H2 2025 SAP SuccessFactors Release: What You Need to Know

Every year, SAP keeps up with two annual releases for SuccessFactors users, and the SAP SuccessFactors H2 2025 release brings a number of big changes that will directly affect HR work. The update includes many improvements related to AI, a skills-first approach, a new user experience, as well as enhanced security and compliance. But which features are really necessary and should not be overlooked – and which are more of a "nice to have"?

To save you and your HR team from browsing through hundreds of different sources about this SAP SuccessFactors update, this post will give you a brief and clear overview of the most important changes. What does the SuccessFactors 2H 2025 release mean for everyday HR processes, which changes are likely to have the biggest impact for HR teams, and where are the risks if you do not take action? Let’s answer the most common questions.

1-Minute Summary

• Several changes will directly affect how employees, managers and HR teams use SuccessFactors every day: with the release of SuccessFactors 2H 2025, the Home Page, People Profile, and navigation have been significantly updated. 
• Some of the old screens will be gradually phased out – the legacy Home Page, legacy People Profile, and legacy Performance Management forms have already been assigned clear End of Maintenance/Deletion dates. 
• The SuccessFactors update enhances security and compliance: more control over Role-Based Permissions, MFA/IAS, audit trails, data retention, and more granular options for performance review, goal data retention and purge. This is no longer just an IT issue, but also HR risk management. 
• The SAP SuccessFactors release reduces the need for manual work by facilitating processes such as hire/rehire, termination, time off, mass data changes, reporting, and learning. In short, there are more automated validations and self-service options. 
• What should you do now? First and foremost, identify which features you use today, prioritise a small number of high-impact changes, plan testing in the Preview environment, and prepare for internal communication with employees and management. 

Key Themes in the SuccessFactors Update

There are many changes indeed, however, not all of them are equally significant. The SuccessFactors 2H 2025 release includes both minor UI improvements and significant enhancements that can noticeably change how HR teams work with the system on a daily basis. To make the SAP SuccessFactors H2 2025 release easier to navigate, we will organise the main points into four themes in this article. These themes can be approached incrementally, depending on the maturity and capacity of your organisation.

These are the areas where the impact of this SuccessFactors update is most noticeable today:

1. User experience and navigation. 
2. AI and skills-first logic. 
3. Security and compliance. 
4. Less manual work, more automation. 

For mid-market organisations, the real challenge is rarely understanding what has changed, but deciding which of these areas to address first. At Jigsaw Cloud, we typically see SMB customers benefit most from a phased, priority-led approach, rather than attempting to adopt everything at once.

1. User Experience and Navigation: What’s Changing Day to Day?

One of the most noticeable aspects of the SAP SuccessFactors H2 2025 release is the user interface. The Home Page is being updated, the new People Profile page is making significant progress, and the navigation logic itself is changing as well.

What does this mean for employees and managers? The new Home Page will be more personalised, giving us more opportunities to see the most relevant information (e.g., timesheets, absences). At the same time, HR still retains control over what is shown to everyone. Importantly, the legacy Home Page already has a clear deprecation date – this will happen on November 13, 2026, following the H2 SAP SuccessFactors release of 2026.

The same changes are coming to People Profile – the new Full Profile experience in the H2 2025 release is gradually becoming the default space where employees and managers can view and edit data, from basic information to history, inactive employment, and more detailed records. Parts of legacy People Profile are also officially moving towards deprecation, which is expected in May 2026.

Navigation is becoming clearer: improved People Search, more manageable information in org chart cards, newer to-do and delegation elements. From an HR perspective, these changes are not so much about new features as they are about smoother use, better user adoption and fewer day-to-day frustrations for employees and managers.

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2. AI and Skills-first: Less Guesswork, More Data

The SuccessFactors 2H 2025 release moves artificial intelligence from a modern but rarely used feature to everyday scenarios. What does this mean in practice? The system increasingly offers suggestions rather than just storing information. For example, AI-assisted goal creation helps employees generate development goals based on their role and existing skills. AI-assisted Career Insights and Joule (if you have a licence) provide specific learning and development actions, rather than just general advice. For SMBs, this helps structure succession discussions where formal plans may not yet exist. .

At the same time, the skills-first logic is reinforced. Skills are even more closely linked to career progression, succession planning, performance and internal mobility. For the HR team, this creates two clear priorities: to maintain a simple, evolving skills model (without it, AI recommendations will be weak) and to position AI as an assistant, with final decisions still sitting with managers and HR, not the system. In practice, many SMBs start with one or two AI-supported use cases before expanding further.

