SAP “Best Practices” Frequently Asked Questions
01. What are SAP Best Practices?SAP Best Practices offerings provide detailed implementation documentation and a preconfigured system specifically tailored to support end-to-end business processes for specific industry and market needs. They are based on a building block methodology, providing enhanced flexibility for unique business needs, while simultaneously addressing key business operations and specific industry functionality.
02. How do SAP business partners and solution providers utilize SAP Best Practices?SAP Partners can use SAP Best Practices as a standardized, industry-compliant solution development platform that allows additional verticalization (industry-specific and country-specific adaptation in configuration). SAP Best Practices can also serve as a basis for an SAP Partners' own SAP All-in-One offering. Partners can select what they need out of the SAP Best Practices package and add supplemental deliverables, such as consulting services, additional configuration or SAP application scope, training, or outsourcing, to create their unique SAP All-in-One solution.
03. How much do SAP Best Practices cost?
Customers and SAP partners can utilize SAP Best Practices at no additional charge. The underlying SAP software must be licensed and installed prior to utilization.
04. What are the main benefits of SAP Best Practices over a traditional implementation project?SAP Best Practices incorporate vast expertise from over 36 SAP partners, and over 30 years of experience helping many thousands of customers implement SAP applications in their business. Recent studies have shown significant benefits in time and cost savings. Customers surveyed reported reduction of as much as 32% in implementation time, and a reduction in consulting and in-house resources of up to 50%. Other benefits are lower Total Cost of Ownership (11% decrease on average over a 3-year period) through use SAP Best Practices. This also results in lower maintenance costs (up to 22%) and reduced project risks (average of 71%) by using SAP’s Best Practices methodology. (See footnote for study details)
05. Is SAP Best Practices a software solution?
SAP Best Practices offerings are preconfigured templates with documentation guides that are designed to be used with SAP applications. The preconfigured settings and guides are used in an existing system landscape and a specific SAP application release (SAP ERP, SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence, SAP CRM, etc.). It pre-configures numerous industry-specific business scenarios, baseline scenarios and cross-industry scenarios.
06. Who can benefit from SAP Best Practices?
SAP Best Practices have been designed to support SAP customer implementations and to enable SAP Partners to create high quality SAP All-in-One solutions. Also, large enterprises can use SAP Best Practices as a basis for their SAP implementation or prototyping projects and for creating global templates for a worldwide roll out of an SAP Business Suite solution.
07. What is the ideal customer size for the SAP Best Practices to make a difference?
The SAP Best Practices offerings can be beneficial to companies of all sizes who want to ease implementations issues and take advantage of SAP's experience and over 36 partners' expertise in key industry and cross-industry topics that is delivered in pre-configuration and documentation that comes with the offerings. However, midmarket companies who have limited resources and IT expertise, and who share the challenge of managing their business in the dynamic new global economy, find it especially attractive. In any case, SAP Best Practices provides an excellent starting point for projects of any size.
08. How do SAP Best Practices support SAP products and solutions?
The SAP Best Practices offerings support SAP products and solutions at multiple levels and across the product line. It provides indispensable preconfiguration and documentation to streamline implementations of all sizes and in all industries. The offerings enable a customer to implement modules in application areas like ERP, SCM and CRM, incorporating specific industries and micro-verticals requirements where applicable.
09. Which areas do SAP Best Practices cover?
SAP Best Practices cover industry-specific business processes for SAP ERP and SAP CRM, SAP SCM, SAP NetWeaver BI, and SAP SRM. SAP Best Practices also support SAP Industry Solutions, which provides specific modules for unique business processes and functionality. Consequently, customers who utilize SAP Best Practices will fast track their project and get up and running more quickly. Because the offerings utilize a building block philosophy, the final solution can be fine-tuned to meet a company's specific needs.
10. What is the difference between an SAP Industry Solution and SAP Best Practices for industries?
SAP Industry Solutions are add-ons to SAP standard products, which provide additional software coding for industry-specific functions and needs.
