Comments on: Adding some D&B spice to your SAP risk management solution http://purchasingtransformation.ibxeurope.com/2009/05/29/adding-some-db-spice-to-your-sap-risk-management-solution/ Challenges and possibilities within sourcing, procurement and supply chain management. Sun, 13 Jun 2010 03:21:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Torbjörn Thorsen, IBX Group AB http://purchasingtransformation.ibxeurope.com/2009/05/29/adding-some-db-spice-to-your-sap-risk-management-solution/#comment-534 Torbjörn Thorsen, IBX Group AB Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:22:51 +0000 http://purchasingtransformation.ibxeurope.com/?p=731#comment-534 True, SAP is indeed enterprise centric and I doubt that this is something that will change in the near future. Turning a tanker around takes time. Yet the fact that customizable scorecards that can pull data from external sources, compile the metrics generated by these sources with internal metrics, weigh each metric individually as well as per section in order to get a single (as well as detailed) KPI on supplier performance and risk can very well be exploited by end-users smart enough to dig deep into the SAP functionality. And keeping in mind the number of unused SAP-licenses floating around there is a great potential available that often sits unused. I can also see a future where the capabilities to compile external data can be used for other causes as well such as green procurement and csr-monitoring. True, SAP is indeed enterprise centric and I doubt that this is something that will change in the near future. Turning a tanker around takes time.

Yet the fact that customizable scorecards that can pull data from external sources, compile the metrics generated by these sources with internal metrics, weigh each metric individually as well as per section in order to get a single (as well as detailed) KPI on supplier performance and risk can very well be exploited by end-users smart enough to dig deep into the SAP functionality. And keeping in mind the number of unused SAP-licenses floating around there is a great potential available that often sits unused. I can also see a future where the capabilities to compile external data can be used for other causes as well such as green procurement and csr-monitoring.

]]> By: Jason Busch http://purchasingtransformation.ibxeurope.com/2009/05/29/adding-some-db-spice-to-your-sap-risk-management-solution/#comment-532 Jason Busch Sun, 31 May 2009 20:45:16 +0000 http://purchasingtransformation.ibxeurope.com/?p=731#comment-532 An SAP / D&B relationship would be a boon for SAP customers if it goes beyond a simple re-seller agreement (anyone can do that). They need to leverage third-party info within the context of the processes of their emerging applications -- not just for parent/child enrichment and classification. There are some great minds on the SAP team when it comes to pulling, presenting and analyzing internal metrics around risk (e.g., performance, escapes, PPM, on-time delivery) in the supply chain as well as overall spend visibility. Problem is, SAP overall still seems very enterprise centric and these would seem to be minority voices. D&B and their competitors represent the world outside the four walls -- something SAP must think much more about going forward if they are to increase their penetration outside of transactional enablement for P2P. If they can pull it off, this could signal a future direction for SAP overall outside of just procurement and supply chain. In the world of dying $500 million ERP upgrades, this really is a do or die (death by Redmond acquisition that is). An SAP / D&B relationship would be a boon for SAP customers if it goes beyond a simple re-seller agreement (anyone can do that). They need to leverage third-party info within the context of the processes of their emerging applications — not just for parent/child enrichment and classification. There are some great minds on the SAP team when it comes to pulling, presenting and analyzing internal metrics around risk (e.g., performance, escapes, PPM, on-time delivery) in the supply chain as well as overall spend visibility. Problem is, SAP overall still seems very enterprise centric and these would seem to be minority voices. D&B and their competitors represent the world outside the four walls — something SAP must think much more about going forward if they are to increase their penetration outside of transactional enablement for P2P. If they can pull it off, this could signal a future direction for SAP overall outside of just procurement and supply chain. In the world of dying $500 million ERP upgrades, this really is a do or die (death by Redmond acquisition that is).

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