Deep dives into complex OneStream topics from our team of finance and technology specialists.
Extracting reliable financial data from SAP — alongside other enterprise systems — continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing Accounting, Finance, and IT teams. Many organizations operate across SAP FI and SAP CO, where critical financial and operational data exists in separate structures.
Even with SAP S/4HANA's ability to unify data, companies often struggle with integration architecture, governance requirements, and internal IT constraints. Integrating disparate systems requires careful coordination and scalable infrastructure to ensure data accuracy, performance, and long-term sustainability.
A successful OneStream integration begins with understanding your SAP environment — including version, security posture, available APIs, and data ownership. Rather than forcing a single technical approach, organizations should align integration strategy with:
OneStream supports multiple SAP integration patterns, allowing Finance and IT teams to select the method best suited to their environment.
SAP's FI and CO modules are designed for different financial purposes — from General Ledger, AR/AP, asset accounting, and bank accounting to cost centers, internal orders, profitability analysis, and product costing.
OneStream can integrate directly with these modules, enabling organizations to consolidate transactional and managerial data into a unified performance management model. For many S/4HANA customers, SAP itself becomes a centralized and reliable source for OneStream reporting, planning, and analysis.
OneStream includes Theobald ERP Connect, an SAP-certified adapter hosted within the OneStream Azure environment. This native connectivity approach allows organizations to extract SAP data without deploying additional infrastructure inside their OneStream instance.
Because ERP Connect operates within a controlled environment, it simplifies architecture while maintaining alignment with SAP security and IT governance standards.
For scenarios requiring access beyond standard SAP structures, the SAP .NET library enables extended data retrieval. By executing ABAP reports and populating input fields programmatically, OneStream can extract specialized datasets and integrate them into financial processes.
Organizations can deploy the SAP Middleware Connector to support this capability, allowing OneStream to access broader SAP data domains when needed.
Another modern integration approach leverages SAP's Business Accelerator Hub within the SAP Business Technology Platform. This method utilizes REST APIs to expose SAP data services, enabling flexible and scalable integration patterns aligned with cloud-first IT strategies.
REST-based connectivity typically requires additional internal setup, including publishing API endpoints and coordinating with SAP administrators. However, it provides a powerful option for organizations looking to standardize integrations through modern API frameworks.
When integration strategy aligns with the realities of your SAP landscape, OneStream becomes more than a CPM platform — it becomes a centralized financial data hub. Organizations benefit from:
Rather than replacing SAP investments, OneStream enhances them — enabling Finance and IT teams to modernize processes while working within existing infrastructure and constraints.