SAP Best Practices solutions for industries incorporate preconfigured settings which reflect commonly industry practices in the SAP software. The SAP Best Practices preconfiguration reduces the amount of time required to implement the software onsite by delivering the preconfigured common industry settings, thereby cutting costs and streamlining deployments.
With SAP Best Practices, SAP has already incorporated the optimal implementation in the configuration, based on over 30 years experience in the industry and the knowledge gained from many thousands of implementations.
11. What is an SAP Best Practices scenario?
An SAP Best Practices scenario is a defined process flow for a business situation such as 'order to cash' or, 'period-end close'. An SAP Best Practices scenario includes a description of the processes and all the necessary configuration and content to activate the scenario in your system.
12. What is the building block approach to SAP Best Practices offerings?
SAP Best Practices offerings make use of a building block methodology to smooth integration across the SAP product and solutions offerings. These building blocks contain the preconfiguration, the tools and the documentation needed to install the module into the system. They provide the structure for a fast, flexible and smooth implementation of SAP Industry and All-in-One solutions, as well as the Baseline and Cross-Industry packages. The size and content of the building blocks can vary from simple technical building blocks to complex building blocks that can be used as stand-alone solution elements. Several basic building blocks can be assembled to form a more comprehensive building block. The individual building blocks can also be used to modify an existing scenario or solution to address a specific business need or process.
13. Can SAP Best Practices be used to enhance my existing solution?
Existing solutions can be extended using SAP Best Practices. SAP Best Practices packages help integrate new functionality into existing SAP products and solutions. For example, an SAP ERP system can be extended to incorporate SAP SCM because SAP Best Practices include all the necessary elements to implement and run the new business scenario.
14. Can SAP Best Practices help implement several industry scenarios?Can it implement a single business scenario from a SAP Best Practices offering? SAP Best Practices provides the framework and the content to implement selected pieces of an SAP application or industry solution, or some combinations of applications and solutions. Because of the SAP Best Practices building block methodology, the user can simply identify the processes to implement, choose the corresponding configuration settings and then implement those modules. In some situations, additional development on the part of the customer implementation team may be needed.
15. How many versions of SAP Best Practices are available?
SAP Best Practices support the entire SAP product line, including Industry Solution packages, Baseline Packages (organizational structure, basic financials, basic controlling, basic materials management, production, basic sales and distribution, etc), and Cross-Industry scenarios (CRM, SAP SCM, SAP BW, and SAP SRM). Various SAP Best Practices versions are available as localized versions adapted to meet country-specific needs.
16. How can SAP Best Practices be utilized if they're not localized for my country?
Many SAP Best Practices offerings can be utilized in different countries, depending on the module (currency-based modules, for instance, in Europe's Eurozone). Often times a local SAP consultant can provide localization assistance (to address specific government regulations, for instance), or they may already offer these modules that integrate with the standard SAP Best Practices offerings.
17. What is the difference between SAP Best Practices and IDES?
IDES is SAP's Internet Demo and Evaluation System. IDES is used to prepare project team members and end users to use the SAP Business Suite. The content of this online version is a subset of all the content defined in SAP Best Practices. In addition, SAP has started to include SAP Best Practices in the demonstration and evaluation offerings. Some processes in IDESmay be identical to those preconfigured in SAP Best Practices.
For customers and prospects, the online version of IDES and the in-practice form of IDES allow the project team members and end users to use the same examples and processes.
When evaluating IDES based on SAP Best Practices, some decisions about project scope are made. These decisions can be carried forward to the implementation phase. SAP Best Practices customers get the same systems they have seen and used during evaluation of SAP software. Evaluation and implementation are seamlessly integrated.
18. Can I use SAP Best Practices with the SAP Solution Manager?
Yes. In addition to providing you valuable connections to implementation services such as go-live checks, customer support connections, and management of your SAP Solution Landscape, the SAP Solution Manager also provides implementation project tools.
For select SAP Best Practices, a SAP Solution Manager Package can be uploaded to organize the SAP Best Practices documentation, configuration guides, and links to configuration so that you can have one central repository of project data - from configuration to end-user training. You can also use SAP Solution Manager with SAP Best Practices even if there is no Solution Manager package for an SAP Best Practices offering; you can simply upload the SAP Best Practices documentation and scenario content into the SAP Solution Manager manually.
