Webinar recap: key takeaways for planning your SAP BPC strategy beyond 2027

With SAP BPC reaching the end of its product lifecycle, we are encouraging organisations that are still relying on the platform to start thinking seriously about what comes next.

In our recent webinar, Planning Your BPC Strategy, Simon Bell, Managing Director of SiBCS, joined the Concentric team to explore the options available to BPC users, key considerations when evaluating alternative solutions, and practical steps to prepare for a transition.

Here are the key takeaways from the session:

1. Understand your end-of-maintenance deadline

Did you know that SAP BPC maintenance deadlines vary depending on the version in use? The Microsoft version is already out of maintenance, while remaining NetWeaver and BW/4HANA versions have deadlines extending from December 2027 to December 2030, so it is critical to check which BPC version you are currently using.

Although some organisations may be able to continue running their existing systems beyond these dates, doing so brings ever increasing risks around support, security, technical compatibility and the availability of specialist skills.

2. Assess your current environment before making decisions

Before considering replacement options, organisations need a clear understanding of their existing BPC environment.

This means looking beyond the platform itself to establish the following:

• Which BPC version is currently deployed?
• What processes and applications does BPC support, including consolidation, budgeting, forecasting and reporting?
• Who uses the system and how business-critical are those processes?
• Where data originates and how integrations are managed?
• What customisations, bespoke logic and reporting requirements exist?
• What historical data needs to be retained?

Most importantly, this assessment should also consider what the business needs today and what it will need in the future, rather than simply replicating processes that may have been designed 10 or 15 years ago.

3. Understand your three strategic options

Simon outlined three potential approaches for organisations planning their future beyond BPC:

• Defer replacement: Continue using the existing system for a limited period of time, where business requirements and available support allow. However, this should be a conscious, risk-assessed decision rather than simply postponing action.
• Stay within the SAP ecosystem: Consider alternatives such as SAP Group Reporting and SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), depending on what best-fits your existing technology landscape and strategic direction.
• Evaluate alternative EPM platforms: Explore cloud solutions such as OneStream, which offers a unified platform for financial consolidation, reporting, budgeting and planning.

The right choice will depend on your organisation's requirements, technology landscape, operating model and desired level of ownership by your finance team.

4. Start planning now – don't wait for the deadline

If there’s one message to takeaway: it’s don’t leave making a decision until the last minute. A BPC migration is not a straightforward upgrade or lift-and-shift exercise. It is effectively a new implementation, providing an ideal opportunity to simplify processes, address historical workarounds and introduce additional capabilities.

Simon recommended a structured approach: assess your current environment, prioritise business requirements, define your future-state specification, evaluate suitable technologies and develop a realistic transition roadmap.

Bear in mind that a typical BPC migration can take six months or more, making early preparation essential.

Our recommendation? 

Before the end of 2026, you should aim to establish exactly which BPC version you are running, complete an initial assessment of your current environment and agree your next steps. Even if a complete migration to a new solution isn't immediately possible, having a clear plan will help you manage the risks and avoid being caught unprepared.

Replay the full webinar below:

Planning your next steps? 

Concentric has extensive experience supporting organisations with their EPM strategy and BPC migrations. Whether you're considering OneStream or evaluating the wider EPM market, we can help you understand your options and plan your next move.

Contact our team to start the conversation by filling in the form below: