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Oracle Fusion Middleware vs SAP S/4HANA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Oracle Fusion Middleware
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Application Server (6th)
SAP S/4HANA
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
119
Ranking in other categories
ERP (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

Oracle Fusion Middleware and SAP S/4HANA aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Oracle Fusion Middleware is designed for Application Server and holds a mindshare of 5.6%, up 4.5% compared to last year.
SAP S/4HANA, on the other hand, focuses on ERP, holds 13.7% mindshare, down 15.9% since last year.
Application Server
ERP
 

Q&A Highlights

WP
Apr 11, 2023
 

Featured Reviews

Sai Kri - PeerSpot reviewer
Migration to a modern interface enhances AI integration and cloud capabilities
Presently, Oracle recommends migrating to Oracle Fusion since it's a hot product now. e-Business Suite may soon be sunsetted and has an outdated UI, with few upgrades. In contrast, Oracle Fusion offers modern features, such as AI, cloud-based applications, and customization options like Redwood features. Oracle Fusion AI chatbots are embedded, benefiting projects.
Deepak Madhavan - PeerSpot reviewer
Implementation simplifies ERP management with comprehensive data integration and visibility
A lot of people would say the pricing. SAP is seen as quite expensive even now. It doesn't work for smaller or medium optimizations. The licensing and pricing could be looked at. In Brownfield migration, the trade-off between greenfield and brownfield means you either keep it clean or match the business requirements. Sometimes, it's not possible to do both. While ValixAPI provides significant support in making those decisions and the SAP consultant is very useful, we are still dependent on past history and how it was originally set up. I wouldn't call that a real disadvantage, yet more accessible consulting would be beneficial. Incorporating all other cloud products, like APO or IPP, into the S/4 house might also help.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Oracle Fusion is stable."
"The most valuable feature is the structure of the product. We use Oracle Fusion Middleware to manage the Oracle database. Registered users can go to each product if sign-on credentials match each user's identical framework."
"Oracle recommends moving to Oracle Fusion as they are constantly releasing new AI, modern, web-based, and cloud-based features with updated UI. With Redwood customization and AI chatbots embedded, Oracle Fusion stands ahead of older systems."
"The most valuable features are the pre-built connectors between Oracle applications, which allow quick integration. I also appreciate the fast deployment of components. Oracle Fusion Middleware's key benefit is enabling real-time data transfer between applications."
"The most valuable features are Oracle Unified Directory and unified identity access management."
"The initial setup is easy. There are many self-tutorial videos are on the Internet, and then the Oracle documents are self-explanatory."
"I rate Oracle Fusion Middleware as ten out of ten."
"The scalability is good."
"From a technology standpoint, the theory and analytics are fascinating."
"It is really fast. It is also very stable."
"I have been using SAP for more than 13 years and the new SAP S4HANA was not only a simple upgrade, they have made a lot of improvements. They have simplified a lot of the functions, the all-new interface gives users a better experience. The database itself is quite efficient in nature and it provides effective data queries. It is a good upgrade from the previous version of SAP R/3."
"SAP S/4HANA dominates around 70 percent of the ERP market in Chile, and I believe this isn't merely coincidental. I've always maintained that if someone believes SAP S/4HANA lacks a certain functionality, they haven't explored it thoroughly. However, there's a widespread lack of understanding regarding its full potential and how to configure it."
"It is exclusive to have SAP in your company. It is the best system in the world."
"It is a very scalable solution. We have enterprise-level businesses using this solution."
"The user experience is quite attractive, and maybe the efficiency around the consolidation part as well."
"The performance of the solution is excellent."
 

