SAP Central Finance


What is SAP Central Finance?

SAP Central Finance offers a comprehensive and unified solution for SAP customers looking to consolidate their SAP landscapes. Organizations can leverage SAP Central Finance as a deployment option that helps finance and accounting teams transition to the SAP S/4HANA Finance system without impacting the current system landscape. SAP customers using SAP Central Finance can integrate the local system landscape into one common data model that allows for a single version of the truth across all company entities, which can be used for consolidation reporting and analysis. This way, organizations can implement uniform financial reporting without changing or adapting their existing systems and processes. Data replication from a source system to SAP Central Finance requires a SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server.   

What is SAP Central Finance?

SAP Central Finance offers a comprehensive and unified solution for SAP customers looking to consolidate their SAP landscapes. Organizations can leverage SAP Central Finance as a deployment option that helps finance and accounting teams transition to the SAP S/4HANA Finance system without impacting the current system landscape. SAP customers using SAP Central Finance can integrate the local system landscape into one common data model that allows for a single version of the truth across all company entities, which can be used for consolidation reporting and analysis. This way, organizations can implement uniform financial reporting without changing or adapting their existing systems and processes. Data replication from a source system to SAP Central Finance requires a SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server.   

Key capabilities include:

  • Consolidated reporting and analysis across all company entities
  • Ability to centrally manage your SAP landscape, including system maintenance, patching and upgrade
  • Integration with SAP and non-SAP systems
  • Accelerated finance-focused deployment and configuration

Key Considerations for SAPinsiders

Carefully evaluate decision points that will impact finance transformation initiatives during migration to SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The SAP Central Finance implementation of SAP S/4HANA is a key component in the digital transformation strategy for many enterprises. Its scope ranges from single to multiple entities, making it a versatile tool for enterprise organizations. In addition, SAP S/4HANA offers a digital core that helps to enable the intelligent enterprise. At the heart of this digital core is SAP Central Finance, a key component that can help organizations achieve finance transformation.

Develop a comprehensive project plan for SAP Central Finance to ensure a successful transition to SAP S/4HANA Finance. As organizations migrate to SAP S/4HANA, decision makers must evaluate the needs of the organizationand the resources that finance teams and IT will require to enable financial transformation. Organizations may want to consider hiring additional staff or partnering with technical consultants or SAP experts. In the case of SAP Central Finance, a deployment option for SAP S/4HANA Finance, organizations will require technical resources and expertise to support the system properly.

Explore enhanced functionality of a modern financial system powered by an intelligent enterprise platform. While transitioning to SAP S/4HANA Finance may require some effort, it is certainly possible, and many companies are already benefiting from the improved functionality and efficiency. SAP Central Finance is a method to bring financial data from multiple ERP systems into one single system of record. With SAP Central Finance in place, organizations can enjoy greater visibility and control over their financial data, streamlined processes, and reduced costs.

31 results

  1. BlackLine & Central Finance: A sweet success for The Hershey Company

    The Hershey Company initiated a finance transformation effort to enable its strategic initiatives. The project centered on moving to SAP S/4HANA Central Finance (cFIN), but a need was identified for additional solutions to address manual processes. Early on, Hershey implemented SAP Account Substantiation and Automation by BlackLine to bring visibility, standardization, and control to its…

  2. Best practices for master data mapping in Central Finance

    Master Data Governance and mapping are critical to any Central Finance project. In this session we will walk you through the MDG Foundation mapping in Central Finance and show you firsthand how it can be leveraged to redesign and harmonize your master data in S/4HANA. Attend this session to: •Discuss Key, Value, and Cost Object…

  3. How to Achieve Success in your SAP Central Finance Deployment Using Master Data & Harmonization

    Delivering value quickly in an SAP S/4HANA Central Finance deployment requires a practical focus on master data. The scope of Central Finance functionality dictates what master data is needed, and the resulting effort and time spent on configurations, master data definitions and mappings can significantly impact project complexity, duration and success. By leveraging automation and…

  4. S/4HANA & CFIN Phase 0 Assessment: Reduce Risks and Improve Project Outcomes

    Published: 14/July/2020

    Reading time: 1 min

    With our Phase 0 Assessment, you can mitigate risks such as negative impacts on financial performance, damage to brand, loss of customers, goodwill and talent.   Find other insightful content from Protiviti on their Vendor Showcase

  5. SAP Central Finance

    Published: 07/July/2020

    Reading time: 16 mins

    For companies looking to reimagine their business models for greater operating efficiency, better customer service, and improved financial performance, unifying their enterprise finance model can be a game changer. SAP S/4HANA innovations such as SAP Central Finance make this possible, according to two SAP advisors. In this thorough breakdown, which explains other innovations within SAP…

  6. Financials: Case study: How sweet it is — The Hershey Company’s Central Finance journey

    Published: 01/March/2019

    Reading time: 1 mins

    Learn how The Hershey Company planned for and structured its deployment of SAP S/4HANA Central Finance. here John M. Zimmerman If you have comments about this article or publication, or would like to submit an article idea, please contact the editor. Laura Lutz If you have comments about this article or publication, or would like...…

  7. Improve the Auditability of Your SAP S/4HANA for Central Finance Foundation Solution

    Published: 27/July/2018

    Reading time: 11 mins

    SAP S/4HANA for Central Finance foundation (Central Finance) is the least disruptive deployment option for SAP S/4HANA adoption in finance, especially for enterprises with a heterogeneous landscape consisting of multiple SAP and non-SAP finance transactional systems. Figure 1 provides a high-level overview of Central Finance in SAP S/4HANA along with its architecture. Figure 1 —…

  8. Decoding the Cost Object Mapping Framework in SAP Central Finance

    Published: 29/September/2017

    Reading time: 13 mins

    Learn about the concept, purpose, configuration, and execution of the cost object mapping framework in SAP Central Finance. Key Concept SAP Central Finance in SAP S/4HANA offers a new configuration for the cost object mapping framework, which is mainly used for short-living cost objects such as an internal order, a production order, or a service...…

  9. A Holistic Approach to Implementing Central Finance

    Published: 28/October/2016

    Reading time: 24 mins

    Learn tips to help you prepare for a Central Finance implementation project. Central Finance is aimed at reducing the cost of adoption of SAP S/4HANA Finance for organizations having heterogeneous landscapes (multiple SAP ERP or non-SAP systems). With Central Finance, these organizations no longer have to upgrade all the systems to have SAP S/4HANA Finance....…

  10. Live from SAPinsider Studio: Carsten Hilker on Universal Journal

    Carsten Hilker, SAP, Finance Solution Management, joins SAPinsider Studio at the 2016 FIN-GRC event to discuss SAP S/4HANA and the Universal Journal. This is an edited version of the transcript: Ken Murphy, SAPinsider: Hi this is Ken Murphy with SAPinsider. I am at the SAPinsider Financials 2016 in Las Vegas. Today I’m pleased to be…