We are using this solution for enterprise resource planning.
Head of Operations & Technology at LATAM Pass at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees
Robust workflows and overall operates well
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the robust workflows that SAP provides to us in our organization. Overall, I find it the best ERP solution compared to other similar solutions."
- "The problem for us, we are one company that has seven home markets. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. When we need to configure, modify rules, change policies, or taxes rules, when we move currencies around based on our other financial results, it can get very complicated. When we try to join everything together we have some problems. However, the process good, all of our material and procurement processes are going well. The problem is trying to consolidate the financial reports and this is where I have problems."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the robust workflows that SAP provides to us in our organization. Overall, I find it the best ERP solution compared to other similar solutions.
What needs improvement?
The problem for us, we are one company that has seven home markets. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. When we need to configure, modify rules, change policies, or taxes rules, when we move currencies around based on our other financial results, it can get very complicated. When we try to join everything together we have some problems. However, the process good, all of our material and procurement processes are going well. The problem is trying to consolidate the financial reports and this is where I have problems.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SAP ERP for approximately six years.
Buyer's Guide
SAP ERP
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about SAP ERP. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
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What other advice do I have?
I rate SAP ERP a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Practice Head - Qlik / Solutions Architect at TMC (TallyMarks Consulting)
Reliable and well-organized with helpful dashboards
Pros and Cons
- "We like that we have real-time dashboard views."
- "I do not have any notes for improvements."
What is our primary use case?
We use the dashboard for reporting for multiple clients. We mostly use it for dashboarding. It's real-time reporting.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very organized. The layout of the datasets are great.
We like that we have real-time dashboard views.
I did appreciate the connectivity with QlikSense.
It is stable and reliable.
What needs improvement?
I do not have any notes for improvements.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. I haven't seen any performance issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I cannot comment on scalability. I've never tried to scale.
How are customer service and support?
I've never contacted technical support. I cannot say how helpful or responsive they would be.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've also used Oracle in the past.
How was the initial setup?
I did not manage the initial setup process. I cannot speak to how easy or difficult it was.
What other advice do I have?
I'm an end-user. My company is a partner with SAP.
We've used the solution both on-premises and on the cloud.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It's very good overall. I find it to be well-managed.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Buyer's Guide
SAP ERP
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about SAP ERP. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Independent Consultant at Bosch&Cia
Great at maintaining and deploying queries and internal controls
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is scalable."
- "The warehouse management could be better."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for the solution is maintaining and deploying queries and internal controls. The solution is deployed on-premises, and we are looking to onboard on cloud next year.
What is most valuable?
We find the product very valuable.
What needs improvement?
The warehouse management could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for many years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable, and we have two people for deployment and maintenance.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution a ten out of ten. I advise users to understand the solution before thoroughly implementing it.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Digital Business Solutions - Key Account Manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Comprehensive, perfect for utility service providers, and capable of scaling up to meet the needs of large organizations
Pros and Cons
- "It is a utility-focused solution, and the deployment is very much aligned with utility service providers. If you look at the supply chain and the overall business model of a utility service provider, SAP is something that fits very well. That's because the company has invested tremendously in creating appropriate workflows pertaining to this segment or domain."
- "It could always be cheaper. There is no doubt about it."
What is our primary use case?
Primarily, I'm the account manager for an account that has the largest SAP implementation in the world in the utility segment. It is being used by a national utility service provider, and they use everything SAP, except for SAP SuccessFactors.
We primarily have on-premises solutions being sold in this region for the utility companies. In UAE, there are a lot of data residency regulations because of which cloud solutions are not preferred. Companies prefer on-premises solutions.
What is most valuable?
It is a utility-focused solution, and the deployment is very much aligned with utility service providers. If you look at the supply chain and the overall business model of a utility service provider, SAP is something that fits very well. That's because the company has invested tremendously in creating appropriate workflows pertaining to this segment or domain.
What needs improvement?
It could always be cheaper. There is no doubt about it.
