SAP ECC MAINSTREAM MAINTENANCE ENDS 31 DECEMBER 2027

Your Workflows. Your Rules. Not SAP's Roadmap.

In SAP, every change to how your business runs goes through ABAP developers, a partner and a change request queue. In ERPNext, powered by open-source Frappe Framework, the power comes back into your hands: any workflow, any integration, on your schedule, on your own database.

The next question every SAP customer would ask is if it works. This page answers that with production numbers, the architecture, and a migration method that keeps SAP running until you are satisfied.

Get a free migration assessment See the scale evidence
  • Parallel-run migration
  • SAP stays live as the fallback
  • You own the code and the database

ERPNext in Production

700 million

ledger entries on a single ERPNext site, at a fintech customer of Frappe

Up to 1 million

ledger entries posted per day on that same site

25-30 million

records a day at Zerodha, which runs its internal operations on ERPNext

4,350+

sales orders a day across our own dairy customers, on 2.3 million litres of milk

Since 2008

in continuous open-source development, with no licence fee to upgrade

SOC 2 Type II

and ISO 27001:2022, held by Frappe, the maker of ERPNext

What enterprise teams ask us

Six questions come before cost

Companies on SAP are rarely short of budget. When they talk to us about moving, these are the questions they raise, in roughly this order. The rest of this page takes them one by one.

1

Customisation

Can we build our own workflows without ABAP and a change queue?

2

Flexibility

Can we change them again next quarter, ourselves?

3

Database control

Who owns the data, and can we reach it directly?

4

Data volume

Will it carry years of SAP history?

5

Transaction load

Will it keep up at month-end and peak season?

6

Stability

If it fails, what happens to our operations?

Customisation and flexibility

Build what your business needs, without ABAP and without asking permission

Your custom code is where your business lives in SAP: a pricing rule, a dispatch sequence, a quality hold, an approval chain. In S/4HANA those have to fit SAP's "clean core" extension model and SAP's release calendar. In ERPNext they sit in code and configuration your own team controls.

Build anything

No ABAP bottleneck

Custom documents, approval workflows, print formats and whole new modules are built in Python and JavaScript on the Frappe Framework. Any competent web development team can maintain them. You are not tied to a shrinking pool of ABAP specialists.

Configure first

Many changes need no code at all

Custom fields, form layouts, workflow states, permission rules, reports and print formats are set up from the interface. Your business analysts can make the small changes themselves, the same day.

Own your roadmap

Change at your pace, upgrade when you choose

No vendor decides when your processes must change. You decide when to move to a new version, and upgrading carries no licence fee. We plan, test and run the upgrade with you.

Integrate freely

An API on every document

Every document type in ERPNext has a REST API from the moment it is created, and webhooks fire on document events. IDoc, BAPI and RFC interfaces are replaced with standard web integrations to your plant systems, banks, logistics partners and government portals.

Database control

Your data sits in an open database that you own

S/4HANA can only run on SAP HANA database. ERPNext runs on MariaDB, an open source database which incurs no licence cost and no vendor between you and your data.

Direct access

Search through your data using standard SQL, connect any BI tool, and back up all your data whenever you need. There is nothing hidden from you by means of any proprietary licence.

Host it where you decide

Run on Frappe Cloud, on your own AWS, Azure or OCI account, or on servers in your own data centre. Data residency is your decision. Moving later is a restore, not a renegotiation.

One company, one database

Each ERPNext site owns its own database. Several companies within a group or geographically separate companies could be running separate or integrated ERPNext instances.

Why this matters now.

On 7 October 2026 SAP confirmed that its support for third-party databases under SAP ECC ends on 31 December 2030. If your ECC runs on Oracle, IBM Db2 or Microsoft SQL Server, the database decision is being made for you. Our guide to every SAP ECC deadline has the detail.

Data volume and transaction load

How much can ERPNext carry? Here is the public evidence

"Enterprise scale" is easy to claim. These are deployments with numbers published by Frappe, the company that builds ERPNext, alongside our own.

ERPNext deployments with published figures

Deployment

Fintech company

Frappe engineering blog, September 2026

Published figures

700 million general ledger entries in one site. 800,000 to 1 million new ledger entries a day. Ledger table of 314 GB

What it shows

Sustained posting at very high volume on a single ERPNext site

Deployment

Zerodha

Frappe customer story

Published figures

25 to 30 million records a day. Over 6 million customers. Sales, accounts, buying, HR and assets on ERPNext

What it shows

A large financial institution running internal operations on ERPNext

Deployment

Shree Vedmata Gayatri Trust

Frappe white paper, 2020

Published figures

More than 500 warehouses, about 13 companies, 40 branches, 70 accounting users working at once

What it shows

Multi-company, multi-location operations with concurrent users

Deployment

We Assist

Frappe financial services page

Published figures

A million transactions a month

What it shows

Steady high-volume processing in banking and insurance services

Deployment

Our dairy customers

Sanskar Technolab

Published figures

2.3 million litres of milk and more than 4,350 sales orders a day. Sanchi Dairy alone runs 22 chilling centres across 11 districts

What it shows

Daily, time-critical operations where a stoppage means spoiled product

Scale is engineered, not assumed

We will not tell you a default installation carries SAP volumes. It does not. Frappe's own account of the 700-million-entry site says so: the standard Trial Balance would not run on the live database at that size. The fix was a separate analytical copy of the ledger, on which the same report runs in about two minutes.

