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SAP Solution Manager End of Life 2027
SAP Solution Manager End of Maintenance – Successor, Migration and Alternatives
The end of maintenance for SAP Solution Manager (SolMan) is coming closer: SAP will discontinue support for the central ALM platform in 2027. This is a turning point, especially for SAP teams that rely on ChaRM. Now they are faced with a decision: cloud migration, renewal or a third-party successor?
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TL;DR – Key facts in brief
- SAP discontinues Solution Manager 2027 – incl. ChaRM, ITSM & Monitoring
- Cloud ALM is not a full replacement – e.g. components such as change management (ChaRM) are not included.
- No official SAP migration solution for existing ChaRM data
- Companies are left with a difficult decision: extend, migrate or modernize
- SmartChange is a quick-to-implement, audit-proof alternative to SolMan, including tool-based ChaRM data extraction and ITSM integration
Why is the end of SolMan a big deal for SAP teams?
Until now, companies have often used SAP Solution Manager (SolMan) to manage large system landscapes and implement their application lifecycle management strategy (ALM strategy). Modules such as Change Request Management (ChaRM), ITSM, Test Management or Monitoring made it an all-purpose tool for SAP Basis.
So SolMan served us well, but as it aged, its weaknesses became more apparent. These include lengthy implementation, high maintenance, limited usability, and limited integration options.
SAP Solution Manager End of Life 2027
Maintenance for SAP Solution Manager will end soon, in 2027. You could, in a best-case scenario, extend maintenance to 2030, but only if you pay an additional Extended Maintenance fee. SAP Cloud ALM is considered the successor. Although the solution has been available for some time, it does not offer an adequate replacement for SolMan, as the range of functions is hardly congruent with its predecessor – ChaRM in particular is not included.
Strategically planning a SolMan replacement – without losing control
- Ensure a smooth migration early on: Assess change data, processes, and dependencies in a timely manner.
- Avoiding functional gaps: SAP Cloud ALM does not replace all SolMan and ChaRM scenarios on a one-to-one basis.
- Managing risks and costs: Carefully weigh the options of continuing operations, extended maintenance, and switching tools.
Re-secure change, transport, and operational processes
- Replace ChaRM processes: Approvals, transports, and change documents must remain traceable even after SolMan.
- Back up historical change data: Without a migration or archiving strategy, evidence and context will be lost.
- Ensure ITSM integration: New solutions must integrate seamlessly with Jira, ServiceNow, or existing ticketing systems.
What risks arise from the end of SolMan?
| Risk | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Functional gaps | SAP Cloud ALM does not fully cover all traditional SolMan scenarios |
| ChaRM replacement | Change requests, approvals, transports, and change documents must be remapped |
| Data access | Historical ChaRM and change data require a migration or archiving strategy |
| Compliance | Audit trails and traceability must be maintained even after the system is replaced |
| Integrations | Jira, ServiceNow, monitoring tools, and SAP systems need to work together |
| Running costs | Continued operation and extended maintenance can result in transition costs |
| Know-how | SolMan-specific expertise is becoming hard to find |
SAP Solution Manager discontinued: What are the options?
Option 1: Keep SolMan – reasonable or risky?
For companies with stable, well-documented SolMan processes, continuing to use the system in the short term may make sense – especially if ChaRM, ITSM, or monitoring are deeply integrated into the organization. However, continuing to use the system should always be accompanied by a concrete replacement plan. Without a target architecture, there is an increased risk that migration, data migration, and tool selection will begin too late.
Option 2: Migrate to modern ALM solutions
With the transition to the cloud, modern ALM platforms are becoming increasingly relevant.
- SAP Cloud ALM is the preferred ALM solution for companies with a cloud-first strategy. It offers functions that are similar to SAP Solution Manager, but do not cover its entire range of functions.
- SAP Focused Run is aimed at companies with very complex SAP environments and high monitoring and security requirements. However, it is technically complex and not suitable for every deployment scenario.
Both solutions have their strengths. However, in many cases, additional tools are needed to adequately replace critical ALM processes such as change and transport management. This is where modern SAP Cloud ALM alternatives are needed.
