SAP Announces New Generation of In-Memory Applications

BOSTON, March 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced a new road map of in-memory applications that will help customers to become real-time businesses, transforming the way they think, plan and operate. Based on a foundation of SAP® In-Memory Computing technology, SAP will  deliver a new reality for enterprise software, which consists of three key dimensions:  the first represents breakthrough analytics that help SAP customers analyze massive amounts of data in real-time. Second, SAP will develop new applications and renew its existing solutions in ways that were not previously possible. And third, SAP will dramatically simplify customers' IT landscapes by reducing redundant layers and allowing customers to build applications that enable operations, planning and analytics at the same time. This announcement was made during the SAP Run Better Tour, being held today in Boston.

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Road Map for New Applications Powered by SAP In-Memory Computing

Today SAP introduces a new family of applications that will transform how people do business, enabling them to simulate outcomes, plan faster and view business problems more holistically than before. For example, planning previously required data aggregation from various transactional systems, or was done with spreadsheets containing static data. In the future, people will be able to develop and execute business plans in real time, based on dynamic transactional data being constantly updated by the business.

In the upcoming year, SAP plans to release the following applications that include completely new applications as well as existing SAP solutions revamped with the power of in-memory computing:

• Sales and Operations Planning: an application that will enable sales and marketing departments to collaborate with operations and finance to drive strategic decisions that improve the bottom line. Built on SAP In-Memory Computing technology, this application will allow these employees to collectively evaluate the financial impact of their strategy on demand and supply scenarios. Supply chain management will be able to create simulations and "what-if" scenarios based on detailed transactional data.
• Intelligent Payment Broker: a financial application that will use SAP In-Memory Computing to calculate and offer financing options on open invoices. By analyzing current and historical data, the application will be able to intelligently propose which discounting terms should be offered on which invoices. In-memory computing technology will help eliminate guesswork behind discounting and help professionals predict the impact of these finance terms on customers' liquidity.
• Smart Meter Analytics: an application that will allow utility companies to analyze smart meter readings to forecast demand, analyze profitability of customer segments and develop new products. SAP In-Memory Computing will make it possible to process the potentially massive amount of data coming from these devices in real time and react quickly to changes in energy production or consumption.
• SAP® Trade Promotion Management application: software that helps ensure that the trade promotion process and forecasts are based on solid historical facts. The application will use in-memory computing technology to improve the planning process. Promotional spending can equal 20 percent of the annual revenue for a consumer product goods company. This new solution will help more accurately develop strategies for particular customers, with numerous products within particular time intervals.
• SAP® Cash and Liquidity Management application: a core process within SAP® Business Suite software that allows an enterprise to predict inbound and outbound cash flows and drive key activities such as collections, risk management and short-term borrowing. SAP In-Memory Computing will allow people to explore that data at any level of granularity or hierarchy — for example, regional, country-wide or global — and act on that data.

Breakthrough Analytics and a Simplified IT Landscape

With SAP In-Memory Computing as the foundation of its enterprise software architecture moving forward, SAP customers will benefit from breakthrough analytics and a simplified IT landscape. For example, the latest releases of business intelligence and enterprise information management solutions from the SAP® BusinessObjects™ portfolio, announced last month, are built to work on top of SAP® In-Memory Appliance software (SAP HANA™), combining the user-friendly SAP BusinessObjects solutions with the speed and performance of SAP In-Memory Computing. The launch last year of SAP HANA gave SAP Business Suite customers instant visibility into huge volumes of transactional information, enabling them to make better decisions.

Third, SAP In-Memory Computing will help customers significantly simplify their existing IT systems. For example, this technology eliminates the need for data caches, aggregations or batch processing. Eventually, in-memory computing technology will help customers reduce their database usage and reliance on disks, leading to a fewer layers and a simpler architecture.

"With in-memory computing technology at the core, SAP is on its way to a new foundation for real-time business that brings together its innovations in virtualization and cloud management, open integration as well as on-demand and mobile platform technologies," said Dr. Vishal Sikka, executive board member, Technology and Innovation Platform, SAP AG. "We predict a future that will change the way people work and think by providing customers with amazing new applications that open new areas of business value without adding complexity to their existing landscapes."

Additional Resources

For additional information, including videos, blog posts and other coverage, visit the Technology and Platform Newsroom. Participate in the conversation on Twitter by using the #inmemory and #SAPRBT hashtags, and follow @SAPInMemory.

About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 109,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.  

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SOURCE SAP AG