Migrating from SAP C4C to Sales & Service Cloud V2: Why Strategy Beats Speed

SAP Cloud for Customer (C4C) served companies well for years. But its time is running out. SAP stopped major feature development. Mainstream maintenance has a fixed end date. Sales Cloud V2 and Service Cloud V2 replace C4C as the CRM standard in the SAP ecosystem.

For organisations still on C4C, the question is no longer if — it’s how.

And the “how” makes all the difference.

V2 Is Not an Upgrade — It’s a Rebuild

This is the most important point. V2 is not C4C with a fresh coat of paint. SAP built it from scratch on BTP and HANA Cloud.

What this means in practice:

• Data model: different. Custom fields, business objects, and extensions don’t carry over automatically.
• APIs: different. Every integration built on C4C OData services needs a full rebuild.
• UI: different. The interface is entirely new. Users will need training.
• Extensibility: different. C4C used key-user tools and an SDK. V2 uses BTP services — more flexibility, but different skills.

Companies that treat V2 as a version upgrade hit problems fast. We see it regularly.

Why Strategy Matters More Than Speed

When SAP announces end-of-life timelines, the instinct is to rush. Get it done. Move fast.

This is a mistake.

A hasty migration leads to:

• Broken integrations that nobody mapped before the switch
• Lost business logic buried in C4C custom code, never documented
• User frustration because the new UI looks nothing like the old one
• Budget overruns because rework costs more than planning — every time

The right approach starts with a full inventory. Every custom field, every workflow rule, every integration, every report — catalogued and evaluated. Not all of them belong in V2. Some were workarounds that V2 handles natively. Others are obsolete. The ones that matter deserve a clean rebuild, not a hasty port.

Our Approach: Assess, Simplify, Build, Adopt

We’ve migrated multiple organisations from C4C to V2. We built our approach through hands-on work — not theory.

1. Assessment & Discovery

We catalogue everything in the existing C4C environment: configurations, custom objects, integrations, reports, user roles, workflow automations. We classify each item: migrate, redesign, replace, or retire.

This phase prevents surprises. It also surfaces technical debt — the workarounds and quick fixes that piled up over years.

2. Rebuild the Integrations

Most C4C integrations need a full rebuild. But this is also a chance to improve. V2 connects natively to S/4HANA, SAP Commerce Cloud, and other BTP services — fewer middleware layers, less custom glue code.

We map every integration point, evaluate V2-native options, and define the target architecture before writing a single line of code.

3. Parallel Build

We build V2 while C4C stays live. No big-bang cutover that puts the business at risk. This lets us test properly, validate migration scripts, and train users — all before go-live.

4. Data Migration

Historical data — accounts, contacts, opportunities, cases, activities — moves to V2. We define mapping rules, run multiple test migrations, and set a cut-over window that keeps business disruption to a minimum.

5. Change Management & Training

The UI change alone justifies dedicated training. But it goes deeper. V2 workflows differ. Roles and permissions may look different. We bring in key users early, include them in UAT, and deliver hands-on training — not just slide decks.

What We’ve Learned from Real Migrations

Every migration teaches something. These patterns show up consistently:

Document everything in C4C before you start. The biggest delays come from undocumented customisations discovered mid-migration. If nobody remembers why a workflow rule exists, your team spends days investigating.

Don’t migrate technical debt. If a C4C workaround was always ugly, don’t rebuild it in V2. Use the migration to clean up.

Plan generous time for integrations. They take longer than expected. Always. Budget accordingly.

Invest in user adoption early. The best system fails if people resist it. Start change management on day one, not as an afterthought.

Test with real data. Synthetic test data hides problems. Run migration tests with production-scale volumes to catch issues before go-live.

Why Your Choice of Partner Matters

A C4C-to-V2 migration is not a standard project. It demands deep knowledge of both platforms — the one you’re leaving and the one you’re moving to.

A partner who only knows V2 misses the quirks of your C4C setup. A partner who only knows C4C can’t design the V2 target state properly.

You need a team that brings:

• Hands-on C4C experience — knows the old data model, API quirks, and extension patterns
• Proven V2 builds — has delivered real V2 environments, not just attended SAP courses
• Integration skills — can redesign integration landscapes across S/4HANA, BTP, and third-party systems
• A repeatable method — follows a structured process, not ad-hoc guesswork
• Change management ability — handles the human side, not just the technical one

We built our migration practice by doing the work. Multiple C4C-to-V2 projects, across industries and company sizes. We know the pitfalls because we’ve hit them ourselves.

The Clock Is Ticking

C4C’s maintenance window is defined. SAP invests only in V2. Every quarter you wait, V2 pulls further ahead — and the gap between your current system and the target widens.

But rushing is not the answer. A clear strategy, a thorough assessment, and a partner who has done this before — that turns a migration from a risk into an improvement.

Got a C4C migration ahead of you? Let’s talk about your situation — no pitch deck, just an honest conversation about what it takes.