If your data stack is built around SAP, you've likely encountered a familiar story: you bought a tool that handled SAP beautifully, and then your data estate grew beyond SAP. The tool didn't grow with you.
For a growing number of data engineering teams, that tool is Syniti. And now there's a more urgent catalyst: Syniti has end-of-lifed their on-premises product and is requiring all existing customers to migrate to their cloud offering.
For organizations that chose Syniti precisely because it ran inside their own infrastructure, this isn't an upgrade. Regulated industries, companies with data residency requirements, teams not ready to move on a vendor's timeline: for all of them, it's a forced migration.
This post explains why those teams are landing on CData Sync, what the transition looks like in practice, and what to consider before you move.
The Syniti problem in plain terms
Syniti built an excellent product for a specific era: SAP-centric organizations running on-premises ERP, replicating data to enterprise data warehouses, with IT teams that owned and operated their own infrastructure.
That model is now under pressure from two directions at once.
First, Syniti has end-of-lifed their on-premises product. Existing on-prem customers are being told to migrate to Syniti's cloud offering, with the migration timeline and replatforming cost falling on them. For organizations in healthcare, financial services, or government where data residency is a compliance requirement rather than a preference, this isn't a viable path without significant architectural rework.
Second, even for customers willing to move to the cloud, Syniti's coverage doesn't extend far beyond SAP. Non-SAP sources require additional modules or separate tooling. Real-time CDC from Kafka, legacy IBM systems, or non-SAP relational databases falls outside Syniti's native capabilities. As Syniti consolidates toward its own proprietary stack, third-party connector coverage is narrowing rather than expanding.
The result: Organizations facing a forced migration off Syniti on-prem are doing the math and asking whether Syniti cloud is really the right destination, or whether this is the moment to move to a platform that handles their full data estate.
Quick comparison: CData Sync vs. Syniti
The table below compares the two platforms across the dimensions that matter most for SAP data teams making this decision:
Capability | CData Sync | Syniti |
SAP Connectivity | Yes - ECC, S/4HANA, BW, HANA, BTP, all plans | Yes - Core strength; proprietary SAP stack |
Non-SAP Sources | Yes - Hundreds of connectors: Oracle, Salesforce, SQL Server, NetSuite, SaaS apps | Limited; additional modules required |
On-Premises Deployment | Yes - Fully supported, all plans, no forced migration | On-prem product end-of-lifed; cloud migration required |
Cloud Deployment | Yes - Cloud-native, hybrid, or hosted SaaS | Yes - Cloud offering available |
Real-Time CDC (SAP) | Yes - Enterprise-grade, fully managed | Yes - Proprietary, SAP-specific |
Real-Time CDC (Kafka, AS400, Oracle, DB2) | Yes | Not natively supported |
Reverse ETL | Yes | No |
dbt Integration | Yes – Native | No |
Pricing Model | Connection-based; predictable flat cost | Module-based enterprise licensing; complex at renewal |
Data Residency / PHI Support | Yes - Data stays inside your firewall | Cloud migration removes on-prem option |
Schema Drift Management | Yes - Automatic detection and adaptation; no manual intervention | Designed for stable SAP schemas; limited in mixed environments |
Script-Based Automation | Yes - Built-in pre/post-job scripts, event triggers, custom logic | Limited extensibility beyond SAP migration patterns |
What CData Sync does differently
CData Sync was built around a different premise: data teams shouldn't have to choose a different tool for every source, and deployment decisions should be theirs to make, not their vendor's.
Connectivity that goes beyond SAP
With hundreds of connectors covering SAP (ECC, S/4HANA, BW, HANA, BTP), Oracle, SQL Server, Salesforce, NetSuite, Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, and cloud SaaS applications, Sync handles the SAP pipelines Syniti manages today as well as the sources Syniti can't touch. Every connector is included in the subscription with no add-on modules and no per-connector fees.
Deployment on your terms
CData Sync runs cloud-native, on-premises inside your own firewall, or in a hybrid configuration. Same product, same license, same connector library regardless of where you deploy. For regulated industries like healthcare, financial services, and government, this matters a lot: PHI and sensitive data can stay inside the firewall without sacrificing capability. There's no forced migration to a cloud offering, and no vendor dictating your timeline.
Enterprise-grade real-time CDC
CData Sync delivers enterprise-grade Change Data Capture from SAP, Oracle, SQL Server, Kafka, AS400, and DB2, fully managed with no CDC infrastructure to operate or maintain. Syniti's real-time replication is proprietary and primarily SAP-specific. Once you need CDC from Kafka, legacy IBM systems, or non-SAP relational databases, you're outside Syniti's native capability.
ETL/ELT, reverse ETL, and transformations in one place
Syniti is focused on SAP data migration and replication. CData Sync covers the full data movement lifecycle: batch ETL/ELT, real-time CDC, reverse ETL back to operational systems, and native SQL transformations with dbt support. That consolidation reduces tool sprawl and licensing costs, and means the platform grows with your data strategy rather than constraining it.