Size the database on your data

Recent working data should fit in the database server's memory. We size on your actual SAP volumes and growth, not on user count.

Index for your queries

Slow-query logs show exactly which lookups need an index. This is the single most common fix on large ledgers.

Keep heavy work off the user path

Reports, bulk postings and payroll run in background workers, so a long job does not slow the people entering orders.

Add application servers under load

The application tier scales out. A second server can take half the traffic at month-end or in peak season, then stand down.

Separate reporting from transactions

Read replicas or an analytical copy carry large reports, so finance can run them without touching live posting.

Archive by financial year

Old years can be partitioned or archived and still be read when an auditor asks.

Stability

Why the framework stays up

SAP earned its reputation for stability over decades, and nobody should replace it on a promise. These are the facts we would check if we were in your seat.

Architecture

Each part scales and fails separately

ERPNext has a three-tier architecture, which consists of database, Python application servers and the web-front end. Each of these components works and scales independently from each other.

Maturity

In development since 2008

ERPNext has been working and evolving in production for over 15 years. Its code is open and public, and with more than 38,000 stars on GitHub, so every fix and every known issue is open for your team to inspect.

Upgrades

No end-of-life deadline that makes you buy again

ERPNext is a new upgrade of the software you already own and not a new product that you need to buy. There is no licensing fee and no need for re-implementation. Your customisation will remain in separate applications besides the core product, and each upgrade will be made with retesting. All of this is covered under support.

Hosting

Managed cloud or your own infrastructure

Frappe Cloud runs on AWS and OCI with daily automatic backups, continuous monitoring and 24×7 incident response for critical infrastructure issues, and targets 99.9% uptime on a best-effort basis. Frappe holds a SOC 2 Type II attestation and ISO 27001:2022 certification. If you need a contractual uptime figure, we design high availability on your own infrastructure.

If it goes wrong

"What happens to our operations if ERPNext fails?"

This is the right question, and the answer is in the method. At no point in the migration do your operations depend on a system you have not yet proven.

SAP keeps running

SAP and ERPNext run side by side for an agreed period. Transactions go through both and are reconciled every day.

You sign off, then we cut over

Cutover happens only after your finance and operations heads have signed off the reconciled results. The date is yours to set.

SAP stays as the fallback

After go-live, SAP remains on standby for an agreed period. If something critical fails, you go back.

One entity or plant first

We can go live with one module, plant or legal entity before the rest, so the first proof is on a contained part of the business.

Volume test before cutover

Your migrated data is loaded and a full month-end is run on it before go-live. You see the response times on your own volumes.

90 days of hypercare

A dedicated team stays with you for 90 days after go-live, including your first month-end close, before handover to an annual support contract.

A public example.

Multicolor Steels, a steel buildings manufacturer with about 1,500 people, had been on SAP for twelve years. It ran SAP and ERPNext in parallel for a year, so the business could fall back at any time, before moving fully. Its director's reasons were customisation cost and dependence on consultants. That project was delivered by Frappe's own team and is published on Frappe's site.

Module mapping

How SAP modules map to ERPNext

ERPNext covers finance, manufacturing, supply chain, HR, CRM and projects in one system. This is where each SAP module lands, and what to check before you assume a fit.