Cons

"Oracle Fusion Middleware could improve by offering enhanced and customizable business-related features, particularly in supporting individual businesses or custom applications."
"The documentation might not be good enough for new users."
"For improvements, I think Oracle Fusion Middleware could be better at connecting to third-party applications. While it works well with Oracle products, it's more limited to non-Oracle systems than other middleware solutions like MuleSoft."
"The solution's technical support needs to be improved."
"Its price can be improved. We are currently looking for more cost-efficiency. It should also have a little bit more flexibility for customizations. The customizations should be quicker."
"Oracle rapidly releases new features, and I may not be ready to adopt them."
"The price could always be better."
"The product should improve BPEL features."
"The problem with the tool is that its complexity is very high."
"There should be a place where I can get the best available applications in one place. Currently, Fiori applications are available in different tiles on the dashboards. If anyone wants to check the financial, sales, and inventory reporting in one place, it is not possible in Fiori. We would have to develop a custom Fiori application. If that feature can be incorporated into the standard Fiori, it will be helpful for us."
"It requires a lot of planning to implement the product correctly."
"The difficulty level of the initial setup depends on the person's skills. If you know the basic knowledge of the database, then it will be easy, otherwise, it will be very difficult."
"The product's high cost is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The cost of their support services could be more affordable."
"Maybe its user interface and reporting can be improved across the board, but it is manageable."
"SAP S/4HANA is an expensive solution."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is expensive. We are looking for a cheaper solution."
"My advice is to buy the basic modules first, gain the most benefit from them, then buy the advanced modules."
"The solution is expensive so pricing is rated a six out of ten."
"The pricing is moderate. It's fine."
"The licensing costs are reasonable."
"The solution is quite expensive so is only used by larger organizations."
"The tool is best suited for large companies due to high licensing costs."
"We pay annually for the solution."
"We're not sure yet. I think it was six figures a year, over 100,000. It has straight-up licensing fees."
"Its pricing could be better."
"The price of the solution is on the higher side compared to others."
"The price could be lower."
"SAP S/4HANA is expensive."
"Licensing works on a subscription model for the cloud version and it's a one-time fee for the on-premises version."
"The problem with SAP is that it offers two licenses, namely runtime license and enterprise license. If you have a runtime license, then you are doomed since you can't take any data out from the tool."
"The licensing format is complicated for SAP S/4HANA"
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Answers from the Community

