New Solution launched for Connecting SAP with Microsoft Office

by J. Eric Anderson

SAP Business Intelligence has been associated with high cost and large projects. Using Microsoft Business Intelligence and Collaboration technologies DSPanel and ERP-link jointly launches a new powerful way of taking SAP R/3 and Business Warehouse data into the Microsoft Office System, the preferred workplace of business people. The new product, iNet.BI, is already SAP certified integration and certified for SAP Net Weaver and brings Performance Dashboards and Scorecards based on SAP data to the screens of regular users within days instead of months.

ERP-Link™ Corporation and DSPanel introduced the iNet.BI software product combined with DSPanel's award-winning Performance Dashboard and Scorecard functionality. This new SAP Certified product leverages Microsoft BI and collaboration technologies, bringing Performance Dashboards and Scorecards based on SAP data to those using Microsoft Office applications. It also dramatically reduces the time and cost associated with creating pervasive Business Intelligence solutions for SAP R/3 and Business Warehouse, often taking just one day for implementation compared with the months needed for implementing other solutions.

"Using Microsoft Office technologies to increase the value of SAP installations provides high value and creates tremendous business impact for SAP users," said J. Eric Anderson, CEO of ERP-Link. "Working with DSPanel on the iNet.BI product broadens the possibilities for bringing on-demand BI to all SAP information workers."

The new iNet.BI for SAP features advanced functionality such as the ability to create composite applications that write-back into SAP systems; the ability to extend SOA frameworks, and advanced integration with the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server2007. Performance Dashboards and Scorecards in the new product are immediately actionable and fully integrated with Microsoft Office.

"Extending the scope of the powerful Microsoft BI concept--the foundation of DSPanel--gives every user the ability to work with BI using the familiar Microsoft Office applications," said Jan Morath, CEO of DSPanel. "It has been exciting to work with ERP-Link on the iNet.BI product, knowing that two Microsoft partners can provide innovative products that will truly improve productivity in the many companies who seek to extend and enhance their SAP Reporting using Microsoft Office Tools."

iNet.BI makes SAP Business Information actionable, much more accessible, and configurable in response to new business drivers, all without needing constant service from IT professionals. Actionable BI enables informed decision-making and unlimited business activity monitoring, allowing companies to drive optimized business performance management for greater efficiency, oversight, cost control, and agility.

The $7 Billion Market for Enhancing SAP Use - Analysts estimate that more than $7 billion will be spent in 2008 on third-party add-ons for extending and enhancing the functionality of SAP systems, with such capabilities such as on-demand BI. Instead of relying on a few super-users to accomplish important business functions, companies want broad employee participation in business processes, increasing operational efficiency, and enhancing oversight of corporate performance. ERP-Link's iNet Platform provides this through enabling full interoperability between SAP and Microsoft tools.

About the New ERP-Link iNet .BI for SAP

• Optimizes Return-on-Current-Investment (ROCI) through re-use of all SAP information objects (R/3 & BW). Auto-provisioning them as .NET- and OLAP-ready objects lets business users quickly use existing SAP info objects and have them auto-transformed from static reports into actionable BI.
• Accelerates the deployment of BI, CPM, and Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) capabilities, with no coding or programming required.
• Total flexibility in reporting, BI and CPM tool choice; delivers SAP information directly to Office Desktops, Portals, MS SQL Server and/or any .NET-based business intelligence and office tools.