Automatic schema drift management
One of the most common sources of pipeline failure in production is schema change. A column added upstream, a field renamed, a table restructured. CData Sync handles this automatically through built-in schema drift detection, adapting pipelines to upstream schema changes without manual intervention or job failures. Syniti's SAP-specific architecture was designed for stable, controlled schemas. In mixed environments where SaaS applications and cloud databases evolve continuously, managing schema change manually becomes a real operational burden.
Script-based automation and extensibility
CData Sync includes built-in support for script-based automation, letting data engineering teams extend pipeline behavior with custom logic: pre- and post-job scripts, event-driven triggers, conditional transformations, and integration hooks into broader orchestration workflows. This matters for teams that need more than point-and-click pipeline configuration, whether that's complex SAP transformations, custom data quality checks, or pipelines that interact with external APIs or notification systems. Syniti's tooling is optimized for the SAP migration use case and offers limited extensibility beyond that pattern.
Predictable connection-based pricing
CData Sync pricing is based on the number of pipeline connections, not data volume, not row counts, not user seats. As your data grows, your cost doesn't spike. Syniti's module-based enterprise licensing is complex to model and frequently creates renewal uncertainty as usage evolves.
What the migration looks like in practice
The teams that have made this move report a consistent pattern.
The technical lift is smaller than expected. CData Sync ships pre-built connectors for the same SAP objects Syniti replicates: BSEG, VBAK, EKKO, ACDOCA, and the rest. The configuration surface is familiar. Most teams complete initial pipeline migrations in days, not weeks.
The surprise is usually on the non-SAP side. Once they're on a platform that connects to everything, they start retiring the other tools they'd bolted on around Syniti. Separate Fivetran or Airbyte instances for Salesforce or cloud SaaS data, point-to-point scripts for legacy systems. These often get consolidated into Sync, which compounds the savings.
One global construction technology company that made the transition consolidated 40+ SAP and non-SAP pipelines into a single CData Sync deployment, completed the migration in under 30 days, and realized $193K in annual savings compared to their previous Syniti-based solution. They're now running on a locked multi-year deal.
Faster migration than expected, broader coverage than anticipated, lower cost at renewal. That's the pattern we hear most consistently from teams coming off Syniti.
When to make the move
The displacement case is strongest when one or more of these apply:
You're running Syniti on-premises and facing a forced migration to their cloud offering on a timeline you didn't choose
Data residency or compliance requirements make a third-party cloud offering non-viable without significant architectural work
You're adding non-SAP sources and Syniti can't cover them natively
Your cloud data warehouse (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery) is becoming your primary analytics platform and you need flexible, bidirectional data movement
You're building real-time pipelines from non-SAP systems and running into CDC gaps
You're facing renewal costs that don't align with your actual usage
If any of these are true, it's worth running the numbers. CData's team runs migration assessments to help you estimate the scope of a Syniti-to-Sync transition, including a side-by-side cost comparison.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean that Syniti has end-of-lifed their on-premises product?
Syniti has announced that their on-premises product will no longer receive active development or long-term support, and existing on-prem customers are being asked to migrate to Syniti's cloud offering. Organizations that chose Syniti specifically for on-premises deployment, often for data residency, security, or compliance reasons, are now facing a mandatory replatforming exercise on a vendor-imposed timeline.
How long does a migration from Syniti to CData Sync typically take?
Most teams complete their initial SAP pipeline migrations within days to a few weeks. CData Sync includes pre-built connectors for the SAP objects Syniti replicates (BSEG, VBAK, EKKO, ACDOCA, and others), which shortens the configuration time significantly. CData's team can run a migration assessment to give you a more accurate estimate based on your specific pipeline footprint.
Can CData Sync handle SAP CDC the same way Syniti does?
Yes. CData Sync supports real-time Change Data Capture from SAP ECC, S/4HANA, BW, HANA, and BTP, fully managed with no CDC infrastructure to operate. The platform handles the same SAP-to-cloud-warehouse use cases Syniti covers and extends CDC support to non-SAP sources including Oracle, SQL Server, Kafka, AS400, and DB2.
Does CData Sync support on-premises deployment?
Yes. CData Sync fully supports on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployment. Unlike Syniti, there is no forced migration to a cloud offering. Organizations with strict data residency or compliance requirements can continue running Sync inside their own firewall with the same product, the same license, and access to the full connector library.
How does CData Sync pricing compare to Syniti?
CData Sync uses connection-based pricing. You pay based on the number of pipeline connections, not data volume, row counts, or user seats. This makes costs predictable as data grows. Syniti's module-based enterprise licensing tends to be complex to model and can create significant cost increases at renewal as usage evolves. Multi-year deals with locked pricing are available for CData Sync.
CData Sync: the data layer for your SAP estate and beyond
If your goal is to move SAP and non-SAP data reliably, on your deployment terms, without being locked into a vendor's cloud migration timeline, CData Sync provides flexible, governed connectivity across hundreds of sources. Learn more at cdata.com/sync.
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