How SAP is doing on market?

In today’s turbulent age when everybody’s is trying to buy anybody I’m posting a few links to see how SAP is doing on the market:

NYSE share – New York market

XETRA share – Frankfurt market

Valuation rates and dividends

Overview of officers and directors of SAP AG

Annual and financials reports

Gartner’s IT Vendor ratings – looks quite old page without any recent updates.

SAP certification options

Recently SAP has changed its certification program. They call is as multi their program. There are 3 certification levels:

1. Associate certification – for SAP beginners e.g. junior’s positions.

2. Professional certification – for those who have project proven experience, business knowledge and are skilled with SAP in details.

3. Master certification – the highest level for experts in special SAP areas who can design the solution based on SAP.

See more at SAP certification page and find certification that suits best for you.

If you pass certification test at some of level you are eligible to represent you by SAP certification logos:

Even that there are still doubts about necessity of SAP certification and a lot of geeks say that no certification can replace strong project track SAP certification might help somebody to get on board of SAP fleet.

- Update as of 3rd of June 2008 –

For BI certification currently following certification curriculums are available:

1. SAP Certified (Delta Certification) Solution Consultant SAP NetWeaver '04s SAP BI

Booking code: C_DBW35_04S; details

2. SAP Certified Solution Consultant SAP NetWeaver 2004s – BI

Booking code: C_TBW45_04S; details

3. SAP Certified Application Associate - BI with SAP NetWeaver 7.0

Booking code: C_TBW45_70; details

New SAP Support Portal

On 17.09.2007 SAP has lunched new version of its support portal. It is available at http://service.sap.com. There are some new cosmetics changes implemented (new portal header, new links to other parts of portal, new Favorites, etc) and some new functionality of sorting documents and listing the results of searching by your preferences stored under “my Profile functionality”. Happy browsing :-)

SAP acquires Business Objects

On 8^th of October 2007 it has been announced that SAP is acquiring Business Objects a well know BI company. It is important news for BW people. It may bring some new tools in SAP BI capabilities. For sure there will be tightening integration with SAP’s BI platform. You can find more information within following links:

http://www.sap.com/about/press/press.epx?pressid=8360

http://www.businessobjects.com/news/press_release.asp?id=20071007_005046

http://www.sap.info/public/INT/int/index/Category-28893c613963f405e-int/0/articlesVersions-140124709eeca56cf2

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21196298/

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Greenbaum/?p=136

http://www.channelinsider.com/article/Indigestion+for+SAP/216720_1.aspx

After completion of the acquisition, Business Objects will operate as a stand-alone business as part of the SAP Group.

John Schwarz will continue as the CEO of the Business Objects entity and Doug Merritt, Corporate Officer, Business User, SAP, will join the Business Objects entity. SAP’s Supervisory Board intends to propose to elect Business Object founder Bernard Liautaud to the SAP Supervisory board at the company’s next shareholders meeting. Until that time, Liautaud will have an advisory role to Henning Kagermann on aspects of strategy and integration.

-      Update 02/13/2010 –

John Schwarz has resigned as a member of the SAP Executive Board responsible for SAP BusinessObjects, Ecosystem & Corporate Development, effective immediately. This is most likely related to current restructuration of SAP’s management as announced recently. After resignation of Leo Apotheker as CEO; SAP is returning to co-CEO structure. As of Schwartz his decision “gives him an opportunity to step back and think through how he can continue to contribute to an industry of which he has been part for 38 years”.