In terms of features, it is as good as it can be. It cannot be anything more with its current structure. When a new challenge comes up, they're going to scale up to meet that challenge.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for quite a number of years. It has probably been more than 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I am absolutely satisfied with its stability and performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very scalable. There are only a few companies that can actually deliver an ERP or the overall business model solution at this scale. There are not a lot of players. We have SAP, and we have Epicor and others too, but we know that Epicor can never scale up to what a national service provider would need. We are talking about serving 80,000 or 85,000 people on a daily basis, so a different type of business scalability is required. Overall, we have about 10 clients who use this solution.
How are customer service and support?
We have dedicated support from SAP, and there is nobody more knowledgeable than SAP when it comes to SAP products.
If we need to change anything, we can just call up SAP, and they would come down and do it for us because we are not an SME. If it were an SME, then obviously, SAP, Oracle, or other big companies will not be able to do a change for us, but because of the size that we have, if we need to make a change, SAP will go ahead, invest, and make the change in the application itself.
How was the initial setup?
It is an extremely complicated deployment. The deployment is completely customized for my customers here, and it could not be made simpler.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It could always be cheaper. They don't have a very easy model of licensing, but large entities would get the upper hand in negotiating the license.
What other advice do I have?
For a large organization, SAP is the best way to go. It is also perfect if you are into manufacturing, oil and gas, natural resources, utilities, etc. If you're into finance, you can go with Oracle. If you are a small and medium business, you can go with Epicor or something else. It depends on the business requirements you have and the scale of your organization, business operations, customer base, etc.
I would rate it an eight out of 10. It is definitely up in the top three. No product will ever reach a 10 because the landscape keeps on changing in terms of the requirements within the business and the requirements of the customer. So, there is nothing that can be 100% aligned to meet all business requirements. We are in an evolving, constantly changing business environment, so it is not something that is practical. You can keep on striving, and you can keep on trying to improve your processes, tools, technologies, and the people who work on them, but at the end of the day, when you're looking at an ERP system, it is not about 100% alignment. It is about going for the best-fit approach, and in my opinion, SAP is a good fit for customers.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
EAM Executive at a educational organization with 5,001-10,000 employees
Easy to migrate from legacy systems, caters to business processes of different industries, and very stable and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "It is easier to migrate to SAP ERP from a legacy system. We have different products for data services, and it is easier to migrate to SAP ERP as compared to other solutions. Stability is one of the main features of SAP. What makes SAP ERP better than others is that SAP has taken into consideration the business processes of different industries, such as manufacturing. They have done the research, and they know what are the best practices. They have already implemented these best practices in SAP ERP, which are readily available for a client. Clients can also customize it based on their individual needs."
- "Their support should be improved. Instead of giving a general solution, their consultants should first try to understand the problem and then resolve the same. They should properly investigate the issue before providing the solution."
What is our primary use case?
It is a centralized system to manage your business. With the inclusion of BA, you can do analytics as well as predictive analytics, which helps a business to grow because you know where you are lacking and where you are growing more. You can balance and take statistical decisions to optimize business processes and have more benefits.
What is most valuable?
It is easier to migrate to SAP ERP from a legacy system. We have different products for data services, and it is easier to migrate to SAP ERP as compared to other solutions.
Stability is one of the main features of SAP. What makes SAP ERP better than others is that SAP has taken into consideration the business processes of different industries, such as manufacturing. They have done the research, and they know what are the best practices. They have already implemented these best practices in SAP ERP, which are readily available for a client. Clients can also customize it based on their individual needs.
What needs improvement?
Their support should be improved. Instead of giving a general solution, their consultants should first try to understand the problem and then resolve the same. They should properly investigate the issue before providing the solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for nine years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is one of the main features of SAP.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. It has to be scalable. Otherwise, SAP will not be able to survive.
Currently, we have 5,000 to 6,000 people who are using SAP ERP as end-users. On the development side, we have around 40 to 50 people, and they are technical consultants and functional consultants. For maintenance, we have around 40 people from different function models.
How are customer service and technical support?
There was one issue for which we were in contact with SAP. It was an isolated incident, and their support was okay. They were not that great. When an organization needs help, a relevant and experienced consultant should be made available for the client. They should properly investigate the issue before providing the solution.
How was the initial setup?
It was easy to install. It took more than a month. It was done around 2012.
What about the implementation team?
