Mat Stephen's SQL Server WebLog : SAP

Free SAP Customer Workshops "How Microsoft Runs SAP" Munich on February 7, 2006 and in Brussels on February 9, 2006.

Mat_Stephen — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 18:37:00 GMT

These courses rarely come to Europe - so if you're interested be quick!

From the blurb:-

We would like to invite you to attend the upcoming SAP Customer Workshop about How Microsoft Runs SAP. The same session will be held in Munich on February 7, 2006 and in Brussels on February 9, 2006.

The heart of Microsoft's worldwide operations runs on SAP. Please choose the most convenient location for you and join us for the day to hear from our SAP Services team experts about how they run and manage a global deployment of SAP across 89 countries and for 60,000 employees. This real world, non-marketing workshop is designed to give you insight into Microsoft's experiences choosing, implementing, rolling out, and maintaining our global SAP system. Both the technical aspects and the business/functional aspects of the implementation will be addressed.

For a preview of Microsoft's deployment of SAP, please read the case study at:
http://www.microsoft-sap.com/casestudies/Microsoft_Case_Study.doc

Enterprise customers considering SAP will want to send their business and IT decision-makers. SAP customers and partners implementing R/3 will benefit from Microsoft's technical, business and project management key learnings. The content of this seminar-style workshop will cater to both business and technical participants. In past workshops, customers have also found this to be a good opportunity to exchange experiences with other workshop participants.

   • Keynote: SAP, The Software That Drives Microsoft
   • Best Practices: Change Control & Leveraging Technology
   • Technical Architecture
   • SAP BW and Reporting Strategy
   • SAP .NET Extensions and Mendocino

February 7, 2006:

Kempinski Hotel Airport München
Terminalstrasse Mitte 20
85356 München

Tel. +49 89 97 82 36 40
Fax. +49 89 97 82 36 13

February 9, 2006:

Sheraton Brussels Hotel & Towers
Manhattan Center
3 Place Rogier
1210 Brussels, Belgium

Phone (32) (2) 2243111
Fax (32) (2) 2243456

Registration is limited to 150 people on a first-come first-serve basis, so please register early!

To register visit:

https://www.wellsregister.com/sap/customer/cityselect.asp

Phone: +1 206-706-3225
E-mail: SAP@WellsRegister.com

Business casual.

This is a free all-day workshop. Registration and cancellation are mandatory.

We look forward to seeing you in Munich or Brussels !

Microsoft .NET Data Provider for SAP

Mat_Stephen — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 15:07:00 GMT

After my recent SQL 2k5 BI session, here at TVP Reading, I had an enquiry asking for more info regarding the SAP provider I showed in the list of providers available to SQL Server Integration Services . The best public information I can find is @ http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms216599. The provider isn't publicly available at the moment but when the product is released it will be made available for download, and will not be in the box. I don't know a lot about SAP R3 but I believe this provider will also allow access to BW - I'll check, if it doesn't I'll post an edit in the next few days.

Steve Ballmer on Mendocino - video available

Mat_Stephen — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 00:53:00 GMT

The Video from SAPPHIRE (Steve Ballmer on Mendocino) is now available on the website at http://www.microsoft-sap.com/alliance.aspx

Mendocino is described at www.sap.com/mendocino, and www.microsoft.com/office/sap.

I think mendocino is very significant for MS SAP customers - some real synergie that will benefit.

SAP and Microsoft Create 'Mendocino' Product to integrate Office, Exchange and SAP

Mat_Stephen — Tue, 26 Apr 2005 12:33:00 GMT

Microsoft and SAP are to release a joint product to bring Office, Exchange and SAP together - code named 'Mendocino'; harnessing Web Services and Services-Oriented Architecture to Ease Integration

You can find more info here http://uk.news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.asp?Symbol=US:MSFT&Feed=PR&Date=20050426&ID=4395944

For those of you interested in seeing a brief demo and comments from Jeff Raikes at the press conference, please click on the following http://www.sap.com/company/press/pressconf_sapphire_cop2005.epx. The Microsoft announcement is in the first 10 minutes of the webcast.

