SAP GTS and SAP S/4HANA: What’s Changed?

SAP
GTS and SAP S/4HANA: What’s Changed?

http://news.sap.com/sap-gts-and-sap-s4hana-whats-changed/

For the past 16 years, SAP Global Trade
Services, used by over 2,000 customers, has been the SAP application for
foreign trade. But what happens when a company switches to SAP S/4HANA?

What does classic SAP GTS do?

Back in the days of SAP R/2 and SAP R/3,
companies with international business relationships were already using
standardized functionalities for foreign trade.

For example:

1. The international movement of goods was
   logged (Intrastat)
2. Export permit requirements were monitored
   (Legal Control)
3. Trade agreements were observed for import
   duties (Preference Management)
4. And promises to pay from the importer were
   given to the executing companies (Letter of Credit)

    

   In 2000, all import and export
   notifications, which had up until that point been drawn up on paper, switched
   over to electronic communication, and were consolidated together with existing
   foreign trade functionalities in the SAP Global Trade Services application (SAP
   GTS). Since then, SAP GTS has become the SAP customs and foreign trade
   platform.

    

   How will the new SAP Business Suite 4 SAP
   HANA (SAP S/4HANA) affect companies using SAP GTS?

   SAP GTS is continually being enhanced, and
   remains SAP’s customs and foreign trade platform. Customers now using SAP S/4HANA have the opportunity to start using
   foreign trade functionalities in SAP S/4HANA. Building on its SAP GTS
   experience, SAP has selectively developed foreign trade functionalities in SAP
   S/4HANA. SAP firstly redeveloped the Intrastat functionalities in SAP S/4HANA.

    

   Companies that use both SAP S/4HANA and SAP
   GTS are able to use the newly coded Intrastat functionalities. A main advantage
   is that status updates on international goods movements can be produced quicker
   and more precisely. Secondly, SAP is currently working toward legally
   monitoring export activity (Legal Control) before export management is made
   available as an SAP S/4HANA functionality for the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Edition.
   The newly developed foreign trade functionalities in SAP S/4HANA are grouped
   together under SAP S/4HANA for International Trade.

    

   All companies that use the classic SAP GTS
   can of course deploy SAP GTS alongside AP S/4HANA on premise.

    

   Who is already running the new Intrastat
   functionalities with SAP S/4HANA?

   All companies that are on SAP S/4HANA, and
   that used the previous Intrastat functionality in SAP ECC.

    

   Does the new enhancement of SAP GTS
   functions based on SAP S/4HANA mean that the conventional SAP GTS will not be
   developed further?

    

   No. SAP is continuing to develop customs
   and foreign trade functionalities in parallel.

   What does that mean for SAP GTS customers?
   For companies that deploy multiple ERP and logistics systems, SAP GTS will
   remain the core solution for customs and foreign trade, since the data stems
   from various different systems. One of the major strengths and advantages of
   SAP GTS is that logistical data can be pulled from multiple ERP and transport
   management systems, for instance to centralize import and export announcments
   within a single system.

    

   An additional benefit is SAP GTS
   architecture with its extensive SD and MM integration. This enables data to be
   collected from SD and MM processes, which can be processed accordingly for
   communication with customs authorities. Companies using a hybrid IT system
   environment will experience virtually no changes.

    

   What does that mean for SAP S/4HANA
   customers? Companies using SAP S/4HANA and no other logistics systems will be
   able to draw on the foreign trade functionalities in SAP S/4HANA in the future.

    

   A functionality was recently implemented
   for SAP S/4HANA, and two others are in the realization phase. What should
   companies do if they want customs and foreign trade processes to map in SAP
   GTS, but also want to benefit from SAP S/4HANA?

    

   Any business that implements SAP S/4HANA
   can carry on using existing SAP GTS functions. This is a major added value for
   our customers. The high degree of integration between SAP ECC and SAP GTS
   continues to apply for SAP S/4HANA. Companies using SAP GTS can supplement it
   with SAP S/4HANA, or continue using it as before. SAP GTS will continue to be
   enhanced.

    

   Will customers still be able to use
   existing modifications and custom solutions after individual functionalities
   switch to SAP S/4HANA?

   Customers who have been using the standard
   SAP GTS for years will be able to continue using those functions also in SAP
   S/4HANA, provided customer enhancements are implemented using Business Add-Ins BadIs), user exits use their own coding without
   modifications, and non-modifying custom code is used in user exits which do not
   use any data structures from the “old” Foreign Trade.

    

   Top image via Shutterstock

   Tags: SAP GTS, SAP S/4HANA