How healthy and ‘Green’ is the food you eat?
How Eco Labels will drive consumer choices like Nutrition lables do today. Chetan Jain in Beyond SAP, Consumer Products, Ranting, Retail, Sustainability [Nov. 17, 2009 11:39 AM | 4 Comments | Permalink]

Messages, EDI, and SAP: More Than Just Data Vessels
Welcome to the first of a series of blog postings about messages and message standards in EDI and SAP. Join me as I cover the basics of the key message standards used in EDI in an SAP environment including EDIFACT, X12, and IDocs. So stay tuned ... and I hope you enjoy the ride. Emmanuel Hadzipetros in ABAP, SAP Process Integration (PI), Retail, Ranting, Procurement and SRM, Integration and Certification, ERP, Beyond SAP, Beginner, Standards [Nov. 16, 2009 06:21 AM | 4 Comments | Permalink]

End of Ownership?
Discussing the problems facing copyright holders in this digital age. Bill Pfleging and Minda Zetlin in Beginner, Business Process Expert, Business Process Management, Ranting [Nov. 06, 2009 02:26 AM | 2 Comments | Permalink]

Version numbering of SAP Netweaver components
Clarity about the different versions of SAP Netweaver components mention during SAP Teched '09 Jan Penninkhof in ABAP, Beginner, Composition Environment (CE), Ranting, SAP NetWeaver Platform, SAP TechEd [Nov. 06, 2009 02:23 AM | 2 Comments | Permalink]

Documenting an Unfolding Story: Blogging, SCN, and Community
Knowledge sharing through blogging is an on-going process of exploration and discovery. Building a community like SCN is an unfolding story written by each of its participants everyday. This is just one paragraph of that story. Emmanuel Hadzipetros in ABAP, Careers, Community Projects, ERP, Integration and Certification, Ranting, SAP Developer Network [Nov. 02, 2009 06:05 AM | 7 Comments | Permalink]

Agile Is A Journey
This Blog on Agile SAP Development focusses on the cultural challenges involved when a more rapid approach to deliver good quality software is chosen. Michael Koch in Composition Environment (CE), SAP Developer Network, Ranting, ERP, Enterprise Service Community, Emerging Technologies, Careers, Application Server, Visual Composer, Service-Oriented Architecture, Standards [Oct. 31, 2009 04:16 PM | 7 Comments | Permalink]

BPM in Ten Years? My Best Shot
At SAP TechEd 2009 Vienna, I met Chris Horak, who told me that he wondered what the future of Business Process Management might look like: “What will the successors of today’s BPM and ERP software in 10 or 15 years look like?” I took up the challenge and gave the matter some thought. Here's my best shot at it. Thorsten Franz in Beyond SAP, SAP NetWeaver Platform, Ranting, ERP, Emerging Technologies, Business Rules Management, Business Process Modeling, Business Process Management, Business Process Expert, Universal Worklist [Oct. 31, 2009 04:15 PM | 16 Comments | Permalink]

Doing more with less: usability and features
Find the fine balance between ease of use and depth of functionality, to increase value for your customers and profits for your offering. Chetan Jain in Beyond SAP, Business Solutions, Consumer Products, CRM, Ranting, Retail [Oct. 26, 2009 05:55 AM | 0 Comments | Permalink]

What gives you hope? Hopenhagen.org!
Copenhagen is turning itself into "Hopenhagen" in support of the December 7 to 18 UN Climate Change Conference. Bob LoBue in Business Objects, Sustainability, SAP Developer Network, Ranting, Public Sector, Organizational Change Management, Life Sciences, Higher Education, Governance, Risk and Compliance, Community Projects, Business Process Expert, University Alliances Message Board [Oct. 23, 2009 03:32 PM | 2 Comments | Permalink]

Community-focused BPM: Lessons Learned from SAP’s Enterprise Services Community
This blog continues my exploration of Social BPM and focuses on the problems associated with BPM communities as well as suggests a possible basis for successful BPM work in this context based on the experience gained in the SAP's Enterprise Services Community. Richard Hirsch in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Business Process Management, Business Process Modeling, Emerging Technologies, Enterprise Service Community, Ranting, SAP Research, Standards [Oct. 22, 2009 08:33 AM | 0 Comments | Permalink]

