Frankenstein Architecture

However, a composite ERP architecture does not necessarily disadvantage SAP customers, since SAP itself offers a platform architecture that can be used to orchestrate cloud and on-prem applications. However, it seems as if SAP board member Thomas Saueressig has argued against his better judgment.

A culture war is brewing in the SAP community. In the interview, Saueressig unsurprisingly described a combination of AI agents, gateways, interfaces, on-prem computing, frameworks and platforms as an outdated “Frankenstein architecture.”

SAP seems to view the combination of on-prem and cloud computing as a horror scenario, but many SAP customers precisely orchestrate this combination with great success: the combination of an old SAP Business Suite or ERP/ECC 6.0 with a new cloud platform such as SAP BTP (Business Technology Platform) is successful. This composable ERP architecture allows ECC customers to use the BTP GenAI hub and benefit from AI agents.

SAP itself offers suitable tunnels, interfaces, and gateways for this ERP scenario. So why fear a 'Frankenstein architecture' that is ultimately 'only' a composable ERP? At an SAP event in Las Vegas, USA, Thomas Saueressig's colleague, SAP Executive Board member Muhammad Alam, warned of the patchwork that could result from using applications from different IT vendors. Unsurprisingly, Alam unequivocally warned against the unbridled use of Salesforce, Workday and ServiceNow.

New colloquialisms at SAP: “Frankenstein architecture” and “patchwork!” Or is it a deep-seated fear of a composable ERP that would thwart current plans for the new SAP Business Suite? SAP relies on end-to-end processes that run in the SAP ERP Cloud and require no external assistance. SAP also relies on a platform ecosystem comprising the Business Technology Platform and the Business Data Cloud (BDC), but ultimately wants to remain the sole controller of the ERP.

The cartoon by Robert Platzgummer (1975 to 2016) was first published in the November 2001 issue of E3. It has always been possible to combine different program modules in IT, and open source is a tried and tested means of doing so. SAP, however, always wants total control: Frankenstein and Composable ERP are therefore the enemy.