Master Data in Motion: What’s New in S/4HANA 2023
With the release of SAP S/4HANA 2023, organizations are being offered a major opportunity: to clean up, modernize, and future-proof their master data landscape.
A standout innovation in this release is the Unified Product API, a clear move towards simplification, standardization, and alignment with SAP’s “clean core” philosophy, coming to central governance after its introduction before in consolidation and mass processing.
But these innovations also raise new questions:
- How do they affect your existing custom logic?
- What steps should you take to adopt them safely?
- How do you ensure compliance with SAP’s new technical requirements – without disrupting your current processes?
In this blog, we’ll explore both of these key changes, the Unified Product API and the Business Partner switch concept and show how Alluvion can guide your organization through them with clarity and confidence. Simplifying Complexity: The Rise of the Unified Product API
Managing product or material data across multiple systems and business processes has traditionally meant juggling a tangle of APIs and inconsistent logic. The Unified Product API changes that. Introduced in S/4HANA 2023 for central governance, this new interface provides a single, streamlined way to handle product and material master data.
What it means for your business:
- One API, many use cases: Create, read, and update product/material data across flex and reuse modes with the same interface.
- Consistency and stability: Common checks, unified authorization handling, and a clean enhancement framework (via BADIs) make this a developer-friendly future.
- Mass-ready by design: Integrated support for mass processing and data quality checks means less effort and fewer errors.
- Cloud-compatible: As part of SAP’s public cloud architecture, the Unified Product API supports both on-premise and RISE with SAP customers.
This is not just another API, it’s the future of how product/material master data is handled in the SAP ecosystem. And it’s ready to be adopted now.
Of course, every new implementation comes with its challenges. While the Unified Product API helps bridge data gaps, it doesn’t always make its updates transparent to the user.
The End of Optional: Why Activating the BP Switch Is Now a Must in S/4HANA 2023
In earlier S/4HANA releases, organizations had the flexibility to choose which business functions to activate — including those tied to the Business Partner (BP) data model. Many customers postponed activation, especially if their legacy customer/vendor structures were still functioning as expected.
But that’s changed in S/4HANA 2023. SAP now requires activation of key Business Partner switches as a mandatory step during an implementation or upgrade. This is not only about unlocking new optional features, it’s about maintaining system integrity.
Failing to activate these switches can result in critical issues, including inconsistent data behavior and potential data loss.
This shift reflects SAP’s broader move toward standardization and simplification in the S/4HANA core.
For teams working with MDG-BP, Customer/Vendor replication, or integration with other SAP components, this change must be accounted for early in the project to avoid disruption.
Why Alluvion?
At Alluvion, we understand that S/4HANA upgrades aren't just technical migrations—they’re strategic opportunities to get your master data right. Whether it’s aligning with the Unified Product API, BP Switch concept or the introduction of new objects, our expertise in Master Data Governance (MDG) and S/4HANA architecture means you're in capable hands.
With Alluvion, you get:
- Clear migration strategies for adopting SAP’s new APIs and frameworks.
- Tools and boosters to reduce implementation risk and increase speed.
- Deep MDG know-how across BP, customer, supplier, financials and product domains.
- Real-world experience to bridge technical design with business impact.
- Experience & connectors to integrate with third parties to increase your data quality.
Alluvion, 100% Master Data Quality: Once and for all!
Take Control of Your SAP Master Data
Jo Buyl
Senior SAP Master Data Expert
Jo is an experienced expert in data governance, (master) data management, and data quality and a trusted advisor with a focus on project management and business requirements gathering.
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