Wave, Web Dynpro, and the Magic Glue: Google Wave and Web Dynpro Integration Part 1
Google Wave is here, and many active contributors from SCN have been swarming all over it, using it, experimenting, programming against its API, and discussing possible use cases and their business value. I have been working on the topic of Web Dynpro integration: How can we integrate waves and Web Dynpro? And what does this mean for the future of enterprise software? Thorsten Franz in Application Server, Visual Composer, SAP NetWeaver Platform, Ranting, Interoperability, ERP, Enterprise Portal (EP), Emerging Technologies, Composition Environment (CE), Business Suite 7, Business Process Modeling, Business Process Expert, Beyond SAP, Web Dynpro [Oct. 21, 2009 02:58 PM | 12 Comments | Permalink]

SCN Active Contributor Blog Contest: What Does Being Active Mean to You?
Write a blog and enter it in our SCN Active Contributor Blog Contest. If you're a regular on SCN, we want to know your story and share it with the uninitiated. Why are you an Active Contributor? Work? Passion? Fun? Gail Moody-Byrd in Business Process Expert, Business Solutions, Community Projects, Ranting, SAP Developer Network [Oct. 13, 2009 09:09 AM | 0 Comments | Permalink]

Idea for EcoHub: 'Try Me' Functionality for Processes
This blog discusses the possibility of 'test-driving' EcoHub-offered processes and describes a few other existing examples of such functionality in other cloud-based environments. Richard Hirsch in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Business Process Management, Business Process Modeling, EcoHub, Ranting, SAP Developer Network, SAP TechEd [Oct. 11, 2009 08:06 AM | 3 Comments | Permalink]

TechEd Bangalore – Half a TechEd?
SAP TechEd in Bangalore has a lot less sessions than Vienna - why is this? Paul Tomlinson in Enhancement Packages, Enterprise Portal (EP), Governance, Risk and Compliance, Identity Management, Java Programming, Ranting, SAP TechEd, Security [Oct. 08, 2009 03:05 AM | 4 Comments | Permalink]

Presentation slide edit check
Next time, if there is one, I'll be more diligent about insisting on artistic control over my material for SAP TechEd. Jim Spath in Ranting [Oct. 08, 2009 02:40 AM | 6 Comments | Permalink]

Web Dynpro as OpenSource: Built on NetWeaver, Runs Everywhere
Should Web Dynpro Java become OpenSource software? What’s in it for customers, partners, and SAP? A lively discussion is going on about these topics – here is my take on it. Thorsten Franz in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Composition Environment (CE), Interoperability, Java Programming, Ranting, SAP NetWeaver Platform, SAP TechEd, Web Dynpro [Oct. 07, 2009 03:41 PM | 6 Comments | Permalink]

SAP Usability Tests – The Democratization of Innovation
This blog describes the importance of attending Usability Tests as an avenue to participate in SAP innovation efforts. A list (including detailed descriptions) of usability tests of interest for BPX is also provided. Richard Hirsch in Beginner, Business Process Expert, Business Process Management, Business Process Modeling, Ranting, SAP TechEd [Oct. 06, 2009 06:19 AM | 0 Comments | Permalink]

How (Not) to Behave on Twitter - The JonERP Perspective
In this unforgiving yet low key rant, Jon Reed of JonERP.com presents, for Twitter users, how "not to behave" on Twitter if you want to use it for business - either for your employer or yourself. Jon Reed in Ranting, Beginner, Beyond SAP [Oct. 05, 2009 12:07 PM | 9 Comments | Download Media | Permalink]

Using SAP to improve Revenue and Profitability
ROI from SAP - part of a series defining how to use the SAP application suite for delivering real ROI and business beneft. Top IT priorities in the last few year's from CIO surveys have shown that partnering in business growth are key areas for future SAP work. SAP focus is being directed to revenue and profitability, customer retention and acquisition, and a whole host of business centered success measures as key application objectives. SAP CEOs, CFOs, and CIOs are now looking to see SAP deliver real ROI and real business benefit. The SAP application suite is more than capable with the right approach and the right people. This series explores some of those techniques. Bill Wood in Analytics, Ranting, ERP, Enterprise Performance Management, CRM, Business Solutions, Business Process Management, Business Process Expert, Business Intelligence (BI), Beyond SAP, SAP Research [Oct. 05, 2009 07:44 AM | 0 Comments | Permalink]

