LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31, 1998 — At SAP TechEd ’98, the SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) U.S. technical education conference, SAP and Microsoft Corp. today announced a series of new capabilities and enhancements for SAP customers using Microsoft® development tools and operating systems. At the conference, the companies announced that developers can integrate applications created with the Microsoft Visual Studio® development system 6.0 (to be released later this week) with the SAP Business Framework
™
. This integration capability enables developers using Microsoft’s popular development tools to use the business content of the industry-leading SAP
™
R/3
™
from within Visual Studio 6.0 through SAP business objects and Business Applications Programming Interfaces (BAPIs).
SAP and Microsoft also announced extended support of SAP R/3 for the Microsoft Windows NT® Server operating system, giving customers new time-saving conveniences, including single sign-on and easier system administration. Because of this joint effort, SAP and Microsoft customers benefit from a continued program of enhancements that allow the seamless operation of SAP R/3 on Microsoft platforms.
“Recognizing the strategic importance of Microsoft environments to our customers, SAP is leading the business software category by making it easier to deploy, operate, maintain and extend business solutions on Microsoft platforms,”
said Hartmut Schaper, vice president, GBU Business Framework architecture at SAP AG.
Application Integration With Visual Studio and SAP Business Framework
As demonstrated at SAP TechEd ’98, developers using Visual Studio can easily build applications that collaborate with an R/3 business backbone without having to leave their familiar Visual Studio 6.0 development tools. The entire library of SAP business objects and BAPIs is accessible from Visual Studio tools as COM Objects, which are generated from the Business Object Repository meta data.
“SAP BAPIs provide access to the world’s leading business components, allowing developers to easily customize and extend SAP applications with familiar tools,”
said Paul Gross, vice president of developer tools at Microsoft.
“We’ve worked hard to make Visual Studio great for SAP developers, with integrated support for teams, visual database design, new life-cycle tools and direct access to BAPIs through Visual Basic® and Visual C++® development systems and Visual J++
™development system for Java.”
Simplified Systems Administration Especially Beneficial in Midmarket
In most environments, end users and systems administrators must keep track of many different passwords – a different one for each system. The ideal model is one password that provides access to all appropriate systems. With new support for Microsoft Security Support Provider Interface (SSPI), once a user is logged onto Microsoft networking, the user can automatically log on to SAP R/3 without providing an extra password. Password changes also only need to be done once through the Windows® operating system client. Not only does this make logging in simpler for the end user, but it also reduces a significant systems management burden.
To improve systems management, SAP has developed a new Snap In for Microsoft Management Console (MMC), enabling systems administrators to monitor and manage SAP R/3 through a standardized, easy-to-use and learn systems management interface. The Snap In provides a bridge between SAP Computer Center Management Systems (CCMS) and the MMC environment. Thus, systems administrators have a common environment with a consistent interface for all their systems management activities. This is of particular benefit to midmarket sites where systems managers must perform a wide range of functions including network, database and application administration.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
About SAP
SAP is a market and technology leader in client/server enterprise application software, providing comprehensive solutions for companies of all sizes and all industry sectors. Cultivating innovative technologies on a solid foundation of business experience, SAP delivers scalable solutions that enable its customers to continually improve upon best business practices. SAP products empower people to respond quickly and decisively to dynamic market conditions, helping businesses achieve and maintain a competitive advantage.
Founded in 1972, SAP is based in Walldorf, Germany, and employs more than 17,000 people at offices in more than 50 countries who are dedicated to providing a high level of support and service for the more than 16,000 installations of R/3 worldwide. The SAP World Wide Web site can be found at http://www.sap.com . SAP AG preference and common shares are listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as well as a number of other exchanges. In the United States, SAP American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), each worth one-twelfth of a preference share, trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol
“SAP.”
SAP is a component of the DAX of 30 German blue-chip companies.
Microsoft, Visual Studio, Windows NT, Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual J++ and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
SAP, SAP Business Framework, R/3 and all SAP product and service names referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
©Copyright 1998, SAP AG