I did it myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SAP is a bit on the costly side, but they also provide support and other things. We are paying for licenses and the use of the cloud.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate SAP ERP a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Deputy Manager - SAP / ERP at Cooper Corporation Pvt Ltd
Best for transactional integration of operations, but lacks in reporting
Pros and Cons
- "The transactional integration of operations is the best-recommended feature of this product. It provides integration of all operational modules."
- "The version that we are using lacks in reporting. The reporting feature needs to be constructed more in this product. There can be better scope for mobility. They could include the technical development of reports instead of depending completely on programming. The programming method needs to be easy."
What is most valuable?
The transactional integration of operations is the best-recommended feature of this product. It provides integration of all operational modules.
What needs improvement?
The version that we are using lacks in reporting. The reporting feature needs to be constructed more in this product.
There can be better scope for mobility. They could include the technical development of reports instead of depending completely on programming. The programming method needs to be easy.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using SAP ERP for around nine years.
We are using the ECC EHP 8 version, which is not the latest one. SAP HANA is the latest one.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There is not a very simple answer to this. The version that we are using is not too stable. The newer version seems to be good, more scalable, and more stable. We are yet to evaluate the newer version of this.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We have around 180 users. We have licenses for 250 users, but 180 users are actively using the system.
How are customer service and technical support?
We get technical support from our external consultants. Whenever required, we also directly get technical support from SAP for any information. There is a waiting time for it.
How was the initial setup?
It was complex. As we moved forward, we slowly got used to it. I won't say it is straightforward now. It is still complex, but somehow we got used to it, and we are working with it. The deployment took around eight months.
What about the implementation team?
We used external consultants.
What other advice do I have?
You need to be well prepared to implement this solution. The most important thing is that there should be management involvement. It should not be left alone to the IT team or the applications team. The key to the success of any ERP is the involvement of the management.
I would rate SAP ERP a six out of ten. I won't rate it more than the average scale. This rating is based on the experience with the current version, which has a lot of scope for improvement. If I use the latest version, I might move the ranking up.
I have heard that the newest version has some capabilities to overcome the issues faced by the users in the present version. We are planning to implement the newer version. The industry or the current situation is holding us back. After we are out of this pandemic situation and the industry downturn, we will, of course, implement it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Significantly reduces the time required to produce our financial reports
Pros and Cons
- "SAP is not making a big effort to make it easy to integrate solutions from other vendors. It's not easy at all... Integration is what they can do better."
What is our primary use case?
We're using it for accounting, materials management, and sales and distribution. We are happy with SAP solutions. We are in the dairy products industry here in Chile, and there are good solutions for SAP in this industry.
How has it helped my organization?
The best improvement that we have seen using SAP solutions is that it shortens the cycle when creating financial reports. Before we installed SAP solutions, we had to do about 10 days of work to create the account reports for the managerial board. Now, ita takes about three days of work to do it. We are able to give information to the board in a more agile way.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the security. We have a very small IT team in our company, so a lot of the maintenance has to be done by the provider. So SAP gives us the maintenance and software solutions that we need.
What needs improvement?
They are not making a big effort to make it easy to integrate solutions from other vendors. It's not easy at all. When you have solutions from other vendors, SAP is not doing a good job integrating them.
SAP is giving us the solutions that they provide. They buy companies. They buy solutions. And they expect that we will choose the solutions that they buy. I suppose that's the reason that they are not making a big effort in making it easy to work with solutions from other vendors. I imagine Oracle is the same.
Integration is what they can do better.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It works well. In our company, we don't have issues with stability. We haven't had any in 10 years, and that's a long time.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We don't have scalability problems. We can go 100 times our volume of transactions and we won't have any problems with it. We are not a very big shop so we don't have any problems, nor do we think that in the future we are going to have trouble with it.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't have problems with support. However, it's not as good as it used to be. In the past, they gave better support. I imagine they want you to go to Gold Support, or Platinum, or Titanium Support. We are using Standard Support, and it's good for us. We don't need anything more for the time being.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using an ERP that didn't have a big company behind it. The company started to have financial problems, the stock price went from $200 to about 10 cents. So we thought the solution would no longer be supported, and we didn't want to have our financials and materials management in software that didn't have a big company behind it.
