What is the "Native SQL (EXEC SQL)" issue in S/4HANA migration?

EXEC SQL and ADBC bypass ABAP SQL layer and break on S/4HANA HANA database. HANA uses different SQL dialect. Pool/cluster tables are dissolved — direct SQL access fails.

How much effort does it take to fix "Native SQL (EXEC SQL)"?

Remediation effort is rated L — Large (1–2 weeks). Severity: CRITICAL.

Which tool checks for Native SQL (EXEC SQL) automatically?

The s4ready.ai A1 Readiness Scanner checks for Native SQL (EXEC SQL) (and 29 other rules) automatically across your custom ABAP codebase. Results include object-level findings with severity and effort estimates.

CRITICAL Effort: L — Large (1–2 weeks) ABAP SQL

How to remediate: Native SQL (EXEC SQL)

EXEC SQL and ADBC bypass ABAP SQL layer and break on S/4HANA HANA database.

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What changes in S/4HANA

HANA uses different SQL dialect. Pool/cluster tables are dissolved — direct SQL access fails.

Before and after: ABAP code example

Before (ECC)

* ECC: EXEC SQL — fails on HANA
EXEC SQL.
  SELECT matnr, mtart INTO :lv_matnr, :lv_mtart
  FROM mara WHERE matnr = :lv_key
END-EXEC.

After (S/4HANA)

* S/4HANA: ABAP SQL — portable and safe
SELECT SINGLE matnr, mtart
  FROM i_material
  INTO (@DATA(lv_matnr), @DATA(lv_mtart))
  WHERE material = @lv_key.

Effort estimate and common pitfalls

Effort estimate

L — Large (1–2 weeks)

Estimate is per affected object. Total effort scales with the number of occurrences in your codebase. Use the A1 scan to get an object-level count before estimating the full project.

Common pitfalls

! Underestimating the number of affected objects
! Missing performance test after switching to released APIs
! Transport dependencies across development, quality, and production

Related rules to check

CRITICAL XL

Direct pool/cluster table access

Direct reads from BSEG, KONV, STXL and other pool/cluster tables. These tables are dissolved in S/4HANA.

HIGH S

SELECT * usage

SELECT * reads all columns including new S/4HANA columns, causing unexpected results and performance issues.

MEDIUM M

Obsolete function modules

Usage of function modules flagged as obsolete in SAP S/4HANA simplification list.

Find every instance of this issue in your codebase

The A1 scanner checks all 30 compatibility rules — including Native SQL (EXEC SQL) — across your custom ABAP objects and produces a prioritised remediation backlog.

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