SAP TechEd 2009 Phoenix: SearchSAP.com Special Report

SAP TechEd 2009 is the annual event for hands-on SAP training and SAP technical information. The SearchSAP.com editorial team was there to cover the event from Oct. 13-15 in Phoenix, Ariz.

In addition to the latest TechEd news and resources, SearchSAP.com has compiled in this special report some of its in-depth resources on the topics of each TechEd conference track.

News from SAP TechEd 09:

• SAP CTO Sikka: SAP's innovation gets overlooked At SAP TechEd 2009, SAP CTO Vishal Sikka sat down with SearchSAP.com to discuss trends he was seeing. Sikka, who oversees SAP's technology strategy and software development efforts, said that SAP must respond to the convergence occurring between social media, mobility, analytics and search technologies, particularly in addressing the realtime needs of customers.

  While companies like Facebook and Twitter have gained a reputation as leaders in innovation, he pointed out that it's much harder to spot innovation in large, established companies like SAP. Sikka also enumerated the benefits of designing in-memory applications, such as BusinessObjects Explorer, elaborated on where ERP software may be headed, and discussed shifts in how SAP builds and delivers software.

   

• SAP and Novell team up to integrate GRC software with IT infrastructure
  SAP and Novell's joint GRC technology offering solves some major governance, risk and compliance automation challenges, spokespeople said at SAP TechEd 2009.

   

• SAP TechEd Demo Jam 2009: Winners use beer keg in demo
  SAP TechEd '09's "Demo Jam" was met with an enthusiastic response from conference attendees. Get full coverage, photos and attendee feedback from SAP TechEd's Demo Jam.

   

• SAP TechEd 09 keynoters: Managing change today like trying to board a speeding train
  Managing change is getting harder, say SAP TechEd 09 keynoters, with social media applications and mobile technologies taking the world by storm. When technology is on an exponential growth path, it takes futurist Ray Kurzweil to figure out where we'll be in a year.

   

• SAP CTO expects today's SAP applications to be running in 2020
  Even though the pace of change for software is accelating, Vishal Sikka, CTO of SAP AG, expects many of the SAP software applications running today to still be running in the year 2020 -- if the software is developed properly.

   

• Getting ready for SAP TechEd 2009 with tips from Jon Reed
  In this podcast on getting ready for TechEd, SAP Mentor and SAP analyst Jon Reed, who runs the SAP career-focused website JonERP.com, offers advice on getting ready for the event. He shares his thoughts on how you can make a business case to your boss for attending, what some of the hot topics will be, and which sessions are "can't-miss."

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Check out the full BI and Information Management track agenda on SAP TechEd's main event page.

In the wake of SAP's acquisition of Business Objects, many SAP customers are updating their business intelligence strategy. This track promises in-depth coverage on BI, Business Warehouse (BW), data services and master data management. The resources below will provide relevant background information.

• SAP BI roadmap one year later: How's Business Objects working out for SAP BI customers?
  One year later -- how have SAP NetWeaver BI customers fared in the deal?
• Consider more than end of support in move from SAP BEx to BOBJ
  SAP has said it will end support for some SAP BEx tools in seven years, but the fact that support is ending should not be the determining factor in a move to SAP BusinessObjects.
• Podcast: Making sense of SAP Business Objects for SAP BI customers
  In this podcast, two SAP BI consultants shed light on where SAP Business Objects fits in your BI application landscape.
• Podcast: What's in store for SAP Business Objects CPM software?
  With the acquisition of Business Objects, SAP bolstered its corporate performance management (CPM). In this podcast, Sanjay Poonen, vice president and GM at SAP BusinessObjects in charge of the CPM and GRC lines, discusses SAP's plans for its CPM software line, and whether it will offer any of its CPM tools on-demand.
• Chapter Download: SAP Business Explorer (BEx) and SAP BI reporting basics
  Learn SAP Business Intelligence (BI) and SAP BEx reporting basics in this excerpt from the book SAP BEx Tools by Peter Scott. Get information on BEx Analyzer, Query Designer and Web Analyzer.

Check out the full BPM track agenda on SAP TechEd's main event page.

More companies are turning to business process management technology to automate business processes, optimize workflows and improve operational efficiency. This track will cover BPM as a discipline, enterprise modeling, workflow, archiving and SAP NetWeaver BPM.