Opportunities for INNOVATION - SAP, HELLO?
What if there were some really, really great ideas on how to dramatically change the SAP ERP application for far greater success in the marketplace? What if it would make a significant change in the usefulness of the application?What if it could be done with almost completely pre-existing functions, functionality, and code that SAP already has but has not done a good job themselves of integrating? A low cost, high benefit, game changing scenario in the ERP application space. What if these changes demonstrated enough benefit to create a compelling case for version upgrades without expiring support as the reason? Bill Wood in ABAP, SAP Developer Network, Ranting, Organizational Change Management, ERP, Co-Innovation Lab, Business Solutions, Business Process Management, Business Process Expert, Beyond SAP, SAP Research [Oct. 05, 2009 07:26 AM | 6 Comments | Permalink]

Desktop? Why?
What re-installing my laptop top for the 3 time in 6 months is teaching me about desktop virtualization. Yariv Zur in Ranting, SAP NetWeaver Platform [Oct. 03, 2009 09:42 AM | 1 Comments | Permalink]

Ten people you should say "Hello" to for me in Phoenix
I've done my first TechEd agenda draft, i.e., #sapteched09. Here are 10 people whose sessions I can't quite fit in. Say hello to them for me! Jim Spath in Beginner, Beyond SAP, Ranting, SAP TechTour [Oct. 03, 2009 05:42 AM | 3 Comments | Permalink]

Social BPM: A Taxonomy + The Playing Field
This blog is the second in my series on Social BPM. It supplies a taxonomy for categorizing the topic as well as a description of current Social BPM offerings in the marketplace. Richard Hirsch in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Business Process Modeling, Business Suite 7, Ranting, SAP NetWeaver Platform [Oct. 02, 2009 12:33 PM | 4 Comments | Permalink]

Announcing (Ta-Da) The First Annual SCNotties Awards Nominees
When Craig Cmehil asked for 30-second videos, only a few responded. Even with the temptation of rewards, the selection of SCNotties award nominations was tricky. Read who are chosen for token recognition. Jim Spath in Beyond SAP, Ranting, SAP TechEd [Oct. 01, 2009 08:20 PM | 5 Comments | Permalink]

Usage Report (1): Google Wave Gadget 'Gravity' - Process Design and a New Collaboration Style
This blog describes my first impressions after using the Google Wave process design gadget. I talk about the new collaborative style in this environment as it relates to process design and suggest some ideas for process-related Google Wave robots. Richard Hirsch in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Business Process Modeling, Emerging Technologies, Ranting, SAP Developer Network, SAP NetWeaver Platform, SAP Research, SAP TechEd [Oct. 01, 2009 06:20 AM | 2 Comments | Permalink]

Some Reasons SAP Projects are Over Budget and Over Time
You're doing everything right. You've got executive support and sponsorship, a solid budget, you've been through a grueling vendor selection process, your scope is reasonable, you're using Solution Manager or following the ASAP methodology, but somehow your project is always in chaos. You're still doing lots of design work as you are ready to start integration testing. Something is wrong and you know it. Where is the problem and why are you headed for a blown budget and timeline? Bill Wood in Business Process Expert, Business Process Management, Business Solutions, CRM, ERP, Organizational Change Management, Professional Services, Ranting, SAP Research [Sep. 30, 2009 08:17 AM | 3 Comments | Permalink]

Basic Requirements for an EDI System in an SAP Environment
Seven basic requirements that I consider critical in selecting an EDI subsystem. Emmanuel Hadzipetros in ABAP, Beginner, ERP, Integration and Certification, Interoperability, Standards, Ranting [Sep. 30, 2009 08:13 AM | 4 Comments | Permalink]

One year with BPX community!
September 22, 2008. That was the day of my first blog in the BPX Community. I have completed one year by September 2009. It seems a nice day to feel happy, to thankfully recollect certain events and persons, and to learn a lesson or two! Anbazhagan Sam Venkatesan in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Ranting [Sep. 29, 2009 08:33 AM | 3 Comments | Permalink]

