Over the last few years we have noticed that many businesses do not fully understand the real benefits and potential risks of SAP Digital Access within their organisation. Many have entered into agreements thinking they would be covered, only to receive a somewhat quite large non-compliance bill. Not what anyone wants to receive and the phrase “buyer beware” is top of mind.

What is SAP Digital Access?

SAP Digital Access has been around for a while, and is a licensing model that applies when a non-SAP application accesses SAP data or business logic. This can happen through a variety of channels, such as:

•  A web application that uses SAP APIs
• A mobile app that connects to SAP backend systems
• A robotic process automation (RPA) bot that interacts with SAP data
• A third-party application that integrates with SAP

Under the SAP Digital Access model, SAP charges for the creation of initial documents that are triggered by non-SAP applications also known as Indirect Access. All other subsequent operations (read, updates, and delete) on the document are not counted.

SAP Digital Access is designed to be more flexible and cost-effective than traditional licensing models, allowing customers to pay for the actual usage of SAP data and business logic, rather than having to license for all possible scenarios.

Trust the output of the SAP tool at your peril.

To help you estimate your SAP Digital Access requirements, SAP provides a free Digital Access Evaluation Service. You can download this tool and run it on your systems yourself. This service can support you to determine the estimated initial number of digital access documents you will create.

The results from the tool however, should not to be trusted as-is, since the tool counts all documents (orders), including those from SAP users. This is why its important to know and understand the internal processes you have. 

Understanding the hidden risks

There are hidden risks that could prove costly, you need to be aware of:

• Complexity: The SAP Digital Access model can be complex to understand and measure. You need to carefully consider your use cases and estimate the document volumes in order to determine your true licensing requirements.
  
  
• Potential for increased costs: If your non-SAP applications (Indirect Access) create a large number of documents, they may incur significant SAP Digital Access costs. This is especially true for those who are not already familiar with the SAP Digital Access model and who do not have a good understanding of their document volumes.
  
  
• Risk of non-compliance: If you do not correctly estimate your SAP Digital Access requirements, you may be at risk of non-compliance with the SAP licensing terms and conditions, resulting in significant financial penalties.

A way to understand and mitigate the risks

We have deep expertise in SAP from both a commercial and contractual perspective. We have supported many organisations, whatever their SAP position and roadmap, optimise and improve their SAP investments. Don’t wait, get the expert guidance and support to make a real difference.

Contact me or your Insight sales representative to start the discussion.