First Microsoft-SAP Collaboration Brief from Microsoft on loading data from SAP BW into SQL Server Anlaysis Srevices

Mat_Stephen — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 05:16:00 GMT

It's a great pleasure to announce the first Microsoft Collaboration Brief on an official SAP site, written by Microsoft’s own Hermann Däubler.

Loading data from SAP BW into Microsoft Analysis Services using Open Hub Service. (You can cacnel any request for a certificate)

Summary

The following paper should help to get a quick start on how to load data from SAP BW into an external Microsoft Analysis Services MOLAP cube using the BW Open Hub Service. Unlike using SAP .NET Connector to access one of the BW APIs it’s not necessary to write any code. Open Hub Service is the officially recommended way to unload data from SAP BW into external data targets. Whenever you extract data from the mySAP BI environment into 3rd-party target systems your SAP BW Enterprise Data Warehouse functions as an ‘Open Hub Platform’.

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - The Pricing, The Editions, and the Edition's Features

Mat_Stephen — Wed, 09 Mar 2005 20:57:00 GMT

All ye! All ye! The pricing, the editions and the features available in the editions of SQL 2005 have all been decided, announced and published. Naturally I meet scepticism that suggests SQL Server 2005 has slipped and slipped again, and that perhaps it might not even be born this year! I laugh at the all the jokes, not to do so would appear churlish. I have to say, however, it’s quite hard to offer up a full belly laugh when you’ve heard them all before. In the last year or so I think I’ve gained a good insight into what it must be like to be called Richard Head.

So here you go:

Expanding the SQL Server Product Line

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/spotlight/expandsqlserver.asp

SQL Server 2005 Features Comparison

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/2005/productinfo/sql2005features.asp

Now I feel a sense of relief. If SQL Server was a baby, I think it’s safe to say, with this announcement, the waters have finally broken. All that needs to happen now is for SQL to pass the tests and the usability acceptance. Probably the most arduous of these tests will come form our most important ISV – SAP. SQL will not pass through the door until SAP gives it the thumbs up. It is a remarkable testament to the MS – SAP partnership that SQL Server 2000 never once had a reported failure to properly compile an efficient query plan for a vanilla SAP installation. Which no doubt is one reason why SQL has grown so much so quickly as an SAP platform

Its Sunbelieveable: Sun’s First Windows - Microsoft SQL Server SAP Benchmark and Certification

Mat_Stephen — Sat, 12 Feb 2005 03:03:00 GMT

Actually, I reckon it must be Sun’s first Windows - SQL Server benchmark ever, unless you know otherwise?

It’s great to see Sun embracing the new Opeteron chip from AMD and coming up with a great 32 bit SAP SD 2 tier 2 proc benchmark

http://www50.sap.com/benchmark/pdf/cert0205.pdf

Can’t wait till we get Windows Server 2003 sp1 – then perhaps we’ll see them do a 64 bit benchmark and hopefully show Windows and SQL as the fastest kids on the block. Surely we’ll be able to do better (can't say 'beat' obviously) than the Oracle 64 bit benchmark

It’s great to have Sun join the team.

Microsoft SQL Server 64 bit links

Mat_Stephen — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 22:05:00 GMT

Our 64 bit SQL Server case studies can be found @ http://www.microsoft.com/sql/64bit/productinfo/casestudies.asp

The 64 bit SQL Server home page is @ http://www.microsoft.com/sql/64bit/default.asp

Some material around 64 bit SAP/SQL @ http://www.microsoft-sap.com/technology.asp#64_bit

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) Analysis Services: Why Migrate, and What to Expect If You Do http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2000/evaluate/ansvcs64.mspx

The Advantages of 64-bit to SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition Business Intelligence Customers http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2000/evaluate/64btdwc4.mspx

Using Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services against SAP - and other Application Partners for Reporting Services

