Introduction to Clean Core in S/4HANA
With the introduction of MDG Cloud Ready Mode in SAP S/4HANA 2023, SAP has significantly intensified its emphasis on maintaining a clean core. SAP’s objective is clear: Organizations must transition toward a clean core, a system landscape where customizations are isolated from the core application, ensuring long-term stability, predictable upgrades, and seamless adoption of innovations delivered by SAP.
Customers opting for Cloud Ready Mode encounter stricter guardrails around extensibility. Traditional enhancement patterns—such as modifications, implicit enhancements, or pervasive use of custom code within standard classes—are heavily restricted. Only those extension approaches that guarantee lifecycle stability and upgrade resilience are supported.
Implications for MDG Customers in Classic Mode
For organizations currently using MDG in Classic Mode, but intending to maintain system stability and ensure smooth, low-effort upgrades, it becomes essential to adopt an extension strategy that aligns closely with clean-core guidelines. The extension approach must strike a balance between functional requirements and long-term maintainability, particularly in upgrade-intensive environments.
Organizations in Classic Mode face pressing questions:
How do we continue enhancing MDG without jeopardizing upgrade stability?Which extensibility options remain viable, and which should be avoided?How can we design custom logic that aligns with SAP’s forward-looking roadmap?What development patterns minimize rework in future upgrades?
Recommended Extensibility Approach
Following SAP’s clean-core philosophy, the recommended extensibility hierarchy is as follows:
1. Key User In-App Extensibility
Preferred for UI and lightweight business logic enhancements, designed to be upgrade-safe and lifecycle-stable
2. Side-by-Side Extensibility
Ideal for more complex or custom business processes using SAP BTP, providing isolation from the S/4HANA digital core while ensuring deep integration through released APIs and events
3. Classic Extensibility
Classic extensions remain available in MDG Classic Mode, but they should be used sparingly and only when clean-core options cannot fulfil the requirement.
Classic extensibility includes:
BADIs specific to MDGEnhancement pointsDerivation and validation exitsCustom code within allowed enhancement frameworks
Considerations for MDG Extension Design
There have been attempts in Classic Mode to build wrapper classes around SAP standard MDG classes with the intention of stabilizing custom logic across upgrades. However, given the expanding set of released APIs and whitelisted objects, attempting to wrap all MDG-specific classes is time-consuming.
A more sustainable approach is to rely on:
Released MDG APIs, frameworks, and BAdIsWorkflow and rule-based configurabilityEvent-driven extension patterns via SAP BTPGovernance processes aligned with clean-core principles
Below table will outline the recommended and prioritized extension options for MDG in Classic Mode, offering guidance for customers seeking to preserve upgrade stability while aligning with SAP’s recommended enhancement strategy.
We will continue to revise and update the above list, as and when new scenarios and capabilities are identified.
Introduction to Clean Core in S/4HANAWith the introduction of MDG Cloud Ready Mode in SAP S/4HANA 2023, SAP has significantly intensified its emphasis on maintaining a clean core. SAP’s objective is clear: Organizations must transition toward a clean core, a system landscape where customizations are isolated from the core application, ensuring long-term stability, predictable upgrades, and seamless adoption of innovations delivered by SAP.Customers opting for Cloud Ready Mode encounter stricter guardrails around extensibility. Traditional enhancement patterns—such as modifications, implicit enhancements, or pervasive use of custom code within standard classes—are heavily restricted. Only those extension approaches that guarantee lifecycle stability and upgrade resilience are supported.Implications for MDG Customers in Classic ModeFor organizations currently using MDG in Classic Mode, but intending to maintain system stability and ensure smooth, low-effort upgrades, it becomes essential to adopt an extension strategy that aligns closely with clean-core guidelines. The extension approach must strike a balance between functional requirements and long-term maintainability, particularly in upgrade-intensive environments.Organizations in Classic Mode face pressing questions:How do we continue enhancing MDG without jeopardizing upgrade stability?Which extensibility options remain viable, and which should be avoided?How can we design custom logic that aligns with SAP’s forward-looking roadmap?What development patterns minimize rework in future upgrades?Recommended Extensibility ApproachFollowing SAP’s clean-core philosophy, the recommended extensibility hierarchy is as follows:1. Key User In-App ExtensibilityPreferred for UI and lightweight business logic enhancements, designed to be upgrade-safe and lifecycle-stable2. Side-by-Side ExtensibilityIdeal for more complex or custom business processes using SAP BTP, providing isolation from the S/4HANA digital core while ensuring deep integration through released APIs and events3. Classic Extensibility Classic extensions remain available in MDG Classic Mode, but they should be used sparingly and only when clean-core options cannot fulfil the requirement.Classic extensibility includes:BADIs specific to MDGEnhancement pointsDerivation and validation exitsCustom code within allowed enhancement frameworksConsiderations for MDG Extension DesignThere have been attempts in Classic Mode to build wrapper classes around SAP standard MDG classes with the intention of stabilizing custom logic across upgrades. However, given the expanding set of released APIs and whitelisted objects, attempting to wrap all MDG-specific classes is time-consuming.A more sustainable approach is to rely on:Released MDG APIs, frameworks, and BAdIsWorkflow and rule-based configurabilityEvent-driven extension patterns via SAP BTPGovernance processes aligned with clean-core principles Below table will outline the recommended and prioritized extension options for MDG in Classic Mode, offering guidance for customers seeking to preserve upgrade stability while aligning with SAP’s recommended enhancement strategy.We will continue to revise and update the above list, as and when new scenarios and capabilities are identified. Read More Technology Blog Posts by SAP articles
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