The current SDN homepage features another link to a blog about the SAP’s new Premium Access Zone (PAZ). As previously mentioned on here, I have some reservations about this move and I do feel that TechEd visitors are -compared to the old DVD delivery- being short-changed. This becomes even more apparent when ones takes the high SAP TechEd attendance fees of (GBP 1500+) into account.

On the whole, I don’t understand why these sessions

• are only made available online (despite SAP claiming that you can access the sessions “anywhere”)
• come with limited access for only 12 months (despite SAP claiming that you can access these sessions “anytime”).
• can not be downloaded (only the PDFs of the slides are downloadable)

Not every topic is covered at every single TechEd. Also, given the time until latest SAP developments really “hit you on the ground”, 12 months is unrealistic as an access period.

It will also be interesting to see if this “cynical cost cut by SAP” (as one commenter puts it) will be reflected in lower attendance fees for SAP TechEd.

Comments below the blog post indicate that I am not the only one who criticises this move. In fact, one of two positive feedback comments actually comes from a SAP employee.

As Market Wire reported yesterday, TechEd 06’s record breaking number of participants certainly underlines its importance as the main SAP Development convention. My only hope is that future TechEd’s will be prepared for such high attendance rates should this trend continue. In my own experience, certain workshops and presentations can be very overrun at times and participants are not always guaranteed a seat at a laptop during hands-on sessions.

With regards to the attendance increase of 40% at TechEd Bangalore, it has to be said that SAP sells those tickets at quite a discount. Whilst a 3-day ticket for TechEd 05 in Vienna cost about GBP 1600, the same convention in Bangalore was offered at GBP 180.

Many SAP developers wonder what the best way is to keep their skill set up-to-date and learn about using new technologies. Usually people seem to first think along the lines of SAP Training courses and certification.

However, getting some initial exposure with some any of the free SAP NetWeaver Trial and Preview Versions first can be a lot cheaper.

Most of them require MS XP Pro to be installed, OEM versions of which are available for anything around £100 these days.