Mat_Stephen — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 22:02:00 GMT

Do you want to use Microsoft Reporting Services to report data from SAP R/3 and SAP BW? Then check out Software4You from the list of Application Partners for Reporting Services @ http://www.microsoft.com/sql/reporting/partners/softwareapps.asp

Microsoft and SAP Deliver Integration of SAP NetWeaver and .NET with Visual Studio .NET 2003-Integrated Portal Development Kit for .NET (PDK)

Mat_Stephen — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 19:31:00 GMT

This tool has been long awaited, now its arrived SAP developers can combine the power of .NET with the functionality of SAP. This is great news if you're into developing SAP applications, along side SQL Server the PDK makes Microsoft a most compelling platform for SAP.

From the press release:

'Provided as an add-in to the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 integrated development environment, the PDK for .NET enables SAP customers to build content for the SAP Enterprise Portal, the portal component of SAP NetWeaver, using any of the supported development languages, including Microsoft Visual C#® and Microsoft Visual Basic® .NET.'

'Using the PDK for .NET, developers and SAP customers are able to fully utilize the capabilities of the Microsoft .NET Framework to build interactive business content for SAP Enterprise Portal. This business content running on the SAP Enterprise Portal and the .NET Framework leverages key portal services, such as user management, SAP Single Sign On (SAP SSO) and specialized content. Developers can build the user interface of this interactive business content using any combination of the standard SAP .NET controls and user interface controls of SAP NetWeaver. The .NET portal business content is easily deployed through SAP NetWeaver and the Portal Runtime for .NET that processes the .NET business content code and integrates the results in SAP Enterprise Portal.'

The PDK can be downloaded from the SAP Developer Network at http://www.sdn.sap.com.

Yossi Pik – the SAP project lead for the PDK – has resumed blogging:

“Recently, a number of news articles have hailed both SAP and Microsoft for their cooperative effort, citing the PDK for .NET as genuine success in the ongoing interoperability challenge. This motivated me to write again and make sure that readers understand that the PDK for .NET is the real deal. And this incredible software tool isn't just some cool demo or empty PR talk about interoperability, but a real product with the power to make an immediate impact on the lives of .NET developers, portal end users, IT staff, and their businesses.”

https://www.sdn.sap.com/sdn/weblogs.sdn?blog=/pub/wlg/1213

SQL Server can run your enterprise? Here's how to prove it

Mat_Stephen — Thu, 16 Dec 2004 01:21:00 GMT

SQL Server 2000 has to live with the legacy that it was once called SQL Server 6.5 – if a database could have a pain in the neck this would be SQL Server’s. When Microsoft completely rewrote Microsoft Mail it gave it a new name, Exchange; thus everyone assumed it was a completely new product without a legacy. Alas Microsoft didn’t do this with SQL Server, even though it was a complete rewrite. Consequently for a long time we had to do battle with the conception that like Sybase, SQL Server 7 & 2000 would inherit the old Sybase instability inherent in SQL Server 6.5. For those of you that didn’t know, SQL 6.5 (and under) was basically written by Sybase. Whilst it was relatively easy to use and performed well, it wouldn’t scale very far.

Nearly 7 years on, there are still people who associate SQL Server 2000 with SQL Server 6.5, at the core of this sometimes malevolent body one naturally finds Oracle and IBM sales people.

This blog is to help those amongst you who have to do battle with people who don’t appreciate SQL Server but do appreciate the sophistry of database techno babble. Your business has a need for a new, large, high performing, 24*7, mission critical database and the Oracle DBAs just won’t even consider SQL Server. Your job is to convince the powers that be that SQL Server can do the job.

Having recently come out of the ‘sales’ world I have learned some winning ways to help you. Firstly don’t get involved in those techno babble arguments; Oracle is full of knobs and whistles that simply aren’t needed in SQL Server, their absence in SQL Server is an advantage and a tribute to the engineering that has gone into the product to render them unnecessary. Don’t be fooled into believing this is a weakness! Most importantly don’t be fooled into thinking management will be impressed by this obfuscation, they aren’t! Those knobs and whistles just add to the cost of running an Oracle system and, unlike in the old days, people aren’t impressed by the number of DBA’s it takes to run the MIS department.