02. How do SAP business partners and solution providers utilize SAP Best Practices?SAP Partners can use SAP Best Practices as a standardized, industry-compliant solution development platform that allows additional verticalization (industry-specific and country-specific adaptation in configuration). SAP Best Practices can also serve as a basis for an SAP Partners' own SAP All-in-One offering. Partners can select what they need out of the SAP Best Practices package and add supplemental deliverables, such as consulting services, additional configuration or SAP application scope, training, or outsourcing, to create their unique SAP All-in-One solution.
03. How much do SAP Best Practices cost?
Customers and SAP partners can utilize SAP Best Practices at no additional charge. The underlying SAP software must be licensed and installed prior to utilization.
04. What are the main benefits of SAP Best Practices over a traditional implementation project?SAP Best Practices incorporate vast expertise from over 36 SAP partners, and over 30 years of experience helping many thousands of customers implement SAP applications in their business. Recent studies have shown significant benefits in time and cost savings. Customers surveyed reported reduction of as much as 32% in implementation time, and a reduction in consulting and in-house resources of up to 50%. Other benefits are lower Total Cost of Ownership (11% decrease on average over a 3-year period) through use SAP Best Practices. This also results in lower maintenance costs (up to 22%) and reduced project risks (average of 71%) by using SAP’s Best Practices methodology. (See footnote for study details)
05. Is SAP Best Practices a software solution?
SAP Best Practices offerings are preconfigured templates with documentation guides that are designed to be used with SAP applications. The preconfigured settings and guides are used in an existing system landscape and a specific SAP application release (SAP ERP, SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence, SAP CRM, etc.). It pre-configures numerous industry-specific business scenarios, baseline scenarios and cross-industry scenarios.
06. Who can benefit from SAP Best Practices?
SAP Best Practices have been designed to support SAP customer implementations and to enable SAP Partners to create high quality SAP All-in-One solutions. Also, large enterprises can use SAP Best Practices as a basis for their SAP implementation or prototyping projects and for creating global templates for a worldwide roll out of an SAP Business Suite solution.
07. What is the ideal customer size for the SAP Best Practices to make a difference?
The SAP Best Practices offerings can be beneficial to companies of all sizes who want to ease implementations issues and take advantage of SAP's experience and over 36 partners' expertise in key industry and cross-industry topics that is delivered in pre-configuration and documentation that comes with the offerings. However, midmarket companies who have limited resources and IT expertise, and who share the challenge of managing their business in the dynamic new global economy, find it especially attractive. In any case, SAP Best Practices provides an excellent starting point for projects of any size.
08. How do SAP Best Practices support SAP products and solutions?
The SAP Best Practices offerings support SAP products and solutions at multiple levels and across the product line. It provides indispensable preconfiguration and documentation to streamline implementations of all sizes and in all industries. The offerings enable a customer to implement modules in application areas like ERP, SCM and CRM, incorporating specific industries and micro-verticals requirements where applicable.
09. Which areas do SAP Best Practices cover?
SAP Best Practices cover industry-specific business processes for SAP ERP and SAP CRM, SAP SCM, SAP NetWeaver BI, and SAP SRM. SAP Best Practices also support SAP Industry Solutions, which provides specific modules for unique business processes and functionality. Consequently, customers who utilize SAP Best Practices will fast track their project and get up and running more quickly. Because the offerings utilize a building block philosophy, the final solution can be fine-tuned to meet a company's specific needs.
10. What is the difference between an SAP Industry Solution and SAP Best Practices for industries?
SAP Industry Solutions are add-ons to SAP standard products, which provide additional software coding for industry-specific functions and needs.
SAP Best Practices solutions for industries incorporate preconfigured settings which reflect commonly industry practices in the SAP software. The SAP Best Practices preconfiguration reduces the amount of time required to implement the software onsite by delivering the preconfigured common industry settings, thereby cutting costs and streamlining deployments.
