Join SAP for a Day of Innovation around a Population of 7 Billion

 Corporate Topics, Sustainability  Comments Off
Oct 132011
 

On October 31 the global population will have reached 7 billion!!!

SAP is partnering with the United Nations Population Fund and The Churchill Club in an event to discuss the IT implications of the increased population.

Read more from a blog post from Natascha Thomson

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Join us October 24, International UN Day, and the official kick-off of the 7-Day Countdown to 7 Billion, for a day of conversations and innovation at SAP.

 HOUSEKEEPING

To participate in this event on Twitter, please use the following hashtags:  #7billion #SAP (always in combination)

To participate on the virtual platform (live streaming), please register here.

  OVERVIEW

The world’s population is slated to top seven billion people on October 31, 2011. This humanitarian milestone represents both an achievement and a challenge, and impacts everyone on the planet. A world of seven billion and beyond has implications for sustainability, urbanization, access to health services and youth empowerment. Companies, governments and non-profits of every size have a role to play to create a healthy and sustainable world for all.

As the United Nations agency responsible for marking this milestone, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is leading a global initiative—7 Billion Actions—to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of a world of seven billion people and beyond.

HOW DOES SAP FIT IN?

SAP is partnering with the UNFPA on the 7 billion actions campaign and hosting an executive roundtable and Innovation Day on October 24th , 2011. This is a unique day bringing together technology experts, designers, business experts, and non-profits at the SAP Palo Alto Labs to co-innovate and design solutions for the next billion.

SAP CSR and SAP Marketing will drive a two part event which is comprised of:

  • Executive Level Roundtable “Innovating for a World of 7 Billion” , co-hosted by UNFPA, Churchill Club and SAP
  • SAP Innovation Jam: Innovating for a World of 7 Billion, sponsored and hosted by SAP in collaboration with UNFPA. (Challenge to participants: how can we leverage technology to provide better youth access to health and education using sustainable business models)

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 SAP Would Like To Help the World Run Better (we hope we are already making a contribution).

Unfortunately the live event is sold out but there might be tickets available at the door on the day.  But to participate from the comfort of your office or home, simply register here:

To participate in this event on Twitter, please use the following hashtags:  #7billion #SAP (always in combination)

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PS:  SAP joined the 7 Billion Actions taskforce of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in February 2011. SAP is not a paying sponsor. We are providing in-kind software as well as project expertise, including contributing to the social media campaign.

Natascha Thomson  Active Contributor Gold: 1,500-2,499 points SAP Mentor Part of the Social Media Audience Marketing team at SAP.

SAP BusinessObjects BI Release Plan Update

 Analytics, Newsbyte  Comments Off
Oct 072011
 

The following information is related to recent updates to the SAP BusinessObjects BI release plan.

What’s new in the BI release plan?
With the recent GA of SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0, we are updating our BI release plan. Instead of releasing both BI 4.0 SP3 and BI 4.1, we will now deliver one release consisting of:

  • BI 4.0 SP3 customer fixes
  • The new product features that were to be included in the original BI 4.1 release


What will we call this release?
It will be called SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3.


Why was this change made?
The change was made to ease the deployment of these new features. Customers can deploy these features on their existing BI 4.0 deployment without waiting for the availability of a separate minor release. Installation of the new product features will be a straightforward install that does not require a major upgrade.


What new product features are included with BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3?
There are many new product features in BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3. The highlights include the following new features:

  • Next generation of SAP BusinessObjects Explorer, which empowers end users to easily organize and share exploration views with web and mobile users
  • Enhanced capabilities for SAP BusinessObjects Mobile BI, with expanded platform support and Sybase Unwired Platform integration
  • SAP StreamWork integration for BI enabled collaborative decision making
  • Insight to Action framework, which enables closed loop BI in the context of your business processes


Are feature packs part of the traditional SAP release process?
No, the usual support packs only typically contain customer fixes or improvements to existing releases – no new features. We needed a deliverable that communicated all the new features – hence the feature pack. This is an exception to our traditional SAP release process. From time to time we make such process modifications in order to benefit customers.


Should I wait for BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 to release before upgrading to BI 4.0?
No. The best path forward is to deploy BI 4.0 today to get the system ready for production. Then install the BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 as soon as it becomes available. BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 will be released with an update installer. The content of BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 can simply be added on top of your existing deployment.


How can customers deploy BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3?
We will be delivering both a new installer and an update installer. New customers will be able to install BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 using the new installer without requiring a pre-deployment of the BI 4.0 GA build. Existing customers will be able to upgrade from BI 4.0 SP2 by applying the BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 update installer.


Can customers implement new customer fixes without using the new product features in BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3?
Yes. The majority of the new features are additive to existing workflows. Many are configurable by administrators. Others are available in the environment but the users have to explicitly select to use them. There are no features that will create major disruption to customers’ existing workflows.


Will there be fixes on BI 4.0 SP2 prior to the release of BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3?
Yes. We will continue to deliver patches on the BI 4.0 SP2 line (e.g., patch 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, etc.) to support customers currently rolling out BI 4.0. Learn more about the standard SAP support process.


Will BI 4.0 Feature Pack 3 include a ramp-up process?
Yes. Since the feature pack includes new features, this release will have its own ramp-up.


How can I get involved in the ramp-up?
Please contact your account manager. We are excited about the BI 4.0 Feature Pack ramp-up and will start accepting pre-nominations in a few weeks with official nominations beginning early January, 2012.

 

For additional questions to these changes to the release plan, please contact your account representative or feel free to add a comment, question to this blog post.

SAP Veteran Greg Tomb to Head New Global On-Demand Organization

 Newsbyte  Comments Off
Oct 062011
 

With the continued growth of its on-demand business and the new, high-powered, portfolio of on-demand solutions SAP is bringing to market, the company today announced that Greg Tomb has rejoined SAP to head the new Global On-Demand Sales and Go-to-Market organization. To guide SAP’s continued advancement as an on-demand market leader, Tomb and his team will drive a significant focus on enabling organizations worldwide to take advantage of new, innovative applications that bring immediate value to sales, procurement, human resources and finance organizations. Read the newsbyte.

HP and SAP Accelerate Cloud Deployments for Clients

 Ecosystem, Newsbyte  Comments Off
Oct 052011
 

HP and SAP AG today announced an agreement for HP Enterprise Services to provide cloud-based delivery of SAP applications that enable enterprises to deploy applications in a scalable and affordable manner. The combination of these solutions will empower enterprise customers to dramatically increase the availability and speed of business information, leading to faster and more insightful decision-making. Read the press release.