WP
Apr 11, 2023
Apr 11, 2023
Hi Wanlaya, We are SAP consulting company based in Mumbai, India you can visit our website www.inteliwaves.com. Just to answer your question please find herewith document i have may be helpful to you and will help you in your decision making process. SAP S/4HANA vs. Oracle ERP Cloud: Clash of the Titans When considering new enterprise technologies, many of...
See 2 answers
GH
Apr 10, 2023
Hey Mr. Panjahong - there are many templates and scoresheets to compare software available, but most are not focused on where you need to be. At this point, you need business analysts to examine the business process at your company. Yes, Telcos have some similarities, but more often, each has different ways of doing business. For example, with B2B we might see 1,000 transactions daily whereas B2C might be working with 40,000 transactions hourly - and whether or not this describes your facility or not is not consequential as long as you understand that the microseconds of difference between how one software performs versus the next could be millions in value over the years. Doing business process analysis, especially if your analysts have ERP backgrounds, will highlight the areas of key concern for your company. And start the software architecture best suited to addressing those concerns. Then, your evaluation is focused on these key metrics and becomes manageable. I could send you past clients' requirements ranging from a 20-page spreadsheet with nearly 100 questions per tab, to a retailer that thought they had a comprehensive 25-requirements list (in an hour we had it up to 125). But the reality is, probably neither of those templates would be of any real value. Go build your business case - it's the first step to succeeding in a very complex, yet critical situation.
Manish Chhatbar - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 11, 2023
Hi Wanlaya,  We are SAP consulting company based in Mumbai, India you can visit our website www.inteliwaves.com.   Just to answer your question please find herewith document i have may be helpful to you and will help you in your decision making process.               SAP S/4HANA vs. Oracle ERP Cloud: Clash of the Titans When considering new enterprise technologies, many of our clients consider SAP S/4HANA vs. Oracle ERP Cloud in their ERP software evaluation process. In fact, our upper mid-market and larger enterprise clients choose between these two systems on an extremely frequent basis. In the most recent rankings of the top ERP systems, it’s not surprising that both solutions did well. S/4HANA ranked #6 and Oracle ERP Cloud landed at #3, although they both finished in the top two in terms of market share. While some might argue they should have finished higher in our rankings, below are some independent analysis of how these two leading industry titans compare to one another. The common strengths of SAP S/4HANA and Oracle ERP Cloud For some organizations, S/4HANA and Oracle ERP are the best options because of their common strengths. For example, both products are capable of scaling to meet the needs of larger, complex, and more diverse organizations. Companies that operate internationally, have diverse product lines, and manage supply chains are naturally going to gravitate to these two solutions. This is why SAP and Oracle have historically had such a strong foothold in the Fortune 500 space. The common weaknesses of SAP S/4HANA and Oracle ERP Cloud For some organizations, SAP and Oracle are a natural best fit for their needs. However, it is important to also be aware of their weaknesses. Both products are knee deep in their transitions from well-established legacy products to these newer flagship products, which is why both products suffer from a relative lack of functional maturity. This is true not only related to their own legacy products such as ECC and eBusiness Suite, but also when compared to more established products, such as Oracle NetSuite, Plex Systems, and others that have a jumpstart on migration to the cloud. We see this relative lack of maturity wreaking havoc on their customers’ ERP implementations as they navigate the holes and deficiencies in their products. Best of breed ERP solutions are a common solution to address this problem. Standardization and harmonization of business processes SAP is the gold standard when it comes to standardizing and harmonizing business processes. It has an advantage over Oracle ERP in that it drives a certain amount of structure and rigidity – for better or for worse. This is part of what appeals to larger organizations that are trying to drive a certain amount of commonality throughout their global operations. The downside of this advantage, however, is that it makes organizational change very difficult and painful. Anytime you are forced to accept someone else’s business processes – whether internally or because it’s just the way the software works – employees are going to resist the changes in some way. This is why an effective organizational change management plan is so important for SAP S/4HANA implementations – even more so than for those implementing Oracle ERP Cloud. Functional flexibility On the slip side, Oracle ERP Cloud has the advantage if it is flexibility that you value. Whether you are a decentralized company with independent operations or a company that values speed and nimbleness over structure and standardization, Oracle ERP is going to have the slight edge. Just as S/4HANA requires effective organizational change management to mitigate the pains of rigidity, Oracle ERP Cloud implementations requires effective change management as well – albeit for different reasons. We often times see the solution’s flexibility mask a deeper issue: resistance to change. The risk of Oracle ERP implementations is that even though you can change the software more easily than with S/4HANA, it doesn’t mean you should. Deployment flexibility While most ERP vendors are trying to force its customers to the cloud – including Oracle – SAP still offers multiple deployment models with S/4HANA. Rather than requiring a pure cloud or SaaS delivery, SAP allows customers to choose on-premise, cloud, or SaaS. We find that Oracle on the other hand rarely offers on-premise options – except where there are deficiencies in its product and only a legacy on-premise solution will address those needs. While SAP may have the advantage in this category, it also has some liabilities. The company may not require customers to move to the cloud before they are ready, but they are certainly forcing existing customers to migrate to S/4HANA before they are ready. SAP’s 2025 deadline is one of the more aggressive mandates that we have seen in the industry in recent years. Ease of employee adoption Feedback from our clients indicate that Oracle ERP Cloud has the advantage when it comes to ease of employee adoption. The product’s user interface and flexibility generally make it easier for employees to learn and use than S/4HANA’s more rigid interface and general structure. This is also true when it comes to the initial implementation of the software. Even though Oracle may have the advantage when it comes to ease of employee adoption, organizational change is still a very critical requirement for success. In addition to the reasons mentioned above, Oracle ERP and S/4HANA require a greater level of discipline, integration, and general process changes – all which require an intense focus on organizational change. Data and