Option 3: Third-party solutions as a flexible SolMan alternative
Third-party solutions are particularly relevant when companies do not wish to replace SolMan as a complete ALM suite, but rather want to modernize specific critical processes in a targeted manner. This applies primarily to SAP Change Management, transport management, ChaRM-related workflows, ITSM integration, and audit-compliant documentation.
SmartChange is ideal for companies that want to replace their existing change and transport processes with ChaRM while modernizing them at the same time.
SmartChange: SolMan replacement for change and transport processes
SmartChange is a modern solution for SAP change and transport management. It is particularly relevant for companies that have previously used SAP Solution Manager for ChaRM, change documents, transport control, approvals, and ITSM-related change processes. SmartChange automates SAP transports, integrates with Jira and ServiceNow, and supports audit-ready documentation –whether on-premises, in a hybrid environment, or in the cloud.
- Replace ChaRM processes without having to rebuild established workflows
- Import Change Documents and historical ChaRM data in an audit-traceable manner
- Automate SAP transports and manage approvals transparently
- Integrate Jira, ServiceNow, and SAP systems into a unified change management process
- Maintain audit trails, evidence, and documentation to meet compliance requirements
- Reduce SolMan dependency – with a solution for on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments
SmartITSM is also available as a suitable replacement for the Solution Manager ITSM module if required. This makes it easy to switch from SolMan to modern, lean and SAP-compatible solutions.
How does SmartChange compare to SAP ChaRM?
What happens to existing ChaRM data and change documents?
With the end of SAP Solution Manager maintenance in 2027, a key question arises for many companies: What happens to the existing change documents from SAP ChaRM? These often contain information that has been built up over many years. REALTECH offers a tool-supported migration approach that backs up your existing ChaRM documents – without any loss of data. Your benefits at a glance:
- Extraction of ChaRM change documents
- Tool-based extraction process
- Transparency for audits & regulatory requirements
Back up your ChaRM data for use after SAP Solution Manager
Time to look for SolMan alternatives
The end of SAP Solution Manager maintenance is a strategic decision with far-reaching consequences for your SAP processes, compliance and future viability.
Now is the perfect time to switch to SmartChange. SmartChange offers you a tried-and-tested, quickly implementable solution for SAP change management – including tool-supported ChaRM migration, ITSM integration, and future-proofing for hybrid SAP landscapes. Secure your processes and redesign your SAP change management.
Let us show you how to successfully replace SolMan.
FAQs: How to replace SAP Solution Manager?
SAP Solution Manager, also called SAP SolMan or just SolMan, is an intelligent platform for application lifecycle management software (ALM). ALM, in turn, consists of tools and processes that help manage the lifecycle of a software product – from development to product design to product retirement.
SAP Solution Manager 7.2 will remain under mainstream maintenance only until the end of 2027. Under certain conditions, companies can use extended maintenance until the end of 2030, but should strategically replace or supplement Solution Manager. Functions such as ChaRM, ITSM, monitoring, test management, and change documentation are particularly critical, as SAP Cloud ALM does not replace all SolMan scenarios on a one-to-one basis.
SAP Cloud ALM is a comprehensive application lifecycle management suite for customers using cloud solutions. To this end, it offers comprehensive implementation and operational functions and covers relevant areas such as process, test, deployment and task management. In the operating area, it supports companies in business process monitoring, health monitoring and user and performance monitoring.
SAP Cloud ALM is often seen as the official successor, but it has some weaknesses. Important functions are missing, especially for companies that continue to operate on-premises landscapes. Areas such as IT Service Management or Change Request Management (ChaRM), which are heavily used in SAP Solution Manager, are currently not fully mapped in Cloud ALM. These limitations make it difficult to view the new SAP ALM solution as the sole alternative to SAP Solution Manager.
No. SAP Cloud ALM is the preferred successor solution, but does not replace all functions – such as ChaRM or Retrofit. The switch is optional, but an alternative (e.g. third-party tool) is necessary if you do not want to work with SolMan after 2027.
In addition to SAP Cloud ALM and Focused Run, third-party providers such as SmartChange from REALTECH offer modern solutions for change, transport and ITSM processes – including integration in Jira or ServiceNow.
Depending on the scope and project structure, a productive changeover is often possible within a few weeks. The extraction of existing ChaRM documents can be tool-based.