SAP R/3 users face upgrade pain

Research suggests 90 per cent of SAP users expect upgrading challenges

Support deadlines dictate upgrade schedules

Nine out of 10 SAP users report facing challenges to upgrade their systems over the coming years, according to new research.

A survey of SAP users in the UK, France and Spain found that 80 per cent will upgrade their systems to stay with a supported version of SAP.

SAP plans to end support for its R/3 4.6c software at the end of 2010 and R/3 4.7 by the end of 2012.

Nearly three quarters of those surveyed (73 per cent) said their biggest concern was the time that will be eaten up by the complex upgrade process; 60 per cent highlighted the complexity of upgrades; and the staff resources that would be required worried half of respondents.

In addition, 41 per cent of those responding said system failure was a worry, while for 39 per cent potential data loss was a concern.

According to Lynda Kershaw, marketing manager for data-migration software maker Macro 4, which commissioned the research, mission-critical SAP upgrades require between six and 12 months to execute.

For those on R/3 4.6c, that means upgrade plans will need to be drawn up over the next few months.

Upgrades can be made less onerous by archiving non-critical data held in the SAP database, said Kershaw.

"With less data in the system, you’ll also benefit from faster responses, shorter backup and restore times and lower storage costs,” she added.