Think like an SAP Mentor: 3 Exercises how to become an SAP Top Technical Specialist in 7 Days
We all want to learn new things and improve our skills. Books about self improvement are always a big success: “Thinking like Leonardo da Vinci – Become a Genius within in 2 Days”. But do these books really help? I’m not sure. I don’t believe that it suffices to imitate a genius to become one. In my opinion the road to success consists of curiosity, hard work and getting inspiration. Tobias Trapp in Beyond SAP, Ranting [Sep. 25, 2009 11:40 AM | 13 Comments | Permalink]

Speaking about information gathering, preaching about collaboration
A few days ago I had an appointment with our trainees to give them a presentation about information acquisition: how to find resources on SCN and learn about the inner workings of the system by debugging, exploring the source code, and so on. I improvised the session completely and it took an unexpected turn from information acquisition to collaboration. Thorsten Franz in ABAP, Beginner, Beyond SAP, Community Day, Community Projects, Ranting [Sep. 18, 2009 01:34 PM | 10 Comments | Permalink]

Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Back Yard
"Monk Chips" clued me into a government service showing potential pollution sites via a mapping interface, showing nothing ever changes. Jim Spath in Ranting, Sustainability [Sep. 14, 2009 02:53 AM | 0 Comments | Permalink]

Funny BPM Cartoon from Gartner: Emotional vs Analytical Sides
There is a funny set of cartoons on a Gartner blog depicting the emotional vs analytical sides of BPM. Is this perspective related to the existing "Geek vs. Suit" description of the BPX that is present in this community? Richard Hirsch in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Business Process Management, Ranting [Sep. 13, 2009 09:53 AM | 2 Comments | Permalink]

Random thoughts - Sailing and Project Management?
Hanging out on a boat, or planning a project? What's the diff? Susan Keohan in Ranting [Sep. 12, 2009 10:37 AM | 1 Comments | Permalink]

If the phone don't ring, is it me? A Solution to Process Chain Workload Analysis fail?
In what should be the last part of a post-BW upgrade support saga, I get to verify a "proposed fix" is the right answer. My first pass is a disappointing hang-up, but then the call goes through. Jim Spath in Business Intelligence (BI), ABAP, Application Server, Organizational Change Management, Ranting, SAP Solution Manager [Sep. 09, 2009 03:27 AM | 1 Comments | Permalink]

Where did the eBooks go?
We recently renamed our eBooks to Demo or Tutorial. Find our more on why we made this change and how it will help users. Jason Lax in Webinars, Community Projects, CRM, Ranting, Retail, SAP Network TV, ABAP, Business Intelligence (BI), Business Objects, Business Process Management, ERP, Governance, Risk and Compliance, Master Data Management (MDM), Search, Business Process Expert [Sep. 07, 2009 04:10 AM | 3 Comments | Permalink]

Very Quick Thoughts on Gravity: BPM / Google Wave integration
This blog contains my knee-jerk reaction to SAP's "Gravity" demo - a Google Wave gadget for BPM Richard Hirsch in Business Process Expert, Business Process Modeling, Emerging Technologies, Ranting, SAP TechEd, Visual Composer [Sep. 03, 2009 04:48 AM | 2 Comments | Permalink]

What do your customers say about your loyalty program?
Recent experiences have reminded me that the fragile economy can make the reliance on technologies an increasingly critical part of the organization's customer service and support strategies, and sluggish response to problems could easily erode years of customer loyalty. Gretchen Lindquist in Beyond SAP, Ranting, Retail, Travel and Logistics Services [Sep. 01, 2009 06:44 AM | 5 Comments | Permalink]

Workload Analysis (ST03) Switchboard Jam (part 3)
In the last episode, we saw performance bogged down in application server CPU time, and a tantalizing glimpse at a possible fix from SAP support. Now what happens? Jim Spath in ABAP, Application Server, Business Intelligence (BI), Business Process Expert, Ranting, SAP Solution Manager [Sep. 01, 2009 02:34 AM | 0 Comments | Permalink]

