End-of-Life for AnyDB and Java

SAP AnyDB with Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft

The official history of SAP explains that the five founders concentrated on solving business and organizational problems and left IT issues such as operating systems, middleware, databases, and clients to other IT providers. This resulted in R/3, which was available on various operating systems and databases, including Oracle, IBM DB2, and Microsoft SQL. It later included a Java and Abap stack.

For those with expertise in database management, the collaboration between R/3 and Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft has always been a point of interest because, rom SAP's perspective, the primary use of database machines was for data management and file systems. SAP refrained from using many advanced optimization methods for databases. SAP has established partnerships with Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft, but has yet to fully leverage these relationships, akin to owning a Porsche but driving it only in first gear. This is also one of the reasons why R/3 and ECC 6.0 exhibit only moderate performance, whereas S/4 and Hana are significantly more performant in comparison.

SAP Hana Metamorphosis

An S/4 system from SAP with Hana can be highly efficient in certain scenarios. This is not to suggest that SAP Hana is inherently superior to other database management systems, such as Oracle, IBM DB2 BLU, or Microsoft SQL Server. Rather, the enhanced performance observed in S/4 is attributed to the utilization of the Hana engine. While R/3 and ECC rely on the underlying database as a mere management program for data—wasting a good deal of potential—S/4 outsources numerous tasks to Hana as a whole, thereby relieving the ERP and optimizing the use of Hana's full functionality. This further development was deliberately planned by SAP and was denied to other database providers.

This renders the statement delivered by SAP Executive Board Member Thomas Saueressig at the DSAG Annual Congress 2024 in Leipzig inaccurate. Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft would have liked to further develop their products for R/3, ECC, and S/4, with the goal of enhancing usability. SAP has elected to pursue a standalone strategy with Hana. It is inaccurate to attribute the end-of-life of ERP/ECC 6.0 to these database providers.

SAP NetWeaver with Abap and Java

The SAP NetWeaver middleware and platform saw a significant uptake with the release of R/3 Enterprise and later ERP/ECC 6.0. It serves as the foundation for the SAP Business Suite and initially comprised a dual stack of Abap and Java. However, following significant technical development, this junction was then broken down into two independent stacks. This was a prudent decision, as Oracle significantly increased the license fees for Java during that time. An ERP/ECC 6.0 can now be operated entirely on a NetWeaver Abap stack. On occasion, SAP customers require Java for specific forms; however, there are now workarounds available for this as well. It would be inaccurate to attribute the end-of-life of ECC 6.0 to Java, as SAP board member Thomas Saueressig would have the DSAG delegates in Leipzig believe!

SAP Hana versus IBM DB2 Blu

Former SAP Chief Technology Officer Bernd Leukert previously disclosed that SAP was engaged in discussions with IBM to adapt the DB2 Blu database for compatibility with S/4. It would be feasible to transfer the function calls from S/4 to Hana to DB2 Blu as well. This would be a significant benefit to the SAP community, as it would eliminate the risk of vendor lock-in with Hana. Bernd Leukert's departure from SAP for Deutsche Bank resulted in the "S/4 and DB2 Blu" project being abandoned and forgotten.

SAP's claim to omnipotence and vendor lock-in

In essence, the development is in line with SAP's assertion of comprehensive capabilities and is not attributable to the technical constraints of Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft. The S/4 universe allows SAP to control the entire ERP stack, including open-source Linux, middleware with the Hana database platform and BTP, as well as clients with Fiori.

If you opt for the SAP Public Cloud, you will receive a satisfactory ERP system, but you will also be subject to complete vendor lock-in. This development is a political one and has been strategically planned by SAP. It is not technical circumstances that have forced SAP to set an end-of-life date for ECC 6.0 of 2027 or 2030. Abap, a Java derivative, and AnyDB have the potential to remain in use within the SAP community for many years to come.