Five tips for SAP license measurement

When SAP asks companies to perform the annual SAP license measurement or submit the LAW report, it usually makes license managers break out in a sweat. We have the following tips for them:

1. start on time:

If companies take SAP license measurement lightly, it can end up being expensive. Above all, don't start work until you're asked to do the measurement.

Often the scarce commodity "time" is then lacking to set up a serious project, but that is exactly the point. With a concrete project, individually assigned task areas and meticulous surveying, you end up with the data you need to meet all requirements.

If software license managers view SAP license measurement not just as a tiresome evil that cannot be dismissed, but as an annual SAP health check, there is a real opportunity to discover opportunities for saving SAP license costs here as well.

2. contract and cost analysis:

In order to get through the SAP license measurement in one piece, two detailed questions are quickly asked but difficult to answer. The first is the question: "What are we actually allowed to do?", i.e., specifically an intensive SAP contract analysis and the corresponding user configuration.

But just as important is the second question: "What are we actually paying for?", i.e. a detailed analysis of SAP maintenance costs. It is important to precisely separate productive and test systems, as you only need to focus on the productive systems when measuring SAP licenses.

If there is clarity here, i.e., only development work takes place on the test systems as well, you reduce your surveying effort. Equally important is a precise analysis of the SAP contracts, which differ in the underlying conditions depending on the year in which the contract was concluded.

3. SAP Usage Analysis:

As the project progresses, software license managers quickly arrive at the question: "What are we actually using?" Once SAP customers have analyzed the contractual situation and know exactly what they are allowed to do, data must now be collected on the actual use of SAP systems.

As a rule, this is only possible with the help of a suitable SAM tool. Which tool is best suited for this? Does the tool I use provide the right data? Is this data correct? These questions also need to be answered in order to compare the actual usage with the contractual situation.

4. indirect use:

This challenge is particularly scrutinized by the manufacturer during SAP license measurement or in real SAP audits. If the usage between the customer's SAP system and third-party solutions is not recognized or not recognized correctly, it can become expensive.

It is important to analyze the actual usage and user configuration in combination with the contract history regarding indirect usage. SAP audit security is best achieved by customers through an individual contractual solution with SAP.

5. make use of external know-how:

The complexity of SAP licensing is increasing from year to year and is not getting any easier in view of current trends such as indirect usage or the switch to S/4 that is planned in many companies.

In addition, license managers are increasingly reporting that the manufacturer SAP is taking a much tougher stance on SAP compliance and that real SAP audits are becoming more frequent alongside SAP license measurements. It may be that this is due to the ever-increasing competitive pressure.

However, it is also a fact that support from an independent SAP expert right from the start is many times cheaper than writing checks later for license violations, which are usually billed at list prices. It is often possible to use independent SAP license specialists on a success basis, which means that you only pay if a defined success occurs.