NS implements SAP S/4HANA Group Reporting with support from cpmview

Advisory: Moving towards a future-proof consolidation solution

For more than 20 years, NS relied on a standalone consolidation system (CPM). Local finance teams manually entered data into the system, with a high risk of inconsistencies. In 2021, Microsoft ended support for Silverlight, which CPM relied on for its interface. This created an urgent need to transition to a modern and sustainable solution.

NS first explored SAP EPM, but quickly discovered that the consolidation module was not yet mature enough. After months of testing, the project was halted. At that moment, cpmview advised NS to take the step to SAP S/4HANA Group Reporting, fully aligned with the company’s strategy of building on a digital core.

The challenges

The move to S/4HANA Group Reporting was driven by three main challenges:

1. End-of-life system – CPM was no longer supported due to Silverlight, creating a security and compliance risk.
2. Complex IT landscape – NS had more than 120 different financial and operational systems across business units, each with its own data model and chart of accounts.
3. Time pressure – To remain in compliance, NS needed a live system before the annual reporting cycle.

The solution

Together with cpmview, NS designed and implemented a new consolidation process based on SAP S/4HANA Group Reporting 2021, later upgraded to the 2023 version. Key steps in the project included:

• Legal consolidation first: Focusing on statutory reporting to meet immediate deadlines.
• Managerial consolidation later: Expanding the model to cover internal management reporting.
• Data quality improvement: A dedicated sub-project to clean and harmonize financial data.
• Training & adoption: Project team and finance experts trained early in Group Reporting to ensure alignment on definitions and processes.
• Testing with real data: By replicating production data into acceptance systems, NS was able to validate scenarios under real conditions despite GDPR challenges.

Results

The project delivered a modern, integrated, and future-proof consolidation solution:

• Integration with the digital core: Consolidation now runs directly on transactional data in S/4HANA, reducing manual work and ensuring one version of the truth.
• Improved data quality: Early involvement of finance teams and data cleansing led to higher trust in reporting.
• Efficient reporting cycles: Annual and periodic consolidations are now faster and more reliable.
• Sustainability in IT: By phasing out legacy systems, NS simplified its IT landscape and lowered maintenance risks.

Future plans

NS plans to further expand Group Reporting with advanced functionalities and reporting strategies:

• Adding managerial consolidation for deeper business insights.
• Exploring integration with planning and analytics solutions.
• Automating disclosures and statutory reporting to create an end-to-end financial close process.

Why cpmview?

Because of its knowledge and expertise, cpmview was the right partner for NS to manage the transition from an end-of-life consolidation tool to a state-of-the-art solution in SAP S/4HANA.