There are two things you need to do: Firstly, prove that SQL Server can scale to the required heights and offer the required mission critical availability with the necessary performance. Secondly you need to show its cost effectiveness (TCO - total cost of ownership). Okay this is a simplification, you may also need to show that: SQL server is secure, there’s proper support, available skills and training, and cultural fit amongst other lesser concerns.

How do you do these two things? There’s really only one answer and that’s proof. Proof by way of case studies, references, testimonials and studies by independent bodies – and we’ve got lots of these. Once you can prove theses points, management isn’t too concerned how its done under the bonnet.

l For some large SQL references from the Winter Corporation TopTen survey of the world’s largest databases. Contains multi-terabyte references.
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/evaluation/compare/wintercorp.asp

l The official Microsoft SQL Server case study repository.
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/evaluation/casestudies/default.asp

l Microsoft’s Customer Evidence website – this has a case study finder that can return many partner case studies not held on the the official Microsoft SQL Server case study repository above.
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/default.asp

l TCO studies and other technical reasons to adopt the Microsoft platform for SAP.
http://www.microsoft-sap.com/technology.asp

l Contains many SAP case studies with accompanying videos and documentation
http://www.microsoft-sap.com/case_studies.asp

Many of these case studies contain testimonials. There are many videos where the customer speaks for themselves. My favourite is:

Western Digital
Western Digital migrated its mission-critical Manufacturing Execution System from Oracle to SQL Server 2000 and increased scalability and reliability at a lower total cost of ownership and realizes 120 million peak transactions per day and a return on investment in 6 months with zero down time.

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=15285

westerndigital_56k.wvx
56 Kbps - Windows Media

westerndigital_110k.wvx
110 Kbps - Windows Media

westerndigital_300k.wvx
300 Kbps - Windows Media

Closely followed by:

iPSL

Largest UK Cheque Processor Reduces Cost of Processing 60 Million Records a Day.

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=15522

Akzo Nobel

Completely redundant infrastructure at two locations Cluster of 30 IBM xSeries servers based on Windows 2000 and SQL Server

http://www.microsoft-sap.com/docs/AKZO%20Nobel.pdf

ASB Bank (its an old one but still one of my favourites)

Since migrating its data warehouse from Oracle to SQL Server, ASB Bank has made comprehensive customer information instantly accessible to employees. With in-depth knowledge at their fingertips, employees can now make intelligent recommendations about bank services, resulting in increased profits

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=11642

If you want help on the security debate see my recent blog on security. Oracle doesn’t try to use security as a key differentiator any more, but you can see why:

Gartner says ‘Security Flaws Show Oracle Isn’t ‘Unbreakable’’

http://www4.gartner.com/resources/123700/123799/security_flaws_.pdf

Gartner says ‘Oracle Users Should Take Security Patch 68 Seriously’

http://www4.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=124854

The intention of my blog site is to make your jobs as SQL Server DBAs easier by providing technical info – but occasionally technical people have to stoop to political debates and this material is to help you defend your corner. If you need more let me know!

My Introduction to the Blogsphere - and my first useful tip for SAP enthusiasts

Mat_Stephen — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 18:06:00 GMT

Hello, my name is Matthew Stephen, I work as a Microsoft SQL Server Evangelist, based in Reading UK. I started working for Microsoft in early '93 as a PSS support Engineer. I spent many happy years supporting SQL Server and then, four years ago, moved on to work as a Product Specialist in our Enterprise and Partner Group. I started my current role on the 1st December and hope to use my blog as a medium for spreading useful information around SQL Server to an audience of IT Pro's.

So my first useful tip is for IT Pro's implementing SAP on SQL Server, or IT Pro's considering implementing SAP on SQL Server. You will find a ton of useful information, including technical workshop videos on http://www.microsoft-sap.com