we persist the license-type indicator in sales orders and scheduling agreements.
SAP GT, edition for SAP HANA, actively pushes trade compliance check results and status updates to sales orders and scheduling agreements. SAP GTS ensures that the statuses always reflect reality, and with the data persisted in S/4HANA, we open up more for better usage of the statuses, without the need to make a status call to SAP GTS.
Reason no 9 – Improvements with SAP S/4HANA TM Advanced Shipping & Receiving (ASR)
International Trade Management and logistics are both practically and technically tightly connected. In SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA, we will continue enhancing our integration with SAP TM and SAP EWM. Furthermore, as Advanced Shipping and receiving become the new standard for shipments in SAP, we will see further end-to-end integrations between SAP TM, SAP EWM, and SAP GTS.
Reason no 10 – Simplified Operations – SAP HANA Search in SPL
Even though SAP GTS 11 on an SAP HANA database already can utilize SAP HANA Search in Sanctioned Party List Screening (SPL) in addition to classic GTS Search and TREX, with the introduction of SAP GTS edition for SAP HANA, TREX is no longer an option. Therefore, as you move from TREX to SAP HANA Search, it is crucial to understand how the SAP HANA Search differs. SAP HANA Search is undoubtedly a better solution, for instance, simplifying and eliminating time-consuming and complex maintenance tasks every time we see a change in SPL lists.
Reason no 11 – Platform & Technology
Despite everything new, just like SAP GTS 11.0, the SAP GTS edition for SAP HANA is also a standalone solution, logically and physically separated from SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA.
It runs, however, on the strategic and future-proof SAP HANA platform.
The integration with surrounding applications is more or less the same, using the same formats and protocols.
And let us, once more, clarify one point. SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA, integrates not only with SAP S/4HANA but also with SAP ERP and even non-SAP systems in the same way that SAP GTS 11.0 does. Therefore, there is no prerequisite to run SAP S/4HANA to run SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA.
Reason no 12 – Co-Deployment with S/4HANA 2022
With the next release, SAP GTS edition for SAP HANA 2023, planned availability later this year, we enable co-deployment on top of SAP S/4HANA version 2022 onwards.
This will lower operational costs for running SAP GTS, both on-premise and in the cloud.
Please be aware that with co-deployment, SAP GTS will still be a logically separated system, not to be confused with embedded solutions. Integrations between ERP and GTS will be as before. The benefits lie in the possibility of sharing infrastructure costs.
As you can see, at least twelve good reasons exist to move to the SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA. One reason is that you have to. In addition, you will find 11 reasons representing usability enhancements, enhanced functionality, and simplified operations.
