The global and independent platform for the SAP community.

The SAP App Store: A self-experiment

The SAP App Center - SAP's digital B2B marketplace - has been around for just under two and a half years. Almost 1,000 different partners and developers now offer more than 1,800 apps, extensions, plug-ins, and microservices there. Time to take stock: What does the SAP App Store have to offer?
Christian Knell, Snap Consulting
April 30, 2020
The-current-keyword
avatar
This text has been automatically translated from German to English.

The idea of creating a marketplace for users and developers of SAP technologies is as obvious as it is compelling: The more than 400,000 customers of the Walldorf-based software giant need support - and often specific solutions - for the ongoing operation and expansion of their systems.

To this end, they are supported by around 21,000 partners worldwide who have developed products and extensions for the SAP Cloud Platform, S/4 Hana, the SAP Customer Experience portfolio, for SuccessFactors solutions or other SAP technologies.

Existing SAP customers can therefore find many best-practice solutions, connectors, and also very specialized solutions in the App Center and purchase them directly.

And the new, innovative sales opportunity also makes SAP partners like us rejoice! Our company's 25 best-practice tools - known as Snapware for short - have been enthusiastically accepted by existing SAP customers for many years, not least because they are simple and can be implemented by the customers themselves.

With the SAP App Center, the obvious question for me as a sales executive is: Why not "simplify" the sales process as well? The revenue split between SAP and Snap is a fair deal, and in contemplative moments of anticipation that are already setting in, I already seem to hear a never-ending "pling pling" of automatic order entries from the worldwide pool of potential customers.

So let's get to work! What needs to be clarified is which best-practice software is most suitable and what it takes to get into the SAP App Center. In any case, a basic prerequisite is the acquisition of an SAP Build Partnership, which secures my IP.

Then there's the test balloon question: with UID Check, Cash Register, X Invoice, Fiori Issue Reporter, Payment Terminal Connection, Maintenance and 19 other apps, I have a lot to choose from.

My decision falls on the Abap-based UID check. SAP offers the Application Readiness Check (ARC) to help. After the 60 required answers, I realize that certification is necessary (because of the Abap portion) for the highly coveted spot in the SAP App Center.

With the help of our dedicated SAP partner advisor, the following decision parameters can be determined: SAP namespace reservation (free of charge), certification and packaging with the SAP AAK, a kind of test kit (10,000 euros).

The packaging results in a redesign of the current Snapware version of the UID check - and thus we are 100 percent SAP-compatible. Extrapolation: With a Snapware product price of around 6000 euros, I have to sell this quite often to become positive here - a bit expensive for a "first attempt".

In terms of cost, the inclusion of a pure Fiori app is much more attractive - it is almost free of charge. But unfortunately, we - and our products - still live in an Abap on-premises-dominated SAP world.

We are entering a new round with Snapware Issue Reporter, a Fiori solution integrated with SAP Fiori Launchpad for simple message submission (e.g. Atlassian Jira).

The readiness check is completed much faster this time, and after just a few days SAP gives the okay - our application is worthy of inclusion. Next step: the "praise" of the app in the store.

The English-language necessities (texts, pricing models, videos, hardcopies) are quickly submitted to SAP for review. The pulse quickens once again when the release from SAP arrives.

The bets in the house are placed. Who guessed the sales correctly? Am I already hearing a swelling "pling pling" or is my hearing fooling me? Is the SAP App Center the innovative sales opportunity I was hoping for? We will see - we will inform you about the results of our experiment shortly!

https://e3mag.com/partners/snap_consulting/
avatar
Christian Knell, Snap Consulting

Ing. Christian Knell is managing partner of Snap


Write a comment

Working on the SAP basis is crucial for successful S/4 conversion. 

This gives the Competence Center strategic importance for existing SAP customers. Regardless of the S/4 Hana operating model, topics such as Automation, Monitoring, Security, Application Lifecycle Management and Data Management the basis for S/4 operations.

For the second time, E3 magazine is organizing a summit for the SAP community in Salzburg to provide comprehensive information on all aspects of S/4 Hana groundwork.

Venue

More information will follow shortly.

Event date

Wednesday, May 21, and
Thursday, May 22, 2025

Early Bird Ticket

Available until Friday, January 24, 2025
EUR 390 excl. VAT

Regular ticket

EUR 590 excl. VAT

Venue

Hotel Hilton Heidelberg
Kurfürstenanlage 1
D-69115 Heidelberg

Event date

Wednesday, March 5, and
Thursday, March 6, 2025

Tickets

Regular ticket
EUR 590 excl. VAT
Early Bird Ticket

Available until December 20, 2024

EUR 390 excl. VAT
The event is organized by the E3 magazine of the publishing house B4Bmedia.net AG. The presentations will be accompanied by an exhibition of selected SAP partners. The ticket price includes attendance at all presentations of the Steampunk and BTP Summit 2025, a visit to the exhibition area, participation in the evening event and catering during the official program. The lecture program and the list of exhibitors and sponsors (SAP partners) will be published on this website in due course.