SAP Solution: SAP

The year 2026 marks a historic and critical turning point for the SAP community, where the glossy visions of the Walldorf-based software group SAP meet the pragmatic reality of existing customers with full force. The deadline for the end of maintenance of the old ERP system in 2027 is approaching, increasing the pressure on S/4 migrations and having a noticeable and lasting impact on the service provider market.

The podcast for the E3 cover story is a supplement and continuation of the online texts from the E3 print magazine. A dialog between two AI avatars with knowledge from the German-speaking E3 editorial team provides an insight into the processes surrounding SAP and the SAP community. Translations into English, Spanish and French are provided by DeepL and Google.

Electronic invoicing has gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have for companies. New laws around the world - including those aimed at combating tax fraud - are driving change and accelerating the transition from paper to digital invoices and archiving.

The S/4 countdown is running: Companies have less than two years left before mainstream maintenance ends. Service providers are upgrading massively, AI is gaining in importance - but choosing the right partner is becoming more complex than ever.

Clean Core and Agentic AI are interrelated: SAP Clean Core and clean data are the prerequisite for AI agents to work in a scalable manner, while AI agents are the tool to efficiently create the Clean Core.

Since 2025, companies in Germany have been obliged to receive and process B2B electronic invoices in a structured data format. Ulrich Winter from Nagarro explains how to implement this quickly and what add-ons should do.

In times of radical transformation, a narrative is essential for IT companies like SAP. Storytelling condenses the complex reality of cloud, AI and quantum computing, reduces the unmanageable technical complexity and creates the confidence to invest millions.

Data twilight in the ERP universe: The current geopolitical situation, the rocky road to S/4 transformation and the possible rescue through intelligent data management are making digital sovereignty increasingly explosive and relevant. Data sovereignty is key: only those who determine where data is stored and processed at all times can avoid vendor and legal lock-in.

Wholesalers face the challenge of seamlessly integrating their stores into SAP Cloud ERP. In the E3 interview, Christopher Warnow from FIS explains how processes can be automated and future-proofed.

Volatile markets, fragile supply chains, rising costs and growing sustainability pressure are challenging production companies. Sales volumes fluctuate, customer orders change at short notice, unplanned machine breakdowns and staff shortages create additional uncertainty.

Now the release change from ECC/ERP 6.0 to S/4 Hana may last until 2033. The repeated extension of the current ERP conversion process indicates a lack of planning. SAP no longer understands the ERP market, inventing new transformation scenarios every few years.

SAP license management, once already a domain of complex rules and opaque metrics, has developed into an even denser jungle over the past three years, with many existing customers finding it difficult to keep track of the pathways. SAP's cloud strategy and the implementation of Full Use Equivalent as a new license model are at the heart of this development.