Half of German-Speaking SAP Users Plan to Stay on ECC Until 2030, Ignoring 2027 Support Deadline

A recent survey conducted by the German-speaking SAP User Group (DSAG) has revealed that approximately half of German-speaking SAP users on the legacy ECC ERP system plan to ignore the 2027 support deadline, with many willing to pay a premium to remain on the platform until 2030.

The survey, which took place between December 8, 2025, and January 21, 2026, gathered responses from 198 senior leaders in organizations using SAP across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The findings paint a picture of organizations grappling with complex system landscapes and resource constraints that are forcing them to delay their migration to SAP S/4HANA.

The 2027 Deadline and Extended Support Options

SAP maintains that mainstream support for ECC runs out at the end of 2027, after which extended support becomes available at a 2 percent premium until the end of 2030. This extended support option appears to be a lifeline for many organizations that are not ready to make the transition.

According to the survey results:

• 50% of ECC users plan to migrate to SAP S/4HANA by the end of 2030
• 37% aim to switch by the end of 2027
• 4% are targeting a switch by the end of 2033

The remaining respondents either had no clear timeline or were considering alternative options.

Why Organizations Are Delaying Migration

Jens Hungershausen, chairman of the DSAG board, provided insight into why so many organizations are pushing back their migration timelines. "The fact that some companies are not planning to switch to S/4HANA until 2030 does not mean that they will wait until then to make the switch. Rather, they simply need this time due to the complexity of their system landscapes."

Hungershausen identified several key factors contributing to the delays:

• Skills shortages: Finding qualified personnel to manage complex SAP migrations
• Parallel transformation projects: Organizations are often running multiple IT initiatives simultaneously
• Limited budgets: Financial constraints are forcing organizations to prioritize and extend timelines

"I see this as a reflection of the reality in IT departments," Hungershausen added. "Skills shortages, parallel transformation projects, and limited budgets are also causing schedules to be pushed back – even if this results in higher maintenance costs."

The Reality of SAP Migrations

The survey results align with broader industry trends showing that SAP migrations are notoriously challenging. Research consistently shows that most SAP migrations bust budgets and project timelines. Organizations are finding that the complexity of their existing systems, coupled with the need to maintain business continuity during transition, makes for a daunting undertaking.

Business Suite Rebranding Confusion

The same DSAG survey also examined how SAP's efforts to reboot its Business Suite branding were being received by users. In February 2025, SAP relaunched Business Suite as a "truly modular, composable" set of cloud applications.

The rebranding effort appears to have left many users confused. Respondents were asked how strongly their organizations base their investment planning on SAP's vision for the "new" SAP Business Suite, which includes Cloud ERP, SAP Business AI, SAP Business Data Cloud, and Business Technology Platform.

• 35% of respondents said they based their planning very strongly/strongly on SAP's vision
• 62% said they did so less strongly/not at all

Hungershausen noted that "Companies expect clear statements on added value, integration into existing landscapes, and economic viability. Only then will strategic target visions be translated more strongly into real investment decisions."

Licensing and Pricing Concerns

In a separate survey of UK and Ireland SAP users conducted in December 2025, licensing and pricing models emerged as the top concern, with 61% of respondents citing these as aspects of Business Suite they felt uninformed about or needed more information on.

This confusion around licensing and pricing adds another layer of complexity to organizations' decision-making processes regarding their SAP investments and migration strategies.

Implications for the SAP Ecosystem

The survey results suggest that SAP's aggressive timeline for migrating users from ECC to S/4HANA may need to be reconsidered. With half of German-speaking users planning to stay on ECC until 2030, SAP may need to:

1. Extend its support offerings beyond 2030 for some customers
2. Provide more flexible migration paths and timelines
3. Address the skills shortage through training and certification programs
4. Clarify its Business Suite vision and licensing models

For organizations still on ECC, the survey provides validation that they're not alone in facing migration challenges. However, it also serves as a reminder that delaying migration comes with costs – both in terms of the 2% premium for extended support and the opportunity costs of not leveraging newer SAP technologies.

The findings underscore the complex reality of enterprise IT transformations, where ideal timelines often give way to the practical constraints of organizational capacity, resources, and competing priorities.