Stolen Content
Today's show covers the topic of "stolen content", namely blogs from the SAP Community Network as discovered by the users themselves... Craig Cmehil in Ranting, Beyond SAP [Aug. 28, 2009 11:52 AM | 1 Comments | Permalink]

Just a developer?!
The functional team can put together great specifications. Then it is just a matter of translating those specifications to code. It should be simple really. Developers do not need to know all the information. They only need to be given specifications, and they should program exactly what is on the specifications. Really?!!! Warning - very long Rant. Michelle Crapo in Ranting [Aug. 26, 2009 05:45 AM | 27 Comments | Permalink]

A Crowd of Solution Managers
After my ASUG webcast on "Solution Manager, A Work In Progress", I released an audio. Check out the special effects, 1960's style. Jim Spath in Ranting, SAP Solution Manager, SAP TechEd, Webinars [Aug. 26, 2009 02:27 AM | 5 Comments | Download Media | Permalink]

Thoughts on the upcoming conference "BPM2009"
This blog announces an upcoming BPM conference and describes why end-users should be aware of the results of such academic/research-oriented events. Richard Hirsch in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Business Process Management, Emerging Technologies, Ranting [Aug. 25, 2009 10:32 PM | 7 Comments | Permalink]

Stop Thief - It's #blogtheft!
This Saturday afternoon, I saw a post on twitter announcing and linking to my most recent SCN blog post – but not on SCN, but on the front page of a pirate site, ill-formatted and without naming me as the author of the work. Having just put several days of work into this blog post, I was outraged about my content being pirated, and I still am. Thorsten Franz in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Community Projects, Open Source, Ranting, SAP Developer Network [Aug. 25, 2009 02:05 PM | 9 Comments | Permalink]

Don't You Step On My ...
Once in a while, you find audacious behavior on the internet. Some people think anything goes. We are a civilized world, aren't we? Jim Spath in Ranting [Aug. 23, 2009 04:35 PM | 8 Comments | Permalink]

Women and Technology
Today's show was inspired from the thoughts and comments from my past blog post... Craig Cmehil in Beyond SAP, Ranting [Aug. 21, 2009 11:31 AM | 1 Comments | Download Media | Permalink]

Register Now! Free ASUG Virtual Education Summit on 9 & 10 September
Use the link to attend the free inaugural ASUG Virtual Education Summit on 9 & 10 September. Bob LoBue in Beginner, University Alliances Message Board, Shared Service Center, SAP Research, SAP Developer Network, Ranting, Organizational Change Management, Knowledge Management (KM), Higher Education, ERP, Business Solutions, Business Process Expert, Business Objects, Business Intelligence (BI), Webinars [Aug. 21, 2009 09:45 AM | 0 Comments | Permalink]

Women, Speaking and what’s fair?
Being a community oriented around a technology world I felt this would be an appropriate cross post as well as a chance for many of you to be heard in regards to your thoughts on this... Craig Cmehil in Beyond SAP, Ranting [Aug. 21, 2009 12:07 AM | 9 Comments | Permalink]

Is This The Party To Whom I Am Speaking?
Here is the next installment of a saga that began after our BW 7 upgrade, with me looking for process chain performance history. The tension mounts as more and more solutions are proposed for one tiny issue. Jim Spath in Ranting, SAP Solution Manager, ABAP, Business Intelligence (BI) [Aug. 20, 2009 07:13 PM | 2 Comments | Permalink]

Irrationality in decision-making – the impact on process design
Based on a TED podcast, this blog describes my thoughts on how process design influences corporate decision-making. Richard Hirsch in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Business Process Management, Business Process Modeling, Ranting [Aug. 19, 2009 01:04 AM | 3 Comments | Permalink]

Game Review: The BPX Game – IBM’s Innov8
This blog is a game review of an online game from IBM that depicts the life of a Business Process Expert (BPX) in a typical process improvement project. The usefulness of this approach to increase interest in the BPX career path plus the realism of the game based on SAP's BPM methodology are also discussed. Richard Hirsch in Beyond SAP, Business Process Expert, Business Process Modeling, Business Rules Management, Ranting, Sustainability [Aug. 18, 2009 06:46 AM | 7 Comments | Permalink]