• More SAP customers adopting BPM tools despite recession
  Read why even companies whose IT budgets were slashed are finding money for investing in BPM tools.
• Podcast: Increasing operational efficiency and agility with BPM
  In this podcast, learn why companies are turning to business process management (BPM) technology to automate processes, optimize workflows and become more agile.
• TechEd 2008: SAP offers new business process management certification
  SAP has revamped its BPM certification in an effort to turn out people who can bridge the gap between business and IT.

Check out the full Custom Development track agenda on SAP TechEd's main event page.

Using the NetWeaver Application Server for ABAP, IT pros can create custom applications. In addition, SAP developers can benefit from the Java programming language targeted at integration and composition projects. In this track, SAP will cover ABAP development, ABAP for Java developers, user interfaces, and Java development with SAP NetWeaver.

Check out the full User Productivity track agenda on SAP TechEd's main event page.

SAP's new strategy for developing mobile apps is to partner with mobile tools vendors. This track will cover mobile interfaces as well as SAP NetWeaver Portal and SAP NetWeaver Business Client.

• SAP relying more on partners to deliver SAP mobile infrastructure
  In a shift in strategy, SAP is partnering with other vendors to deliver SAP mobile infrastructure.
• Baylor College of Medicine goes wireless with NetWeaver Mobile 7.1
  Medical school uses Mobile 7.1 to track its inventory, becoming one of the first SAP customers to try the NetWeaver mobile platform.
• How to staff a successful mobile SAP project
  The success of a mobile project in SAP, such as in SAP xApp Mobile Time and Travel 2.0, is determined by staffing. This SDN post suggests how to select personnel.

Check out the full Application Life-Cycle Management track agenda on SAP TechEd's main event page.

SAP says that Solution Manager, its lifecycle management tool, will be a critical part of monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) used to justify price increases for Enterprise Support. This track will cover different uses of Solution Manager, as well as application life-cycle management tasks such as blueprint and system landscape design, testing, deployment, operations and change management.

• SAP Solution Manager will play major role in SAP Enterprise Support KPIs
  At Sapphire, SAP provided details on its SAP Enterprise Support KPI program, which will rely heavily on Solution Manager.
• Few SAP customers using SAP Solution Manager to full potential
  SAP Solution Manager isn't as popular as it should be, says AMR's Derek Prior. He outlines five strategies for leveraging the tool.
• Explaining Run SAP and Solution Manager
  Run SAP lowers the total cost of SAP, reduces technical problems and allows better process management. In this podcast, learn about Run SAP and its technical component, Solution Manager.

Check out the full Security and Identity Management track agenda on SAP TechEd's main event page.

Every organization faces the challenge of managing identities and roles in a consistent fashion and bulletproofing its SAP systems. This track will cover NetWeaver Identity Management 7.1, BPM and security, SAP Security Services and the role of security in SAP Java developments.

• Viewing SAP transaction codes and profiles
  An SAP administrator is looking for a way to see what profiles belong to a particular T-Code. SAP security expert Corwin Slack weighs in.
• SAP security guide
  This collection of security information from SearchSAP.com and its sister site, SearchSecurity.com, can help you bulletproof your SAP system.
• SAP security and compliance tutorial
  This Compliance and Security All-in-One Guide is a collection of resources designed to help SAP security professionals contribute to their compliance programs.

Check out the full SOA Middleware track agenda on SAP TechEd's main event page.

Companies continue to cite SAP application integration as a top concern in managing IT landscapes. In this track, SAP will lay out its SAP NetWeaver Process Integration (PI) roadmap as well as its Technology Portfolio roadmap, while covering SOA in practice and tactical SOA governance in an SAP environment.

• NetWeaver PI 7.1 easier to implement than earlier versions, SAP says
  NetWeaver executive Sanjay Chikarmane discusses SAP application integration and the improvements in SAP NetWeaver PI 7.1.
• Installing SAP NetWeaver PI 7.1 on servers running ECC 6.0
  A SearchSAP.com reader wants to know if it's advisable to install NetWeaver Process Integration (PI) 7.1 on the same servers already running SAP ECC 6.0, or if new servers should be used. SAP NetWeaver expert Axel Angeli weighs in.
• SAP NetWeaver training tutorial
  Find tips for understanding SOA in NetWeaver and learn about NetWeaver components for integration and development.