SAP Helps Partners and Customers Map Easier Path to Enterprise SOA

by SAP AG

SAP(R) Discovery System for Enterprise SOA Enables Companies to Start Using the Latest Software and Tools Available From SAP, Without Impacting Existing Systems

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SAP AG (NYSE:SAP) today announced the availability of SAP(R) Discovery System software for enterprise service-oriented architecture (enterprise SOA), designed to help customers and partners map their paths to a successful adoption of enterprise SOA. With SAP Discovery System, developers and enterprise architects have a clear risk-free first step in experimenting with enterprise SOA, enabling them to test-drive the simplicity and flexibility of composing new business processes using enterprise services in a standalone SOA environment. Today's release delivers a pre-configured SOA landscape, giving customers and partners immediate access to the latest software and tools available from SAP as well as a comprehensive set of sample business scenarios. The announcement was made at SAP(R) TechEd '06, being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sept. 12 - 15.

In a recent survey conducted by IDC(1), researchers found that 51 percent of companies that have adopted SOA prefer to approach SOA by first creating a pilot project or proof of concept. With SAP Discovery System, SAP is providing the SOA environment in which to take this first key step, gain experience with enterprise SOA and develop a pilot project or proof of concept to learn and understand the potential value to the organization.

For customers, partners and independent software vendors (ISVs), SAP is further accelerating the transition to enterprise SOA by providing a very simple, low-cost and low-risk starting point on their road maps. At the same time, SAP is meeting the distinct needs of customers, partners and ISVs and addressing various levels of experience with enterprise SOA:

• For customers, the SAP Discovery System enables technical staff to start leveraging the latest software available from SAP today and gain an immediate hands-on learning experience with a typical enterprise SOA environment -- at a low-cost entry point.
• For ISVs, the SAP Discovery System provides a full mySAP(TM) ERP application landscape against which they can test their own applications.
• For systems integrators (SIs), the SAP Discovery System provides an additional element in their portfolios to help customers understand enterprise SOA and see firsthand the potential value by simplifying the learning and technology discovery process.
• For developers that have never experimented with or used composite applications, the SAP Discovery System includes a composite development toolbox to create composite applications using the SAP Composite Application Framework (SAP CAF) tool, guided procedures and SAP NetWeaver(R) Visual Composer.

"In order to maintain our market-leading position, we are continuously exploring new and innovate ways to achieve greater business agility through business process innovation," said Liz Michaud, senior manager, Business Systems Modernization, Lockheed Martin. "As is true for many companies, we are exploring the value and benefits of enterprise SOA in our environment."

To this end, Lockheed Martin has recently decided to make the SAP Discovery System one of the vehicles used in its enterprise SOA exploration and proof of concept activities.

Sample Business Scenarios: Demonstrating the Power of Enterprise Services

Today's release of SAP Discovery System features the latest version of mySAP ERP running several common business scenarios that are implemented as composite applications and leverages enterprise services built on the SAP NetWeaver platform. For example, the procurement scenario illustrates how business processes can be significantly streamlined by enabling users to gain insight and take action within the relevant business context, across multiple systems and applications. This scenario, which uses standard enterprise services, follows the procurement process through all standard steps, from creating the sales order, analyzing stock, listing suppliers and requesting quotations through to placing the purchase order, confirming the order and receiving the goods. The scenario supports the four major user roles necessary to procurement: salesperson, purchasing agent, procurement manager and warehouse manager.

Additional scenarios include:

• Travel expense exception allows managers in an organization to monitor expenses that are exceptions to the travel policy of an organization
• Investment approval enables business unit analysts within an organization to review and approve appropriation requests
• Request for new supplier master data allows the creation of master data for a new supplier to be done easily, efficiently and with little knowledge or guidance from supply chain experts
• Request for quotation approval reduces time between customer request and quotation approval and eliminates the need to manage quotes in both the ERP system and various text-based documents
• Production order rescheduling provides comprehensive problem analysis for equipment failures on the shop floor
• Store-specific consumer prices maintenance satisfies requests for store-specific consumer prices and competitor price research through an intuitive user interface
• Strategic investment buy simulation enables buyers to react to ad-hoc offers from suppliers in real time

Going forward, SAP Discovery System will evolve to include several new business scenarios, such as order-to-cash, manufacturing, compliance and industry-specific composite applications. SAP anticipates that these new scenarios will be released during the next 12 months, further extending the many ways SAP is helping companies adopt enterprise SOA.

"SAP is enabling customers and partners to take the critical first step -- experimentation without risk," said Ziv Carthy, senior vice president of enterprise SOA delivery, SAP. "With SAP Discovery System, now customers and partners have an opportunity to learn the value of business process innovation and gain instant access to the latest software available from SAP. No other vendor is providing such a simple and seamless entry point on enterprise SOA roadmaps."

For more information about SAP Discovery System for enterprise SOA, please visit http://sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/esadiscovery .

Availability

SAP Discovery System ships pre-configured with the latest version of mySAP ERP, eight sample business scenarios delivered as composite applications leveraging enterprise services, the latest version of the SAP NetWeaver platform, a composite development toolbox including the SAP Composite Application Framework, guided procedures and SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer, SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio, SAP Best Practices offerings and the Enterprise Services Workplace.

Developed initially on the HP ProLiant server platform and available today on a global basis, SAP Discovery System can be ordered directly from HP as a pre-installed image on the Intel Xeon-based HP ProLiant DL380 server. Customers and partners can visit the HP Direct online store at http://www.hp.com/go/server/sap .

Educational Sessions, Lectures and Workshops

In addition to offering SAP Discovery System, SAP is providing a number of ways for customers to gain hands-on experience with enterprise SOA, with opportunities at the SAP NetWeaver Technology Tour and at SAP TechEd '06. The SAP NetWeaver Technology Tour offers attendees demos and workshops to help them understand enterprise SOA and accelerate their roadmaps. For information on tour cities and dates, please visit: https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/techtour06 .

SAP(R) TechEd '06 in Las Vegas, Tokyo, Amsterdam and Bangalore

More than 5,000 SAP customers, partners and technical community are convening at SAP(R) TechEd '06 to learn how to transform existing business processes and IT landscapes and take advantage of the power and flexibility of enterprise service-oriented architecture. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, SAP's largest ecosystem education event of the year offers more than 900 hours of lecture-driven and hands-on sessions. SAP TechEd is being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sept. 12 - 15; Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 5 - 6; Amsterdam, Oct. 18 - 20 and Bangalore, India, Nov. 8 - 10, 2006. For more information, please visit www.sapteched.com.