SAP is one of the leading enterprise application software providers. Its products support business process management, data processing and information flow across organizations.
SAP was founded in 1972 by five former IBM employees. SAP says the original German company name was Systemanalyse Programmentwicklung, meaning “system analysis program development.” The current acronym is commonly expanded as Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing.
For FI-CA readers, SAP is best understood as the platform behind integrated enterprise processes: finance, logistics, customer management, industry solutions, analytics, integration and user experience.
SAP ECC vs. S/4HANA
At the highest level, many SAP ERP landscapes are discussed as either SAP ECC or SAP S/4HANA.
SAP ECC stands for SAP ERP Central Component. It is part of SAP Business Suite 7 and can run on different supported database platforms, including SAP HANA in later landscapes. SAP has announced mainstream maintenance for SAP Business Suite 7 core applications until the end of 2027, followed by optional extended maintenance until the end of 2030.
SAP S/4HANA is SAP’s current ERP suite built for the SAP HANA in-memory database. SAP has also announced an innovation commitment for SAP S/4HANA until the end of 2040.
ECC
SAP ECC 6.0 is the major SAP ERP release many classic FI-CA landscapes still use. Enhancement packages added functionality over time without requiring every customer to adopt every enhancement immediately.
SAP S/4HANA
SAP S/4HANA is a real-time enterprise resource management suite for digital business. It is built on SAP HANA and uses SAP Fiori as the strategic user experience.
SAP S/4HANA offers multiple deployment models, including on-premise, SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition and SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition. The right choice depends on scope, implementation model, upgrade flexibility, extensibility and operating responsibility.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition is SAP’s standardized SaaS ERP offering. SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition provides a cloud operating model with a scope and flexibility closer to traditional SAP S/4HANA.
Common reasons organizations move to SAP S/4HANA include:
- Real-time insight for operational and financial decisions
- Modernized business processes
- SAP Fiori user experience
- A simplified data model and HANA-based analytics
- A longer innovation roadmap than classic SAP Business Suite landscapes
Official Website
For official SAP company information, use SAP About.
Important Links
Use official SAP sources for release- and product-specific facts:
- SAP Official Website
- SAP News
- SAP for Me
- SAP Help Portal
- SAP Community
- SAP Learning
- SAP Training and Certification Shop
- SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library
- SAP Business Suite 7 and SAP S/4HANA maintenance strategy
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