So we started looking at ERP solutions in our industry. Here in Chile, the best option was SAP ERP. We spoke with people in the same industry in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. They had no problems with it, so it was the natural option for us to go with ERP from SAP.
When selecting a vendor the most important factor is the vendor's availability. We don't want to find that our provider has problems with availability. When we have a problem, they have to have a solution. The provider has to have a lot of clients that are similar to us, and it has to have been providing the solution for a long time. That way, if we are going to have problems, somebody has had them before and there will already be solutions for them.
How was the initial setup?
I was involved in the setup and it was not easy. We had to bring a technician from another country, from Brazil. He had to come for three to four weeks to do the installation. So it wasn't easy at all.
But once they did it, they documented it. So today, it's not that hard because we have everything written. Today, we can install another system and do it with internal IT staff. So we learned from the process.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
PeopleSoft was on our shortlist at that time, although today it's Oracle. But they made it very hard for us to go with them because they didn't want to do meetings. They didn't respond to our calls. That was the worst kind of vendor you can find when you are looking for a new one.
There was another, Meccano, here in Chile. It wasn't on the same scale as SAP ERP. So we went for the sure bet and went with SAP.
What other advice do I have?
Check and double-check the fine print of the contract. Also, find a hardware provider that can scale to the volume of your business, and have a hardware provider that already has implemented solutions. In our case, IBM made a mistake when sizing the server that we needed and we had three months of performance problems. It wasn't the fault of SAP, it was the fault fo IBM. It was a bad way to start with a new system, but they didn't have enough experience in sizing the server for the solution.
I give the solution an eight out of 10. Everything works well enough, but something that could be better is their ability to work with customer's processes in the way the customer does them. I understand that they propose best practices, but when you have been in your industry for 50 years, you know what the best practices are. So you are not always going to change your process because your ERP provider thinks there are better ways.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
ERP Project Manager & Managing Consultant at Liwa Education, Iranfava
Flexible with lots of great configuration capabilities and easy to scale
Pros and Cons
- "The stability and performance are good."
- "The initial setup is complex."
What is our primary use case?
The majority of the projects I was involved with were for production companies with huge manufacturing capabilities.
What is most valuable?
The solution is ideal for large enterprises. Normally, the companies begin bigger in size and have many production facilities. In terms of SAP ERP, it's best for very large organizations.
The detail of the configuration test thas appealed to me the most. I can do a lot of things in it. There are many great features on it. If you learn its code, you can do a lot of things. Generally, there's a lot of possibilities as the solution is quite vast and flexible. The possibility to configure it to fit any shape is great.
The solution can scale well.
The stability and performance are good.
What needs improvement?
The product is not a good fit for smaller companies.
It would be better if they completed the Fiori user interface. They really need to improve the interface. It would be great if even the older interface could be updated.
The initial setup is complex.
Technical support needs to be more helpful or responsive.
The training is expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with the product for three to four years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. The performance is very good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is very good. If a company needs to expand it, it can. It's ideally for large organizations.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is not very good. We are not satisfied with the level of service we get. Microsoft, for example, offers better support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also use Microsoft.
The one thing different between this solution and Microsoft is, with Microsoft, normally the application training is relatively free or very low cost. The training for us for HANA or SAP ERP is expensive. They should think of reducing the pricing, or even offer free training, as that will help with awareness in the user and the better usage of the application.
How was the initial setup?
It's a complex application to initially set up. It takes time and you have to save a lot of small integrated details. There's so much configuration and features are available which makes the setup relatively hard. That said, it works. If you know it well, you can do it well. If you don't have the background, you will struggle.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The features on offer make it worth the price. It's not expensive in the sense that if the company needs the features, they will be willing to pay for them. They're necessary to the core business.
What other advice do I have?
I am an implementer consultant. I worked with a Microsoft partner and I've worked with an SAP partner, however, my work is as an implementer or implementation consultant.
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. I find it better than Microsoft as an option.
SAP ERP is kind of a big effort. Therefore, the more learning and time taken for the implementation, the better off you will be. That said, it's an excellent solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementor
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