SAP to ERPNext module mapping

Business function

Financial accounting

SAP module

SAP FI / S/4HANA Finance

ERPNext equivalent

ERPNext Accounting

What to check

Multi-company consolidation and local statutory reports

Business function

Controlling and costing

SAP module

SAP CO / Profitability Analysis

ERPNext equivalent

Cost centres, budgets and accounting dimensions

What to check

How your profitability segments map to dimensions

Business function

Sales and distribution

SAP module

SAP SD

ERPNext equivalent

ERPNext Selling

What to check

Pricing procedures and credit rules

Business function

Materials management

SAP module

SAP MM

ERPNext equivalent

ERPNext Buying and Stock

What to check

Valuation method and batch or serial tracking

Business function

Production planning

SAP module

SAP PP / MRP

ERPNext equivalent

ERPNext Manufacturing and MRP

What to check

Routing complexity and planning logic

Business function

Quality management

SAP module

SAP QM

ERPNext equivalent

ERPNext Quality

What to check

Inspection plans and regulatory records

Business function

Plant maintenance

SAP module

SAP PM

ERPNext equivalent

ERPNext Assets and Maintenance

What to check

Depth of maintenance planning you use today

Business function

Human resources

SAP module

SAP HCM / SuccessFactors

ERPNext equivalent

Frappe HR

What to check

Payroll coverage for each country you run

Business function

Customer relationship management

SAP module

SAP CRM / Sales Cloud

ERPNext equivalent

Frappe CRM

What to check

Service and field processes

Business function

Project management

SAP module

SAP PS

ERPNext equivalent

ERPNext Projects

What to check

Project costing and billing milestones

Business function

Business intelligence

SAP module

SAP BusinessObjects / BW

ERPNext equivalent

Frappe Insights and ERPNext reports

What to check

Very large analytics may need a reporting layer

Business function

Retail and point of sale

SAP module

SAP Retail / POS

ERPNext equivalent

ERPNext POS

What to check

Offline operation and store count

Our methodology

The Sanskar Technolab SAP to ERPNext migration approach

Six steps, tailored specifically for SAP landscapes that have custom ABAP code, custom tables and many years of history. Master data, transactions, historic data and custom processes are each treated separately.

Step 1

Discovery and assessment

An evaluation of your SAP ECC or S/4HANA environment: which modules you are using, custom ABAP code, integration, data size, and complete workflow of your business. You will receive a comprehensive plan with the whole complexity of work included.

Step 2

Architecture and mapping

Each table, field and custom object within the scope will be mapped to ERPNext. The infrastructure is estimated based on data volume and peak transaction load. Re-engineering of the business-critical ABAP logic in the Frappe Framework.

Step 3

Configuration and build

ERPNext will be configured and extended to fit your workflows. Custom documents, custom approval flows, custom print templates and custom integrations will be developed and validated on separate sandbox environment.

Step 4

Data migration

First go for master data and opening balances, validated by your finance department. Then comes transaction history, in separate batches, with automated reconciliation after each one.

Step 5

Parallel run

The migration project ends with running SAP and ERPNext side-by-side for an agreed period of time. Deltas are reconciled every day. The cutover date is set by you, after sign-off.

Step 6

Go-Live and Hypercare

The cutover will take place in an off-peak period after completing the role-based training. Hypercare goes for 90 days, then rolls over into your selected support contract.

The SAP ECC deadlines

2027, 2030 and 2033: what each date means for you

SAP has not moved its dates. Mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC 6.0 on enhancement packages 6 to 8 ends on 31 December 2027. Optional extended maintenance runs to the end of 2030 at two percentage points more. A further option to 2033 exists only for very large customers who move to SAP's private cloud first.

In any case, either you have to go through a re-implementation or you have a conversion that would involve significant custom code re-work. This is when you make the decision where your business processes should reside for the coming fifteen years. Full replacement of ECC with ERPNext for a mid-sized enterprise usually takes us between 6 to 12 months, which is within the 2027 deadline.

Read: SAP ECC end of life, every deadline and migration option explained

Q4 2026

Assessment, scope and infrastructure sizing

Q1 to Q2 2027

Build, configuration and data migration

Q3 2027

Parallel run with daily reconciliation

Q4 2027

Go-live before mainstream maintenance ends on 31 December

Cost

The saving is real. It is rarely the reason.

ERPNext has no licence fee and no per-user fee. You pay for implementation, hosting and support. This is how the main cost lines compare.

Cost lines compared, in US dollars. SAP figures are third-party estimates as of October 2026 from VendorBenchmark, Redress Compliance and 2-Data. SAP publishes no list price for RISE with SAP

Cost line

Software licence or subscription

SAP S/4HANA

RISE private cloud: about $190 to $360 per full use equivalent (FUE) a month, for as long as you use it

ERPNext

$0

Cost line

Per-user fee

SAP S/4HANA

Yes. Every user counts towards your FUE total

ERPNext

None. Adding users adds no licence cost

Cost line

Annual maintenance, on-premise

SAP S/4HANA

Around 22% of licence value a year, with inflation-linked increases of up to 5%

ERPNext

None. Support is a service contract you choose

Cost line

Database

SAP S/4HANA

SAP HANA is required

ERPNext

MariaDB, open source, no licence fee

Cost line

Migration project

SAP S/4HANA

$800,000 to $2.2 million for 100 to 300 SAP users. $2 million to $5.5 million for 300 to 1,000 users

ERPNext

Quoted after an assessment. Our published ERPNext ranges run from $30,000 to $70,000 for 100 to 500 users and from $70,000 to $200,000 and above for larger enterprises

Cost line

Custom development

SAP S/4HANA

ABAP specialists, working within SAP's extension model

ERPNext

Python and JavaScript, by any capable web development team

Cost line

Version upgrades

SAP S/4HANA

Moving from ECC to S/4HANA is a migration project in itself

ERPNext

No licence fee. We plan, test and run the upgrade with you

One line, worked through. A firm with 250 SAP users, of whom 40 are advanced users, 110 core users and 100 self-service users, requires approximately 66 FUE. At starting prices, that works out to somewhere between $174,000 and $285,000 a year in subscription fees alone, without taking the migration project into consideration. On ERPNext that line is zero, and the budget it frees can go into the workflows that change how the business runs.