analytics The ability to translate data into information that can be used for better decision-making is becoming a hot commodity in the enterprise technology space. For decades, companies have been adapting ERP systems to gather more intelligence and data, but few have mastered the craft of knowing how to find value in all that data. This is becoming even more true in today’s age of internet of things, artificial intelligence, and shop floor automation and data capture. With this in mind, Oracle has historically been very strong in data and analytics, especially since its acquisition of Hyperion years ago. Its Enterprise Performance Management offering is a strong complement to the core ERP system, making for more effective reporting, analytics, and business intelligence capabilities than with S/4HANA. Alternatives to SAP and Oracle With this comparison in mind, it is also important to note that there are many viable alternatives to the SAP vs. Oracle debate. Many leading ERP systems have become more viable over the years, and there are more established cloud ERP systems that may be better fits for your organization. For example, here are a few other product comparisons that are commonly of interest with our clients, along with a link to each: SAP S/4HANA vs. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Oracle ERP Cloud vs. Oracle NetSuite Microsoft Dynamics 365 vs. Oracle NetSuite Overview of the Top 10 ERP Systems These and other resources on our website and my YouTube channel will help you navigate the plethora of options available to you. SAP S/4HANA vs. Oracle ERP Cloud: Which is better? As you may have gathered from the above analysis, there is no clear “winner” in the SAP S/4HANA vs. Oracle ERP Cloud discussion. We have many clients where S/4HANA is clearly more aligned with their longer-term vision and strategy, while we find that Oracle ERP Cloud is a better fit for others. It all comes down to unique needs, strategies, and goals of your organization. Please feel free to contact me to pick my brain on the pros and cons of these and other ERP systems available in the market. I am happy to be a sounding board as you continue your digital transformation journey! ` SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud Oracle Cloud ERP Why this matters True cloud SaaS applications Not SaaS, hosted legacy SaaS SaaS True SaaS is essential for the continuous digital innovation necessary for today’s business environment—without end-of life issues and implementation disruption. Complete suite of modular applications ERP-centric but comprehensive set of modules. Limited financials and manufacturing capabilities. Full suite of flexible modular SaaS applications. When all modules are built on unified data, you can optimize processes and analyze data across departments. Modularity allows for diverse business models and priority-focused implementation. Continuous innovation across all applications Traditional complex and costly upgrades Quarterly SaaS updates Quarterly SaaS updates Quarterly updates allow continuous innovation based on the latest technologies. Budgeting and forecasting across lines of business and data sources Only traditional budgeting and forecasting. Business planning & consolidation (BPC) will not be supported starting in 2027. Only traditional budgeting and forecasting. Will not be supported starting in 2027. Supports connected enterprise planning and multiple planning approaches. Planning and forecasting across functions leverages all enterprise data and gives you a holistic view of the business. Ability to anticipate and react to market conditions and disruptions with scenario modeling Limited capabilities to anticipate and react to market conditions and limited capabilities for scenario modeling. Limited capabilities to anticipate and react to market conditions and limited capabilities for scenario modeling. Supports multiple scenario planning approaches. Scenario planning prepares organizations for disruption and unforeseen events. Embedded risk management across functions Fragmented across multiple application and technology layers. Fragmented across multiple application and technology layers. Pervasive risk management with embedded data science across the applications and platform. Built-in risk management and data science strengthens financial controls, stops cash leaks, streamlines audit, and detects emerging risks. Flexible ledger structures Thick ledger Thick ledger Choice of thick ledger, thin ledger, or structured federated ledger (subledger accounting). A flexible ledger lets users decide how much data flows into the general ledger based on their business and reporting needs. One source of truth for finance and HR data to improve decision-making Legacy application connected to cloud. HR data is in silos. SaaS with multiple acquired disparate HR modules. SaaS solution with a single data model for HR, finance and other lines of business. Unified data avoids overly complex reporting and analysis. No need for IT to normalize data. Configurable, not customizable applications Customizable Configurable Configurable Rule-driven configurations and workflow changes don't require IT support. They also drive security and continuous optimization without business disruption. One solution for small, midsize, and large companies SAP positions different solutions based on company size. SAP Business ByDesign for small/midsize and the S/4 HANA products for large enterprises. SAP positions different solutions based on company size. SAP Business ByDesign for small/midsize and the S/4 HANA products for large enterprises. Single solution to support small, midsize, and large companies. Capabilities can be deployed as needed. A single solution means no need to migrate if the company grows or requirements evolve. You can deploy the same applications across HQ, subsidiaries, and business units regardless of size.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
51%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
6%
Educational Organization
38%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
University
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Oracle Fusion Middleware?
The most valuable features are Oracle Unified Directory and unified identity access management.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Fusion Middleware?
Pricing varies from customer to customer, however, it is reasonable compared to other products in the market.
What needs improvement with Oracle Fusion Middleware?
Oracle rapidly releases new features, and I may not be ready to adopt them. Although Oracle provides support, I need the appropriate IT team to adopt these new features.
Are there any advantages of SAP S4 HANA over SAP Business One (SAP B1) apart from the cost?
SaP Business One is a complete solution for business management. The software applications are broad, ranging from accounting to project management and human resources. It is very versatile and com...
What needs improvement with SAP S4HANA?
There could be a bit more competitiveness in their licensing and pricing.
What is your primary use case for SAP S4HANA?
It is a great product to be implemented for different industries for my customers. Can it be used globally?
 

Also Known As

No data available
SAP S4HANA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Police Department of Izmir City
Nestle, O.C. Tanner, Sabre, New York Life Insurance Co., MEMEBOX, Siemens AG.
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