Sequence
Master data before transactional data. Stop senders, drain queues, then switch over.
Insights · S/4HANA
Cutover for interfaces
The go-live weekend shows whether data flows. What belongs in a cutover plan for interfaces, and where it fails in practice.
By Michele Mangieri · Updated
In short
A cutover plan for interfaces sets out what must be in place for the go-live weekend, which shows whether data flows. Its building blocks are the sequence, switch points with a time and an owner, a clear rule for in-flight messages, a contact for every partner interface, a fallback agreed beforehand, and hypercare in the first weeks.
Building blocks
What belongs in the plan.
Switch points
Communication channels, partner agreements, endpoints and certificates: each with a time and an owner.
In-flight messages
What is on its way at switchover? Messages in queues and deltas need a clear rule.
Contacts
For every partner interface, a name and weekend availability.
Fallback
Criteria and a deadline for deciding to switch back. Agreed beforehand, not negotiated in the night.
Hypercare
Intensified monitoring in the first weeks and a fast path for corrections.
Practice
Where it fails.
- Certificates and passwords are only exchanged on go-live day.
- External partners learn about the date too late.
- Transports are incomplete, a channel is missing in production.
- There is no monitoring yet for new scenarios.
- There was no dress rehearsal with real data.
From our project work.
Cutover planning was part of our work when an educational publisher replaced its legacy systems with around 200 interfaces, when a mail-order retailer introduced SAP with web shop, Amazon and EDI suppliers, and in a global FI/CO implementation in retail.
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SAP, SAP PO, SAP Integration Suite and S/4HANA are trademarks of SAP SE. maxClaint is an independent consultancy and not an SAP partner.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about interfaces at cutover
In what order should interfaces be switched over at go-live?
Master data before transactional data. Stop senders, drain queues, then switch over. Each switch point, whether communication channels, partner agreements, endpoints or certificates, gets a time and an owner.
What happens to messages in flight at switchover?
They need a clear rule in the cutover plan. That applies to messages in queues as well as to deltas. Before switching over, senders are stopped and queues drained.
When is the decision to switch back made?
Criteria and a deadline for deciding to switch back are agreed beforehand, not negotiated in the night. The fallback is a building block of the cutover plan in its own right, alongside hypercare with intensified monitoring in the first weeks.
Why do interface cutovers fail in practice?
Typical causes: certificates and passwords are only exchanged on go-live day, external partners learn about the date too late, transports are incomplete, there is no monitoring yet for new scenarios, and there was no dress rehearsal with real data.
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