1 Feb

Let's be honest: How much does an SAP Business One project cost? - Part 2

In the previous part In the first part of our series on the costs of an SAP Business One implementation project, we looked at the basic orientation and objectives of the ERP project with regard to the costs involved. This part will focus on the SAP Business One ADDONsThe main focus of the project is on the development of new products, i.e. functional extensions of some kind, and how they affect the costs in our experience.

SAP Business One is a standard software that supports many areas of a company. Over the last 13 years, the functions of SAP ERP for SMEs have penetrated very deeply into the details of the processes. At the same time, it is also true for SAP Business One that, as a cross-industry business software, it is not possible to map all the specialities of every company. With over 50,000 installations worldwide, this would also be an impossible endeavour. This is where the Addonsextensions come into play. These applications take advantage of the openness of SAP Business One. Strictly object-oriented programming SAP B1 manages the balancing act of being a closed application that does not allow access to the source code by third parties. This has huge advantages with regard to the maintainability of the application.

On the other hand, there are a number of ways to dock onto this "closed society" without affecting the exclusivity of the standard code. This feature of SAP Business One can be used by any (authorised) user to adapt the program, be it through user-defined fields, tables or objects. And be careful! Here, too, you can "bend" so much that it is too much of a good thing. We are talking here about the CustomizationBut more about that in a future part.

Sector packages and function modules

The described extensibility of SAP B1 and the requirements of the market have led to the creation of entire enhancement packages by SAP development partners. These address either Industries with their special needs or they provide function modules that can be used across different sectors.
One example would be a PPS-ADDON for metal processors such as SMS-PPS, the other, for example, the integrated document management system CKS-DMS.

Costs of ADDONS for SAP Business One

The costs incurred for the implementation project of the SAP application hit the market on the one hand with additional licence costs to book. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is more expensive overall. In some cases, the use of a Addons SAP B1 licences can be saved. We also deal with the licence costs in a separate section on the costs of an SAP Business One implementation.

The other cost block that needs to be taken into account arises from a possibly higher costs resulting from the introductioncustomising and training of the additional functions. Here, too, the following applies: This may or may not be the case. On the one hand, additional functions that may transform entire company processes into the ERP system require their own customisation and training. base datametadata and rules. On the other hand, some new functions of the Addons a process double compared to the one in the default The new system cleverly uses the standard process provided and thus saves valuable working time and resources.

More specialities - more specialists

One cost factor to be considered is the use of an ADDONS brings with it is the Number and type of ERP consultants required as a result. Let's not kid ourselves: SAP Business One has long since left the status of a single expert being able to cover all areas in detail with specialised knowledge. If an extensive functional extension is added, an additional consultant is often required. This inevitably results in additional costs. Not only because additional hours are required for the specific consulting service. Coordination between the consultants and the increased need for project management are also not free.
 
The latter can be minimised if you make sure that the consultants involved come from the same company or have at least worked together in this constellation before.
 

Costs for the operation of SAP Business One ADDONS

 
The costs for the Operation and maintenance of the ERP software have ADDOns is of course also relevant. Depending on the extension, more functionality also means more maintenance work. The large industry packages, for example, have their own update cycles Last but not least, more software also requires more hardware. This can lead to a significant increase in memory requirements and processor utilisation. "No pig, no schnitzel" is something a SAP consultant colleague used to say. It is important to weigh up carefully what really adds value, what is just a "nice to have" or what falls into the "we've always done it this way" category and should be put to the test. But more on this in the first part.
 

Tips

 
  • Always try to compare how you would solve a requirement in your ERP project based on the SAP Business One standard and how the same scenario would change by using a Addons changed.
  • Compare the effort required by an extended customising of SAP Business One or by the use of a addon ensteht
  • Check a step-by-step introduction. Some Addons can be introduced at a later date without any loss. After you have gained initial or further experience with SAP Business One and can judge some things better.
 

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