Microsoft Power Platform and SAP: Better Together

⇨ In recent years, the rapid digitization of businesses has underscored the growing adoption of cloud technology and the increasing demand for automating complex workflows through "no-code" or "low-code" solutions.

⇨ While SAP is a reliable ERP solution, it does have limitations or rough edges, particularly in terms of customization and upgrade costs.

⇨ Microsoft’s Power Platform addresses these challenges with low-code tools and enterprise-level development capabilities, fostering collaboration between citizens and professional developers.

Many organizations face significant challenges in developing effective solutions to support their users due to outdated systems and insufficient resources to meet the rapidly evolving demands of today’s data-driven, process-intensive business environment. The need for fit-for-purpose applications is at an all-time high, often outstripping departmental capacities, exacerbated by labor shortages. Additionally, the changing business climate introduces new challenges such as evolving workforce expectations, rising costs for custom application development, the need for greater agility, and efficient scaling of development processes.

Digitization of businesses has surged, with many organizations adopting cloud technology and automating complex workflows using “no-code” or “low-code” solutions. SAP has been pivotal in this transformation, supporting critical functions like finance, HR, and supply chain management. However, despite its reliability as an ERP solution, SAP faces limitations in customization and upgrade costs. Its standardized implementation frameworks allow for quick management of core business processes but are chiefly SAP-centric and may not fully support heterogenous end-to-end processes. This creates challenges for customers seeking unique, industry-specific customizations, often requiring specialized and expensive resources.

Continuous customization of SAP environments is essential to meet the evolving needs of organizations. However, this adaptation is challenging due to the diverse processes, roles, and devices within an organization, often leading to incomplete SAP-related tasks that need manual intervention. These manual methods are inefficient, prone to data inaccuracies, and can lead to compliance issues, compromising the user experience. Therefore, the ability to quickly develop simple apps and automations to fill these gaps is crucial.

Meeting these expectations while managing the high costs of custom application development, including initial build and maintenance, is daunting. Traditional solutions that take months to develop and weeks to update are no longer viable in a fast-paced business environment. Organizations need to quickly develop and deploy solutions to keep up with rapid changes, rethinking development processes to include citizen developers (power users) in hybrid development teams.

Microsoft’s Power Platform addresses these challenges with low-code tools and enterprise-level development capabilities, fostering collaboration between citizens and professional developers. This approach ensures solutions are tailored to user needs, exemplified by field technicians using Power Apps to check inventory in real-time, reducing delays and downtime. The low-code/no-code approach of Power Platform reduces development time for routine tasks, allowing professional developers to focus on complex aspects. With over 1400+ prebuilt data connectors, the platform simplifies integration with internal and external systems, reducing costly custom integrations.

Download the Microsoft Power Platform and SAP: Better Together White Paper.