The global and independent platform for the SAP community.
Cover story April 2024

SAP Basis with Cloud ALM, on-prem
and licenses.

Salzburg 2024: Hana and S/4 also need a robust SAP basis. The Customer Competence Center of SAP R/3 and Business Suite 7 is transforming itself with ALM, process mining and enterprise architects. The SAP Competence Center Summit in Salzburg is dedicated to this transformation process.

TO THE COVER STORY
Cover story April 2026

Trends and investment 2026

The year 2026 is a critical turning point for the SAP community: SAP's visions meet the reality of existing customers. As the end of maintenance for the old ERP system approaches in 2027, the pressure for S/4 migrations will increase massively and shape the market for service providers.

TO THE COVER STORY

Room for Improvement With AI Expertise

April 11, 2025
E3 Magazine
A recent study by the Stifterverband (a German non-profit organization with a focus on science) and McKinsey shows that many companies recognize the potential of artificial intelligence, but are not yet exploiting it.

SAP-integrated tolerance line check

April 11, 2025
Andreas Schaffry, freelance IT journalist
In order to remain competitive, automotive supplier Harman relies on digital solutions and efficient processes. An SAP-based tolerance line check enables precise demand planning, automated checks of delivery call-offs and fast reactions to tolerance violations.
No-name column

SAP for Me

April 10, 2025
no-name
There is an SAP portal for us existing customers where our own infrastructure is managed, right down to the licenses. According to my regulars, this is the best-kept SAP secret.
The rapid growth of AI is overwhelming governance. Leaders are seeking a balance between innovation and ethics. This is creating red lines for the future use of AI.

Science: SAP licenses

April 9, 2025
Peter M. Färbinger, E3 Magazine
Software licenses are the bread and butter of IT providers. In any case, licenses and maintenance fees are justified. But do the regulations have to be so complicated?
This new AI class is becoming a game changer: role-based AI agents. They raise the cooperation between humans and AI to a rapidly productive level. Workday predicts thousands of these agents. How do you orchestrate AI and humans? What should CHROs, CEOs and CIOs bear in mind?

CRM algorithms

November 24, 2022
Cloud computing is a megatrend, but with each new quarterly report SAP shows its own difficulty in using and understanding this trend in a positive way - even if the figures look quite pretty for the financial analysts. However, CRM is a real SAP unique selling proposition.

More hosting than cloud

November 17, 2022
In many areas, however, SAP is currently not convincing when it comes to operating a cloud. The ERP group lacks the know-how and experience here. Cloud computing has its own laws that SAP still has to learn.

Fiori disaster

November 10, 2022
SAP means well, but doesn't do it well! With consistent design guidelines and adequate development tools, SAP envisions suitable Fiori apps as the new user interface.

E3 Roundtable on ERP Platforms, Data Streams, and E2E Workflows

Successful ERP, supply chain management, and CRM architectures are built on IT platforms. Data streaming and collaboration are essential to the orchestration of ERP systems. IT platforms are the new operating system for cloud computing. The E3 Roundtable will highlight the importance and strategy of platforms for a holistic IT infrastructure and ERP architecture. SAP customers will implement platform technologies for digital transformation. The E3 Roundtable will discuss the ERP architecture principle of platforms using Boomi's offering as an example.

Comments

The transformation to a business partner has been a goal of CFOs for years, but it is only the effects of the multi-crisis and the topics of digitalization and sustainability that are putting CFOs more at the center of corporate management.
I read more and more often - even from former companions - that cloud computing makes a software asset management (SAM) tool unnecessary. But how can a cloud function without management?
Oona Horx Strathern's new book was published in September. It has the cheerful title “Kindness Economy” and is a counter-project to egoism and capitalism. Rather than criticize, it presents humanistic options.
In October, with an outlook to 2024, the question is: can SAP still be trusted? What was once an innovator for standard business software has now become hesitant, lagging behind.

SAP News

This year's conference for the SAP community of energy and utility companies took place in Seville from April 23 to 25 under the motto "Energy for a Better Future". Representatives from 275 companies from 54 countries were present.
xSuite expands SAP service portfolio through acquisition of Tangro.
July 29, 2024

SD-Worx executives

SD Worx, a European provider of HR solutions, has made two new appointments to further strengthen the company's growth and market presence in the DACH region.
E3 Magazine spoke to Gerhard Kuppler, Vice President SAP Alliances at cloud provider Oracle, about topics such as collaboration with SAP, the Oracle database, and much more.

