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The motivation for SAP consolidation projects from SAP R/2 to SAP R/3 is to reduce costs for SAP operations. Unfortunately, we have seen that SAP has scarcely learned from experience. Already after going live with the first corporate subsidiary, the company is facing a dilemma of whether to go live with additional corporate subsidiaries and operate the first live launch as a competitor.

This competitive situation for SAP projects can only be brought under control with SAP Application Lifecycle Management (SAP ALM).

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SAP Technology is based on a 20-year-old concept. Can the associated system environment handle the demands of modern cloud computing? Cloud computing-supported virtualization and scalability as well as data management for transactional processing of business data based on individual settings is probably not feasible with a reasonable amount of complexity. Is SAP really in a position – beyond marketing messages – to deliver such a product at an affordable price?

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The new concept of the Enhancement Packages (EhPs) from SAP is ingenious from a technical perspective. It’s actually too bad that SAP, the supplier par excellence for business software, has taken so long to create this software logistics concept. Based on the time and effort they’ve put in, any SAP CIO can tell you what [...]

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In a highly interesting and descriptive blog posting on the SAP Community Network, Tao Zhang, who works for Benteler Group, discusses the SAP consolidation process. His article focuses on the challenges and potential benefits, approaching the issue from the company’s perspective.
New Challenges
As I see it, the biggest challenges facing SAP system environment consolidation projects in [...]

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In my article on SAP Change and Transport Management, I discuss the topic of “measures that ensure horizontal and vertical consistency.” After attending the TechEd Berlin 2008, it appears that SAP and its Enhanced Change and Transport System CTS+ remain unwilling to accept this challenge but instead prefer to leave it up to customers and [...]

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Accompanied by considerable fanfare, SAP co-CEO Leo Apotheker introduced an SAP Solution Manager module called the SAP Business Process Change Analyzer (SAP BPCA) at this year’s TechEd in Berlin. So, what’s behind it? Can the Business Process Change Analyzer fulfill the expectations that its name suggests?
The fact that SAP has even introduced the BPCA seems [...]

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I was fortunate to attend various presentations on the topic of SAP’s solution management at SAP TechEd 2008 Berlin.
My expectations regarding SAP solution management would be that SAP could finally take on the task of solution management for specific customer implementation scenarios, and that it would do so in a comprehensive manner. Sadly, this has [...]

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Whereas ERP is a synonym for software-supported Enterprise Planning and Controlling, ERP4IT stands for software-supported IT Planning and Controlling (ITPC).
Those who are looking for solutions will without much doubt check out the ERP4IT offerings of the leading ERP system manufacturer SAP. SAP seems to be the only ERP software vendor for managing one´s own customer [...]

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As its name suggests, the SAP Solution Manager is designed to provide support for the management of SAP customer implementations. Does it perform this task? Or is it just one of SAP´s marketing instruments?
Missing Functions for Complex System Landscapes
When discussing the pros and cons of SAP Solution Manager, we must first of all give SAP [...]

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On Friday, October 26, 2007, inside-it.ch reported that OC Oerlikon will stop its super SAP project. The new approach is said to provide a „more intelligent, more flexible and cheaper solution that integrates all ERP systems of the business units using a central SAP consolidation tool“.
This seems to simplify things, but why is it that [...]

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