Trade Shows 2009

German-speaking SAP users met up again this year – not in Leipzig as in the previous year, but in the far north of Germany, in Bremen. And again 3,000 people attended. In fact, the 121 exhibiting partners this year constituted a record high. Despite the large gathering, we saw many familiar faces and ran into quite a few old friends. The atmosphere was more positive than it was last year in Leipzig, where debates about SAP Enterprise Support became fairly heated. True – this issue is still far from being settled; but emotions are no longer running as high. And that’s a good thing.

We noted no controversial topics this year. Léo Apotheker, CEO of SAP, devoted his keynote address mainly to the new Business Objects products and the issue of sustainability.

Two major topics seemed to dominate our conversations with SAP users:

• How can I incorporate the Business Objects products in my landscape and what effects will this have on my existing BI apps?
• How can I leverage SAP Solution Manager productively and efficiently in my organization?

There were a number of announcements concerning SAP Solution Manager:

• The new Solution Manager 7.1 will be released in the first quarter of 2011. It will include several new functions and its technology will be based on CRM 7.0 and the latest SAP NetWeaver platform.
• Another SP for Solution Manager 7.0 is scheduled for 2010.
• Solution Manager 7.0 will not include an EhP2.
• Maintenance for Solution Manager has been extended by two years, until 2013. Solution Manager 7.0 users have an additional two years’ time (2011-2013) to upgrade to Release 7.1.

The 2009 conference proved an overall success. It attracted quite a number of prospects; it provided information and a great opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience in the SAP community.

Our assessment of . . . SAPPHIRE 2009 and SAP World Tour in Germany

This year’s SAPPHIRE was hit hard by the economic crisis. 10,000 visitors attended in Orlando, a noticeably low turnout compared with previous years. An additional 8,000 logged on to the online version of SAP's most important ecosystem event. Key topics included SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, products for achieving sustainability, SaaS as SAP's strategy for CRM, and SAP Business ByDesign.

Visitors were clearly impressed by SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, a new type of data analysis software. The solution provides all users, even those with no prior experience of data analysis, with rapid, intuitive access to information and insights. Perhaps this presentation succeeded in convincing remaining skeptics that BusinessObjects has not just been good for SAP but also for its customers. SAP is looking to position itself as a leading provider of solutions for sustainability. But whether SAP will continue to pursue the sustainability concept in the longer term, only time will tell. On the subject of SAP BusinessBy Design, SAP's chief strategist Pascal Brosset announced Version 2.0 for September and revealed that the on-demand software would be market-ready by 2010.

The most high-profile presentation was given by SAP cofounder, Hasso Plattner, who reported on current research results at the Hasso Plattner Institute. The organization is working on a way to store all data of a given business app in a computer's main memory. This would greatly accelerate processing and analysis.

Presentations at SAP World Tour in Mannheim were similar to those at SAPPHIRE. Again, Hasso Plattner's address took center stage. But will the World Tour idea endure? This year there were conspicuously fewer partner exhibits and SAP information booths at the Rose Garden Congress Center. Though not a big issue in the U.S., increases in support fees remain a hot topic in Germany. The SAP community is waiting with bated breath to see how the new method of using key metrics estimate support needs pans out with pilot customers.

We attended both events; and as an SAP partner, we recommend SAP continue to host an international event. The TechEd exhibition is not an adequate substitute for SAPPHIRE. And user group conventions like the DSAG annual conference fill the need on a national level. The great strength of SAPPHIRE has always been that it gave visitors the opportunity to gather a wide range of information on SAP and partner products in just a few short days. To our minds, this unique advantage has been lost.