The S4 Journal: Q3/Q4 2026 SAP Architecture Radar
Welcome to the latest SAP Architecture Radar. We strip away the marketing noise and look purely at what is breaking, what is shifting, and what you actually need to configure in SPRO this quarter. If you are an IT Director planning your budget or a Solution Architect designing cross-module flows, this is your frontline briefing.
Table of Contents
- Part I: Legal, Tax & Compliance (FI/SD)
- Part II: Logistics Execution (EWM, TM & SD Core)
- Part III: Tech, Production & User Experience
- Part IV: The "Don't Touch It" List (Architecture Red Flags)
PART I: Legal, Tax & Compliance (FI/SD)
1. ViDA Directive & Cross-Border TOOG
The One-Stop-Shop (OSS) for Transfers of Own Goods (TOOG) is becoming the only legal path for cross-border stock moves by 2028. The classic Call-off stock simplification is legally dead.
Applicable Systems: SAP S/4HANA Cloud (Public/Private), SAP S/4HANA On-Premise.
Verification Link: European Commission: VAT in the Digital Age
[HARD RECOMMENDATION] IT Directors must budget for SAP DRC (Document and Reporting Compliance) now. Do not try to keep the old Special Stock 'W' processes alive artificially. Custom ABAP designed to extract tax data from material documents is a dead end. Switch to Intra-Company STOs with proforma billing.
2. European B2B E-Invoicing Rollout
With France’s phased go-live hitting hard and Germany actively preparing, the SAP DRC framework is no longer optional; it is a mandatory architectural foundation.