SAP S/4HANA 2023 & FPS03
What's New?
SAP S/4HANA 2023 & FPS03
The Most Modern SAP Release at a Glance
With SAP S/4HANA 2023, SAP introduces the most powerful and versatile ERP system on the market. Numerous innovations across manufacturing, finance, procurement, supply chain, and service ensure greater efficiency, transparency, and automation.
With the FPS03 (Feature Pack Stack 03) update, SAP is also setting new benchmarks: AI-powered processes, global compliance updates, improved performance, and a clear focus on intelligent automation.
Why S/4 HANA 2023?
With the 2023 release, SAP is kicking off the new two-year update cycle for on-premise. This ensures S/4HANA 2023 remains stable and modern long-term – until the next major main release, S/4HANA 2025, which is slated for Q4 2025.
Key FPS03 Updates:
AI & Automation
AI-assisted Journal Upload
Automated Document Extraction for Service Processes
AI Explanations for Production Optimization
Predictive Workforce Planning
Enhancements to the AI Assistant “SAP Joule”
Finance, Tax & Compliance
Golden Tax China
e-Invoicing for Multiple Countries
DMEE → DMEEX Migration
Journal Ledger Updates (Peru)
Manufacturing & EHS
PMQ Performance Optimizations
New Import/Export Data Checks
Enhanced JIT/JIS Processes
HR / Payroll
Regulatory Updates for 2025 in 10+ Countries
Pension and Leave Rule Changes
Cross Applications
New Migration Apps
Centralized Bank Payments (Japan)
Improved Industry Cloud Integration
Technology & Performance
New SAP UI5
Faster Reporting
Optimized Data Processing
SAP S/4HANA Release History
Until 2019, SAP used four-digit version numbers like 1511, 1610, 1709 – these represent the Year + Month of the release (e.g., 1511 = November 2015).
Since S/4HANA 2020, releases happen every two years, named after the calendar year (2020, 2021, …).
Feature Pack Stacks (FPS) deliver additional functionalities between major releases.
| Release | Release | FPS01 | FPS02 | FPS03 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1511 | 11.11.2015 | May 2016 | Aug 2016 | – |
| 1610 | 31.10.2016 | May 2017 | Aug 2017 | – |
| 1709 | 15.09.2017 | Feb 2018 | May 2018 | – |
| 1809 | 21.09.2018 | Feb 2019 | May 2019 | – |
| 1909 | 20.09.2019 | Feb 2020 | May 2020 | – |
| 2020 | 07.10.2020 | Feb 2021 | May 2021 | Aug 2021 |
| 2021 | October 2021 | Feb 2022 | May 2022 | Summer 2022 |
| 2022 | 12.10.2022 | Spring 2023 | Summer 2023 | Autumn 2023 |
| 2023 | 11.10.2023 | Q1 2024 | Q2 2024 | Q1 2025 |
| 2025 | Q4 2025 | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 | Q1 2027 |
What does FPS03 mean for businesses?
FPS03 delivers immediate, usable enhancements – no full upgrade needed.
✔ Increased Automation
FPS03 cuts down on manual tasks with new AI-powered and rule-based automations across core business processes.
✔ More AI Support
With enhanced AI functionalities like intelligent journal entries or automated document recognition, decisions become faster and more precise.
✔ Globally Valid Compliance
FPS03 includes numerous country-specific tax, e-invoicing, and regulatory updates, ensuring legal compliance for global business operations.
✔ More Stable Processes
Optimized backend processes and technical enhancements ensure higher system stability and more reliable day-to-day operations.
✔ Faster User Interfaces
New performance optimizations in Fiori apps and planning applications reduce loading times and enhance the user experience.
✔ Improved Maintainability (Clean Core)
FPS03 supports a cleaner system architecture, which simplifies upgrades and remains low-maintenance in the long run thanks to clear extension models.
What's next for SAP?
SAP is clearly aligning S/4HANA for the future:
1. AI-First Strategy
More and more processes are becoming intelligent, automated, and self-learning.
2. SAP Joule Enhancements
The AI assistant is becoming a central component of the entire ERP system.
3. Clean Core & BTP
Customizations should be upgrade-safe via SAP BTP.
4. Further FPS Updates and Annual Releases
SAP continuously delivers new Feature Packs and annual major releases.
Further Information and Technical Documentation:
1. What’s New in SAP S/4HANA and SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition 2023 FPS03 (PDF) >
Official 'What's New' document from SAP for FPS03. List format with all new and changed functionalities – including an indication of whether a feature applies to S/4HANA On-Prem, Cloud Private Edition, or both products.
2. Simplification List for SAP S/4HANA 2023 – Feature Pack Stack 3 (PDF) >
Technical 'bible' for architects and developers. Describes which functions, tables, transactions, and interfaces in S/4HANA 2023 (FPS01–03) have been simplified, replaced, or removed – including impacts and necessary actions.
3. Upgrade Guide for SAP S/4HANA 2023 (any FPS/SPS) (PDF) >
Step-by-step guide for upgrading from older S/4HANA releases (1511–2022) to S/4HANA 2023 – regardless of whether you end up on FPS00, FPS01, FPS02, or FPS03 later. Includes recommendations on Readiness Check, SUM, Maintenance Planner, etc.
4. What’s New Viewer – SAP S/4HANA & SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition >
Interactive web interface to filter new features in S/4HANA 2023 FPS03 – e.g., by Line of Business, area, or availability (On-Prem vs. Cloud Private). Ideal for showing only the relevant changes to specific target groups.
Recorded SAP webcast presenting the most important innovations of FPS03 – with a focus on AI, automation, and usability. Many of the features shown also apply to S/4HANA 2023 On-Prem; Cloud-only features are typically clearly identified as such.