If you’ve been around SAP implementations for a while, you’re probably familiar with RICEFWs—Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Enhancements, Forms, and Workflows. These are the backbone of any SAP project, helping bridge gaps between standard SAP functionality and actual business needs.
For years, the default approach was to build everything inside the SAP system using ABAP. But with SAP’s shift towards BTP & Clean Core, that old way of doing things is changing. The goal now is to keep the core lean, upgrade-friendly, and extensible, pushing customizations to SAP BTP or using in-app extensibility where possible.
Let’s break down how things are evolving.
Classic RICEFWs – The Old Way
For most SAP ECC and early S/4HANA projects, RICEFWs were built inside the system using custom ABAP code. This approach was straightforward—everything ran directly in SAP, tightly coupled with standard processes. However, it posed several challenges:
- Upgrade headaches – Every system upgrade meant revalidating and fixing custom ABAP code
- Tightly coupled – Hard to integrate with external systems or cloud solutions
- Performance issues – Custom code running inside SAP could slow down the core system
I’ve seen customers struggle with thousands of custom objects that made upgrades painful. Even minor changes could require significant effort to re-test everything.
The Clean Core Way – Modern approach to RICEFWs and customizations
With Clean Core, the philosophy is simple: Keep the core system as standard as possible and push customizations outside using SAP BTP or in-app extensibility. This approach provides various benefits over the classic approach.
- Upgrade-friendly – Since most custom logic is outside SAP, upgrades become smoother
- Future-proof – Easier to integrate with cloud and non-SAP systems
- Scalable & Performant – Heavy processing happens outside SAP, keeping the core fast
Here’s a side by side comparison of classic and modern way of designing RICEFWs.
| Classic | Modern (in-app) | Modern (BTP) | |
| Reports | SE38, SE80, ABAP, ALV Reports | Fiori Analytics Apps Custom Fiori Apps | SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) Freestyle BTP Custom Fiori App Reports |
| Interfaces | Direct RFCs, IDocs, BAPIs, PI, filed based | Extensions to standard OData services, new OData services using CDS views, KUT, AIF, Event Mesh | SAP BTP Integration Suite |
| Conversions | BDCs, LSMWs, Data upload programs | S/4HANA migration cockpit | |
| Enhancements | user exits, BADIs, implicit enhancements | KUT, in-app extensibility, cloud-ready BADIs | SAP BTP Cloud Foundry Runtime, ABAP runtime, Build Apps |
| Forms | SAP Scripts, SmartForms | S/4HANA output management, custom forms with adobe lifecycle designer using OData | Adobe forms on BTP |
| Workflows | Classic Workflows | Flexi Workflows | SAP BTP Build Process Automation |
| UX | SE80, Module Pool, Web Dynpro ABAP or Java | KUT | SAP Fiori, SAPUI5, Mobile Services, SAP Build Workzone, Cloud Foundry and ABAP runtime, HANA |
Are you going through an S/4HANA transformation and looking to optimize and modernize your RICEFW inventory and reduce technical debt? Talk to us to learn how we can help implement RICEFWs by leveraging SAP’s latest best practices and Clean Core guidelines.