AnyDB, AnyDB, AnyDB

Every contractor building a new house knows: The building site has to be remediated. Soil samples must be taken. The quality of the groundwater has to be ascertained. The bearing capacity and nature of the subsoil must be geologically investigated. The new can only be built on a consolidated and stable foundation. SAP CEO Christian Klein negates all of these vital rules with RISE.

SAP’s other transformation programs have also given little consideration to legacy issues: Run Simple and Conversion similarly sidestepped the AnyDB challenge.

So, what to do with the SAP legacy?

The matter is in no way trivial when DB2, SQL Server, and Oracle have been used in SAP and possibly non-SAP environments for over 20 years. There are probably many good solutions to this problem – SAP partners aren’t known for leaving SAP customers behind. What’s disturbing, however, is the fact that Christian Klein completely omits the topic AnyDB. It seems perfectly logical that for customers, not only the goal but also the start – i.e. their initial situation – is essential in digital transformation.

Where and how to start with the S/4 transformation? SAP must finally provide organizational and licensing answers to the R/3 legacy. By ignoring the initial conditions, even RISE will not be able to take off. Christian Klein and his Chief Technology Officer Juergen Mueller must provide an answer to AnyDB.