SAP recently released a customer relationship management (CRM) sales data iPhone application so iPhone users can access their CRM data on the go. SAP, a business management software provider, recently acquired Sybase, a business intelligence analytics software provider. Sybase and SAP worked together to develop the latest iPhone app entitled the Sybase Mobile Sales & Workflow application.

Sybase wanted to take iPhone user needs into account while keeping security as a priority. Bryan Whitmarsh, the Senior Product Manager in the Mobile Enterprise Solutions Division of Sybase, said, “We all love our iPhones because of the apps and how easy they are to use, so we didn’t want the user experience to be degraded just to secure the device.”

Before fixing the usability of the application, Sybase developers focused on secure segregation. The application was secured separately from the actual iPhone to ensure that no important sales or customer data could be compromised. Also, the Sybase app requires a password.

iPhone Screenshot of SAP Sybase Mobile Sales & Workflow App

The Sybase for SAP CRM application has a variety of features that are essential for sales professionals when they are away from their office. There is a day planner with a detailed schedule of meetings or activities in addition to relevant contact information. For example, if a business user is meeting with a colleague, the colleague’s contact information will come up on the schedule just in case the iPhone user is running late or needs to reschedule.

One of the most important features of the Sybase iPhone app is the analytics and reporting capability. Whitmarsh said, “This capability is huge. WE can create custom reports from the device if the user wants, or use some of our canner filters.” There are several filters, including top opportunities or the pipeline. The iPhone app is also customizable, as users can add different reports by exporting or importing information from the SAP system. Whitmarsh went on to say, “This kind of capability is very important to our users. The more they know about their business, the better off they are, of course. This way, they are always connected to what is happening.”

Another essential feature of the Sybase Mobile Sales iPhone app is its integration functionality. Using SAP’s Netweaver technology, the mobile application will integrate information on the iPhone device and on the main SAP system. This way, when something new is entered into the system it is instantly synced to the phone or main system.

The release of the SAP Sybase Mobile Sales & Workflow application is significant because it addresses the modernization of the workplace, as most business professionals are frequently on the go. This app will be very useful to users who need to access CRM, sales or workflow information when they are away from their desks. SAP ensures that using the mobile app is an easy and secure process. The iPhone app is free on the Apple App Store, with a SAP account.

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* Declaration of a work area for a Dictionary table
TABLES CUSTOMERS.
* Internal table used as snapshot of the database table
DATA ALL_CUSTOMERS LIKE CUSTOMERS OCCURS 100
WITH HEADER LINE.
* Reading the entries of the database table into an internal table
SELECT * FROM CUSTOMERS INTO TABLE ALL_CUSTOMERS.
* Displaying each line of an internal table
LOOP AT ALL_CUSTOMERS.
WRITE: / ALL_CUSTOMERS-NAME.
ENDLOOP.
*&———————————————————————*
* 1. Elementary types
Other Approach to define data type
DATA: CUSTOMER_NAME_1(25) TYPE C,
VENDOR_NAME_1(25) TYPE C.
* 2. Reference to an existing field
DATA: CUSTOMER_NAME_2(25) TYPE C,
VENDOR_NAME_2 LIKE CUSTOMER_NAME_2.
* 3. Reference to a non-elementary type
TYPES T_NAME(25) TYPE C.
DATA: CUSTOMER_NAME_3 TYPE T_NAME,
VENDOR_NAME_3 TYPE T_NAME.

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When creating an EDM profile a replacement value procedure can be allocated.The role of this procedure is to create missing values in the profile. This can be done in the import process or in the billing simulation process. I belive the system creates the missing values in the settlement process as well but I haven’t tested it (yet).

Recently I was asked the following question by a fellow EDM consultant:I want to use the replacement value procedure just in case of billing simulation and not during billing. So I started to play around in the system and I discovered that when defining the RV Procedure there is a setting called RVP After Imp (in SPRO -> SAP Utilities -> Energy Data Management -> Profile Management -> Replacement Value Creation -> Define Replacement Value Creation Group.

I quickly defined a RVP group and I didn’t set up the RVP After Imp field. I created a profile and a quick file to use in transaction EEDMIMP01 – Profile Import. When the RVP After Imp field was set on the RVP group, the system created the missing profile values.If the field is not set, system doesn’t create the missing profile values.Also, when doing the billing simulation in EA00 the system creates the missing profile values based on the RVP configuration.

So, if you need to set up your RVP group to be used only in billing simulation but not in billing do not set up the field RVP After Imp.

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Citrix has just hired Roland Wartenberg, the SAP Chief Virtualization Evangelist.

Wartenberg has been in SAP since 1997, covering multiple roles.
In 2006 he developed the virtualization strategy for the SAP Labs division.

Wartenberg has been actively involved in pushing the company’s marketing message about virtualization through the many SAP Virtualization Week events arranged around the world.

He will start at Citrix in a couple of weeks, in charge of the the strategic alliance with SAP.

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Currently, Forrester rankings show that SAP and Oracle-Siebel are the leaders in CRM software. However, competition is close at their heals. Because the CRM software market has developed immensely in recent years, this has made it difficult to make distinctions between products. The Forrester report stated that the reason Siebel and SAP do so well is because they are both adequate absolute CRM software products that have a tremendously high usability.

Even with the high level of success that SAP and Siebel have achieved with their products, other companies are close behind. CDC, Microsoft, Oracle’s CRM On Demand application, RightNow, and Salesforce.com are all treading close to SAP and Siebel’s waters.

In particular, CDC’s rise in the rankings is due to a new commitment in its marketing strategies. Also Oracle’s other CRM products, (not including Siebel and On Demand) ranked fairly high as well.

As far as the CRM software market itself; it is still considered relatively healthy. A survey conducted by Forrester showed that out of 455 large organizations, 56% had already put into operation a CRM tool and an additional 17% plan to implement CRM software in the next 12 to 24 months. Another survey illustrated that of 286 businesses, 62% of business and IT professionals have put into use or are growing their customer business intelligence solutions.

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