This workstream encompasses several options that have been used by the customers over the years.
A modification is either direct or indirect. A direct modification is a change to an SAP object. Sometimes, the change is done by a customer as part of an SAP Note directive. Other times, changes are done to directly change an object's behavior.
An indirect modification covers three possibilities:
- Copies of SAP objects ("clones")
- Implicit enhancements at "begin" and "end"
- Class-method overwrites
Several tools are available to find code done under these categories. Transaction codes SPDD and SPAU (or SPAU_ENH). There is also a clone finder tool that can be used.
As mentioned previously, one of the foundational principles of clean core is a zero modification approach. So, the project team should proceed as if code that falls under these categories will be eliminated. This approach is validated upon analysis as in almost all cases, the project team determines that a modification is either (1) obsolete (due to it being identical to an SAP version, (2) unused (according to usage statistics), (3) irrelevant (that is, indexes are rare on SAP S/4HANA) or (4) replaceable (that is, capable of being redesigned as a key user (in-app) extension). If a previous modification is required to support business functionality and cannot be redesigned under SAP S/4HANA extensibility options, then the customer should contact SAP for advice on how to proceed.