For the full picture, including S/4HANA costs by company size, the nine budget lines and a five-year worked comparison, read the detailed breakdown.

See the full SAP S/4HANA migration cost breakdown View ERPNext pricing

Fit

Where ERPNext is not the right answer

We would rather tell you now than in month four. Stay with SAP if any of these describes you.

You depend on an SAP industry solution

Utilities billing, oil and gas, and similar regulated functions have no comparable depth on ERPNext today.

You run payroll for many countries in SAP

Check the country coverage of Frappe HR carefully before assuming your payroll transfers.

Your parent group mandates SAP

If consolidation and audit are standardised on SAP across the group, a subsidiary moving alone creates more work than it saves.

Your S/4HANA programme is on track

If you are well into a conversion that is going to plan, finish it.

Why Sanskar Technolab

An ERPNext partner that understands what you are leaving

We are an official Frappe partner. Our work on a SAP migration is less about moving data than about redesigning your custom ABAP workflows into clean Frappe code that your own developers can own.

100+

Frappe and ERPNext implementations delivered

80+

in-house consultants and developers

30+

countries with client deployments

90 days

hypercare after every go-live

SAP landscape assessment

An audit of your current SAP configuration with migration scope, fit-gap analysis to ERPNext and infrastructure sizing, prior to making any commitments.

ABAP to Frappe logic migration

Custom ABAP developments, BAPI and RFC calls and custom tables are redesigned on the Frappe Framework, in code any Python developer can maintain.

Integration replacement

IDoc and API integrations with banks, logistics, e-commerce and government systems are rebuilt on ERPNext's REST API and webhooks.

Data migration and validation

Master data, transactions and opening balances, all migrated using automation of reconciliation processes and approval of your finance department.

Role-based training

Educating teams in finance, operations, warehouse, HR, and IT that begins with terminology and interfaces of SAP and then progresses to ERPNext's processes.

Post-migration support

A hyper-care period lasting for 90 days, followed by yearly contracts for continuous support in using the system.

Testimonials

Hear what our clients say about us

Vijay Mamra

60%

Reduction in User Onboarding Costs

23%

Improvement in Operational Efficiency

Migrating from SAP to ERPNext made our operations simpler, faster, and far more cost-effective.

View Case

See ERPNext carry your own data before you decide

Start with a free SAP landscape assessment. We map your modules and custom code to ERPNext, size the infrastructure on your volumes, and tell you plainly if S/4HANA is the better fit.

Request Free SAP Assessment Read the SAP ECC deadline guide
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

ERPNext was first introduced back in 2008 and has been powering the internal systems of companies such as Zerodha, where Frappe reports 25 to 30 million records a day. The stability of the software is relative to how the system is scaled and built, which is precisely why we have included a volume test of your data alongside the parallel testing of SAP.

Sources for the figures on this page

Disclaimer

Trademarks and affiliation. SAP, SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA and SAP HANA are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE or its affiliates. Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, Frappe, ERPNext, Zerodha and other names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used only to identify the products and organisations discussed. Sanskar Technolab is an official Frappe partner and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or partnered with SAP SE.

Third-party figures. Deployment figures attributed to Frappe, Zerodha and other organisations are quoted from the published sources listed above. They describe those organisations' systems, were not delivered by Sanskar Technolab unless stated, and have not been independently verified by us. They are not a guarantee of the performance of any other system. SAP does not publish list prices for RISE with SAP; the SAP cost figures on this page are third-party estimates from VendorBenchmark, Redress Compliance and 2-Data as of October 2026 and may change. Your own SAP quotes and contract determine what applies to you.

Our own figures. ERPNext cost ranges are our published ranges and are not a quotation or an offer. Timelines and customer figures are based on Sanskar Technolab's project experience and are indicative. Performance, scope, duration and results depend on each organisation's data, infrastructure and requirements, and are confirmed only after an assessment.

Accuracy and corrections. This page is general information, not legal, licensing or contractual advice, and is provided "as is" without warranty that it is complete, current or free from error. SAP dates are as published by SAP in October 2026; confirm them against your own SAP contract. If you believe a statement here is inaccurate or out of date, write to info@sanskartechnolab.com and we will review it and correct it promptly.

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