| I got training in SAP Enterprise Resource Planning | | | | 1) to undermine;weaken or destroy insidiously - with |
| (ERP) system years ago when it was on a | | | | Synonyms: impair, enfeeble, deplete, exhaust, |
| mainframe platform - version R/2. At that time the | | | | enervate |
| Germans who came to the US to teach, emphasized | | | | 2) Slang. a fool; dupe. |
| that the name was S-A-P. They were aware of the | | | | But two other definitions surprised me: |
| negative connotations of the word sap in the United | | | | 1) Fortification. a deep, narrow trench constructed so |
| States. | | | | as to form an approach to a besieged place or an |
| The Players | | | | enemy's position |
| The letters S, A, P stand for some German words. | | | | 2) Fortification.a. to approach (a besieged place or an |
| At this point, knowing what those letters mean, is as | | | | enemy position) by means of deep, narrow trenches |
| irrelevant as knowing what IBM stands for. (By the | | | | protected by gabions or parapets.b. to dig such |
| way, I just learned that SAP was started by former | | | | trenches in (ground). |
| IBMers). SAP was founded in Germany in 1972. It had | | | | Which sap is SAP? |
| become greatly successful and respected in the | | | | The Challenges:o SAP corporation is still the leader in |
| European market before it made any serious inroads | | | | the ERP space, but Oracle is gaining ground.o |
| in North America. | | | | Turnover at the top is worth noting and watchingo |
| Oracle Corporation, a US company, leads the way in | | | | SAP is sticking to old ways of doing things - ways |
| the home grown variety of enterprise-wide software. | | | | that have been successful in the past.o They have |
| At its start in 1977, the focus was on database | | | | evolved from mainframe R/2 to client server SAP R |
| solutions. It took close to 20 years before a | | | | 3 and then to enterprise version mySAP. Now, SAP is |
| reasonable facsimile of an ERP system was produced. | | | | giving more attention to "software as a service" to |
| Both companies started with ERP systems, which | | | | try to capture more of the midsize market. Are they |
| handled basic business functions such as order entry, | | | | committed to operating in that space? |
| accounts receivable, production, inventory, purchasing | | | | The Approach |
| and accounts payable - all integrated with a financial | | | | Oracle is building approach / attack trenches by |
| backbone. Now their offerings have expanded to | | | | acquiring companies that make Oracle a more |
| include ERP off-springs like Customer Relationship | | | | comprehensive solution provider. Is SAP impaired by |
| Management (CRM), Business Intelligence, and Supply | | | | this? An April 2007 InformationWeek article talks |
| Chain Management (SCM) to name a few. | | | | about SAP's CEO Kagermann and his strategies for |
| The Definitions | | | | the future. SAP did not capture the lead position by |
| At dictionary.com, I looked up definitions for sap. The | | | | being a fool. They cannot and should not be |
| two definitions I would have given: | | | | discounted. SAP is still a force to be reckoned with. |