Business Management

Dear Mr. Färbinger, with the beauty prize for the best modeling and visualization of business processes, you are putting your author under quite a bit of pressure. What should a little candle from the southwestern fringe of the zone do against the bright lights of the big city?
[shutterstock: 1364149862, ADragan]
May 12, 2021

Purchase-to-Pay

Atlas Copco IAS has fully automated document processing in purchase-to-pay - from order confirmation to delivery bill to invoice. The optimization efforts originally started from the accounting department.
[shutterstock: 587205803, Jenson]
Global supplier Kirchhoff Automotive uses xSuite's invoice processing solution as a tool to standardize accounts payable processes.
Interview: Inconsistent data simply costs money
With inherently complex structures, logistics is predestined for the use of artificial intelligence. Which tasks are ideally suited? E3 Magazine spoke to Bjoern Dunkel, Managing Director at GIB, a company combining software for intralogistics with expert know-how and consulting.

IT Management

The continuing boom in data centers and their now high relevance for the global economy are making the search for locations more difficult. Lünendonk has compiled the contribution of facility service companies to efficient data center management.
SAP customers have to tackle migration and modernization of their infrastructure: the switch to S/4 and Hana poses a challenge for many companies, especially considering Abap custom code.
Data and documents are often located in different systems, whether SAP or non-SAP. This makes information access and intelligent, networked processes and solutions difficult. ECM builds the bridge here.
[shutterstock: 1880560861, JLStock]
A more cost-effective business model with improved access, security and the ability to respond flexibly to growing or fluctuating business needs has never been more important. Cloud computing is the most obvious answer to these requirements.

Economy

Comparex and Snow Software become global partners
Snow Software, a global provider of software asset management (SAM) and cloud spend management solutions, is partnering with global SAM specialist Comparex.
Business Process Automation and UI know-how
BTC Business Technology Consulting has taken over Best-Blu Consulting and the SAP service provider SEC Selecta Energy.
SCM and Consulting - Digitization Site Logistics
Global SAP logistics partner Leogistics and logistics consultancy TransCare are launching a strategic collaboration.
BNC and Nutanix - Strategic Partnership
Swiss IT infrastructure service provider BNC Business Network Communications has partnered with Nutanix to offer customers new options for running their IT.

People Management

E3 book tip

Getting started with SAP S/4HANA

Get to know SAP S/4HANA using practical examples! In this book, Christian Drumm, Bernd Scheuermann and Stefan Weidner introduce you to the most important modules and business processes of SAP S/4HANA. You will get an overview of the applications for sales, purchasing, production, warehouse management, accounting and controlling. Many exercises, case studies and practical cases enable you to implement what you have learned directly in the system. Currently for the example company Global Bike 4.3.
The prerequisite for using the exercises, case studies and practical cases is access to an SAP system with Global Bike Client version 4.3. SAP UCC Magdeburg.

Order here

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 fourth 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

FourSide Hotel Salzburg,
Trademark Collection by Wyndham
Am Messezentrum 2, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
+43-662-4355460

Event date

Wednesday, June 10, and
Thursday, June 11, 2026

AI experience workshop only on June 11, 2026 (limited places)
Bonus: Access to all lectures on June 11, 2026

Regular ticket

Lectures, evening event and, depending on availability, the AI workshop on June 11, 2026
Places at the AI experience workshop are limited and registration is required.

Subscribers to the E3 Magazine Ticket

reduced with promocode CCAbo26

Students*

reduced with promocode CCStud26.
Please send proof of studies by e-mail to office@b4bmedia.net.
*The first 10 tickets are free of charge for students. Try your luck! 🍀
EUR 305 excl. VAT.
EUR 590 excl. VAT
EUR 390 excl. VAT
EUR 290 excl. VAT

Venue

Hotel Hilton Heidelberg
Kurfürstenanlage 1
D-69115 Heidelberg

Event date

Wednesday, April 22 and
Thursday, April 23, 2026

Tickets

AI onlyExperience workshop on April 23, 2026 
Bonus: Access to all lectures on April 23, 2026
Regular ticket
April 22, 2026: Lectures and evening event
April 23, 2026: Lectures and AI workshop
EUR 305 excl. VAT
EUR 590 excl. VAT
Subscribers to the E3 magazine
reduced with promocode STAbo26
EUR 390 excl. VAT
Students*
reduced with promocode STStud26.
Please send proof of studies by e-mail to office@b4bmedia.net.
EUR 290 excl. VAT
*The first 10 tickets are free of charge for students. Try your luck! 🍀
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 2026, 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.