With SAP Best Practices, SAP has already incorporated the optimal implementation in the configuration, based on over 30 years experience in the industry and the knowledge gained from many thousands of implementations.
11. What is an SAP Best Practices scenario?
An SAP Best Practices scenario is a defined process flow for a business situation such as 'order to cash' or, 'period-end close'. An SAP Best Practices scenario includes a description of the processes and all the necessary configuration and content to activate the scenario in your system.
12. What is the building block approach to SAP Best Practices offerings?
SAP Best Practices offerings make use of a building block methodology to smooth integration across the SAP product and solutions offerings. These building blocks contain the preconfiguration, the tools and the documentation needed to install the module into the system. They provide the structure for a fast, flexible and smooth implementation of SAP Industry and All-in-One solutions, as well as the Baseline and Cross-Industry packages. The size and content of the building blocks can vary from simple technical building blocks to complex building blocks that can be used as stand-alone solution elements. Several basic building blocks can be assembled to form a more comprehensive building block. The individual building blocks can also be used to modify an existing scenario or solution to address a specific business need or process.
13. Can SAP Best Practices be used to enhance my existing solution?
Existing solutions can be extended using SAP Best Practices. SAP Best Practices packages help integrate new functionality into existing SAP products and solutions. For example, an SAP ERP system can be extended to incorporate SAP SCM because SAP Best Practices include all the necessary elements to implement and run the new business scenario.
14. Can SAP Best Practices help implement several industry scenarios?Can it implement a single business scenario from a SAP Best Practices offering? SAP Best Practices provides the framework and the content to implement selected pieces of an SAP application or industry solution, or some combinations of applications and solutions. Because of the SAP Best Practices building block methodology, the user can simply identify the processes to implement, choose the corresponding configuration settings and then implement those modules. In some situations, additional development on the part of the customer implementation team may be needed.
15. How many versions of SAP Best Practices are available?
SAP Best Practices support the entire SAP product line, including Industry Solution packages, Baseline Packages (organizational structure, basic financials, basic controlling, basic materials management, production, basic sales and distribution, etc), and Cross-Industry scenarios (CRM, SAP SCM, SAP BW, and SAP SRM). Various SAP Best Practices versions are available as localized versions adapted to meet country-specific needs.
16. How can SAP Best Practices be utilized if they're not localized for my country?
Many SAP Best Practices offerings can be utilized in different countries, depending on the module (currency-based modules, for instance, in Europe's Eurozone). Often times a local SAP consultant can provide localization assistance (to address specific government regulations, for instance), or they may already offer these modules that integrate with the standard SAP Best Practices offerings.
17. What is the difference between SAP Best Practices and IDES?
IDES is SAP's Internet Demo and Evaluation System. IDES is used to prepare project team members and end users to use the SAP Business Suite. The content of this online version is a subset of all the content defined in SAP Best Practices. In addition, SAP has started to include SAP Best Practices in the demonstration and evaluation offerings. Some processes in IDESmay be identical to those preconfigured in SAP Best Practices.
For customers and prospects, the online version of IDES and the in-practice form of IDES allow the project team members and end users to use the same examples and processes.
When evaluating IDES based on SAP Best Practices, some decisions about project scope are made. These decisions can be carried forward to the implementation phase. SAP Best Practices customers get the same systems they have seen and used during evaluation of SAP software. Evaluation and implementation are seamlessly integrated.
18. Can I use SAP Best Practices with the SAP Solution Manager?
Yes. In addition to providing you valuable connections to implementation services such as go-live checks, customer support connections, and management of your SAP Solution Landscape, the SAP Solution Manager also provides implementation project tools.
For select SAP Best Practices, a SAP Solution Manager Package can be uploaded to organize the SAP Best Practices documentation, configuration guides, and links to configuration so that you can have one central repository of project data - from configuration to end-user training. You can also use SAP Solution Manager with SAP Best Practices even if there is no Solution Manager package for an SAP Best Practices offering; you can simply upload the SAP Best Practices documentation and scenario content into the SAP Solution Manager manually.
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