SAP is expected to announce enhanced programming tools
and the creation of a virtual community that will help developers
collaborate at its TechEd '03 user conference in Las Vegas next
week.
The business software maker said it will be pushing hard to show
users and partners how they can exploit its NetWeaver integration
platform. SAP touts NetWeaver as an easier way to join SAP
applications with third-party products and homegrown software to
create a seamless business process.
According to William Wohl, a spokesman for SAP Americas, the
company is looking to accommodate the thousands of developers
working on SAP applications using Java and .net programming
specifications.
The company will also announce upcoming improvements to its
programming tools, as well as its plan to invest in an educational
and collaborative support community for developers. That support
includes sponsoring educational websites, chat rooms and discussion
forums, so that developers can get advice on the best ways to
maintain or expand their SAP investments.
Wohl declined to provide details about the toolkit enhancements,
but he said they would be coming out during the next year, along
with the support infrastructure. The company also plans to
highlight customer and partner wins for NetWeaver.
SAP must attract companies that use development tools other than
its own proprietary ABAP programming language, or it will have to
cede the middleware and integration market to companies such as
IBM and Microsoft, said Joshua Greenbaum, an analyst at Enterprise
Applications Consulting.
Companies standardising on .net or WebSphere integration
technology would be less likely to view SAP as a key "trusted
adviser" for their long-term strategies while they await the next
big IT innovation, he said.
Creating the virtual community is absolutely necessary, even if
SAP does not reap an immediate return on its investment, said David
Dobrin, an analyst at B2B Analysts.
He pointed out that Java has succeeded because it has such
communities, where members often trade notes and share
software.
"It will take real grit for them [SAP] to decide to put in the
resources that are required to make this successful," Dobrin said.
"Of course, the devil, as always, is in the detail."
Marc L Songini writes for Computerworld