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3. Security and Compliance = Less Risk for HR

In the SAP SuccessFactors H2 2025 release, security and compliance are no longer just an IT issue – HR also shares some responsibility here. How exactly? SAP SuccessFactors primarily affects rights and access: Role-Based Permissions management becomes clearer, making it easier to monitor what a specific user can actually see and do in the system. This means fewer errors (for example, overly broad access rights), faster incident investigation, and easier answers to the question: who saw this data?

Another focus area is stronger authentication (IAS/MFA) and auditing. If you have been hesitant to move away from basic authentication, this SuccessFactors update clearly shows that it is no longer a choice but a necessity. Additional audit and data retention options allow you to control more precisely how long you store sensitive data such as performance reviews and goals, and make it easier to prove compliance (for example, GDPR) in the event of audits or disputes. For the HR team, this is an opportunity to strengthen HR’s role in reducing everyday data and access risks.

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4. Less Manual Work, More Automation

A significant but often underestimated part of the SAP SuccessFactors release 2025 (especially for smaller HR teams with limited admin capacity) is automation that makes everyday work easier. Some of the changes seem more “technical” at first glance (additional validation in hire/rehire, termination, Time Off, or Mass Data Management processes, more convenient task and onboarding management, more self-service for employees and managers). However, this is where the impact of the SuccessFactors update on HR is most evident. From now on, there is less manual checking in Excel, as well as fewer human errors.

Another important direction is how automation relates to the SuccessFactors 2025 release and compliance. More automated validations and clearer data-retention controls help HR teams spot issues earlier and reduce the risk of problems later on.

Here, SuccessFactors H2 update not only “allows you to enter data”, but also helps you to ensure that it is correct. In short, the SAP SuccessFactors release 2025 gives the HR team more self-control and less manual, repetitive work, freeing up time for employee support and operational decisions rather than manual admin.

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So, What Impact Does the SuccessFactors Update Have on HR and Organisations?

Looking at the big picture, the SuccessFactors H2 2025 release is no revolution – rather, it is more of a logical continuation of what we already witnessed in the SAP 2025 H1 release for SuccessFactors. The focus remains on the everyday user experience, clear end dates for old screens, and a stricter approach to security and data management. This is where the impact of the SuccessFactors update on HR is most visible – HR teams increasingly need to take ownership of access, data quality and process consistency.

In practice, Jigsaw Cloud supports SMBs by reviewing each SuccessFactors release together with the HR team, mapping changes against current processes, and agreeing a small, testable scope before anything is rolled out. This allows organisations to prioritise effectively and adopt updates without overwhelming their teams.

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Where to Focus in the SuccessFactors H2 2025 Update (H2)

Jigsaw Cloud’s SuccessFactors release knowledge base will help you quickly catch up on all the changes in each module.

If you’d like to talk through what the H2 2025 SuccessFactors update means for your organisation, you can book a personalised release review call by emailing jigsawsupportmeetings@jigsaw-cloud.com or clicking the “Contact Us” button below.

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SuccessFactors H2 2025: Preparation Checklist

To help you get ready for the SuccessFactors 2H 2025 release, here is a short checklist you can use on your own. You do not need to tackle everything at once – use it to prioritise what matters most for your organisation:

• Assess how you use SuccessFactors today (modules, features, legacy screens). 
• Decide which H2 2025 changes are a must-have for you and which are nice to have. 
• Plan testing in the Preview environment with key users and managers. 
• Coordinate actions with IT/security (IAS/MFA, Role-Based Permissions, data storage rules). 
• Update internal procedures, templates, and training for the HR team and managers. 
• Prepare communication for employees: what is changing, when, and where to go for help. 

FAQ

What New Features are Included in SAP SuccessFactors H2 2025 Release?

The most important new changes include an updated Home Page, People Profile, clearer navigation, more AI assistance, and stronger security and data management. 

Which SuccessFactors Modules Are Updated in H2 2025 and How Will They Affect Workflows?

The biggest changes are in Employee Central (Home Page, People Profile, hire/rehire, termination, Time Off), Talent (Performance & Goals, Succession & Development, Growth Portfolio), Learning, and Recruitment & Onboarding enhancements. 

How Should Organisations Prepare for the SuccessFactors H2 2025 Update to Minimise Disruption?

First, clearly assess what you are using today and which changes are most relevant to you. Then, plan a test in the Preview environment with real scenarios, coordinate IAS/MFA, Role-Based Permissions, and data storage with IT. Finally, update processes, prepare brief communications and support channels for employees. 

Do We Need to Adopt All New Features From the H2 2025 Release?

No, it is not necessary to enable everything at once, but some of the changes in the SuccessFactors 2025 release and compliance (e.g., security, discontinuation of legacy screens) are actually mandatory. We recommend dividing the features into “must have” and “nice to have.” 

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Have Questions We Haven’t Covered Yet?

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